John C

Just to keep the thread going... These are from 7 Aug 2022 (Reiwa 4). Any help would be appreciated. John C.

Well...one out of two isn't bad! John C.

10 grand for this... https://www.ebay.com/itm/136528944051? John C.

@Bruce Pennington Another one with seki stamp. https://www.ebay.com/itm/257149398394? John C.

@Bruce Pennington Do you have this yet? I searched this topic and didn't see it, however it looks familiar somehow. https://www.ebay.com/itm/405833514588? John C.

Thanks, Mal. I just went through that list. I did have most of them, however there were 2 newer listings I didn't have. Unfortunately, they didn't show pictures of the nakago. I list them anyway as "seller description only." Thank you very much, John C.

Great info, Mal. Those will be useful in developing possible lines of inquiry when a change occurs at a given time. I currently have 61 examples of his mei, including 2 tanto and 1 kogatana. And there are some definite patterns with his changes. But I'm still missing anything from that 19 year gap between 1954 and 1973. I know he was submitting swords for competition / awards during this time, however I have not found any referrences or pics of these swords as of yet. Thanks to both you and Bruce for the amazing assistance. John C.

That's how I have mine grouped as well, Bruce. But the imprecision makes it difficult to determine if sporadic mei changes are linked to various life events. For example, in January 1945, Kanehide used the older, more common variant of "Kane" before reverting back to his war-time signature in Feb. Also in January of 45 he was honored by having his name recorded at Kasuga Shrine. Did this event prompt a signature change (rhetorical)? The only way to make an educated guess is to look at life events compared to mei changes and see if there is a pettern. John C. p.s. He could have an autobiography in Japanese that would answer the question, which I don't have access to.

Great, Mal. I just read your write-up and saw the examples of listing the month after the "2600" date. Follow-up question: If there is no month listed, would we then assume either Feb or Aug based on tradition? John C. p.s. I'm trying to file my Kanehide references in date order. I have a Feb and July 1940 and an trying to figure out where the "Koki ni sen roku hyaku nen" date would be filed if there is no month listed on the nakago.

Hello: I've seen a few swords with the Koki ni sen roku hyaku nen (1940) dates, however I have not seen one with a month or season listed. I was wondering if there were a specific month or season in which these were usually made? John C.

Thanks, Bruce. That's great. Not sure it matters for your data set, however the one labeled Aug 44 was mis-identified by the website (I had seen that one as well). It's actually June 44 (Kanehide has a very particular way he makes his 6's, which can look like an 8 if the picture is blurry). Also, it's a little interesting that on two he used a black and red paint scheme rather than the green and blue we normally see. John C.

Thank you, Mal! I had one of them (1944) but not the other so much appreciated. John C.

At least 4 Yasunori available - one tanto, one papered. https://www.ebay.com/itm/376358762059? https://www.ebay.com/itm/306468598203? https://www.ebay.com/itm/357808868509? https://www.ebay.com/itm/357808853956? Does that seem weird or just coincidence? John C.

Thanks Tom. I totally forgot I already posted this!!!! ...it's not the years, it's the mileage.... John C.

I think I have the first and 3rd kanji: Naka ____unk Masa ____unk Thank you, John C.

Jan: Does this mean "master" or "teacher" in this context? John C.

@Bruce Pennington Wow, Bruce. That's great! I have 39 examples of his mei, which is what I am recording, but do not have 3 on your list (aug, 43; oct, 43, aug 44). I would love to get your nakago pics of the 3 left on your list below. You have two listed as Aug 44. The one I have has the A80/A930 paint scheme. But it's the mei I am particularly interested in for this project. Just to give you some background info - It is widely known that Kanehide changed his mei through out his career. But current literature available to me does not discuss a) how many times (i.e., what style kanji used) he changed, b) when those changes took place, and c) why those changes took place, if that can be determined through examination. It would be easier to just get in touch with his son Masanao and ask these questions but that is obviously not possible for me. Additionally, there is an almost 20 year gap in his oshigata record between 1954 and 1973. What version of his mei did he use during this time period? Are there any exhisting oshigata from this time period in Japanese sources? So far, I have been able to log 39 examples of his mei from ~1938 to 1988, except for that 20 year gap. There are some definite time frames for his kanji changes—basically 1938-1940, 1940-1945, and post war. Also, there seems to be some correlation between his kanji changes and certain events in his life. So I am comparing his kanji changes with his biographical history (mostly coming from Malcolm's research and one of his "resumes"). Anyway, it keeps me off the streets. And I greatly appreciate any info you have. John C.

That's fantastic, George Thank you verry much! John C.

Thank you, Steve. Google had it as "graduated" as well. John C.

Martin: Old thread, however could you please post a pic of the mei and date of your Kanehide for a project I am working on? Thank you, John C.

George: Would you mind posting a picture (or directing me to the thread if already done) of the mei and date of your Kanehide for a project I am doing? Thank you, John C.

Paul: If you are still online, could you post a pic of the date and mei of your Kanehide for a project I'm doing? Thank you, John C.

Kris: The issue with natural oils is that they are high in fats, which attract bacteria and become rancid. High quality conditioners usually do not. Another consideration is the type of leather. My guess is that saya covers were made out of oil tanned leatner (as opposed to vegetable tanned leather). This makes them more pliable and weather resistant (think about purse or jacket leather compared to holster or sheath leather). In that case, a high quality conditioner is all you should need. I make wallets, gun holsters, knife sheaths, and key fobs from vegetable tanned leather, either natural or dyed, conditioned with neatsfoot oil and finished with resolene. I have never had a problem with the leather darkening. It may be a different story with oil tanned leather, however. John C.

Kris: As a leather worker, I would be careful with natural oils like mink oil because they can darken leather. Neatsfoot oil MIGHT darken the leather but usually doesn't. Another option are conditioners used on high-end purses, like Coach conditioner. Bick also makes a good conditioner. Personally, I use either Coach leather conditioner or Neatsfoot. John C.

David: Here is a website with a pretty good breakdown of Japanese swords by era and shape. https://Japan-forward.com/the-changes-in-the-shape-of-the-Japanese-sword/ John C.