John C

Jeff: There is a technique for cleaning textiles (in this case silk or possibly cotton) that are fragile. It's one that some restorers use: Put some water in a container with a little mild dish soap - something that is non-detergent but cuts grease. Whisk it or mix it vigorously until you get a lot of bubbles. Using a clean rag, scoop up some of the bubbles - bubbles only, not the water - and gently dab the rag on the sticky spots. The key is to not get too wet and not to rub. John C.

William: This appears to be a date. Is there anything on the other side of the tang? John C.

Oh crap. Do you think he gives refunds? Just kidding... What caught my eye first, though, was how the low point looks old and weathered but the high point looks pristine. John C.

Lance: Probably silver. It's a family "mon" or clan association. John C.

Hello: This is indeed a legit sword in navy kaigunto fittings. Not sure of the smith name (kane something) so you'll have to wait for a translation. The stamp just above the hole in the tang is the Seki inspection stamp, indicating it is not traditionally made. But still, a nice piece of ww2 history. John C.

The single hanger suggests type 98. In that condition (see the reproduction brass seppa?) I would not go anywhere near 3000 AUD for a non-traditional blade. You can get a star-stamped gendaito for that kind of money. John C.

Moriyama-san wrote it correctly in kanji so probably just a mis-type. John C.

Ah. So it could be gannen, just stylized quite a bit. Thanks for the confirmation. John C.

Hi folks: I'm trying to figure out the highlighted character, which I assume is "year one" somehow, however I can't seem to find it in any of my reference charts. The closest I can come up to is: 元 (gan): "original" or "first". The smith died in Heisei one (1989), so it can't be year two or other. Any help is appreceiated. John C.

Thank you, John. John C.

Update: Tom - I found the auction and got a picture of the marks on the ricasso from him. Thanks again. For those interested: We now have 41 Meiji 25 (1892) serial numbers; 9 different inspector stamps. Still working on deciphering the the stamps to get a list of potential inspector names. John C.

As Sam indicated, yes. Indeed, you almost have to if posting a picture from the auction to "cite your source" according to Fair Use Doctrine (you can use it for research or education, like in this case, just not commercially). John C.

That's excellent, Tom. Didn't have that one. Do you have the link or title of the auction so I can check for stamps on the other side of the ricasso? John C.

Showa22 has a Tadayoshi with the polisher mei, Yasukuni, if anyone needs this type of info. https://www.ebay.com/itm/365977509833? John C.

I just had some books delivered from Japan, though books are exempt from tariffs. But they used DHL and it took only 4 days. John C.

Hello: I have a Ryuundo-zo yatate that has what could be a scratched owner's name but I'm not sure. Any help would be appreciated. John C.

Hello Piers: I found this pic of a yatate that has himotoshi built in. So I suspect that would be one of the purposes of the cord - to secure the lid even without himotoshi, though I'm not sure why more examples don't have this feature. John C.

Yes. Everything is taken directly from Eric Mollinier's site. John C.

This scam site has been around for a long time. You click on a site (in this case skay.com.ua) and are redirected to their site then see an expensive blade at 50% off. A great deal! The problem is I already own it....wait....let me check my tanto kake......yep, still own it. https://whatdiscount.ru/product/286767908504 John C.

There are so many I'm not sure if this one has been posted yet. Seller is calling it a "second type." Posting two pics - one of the seller's sword and one genuine so new folks can compare the differences. https://www.ebay.com/itm/157427026200? Regards, John C.

D: Well...I had checked this out originally, however as you said I wasn't able to "purchase from my location." It sold for about 47 dollars US. It then popped up on ebay for 138 dollars! I made the guy an offer of 115 and bit the bullet. I know I got ripped but it was the only way I was going to get the book. At least there are five of them... John C.

That makes sense, Piers. You wouldn't want the ink pot to turn and spill. I was thinking the cord could wrap around the lid to keep it secure (I usually don't see them with a latch or lock), though the cords aren't usually blackened with ink. John C.

@Bruce Pennington Bruce: Not sure if you have this already or can use it, but thought I would post it anyway for others as well. This pic is from Modern Swordsmiths (Kapp). My understanding is that the lower grade tamahagane was for core steel and the higher grade was for the edge (outer skin). But I'm sure I'll get corrected on that! John C.

As a program specifically designed for layout (magazines, books, menus, flyers, etc) this is where it shines. Also, It's cloud-based so you can access from anywhere. PM me if you want more information or have any questions. John C.

This question is about how yatate were carried. I know some were used as a type of netsuke or had netsuke or separate ink inro attached to them via the small hole toward the front, however many of them that I see have just a simple string or string and bead attached. This doesn't seem as if it would serve much purpose (re: be effective) other than decorative. Other than just shoving the handle of the yatate into the obi, was there a specific way in which these were carried that involved the string and bead? John C.