Bazza

I see no reason to change my mind from Showatou, at best a hantan. BaZZa.

To be more helpful how about a pic of both sides of the tsuba, please?? BaZZa.

For general interest I present these two images that have popped up in an auction described as a "surrender tag". Plainly it is not. I cannot read the particular SHOWA date because the kanji is mangled. I'm not at all after a full translation and present this here to simply ask does anybody (or somebody, or Nobody) know what kind of tag this is? I'm guessing it may be a sword shop ID label, or with all the conditions on the back maybe an old Toroku. BaZZa.

Neck-stretching again... Tang looks wrong to be Kotou. I think it is a WW2 Showatou, possibly a gendaitou. Hardly a sword worth a polish IMHO, but a window might be instructive and worth the expense. FWIW. BaZZa.

In the appendage section??? (I just LUV double entendres...) BaZZa.

Congratulations Grev. This is a wakizashi, yes?? 'Twould be nice to see pics of overall, kissaki, machi, and mei - not to ask too much!!! BaZZa.

Didier, My head on the block first!! I doubt very much that this is a Hizen sword. Firstly, they are very high quality which your sword is not. Why can I say this so assuredly? Look at the polish near and adjacent to the machi (DSC_0066.JPG). The lines visible are from a burnish polish, in my experience only done on lesser blades to be "done up" for quick sale. Also the sugata is wrong for a Hizento and Hizento are (nearly??) always signed. I doubt the Japanese would let a genuine Hizento slip through their fingers. The only way you are going to get any headwind with this sword is to have a window polished in it and that can lead to an expensive slippery slope. To add to this I have a nidai Tadahiro katana and I have seen two nidai Tadahiro wakizashi. I can assure you that they at first sight have a "presence" - of course I cannot have your sword in my hand, so it is a tough call to make any kind of judgement on an out of polish sword... I wish you Bon Chance with this wakizashi. BaZZa.

Is that Guidoemon's own tanned, muscled demo body??? BaZZa.

CocaCola Company souvenir bottle opener???? BaZZa.

By the look of the nakago sabi I would opine Shinsakutou, possibly even VERY recently made... BaZZa.

Ed, Why not try an honest-to-goodness oshigata. Even a B pencil on A4 bond 80gsm paper might be better than a poor photograph. Then copy it and try to "fill in the blanks" on the copy. Use magnifying glasses in different lighting to trace where strokes go... Bestests, BaZZa.

Hi Dan, I was VERY excited to see your post with Yumoto sensei's writeup of (your??) KAZUNORI. The following post may be of interest: www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/19001-kazunori-gendaito-quality-question My "longer story" promised followup is still in its gestational state, but I'll try and bring it to the forefront and post it here... Is the KAZUNORI sword yours, or is the paper an incidental discovery amongst your files?? Best regards, BaZZa,. aka Barry Thomas Melbourne, Australia.

Quite some years ago I had a call from a "newbie" local collector who had 25 swords. I asked how long he had been collecting and he replied two years. The alarm bells rang loud. When I went to see his collection he had 25 Chinese copies... I never heard from him again. Much later I was visiting an antique car collector in another state who had a collection of 15 Japanese swords. It was my sad duty to tell him they were all Chinese crappers. The twist in the story is the friend he had invited to visit to show his single sword for opinion. It narked the car man no end when his mate had a genuine, signed WW2 Shingunto in good condition... Sadly this state of affaires is only going to get worse and it steepens the learning curve for anyone beginning this great interest. BaZZa.

... and yet the blade appears to have mu-zori. Let's see the tang if we can. BaZZa. LATE EDIT: I believe I meant to say UCHI ZORI.

At a first glance I would say New Guinea or a nearby island. BaZZa. EDIT: Or maybe West Papua...

I have a dinging in the back of my noggin that says the "other than axe" shape has been discussed here before, somewhere. The idea is associated with weights of some sort??? BaZZa.

VERY interesting habaki. Can we please have some good, closeup pics if it?? I just LURV unusual, well-made habaki. BaZZa.

There is, I think, a book on Kaga abumi makers. I have a pair of Kaga abumi and I should dust them off and put the mei here... BaZZa.

Your photo may not show the silky surface, but I swear as I look at Johnny Vi's photo I can see remnant kanji. Is it so Johnny??? And has anyone "had a go" at figuring it out??? BaZZa.

Grev, should that be "normal"??? How "normal" is the life of any Nihonto-phile???!!! BaZZa.

Any thoughts??? Oi loiks it!!! A sword of its time... BaZZa. EDIT: And one doesn't always have to have a paper...

Dreadful, dreadful news. It saddens me to say that Ford's naysayers have a heavy burden to bear in regard to this. I hope Ford takes the support of his well-wishers as a tonic to rapid recovery. Vive Ford. Barry Thomas.

G'day Kathleen, On "lots to learn" there are some memorable (and not so memorable!!) threads in this vast storehouse of knowledge you might be interested to read. Could I suggest this one that I very much enjoyed reading: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22873-help-my-awakening-to-old-iron/ Pick any word/s that looks interesting and put them in the search window for Forums to pick up other threads. If you are moved to make a comment do look at the posting dates to (perhaps) avoid making what is called a "necropost" - this Board goes back to 2008 or earlier... Best regards, BaZZa aka Barry Thomas Melbourne, Australia.

Ffolke, I make no comment about the sword itself and wonder if its kosher to discuss something I haven't seen before - gold inlay/onlay in a groove. https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/-1-c-A2F41208B7?utm_source=inv_kwalert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=keywordalertlive&utm_term=2 BaZZa.

Trawling around google I found it elusive to pin down John's succinct description with any certainty. However, I found the following - the last paragraph comes close. BaZZa. ============================================================================================= http://likecooltattoos.blogspot.com/2011/04/symbolic-meaning-of-peony-tattoos.html As a tattoo design, the peony symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. The peony is a potent symbol of beauty, of the fragility and fleeting nature of existence and the knowledge that acquiring great rewards comes only by taking great risks. In traditional Japanese tattooing, certain design elements are often paired together, dragons, lions and demons with various flowers - in effect a delicate balancing of power with beauty. Peonies, or "botan" are a flower symbol that is traditionally paired with a Japanese lion, or "Shishi". This pairing is called Karajishi, and the ferocity of the lion is tempered by the beauty of the peony. But rather than merely being a simple symbolic example of Yin and Yang at work, the peony is a powerful tattoo design element in its own right. The Peony is a flower with a history of cultivation and veneration that goes back thousands of years. In Japan and China, the peony is a floral symbol with meaning on par with the Chrysanthemum, the Lotus and the Cherry Blossom. The Peony is regarded as a symbol of wealth, and remember in both China and Japan, stone lions are used to guard palaces and homes, temples and sacred places, so the pairing of the peony with the lion in tattooing is no accident. According to Japanese tattooing tradition, peonies also symbolize daring, risk taking and the gambler's or Samurai's devil-may-care approach to life. A gambler's next bet may be his last, a true Samurai according to the Code of Bushido, or The Way of the Warrior, lives each day as if it may be his last. ============================================================================================