Bazza

Bob, I'll opine that this will turn out well. On John's tassel comment above I feel I can see a tassel of sorts already hanging there. From one other similar I've seen it might be a brown, fine silk cord with an "ojime" type slider holding the two cords together. If it is so I reckon that marks this sword as something special... Really looking forward to your report and more photos when you have it in hand. Best regards, BaZZa.

Absolutely agree with Peter. As a "book" exercise this whole exchange has seemed to me fruitless with much ink spent for little gain. The sword itself needs to be seen in the hand by knowledgeable people. However, do let's hear again after the Birmingham Fair. Oh, and as for the inscribbled signature, whoever "signed" it used a 4-inch nail as his choice of pen!!! BaZZa.

The yari has the same shape as an arrowhead I was looking at earlier today... BaZZa.

Alexandr, For the first photo I see TAKADA JU FUJIWARA TAIRA SADAYUKI Just google the name phrase and I think all your questions will be answered... How about some pics of the blade?? Regards, BaZZa.

I have a wakizashi to appraise and noticed something very odd - or seemingly very odd - about the scabbard. The uragawara was not of the usual type I have seen in over 50 years of collecting. Here is my first view: It looked at first to me as if some local yokel had stuck an old European religious pressed metal decoration over where the uragawara usually sat. Having a number of swords to look over I didn’t give it any further thought. Later when looking at the sword more closely I turned the scabbard and saw this: What do we have here?? A pair of classically posed Japanese feet such as seen in ukiyoe. So, clearly a Japanese object. Then I looked more closely at the head end to see this: So I’m guessing this was once a kanamono pressed (pun intended!) into service as an uragawara, I have no idea who or what this figure represents or why it appears as an uragawara. However, the skeletal appearance of the chest suggests an ascetic or mythical figure, also suggested by the object held in the right hand. The pitch/pine resin used as an adhesive is quite evident where the head is missing. It also appears the figure’s left hand was holding up an object. Maybe it represents an ascetic, perhaps Basu Senin who is portrayed holding a scroll in his left hand. As an example I found this figure on Wikipedia: (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Twenty-Eight_Attendants_(Basu_Sennin)_Sanjusangendo.jpg) For interest, I put uragawara into google and found two hits for our interest. These were the only two hits in 10 pages, the rest being mainly about the village of Uragawara in Niigata and related subjects. Here FYI are the two hits that picture various styles of uragawara: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/35074 https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/types/35287619/ To round this out I also checked the NMB “Search” function for uragawara and found four mentions, only four. So the uragawara doesn’t feature greatly in our discussions: 1. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/24819-unknown-item-in-tis-set/?hl=uragawara#entry251323 2. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/16191-another-hakogaki-for-a-tosogu-set/?hl=uragawara#entry169001 3. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/5640-restoration-work/?hl=uragawara 4. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/377-patterns-on-fuchi-and-kashira/page-5?hl=uragawara#entry4432 The wakizashi itself doesn’t appear to be of tourist souvenir quality, so can anything more be said over and above the figure as it appears on the scabbard? For example, what was the original intended purpose for this pressed metal figure? How old might it be? etc etc BaZZa.

I thought Chinese fake/replica at first sight. Nihonto is a tough gig to be sure. BaZZa.

Hi Ken, sorry, no I don't. BazZa.

Mmmmmmmm... BaZZa.

Well, Dear Sword Ffolke, read the story of Musui the samurai (google it). From Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Musuis-Story-Autobiography-Tokugawa-Samurai/dp/0816512566 we read: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A series of picaresque adventures set against the backdrop of a Japan still closed off from the rest of the world, Musui's Story recounts the escapades of samurai Katsu Kokichi. As it depicts Katsu stealing, brawling, indulging in the pleasure quarters, and getting the better of authorities, it also provides a refreshing perspective on Japanese society, customs, economy, and human relationships. From childhood, Katsu was given to mischief. He ran away from home, once at thirteen, making his way as a beggar on the great trunk road between Edo and Kyoto, and again at twenty, posing as the emissary of a feudal lord. He eventually married and had children but never obtained official preferment and was forced to supplement a meager stipend by dealing in swords, selling protection to shopkeepers, and generally using his muscle and wits. Katsu's descriptions of loyalty and kindness, greed and deception, vanity and superstition offer an intimate view of daily life in nineteenth-century Japan unavailable in standard history books. Musui's Story will delight not only students of Japan's past but also general readers who will be entranced by Katsu's candor and boundless zest for life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My emphasis There are numerous other hits with their slant on the story. BazZa.

