Bazza

OK - try again. Could it be HAKUDO??? BaZZa. ======================================================= https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/43547-fake-or-fortune/#comment-450748 Posted February 4 I found this on the web: HAKUDO = An alloy of 70-80% copper and 20-30% tin. As is known from mirrors made of HAKUDO, the tin content is higher than in bronze. It sounds a bit surprizing that this alloy should have a silvery colour, considering the high copper content. I am sure @Ford Hallam could tell us all about HAKUDO. Regards, Jean C. THEN: Ford Hallam Posted February 6 Just passing by and thought I could add my 5 yen's worth Hakudo is indeed a high tin alloy, typically 20 to 23% tin. In it's usual cast alloy form it's incredibly hard and brittle so unlikely to be used in tosogu making, especially menuki which are worked up from flat sheet.

I have also read (ancient memory here) that the omodaka leaf reminded samurai of arrowheads, hence its popularity as a tsuba motif. BaZZa.

Colin, I chuckled when I read your question and said to myself "Now where in all the NMB was it??" A quick check showed 9 pages of KUNIKANE discussions!!! I knew it was a long time ago, so I went to page 9 and - VOILA: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/6699-kunikane-genuine-of-fake-mei-on-katana/#comment-65485 Name: Peter Bleed Posted November 26, 2010 There are a great many bad Kunikane signatures out there, largely because the Kunikane 1 successfully started a long line of smiths that survived and was supported by the Date family. There were 14 generations in the main line. They practiced the style of the founder and enjoyed official support. The middle generations produced mumei swords that went right into the armory of the Date family. (Sendai meikan lists NO legitmate signatures from the 4th to 10th generations.) After the Meiji Restoration those unsigned swords were sold to an antiques dealer - apparently in Sendai - who had them signed --- mainly with the Master's name. Dealers refer to these as "Sendai Atobori." They can be viewed as "school"swords, but those "after signatures" are being removed nowadays. That is, they are being treated like "gimei." I am as sure as I can be that the sword that got this discussion started is not the work of Kunikane 1. Peter Sheer luck Colin, sheer luck. BaZZa.

Topical question - are they 'murder hornets' (Vespa mandarinia)? https://www.livescience.com/how-to-identify-murder-hornet.html BaZZa.

Could it be pewter??? BaZZa.

Kelly can still post to Victoria as the L-A-W law is a local Victorian State piece of insanity legislation and not a Federal Customs/Australian Border Force legal imposition. I should know as I and others do get swords into our Victorian state from overseas countries. I can't believe that the Japanese authorities prohibit posting swords to Victoria as it is most definitely not illegal to do so. BaZZa.

Without seeing the rest of it, the nakago photo suggests a 100% certainty as the mei seems to have been put on with some electric etching/engraving tool. The file mark style is not consistent with a Japanese tang. BaZZa.

NOooooooooo... BaZZa.

IMHO what we are seeing in this picture is not the hamon, but the yakiba outline. The apparent hamon (the white line) is the overspillof the hadori... BaZZa.

Peter et al, what I found interesting was the revelation (previous NMB discussions) that in the Meiji period a 'stack' of unsigned swords were found in a warehouse that were produced by the Kunikane line. These were subsequently 'signed' and marketed. A friend has a Kunikane katana that we put up at one of the Sydney, Australia, Shinsa (2011?) and it was pinked to late Edo Kunikane. I'll dig out the oshigata and reject slip and put them here for the conversation. BaZZa.

