Bazza

Mark, No, no. I'd go with Andrew. I've had another squizz and there is a bit of rust that with a casual look suggests a rh stroke, but the bottom looks right for NAGA. Sigh, my son suggested I don't repair my grumbling auto trans and suggested its even time for me to give up my driver's licence. Perhaps its time for other giving up... BaZZa.

MORIMITSU?? Unless I need new glasses and eyeballs to go with them!! BaZZa.

Sadly, I no longer have the most cringeworthy tsuba I've ever seen. It was unbelievably UGHHH and looked like a beginner's first attempt at an iron tsuba with a high relief blob that resembled a person. This was very pre-Message Board and I almost wish I still had it to show here... BaZZa.

Moriyama san, thank you so much for this ref. A great service bringing an old (hardly necro!!) post to augment a current post. Thank you too to Piers san for the original 2014 post, which I seem to have missed. I would have given it a 'LOVE' emoji at the time. BaZZa.

The 'blunt' shape suggests to me an armour-piercing style?? BaZZa

Yes indeedy. Disassembling my first teppou (I have 6) I came across the problem of how to get the lock out. Then just 'looking over' the area saw the blind hole and thought 'Voila'. Brilliantly simples... ('simples' as per an advertisement on local TV!) BaZZa.

Hmmm, I wonder (friends will be shaking their heads)... is the tsuba proper meant to look old and battered to suit some Japanese ethos??? I find it hard to believe an extensive mei would be put on a battered nonentity to claim a scalp, as it were. Whatever, I find it charming for reasons I'm having difficulty elucidating (head shaking all round)... If its just had a hard life surely its no surprise a well-cut mei survives intact? Is there such a thing as atomei for a tsuba?? BaZZa.

Thanks to Baka Gaijin/Colin san here is a fascinating story from his link with General MacArthur making a cameo appearance: http://www.smokingsamurai.com/SAMURAI_SHOKAI.html BaZZa. With thanks, always learning...

If I understand what's going on here, the 'small hole' and the 'match extinguishing' hole are unrelated... The small hole has a definite purpose. BaZZa.

YES!! BaZZa.

Kris, I find a very useful 'sifting' tool for checking names is the nihontoclub website. Here's the link to SUKEKANE, and that in conjunction with Dr Google might help you find other references: https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=sukekane It might also help pick up some oshigata if you put the kanji into a google search field. If you get a 'hit' copy and paste the Japanese text into an online translation program: 助包 Good luck, BaZZa.

Interesting to see gyaku takanoha yasurime, a not often seen style. BaZZa.

Stupendous. Thank you Mustafa. Question resolved.

I've always taken them to be oxides of iron ('termpering colours') without knowing or understanding if they have a chemical formula!! BaZZa.

Or is it an oar??? BaZZa.

And likewise KI may have another pronunciation... BaZZa.

Almost a cinematic masterpiece for its succinctness..,. BaZZa.

Hokke san, So tantalising and so wonderful to have our own Koichi san rising yet again to the challenge that bedevils us mere lovers of the Great Art. Thanks for the translation, Koichi san. I'm presuming that we have a boxed set of tosogu. To add sugar to the mix can we please see photos of the items? And to add to our knowledge of this lovely translation does anyone know who Sodo is?? Thanks, BaZZa.

MISTER SQUIGGLE, of course Rob. Posterity will thank you for the correction, but I last saw him with Miss Jane. Glad to see you are worldly-wise. But the fuchi scribble was worthy of Mr Squiggle, I thought... BaZZa.

Where is Mr Scribble when you need him??? (This might be culturally specific). BaZZa.

Lex, I have no insights, only admiration for a beautiful blade excellently presented. As with others, I know well the difficulty of photographing blades and you have done well IMHO. I particularly liked the enlargement obtained by clicking on the original image allowing closer study of the deki (workmanship?). Your photos are close to tops. My, my, that boushi is just hanging in there!! No detriment at all because it is there... BaZZa.

Remembering also his memorable articles in the English Token Bijutsu... And (his??) book Japanese Swords in The Netherlands... BaZZa. EDIT: Maybe it was "Japanese swords in Dutch Collections"?

Decades ago I went to look at a sword and it was 'bleh', but sort of real looking. I declined to buy it and the owner said he would 'show it to the Japanese gentleman who visits from time to time' (Mr Nakayama for those who remember him). I left my details and asked if he would let me know the outcome with the 'Japanese gentleman'. Much to my amazement quite some time later the owner did ring me to say that the 'Japanese gentleman' did buy the sword at a price I wouldn't have paid, saying it was a Kabuki sword. It was the only sword like it I have ever seen. BaZZa.

Hmmm, at first blush looks interesting. It seems to be antique, en suite, what about the blade?? BaZZa.

This one looks like it was made for the Aztec export market!!! BaZZa.