George, How lovely to "see" you and thank you very much for your research and writeup. John, Uwe, Grey and Brian, likewise thank you for your thoughts. It had completely escaped me what that variant of YUKI looked like!! Now, I’m reasonably good at seeing variants, but I have never seen a MITSU where the two left/right strokes look like a single stroke. That threw me. I’m grateful to everyone who commented, especially George whom we all know is quite an expert, especially in research, despite his modesty!! Having mulled over your thoughts and considering the literature I put this sword firmly in the late Kotô Kaga camp, possibly a nijimei of one of either the Fujishima Yukimitsu group or the Kashû Yukimitsu group and a kazuuchimono at that. Why I think this is not an earlier or a Kanbun Shintô Etchû work is because of the very poor quality. Oh, and because every decent listed Yukimitsu has a nagamei with not a nijimei to be seen. As I said, this is no art sword and I offer the these photos of kizu to underscore my conclusion of Sue Kotô Kaga. Hardly a sword to follow up on further, methinks. Again, thank you all for helping. Best regards, BaZZa.

Agreed, lovely tsuba. However, I feel the real question is what did it look like in (say) the first 50 years of its life - and thereafter. We read that samurai eschewed "bling" and bright metal, but were some tsuba, or parts of tsuba, intended to be bright at the outset??? Silver begs to be shiny, just like gold. Or does "tea taste" rule here. Just wondering. BaZZa.

I have a katanamei to translate that baffles me. I've searched Nelson until I'm (almost) red in the face and worked through Hawley's pages of swordsmith kanji, to no avail. The first character looks like TANI 谷, but isn't quite. The second kanji looks like SAKI 先, but isn't quite. If I run with a variant interpretation of the smith's name as TANISAKI there is no such smith to be found. The blade is 59.0 cm long with numerous forging flaws and blisters. It has a slightly undulating suguba hamon that fades toward the hamachi. The hamon has two distinct features - (1) in the middle of the blade on each side is a single gunome peak, (2) the hamon has a sharp rise toward the yokote forming a near ichimai boshi - this a feature I have rarely seen on any sword. This is clearly no art sword and seemingly scarcely worth the research time - but it is signed and there is the challenge!! By the nakago jiri this looks like an old Kaga sword, possibly a Sue Koto kazuuchimono. I would be grateful for any opinions. Best regards, BaZZa.

What a good observation!! The "mark" right at tang end and spaced further away suggests a kao??? BaZZa.

Yeah, his sidekick caught my eye too. May be worth a re-patination by Ford Hallam??? A nice piece and I like it. Good punt. BaZZa.

I saw the same program and recall that it was said some of these fakes even successfully passed a dating thermoluminescence test... BaZZa.

Yojimbo asked: > Do it deserve to revive ? Well, it may deserve it if the smith is well-rated and of of good quality, but I doubt that it could be revived. The rust bites very deeply and I fear this is literally a dead sword.. If one was of unlimited means and wanted the sword restored for a very particular reason I'm certain it could be - if a polisher could be found to take it on - but it would look like something excavated from a dolmen or Nara period tomb... BaZZa.

DELETED... Just re-read the subject question. Needs much more thought, but as a possessor of a katana by the nidai my take is gimei at present. BaZZa.

Good and interesting stuff. Thanks Peter. BaZZa.

KANENORI. Variant kanji can be tricky. John Yumoto's little book THE SAMURAI SWORD has a section in the back pages that is a very useful summary of how different some kanji can look even though they are notionally "the same". WW2 signatures can be especially difficult. Otherwise one just needs to keep on keeping on looking at signatures in books and working them out for oneself. It also helps to study writing kanji - there are books around that give stroke-by-stroke illustrations. Stroke order is particularly important. Best regards, BaZZa.

Roy, Dunno how to "take" your post. No one is at all offended by anything you have said or done. We have robust types here and all I see is some humorous banter at each other and certainly not at your good self. Do please bring your passion back up to full throttle. I have three teppo and just sparkled at your contribution. Please re-enter at length (no puns please...) BaZZa.

Piers, Is this what you needed?? BaZZa.

> So no need for me to discuss this in that way further here. Except to say what "right school" the well known member of the nbthk in germany has given you for this. As parties to this discussion, and you as the OP, this opinion (for it is but an opinion!) should be put into the mix for the Board members at large. BaZZa.

Javier, What a good find Javier. Thank you very much for posting the article. I also have a Haruta Zunari kabuto and I'm fascinated to see that the kabuto in the PDF article has the koshimaki laced through the front plate. So also does my kabuto. Mine is signed HARUTA YOSHIHISA SAKU. I intend to put it up as a separate thread when I have time, but as a small contribution to this thread I've attached one photo showing the front plate and the attachment method as well as a copy from the PDF article helmet. Best regards, BaZZa.

OOOPS - apologies for doubleup - I missed Ray's link further above. My wife occasionally asks what planet my head is on. I'll have to try and stay on Earth... BaZZa.

I think this essay is most relevant to this thread: http://www.nihontocraft.com/Yamamoto_NBTHK.html BaZZa.