I believe it portrays the Bell of Miidera Temple: https://historyofjapan.co.uk/wiki/miidera/ Note the last story: Another tale relates to Benkei, who was the retainer of Miyamoto no Yoshitsune. The tale relates that when he was still a monk he sorely wanted to steal the bell to install it into his own monastery. He thought to roll the heavy bell down the hill, but fearing the monks would hear him and discover his theft he used his great strength to place the bell on one end of the cross-beam and his paper lantern on the other and proceeded the carry the heavy burden for seven miles. Eating a meal after arriving back at his temple, he then allows the monks to strike the bell. However, instead the bell made a cry of ‘I want to go back to Miidera!’ They hoped that sprinkling the bell with holy water would appease it, but still the bell longed for Miidera. Benkei grew angry and so he struck the bell as hard as he could hoping it would break, but it did not. All it did was cry again, ‘I want to go back to Miidera!’ He took the bell to the top of a mountain, kicking it down the slope. Benkei no longer wanting the bell. Eventually the priests of Miidera found their bell once more and hung it back in its rightful place. It is said though the bell never spoke again, and merely rung like other temple bells.3 It is a tale seen in tsuba, either as the bell itself or with Benkei. I'm sure someone else can extend this topic. BaZZa.

Aaron wrote: > the cash for clunkers program basically murdered the lower level of the used car market The scrap drive for WW2 in the USA took out A LOT of older classic cars, particularly I've read the Town Car, where the driver/chauffeur sits in the weather... Coming forward I have to almost rub my eyes when I see what is in the huge eWaste bins these days. BaZZa.

The second photo appears to show a shinogi with a narrow shinogi ji. Practice sword comes to my mind? BaZZa.

O MY GAWD - I've just necro-loved an old 2016 post. How may others, I wonder, had never seen Howard's first post before??? BaZZa.

BaZZa.

Decades ago I had a scruffy daishou that had the handles bound with two-coloured tsukaito in blue and yellow(?). What caught my attention here with Vitaly's wakizashi is that the daisho saya were also rayskin, though the rayskin was just hanging on by the skin of its existence. I thought at the time the blades weren't much and the pair eventually went the way of providing sustenance for another acquisition. Vitaly's sword hints at a 'school' or group that fitted out swords in two-tone tsukaito with same saya. BaZZa.

A very interesting ground. Any comment @Ford Hallam??? And please Jimi-san, if this is your tsuba can we please see the full front and back?? BaZZa.

Here ya are hamfish; BaZZa.

I've added a red love-heart necro 'like' to the OP original post as I cannot ever remember seeing this thread/article before, more so as I have a lovely Echizen Shimosaka kiriha katana with very well executed horimono. I shall now read the entire thread with very close attention. A belated thank you to Gabriel. Dunno how I could have missed this and I wonder how many 'old' threads could do with an occasional update for newer members. BaZZa.

Franco wrote: > An electronics grade 99.9% anhydrous isopropyl alcohol will work to remove sword oil, but take full precautions as it is nasty stuff Franco, could you please elaborate on the 'nasty stuff' angle??? Petrol is nasty, carbon tetrachloride is nasty, a lot of stuff is 'nasty', but as a user of isopropyl alcohol for cleaning swords I'm aware you don't sniff the stuff or get too much on your hands. What else is there?? BaZZa.

Congratulations to Chris K for being so quick off the mark. I thought 'No one will want the gun books'. How wrong was I... BaZZa.

Good one Thomas. The shock for me is seeing the cover I think I have a copy somewhere in my too-voluminous holdings. Browsing I see an Echizen Nobuyoshi - I have one - and other nice things. Thanks for the follow-up one-up!! BaZZa.

Ffolke, I was looking for something specific and stumbled on this old catalogue and (maybe useful) website to explore further: CATALOGUE THE JAPkNESE SWORD AND ITS FITTINGS From the collections of the members of the Japanese Sword Society of N.Y. The Cooper Union Museum March 26 though May 28, 1966 It can be downloaded from this website: https://vdocuments.mx/download/the-Japanese-sword-and-its-fittings-from-the-collections.html BaZZa.

I ran out of likes!!! Big tick to Franco's piece above. I was especially taken with the excerpt I've attached from the link given. This interview should (IMHO) be essential reading for anyone who aspires to collect Nihontou. BaZZa.

Am I the first person to do necro-likes without looking at the date???!!! DOH!!! But the 'likes' were well-deserved nonetheless, I thought. BaZZa.