Shuko

Wow, what a collection and so well preserved.

Yes. He states the mei is Goro Nyudo Masamune - Hawley MAS 590. Is it possibly Daruma Nyudo Masamune - Hawley MAS 592 ? An expert would need to study the mei on this tanto.

Here is your chance to secure this genuine gimei from our favourite eBay seller. Puzzled why they did not obtain a certificate for such an important blade ..............

A good idea and it will help us get a slot with a togishi

Hi Jeremy Never tried to send a sword to the USA or Canada or UK. Have heard that there is an increase in parcel theft in the USA so be very careful of insurance etc when you find a suitable courier or postal service. cheers Clive

I need to get one of these cheap for my wife's Xmas present She has always wanted a Japanese helmet.................

Thanks for the advice, will inform you if I end up buying it.

Hi Jean I haven't bought it yet, only some photos to look at so I could easily be wrong on what metal it is made from. The metal gap filler at the end of the nakago-ana seems to be some silver alloy instead of the normally used copper. The 'green' water corrosion in one place indicates copper to me. Learning about tsuba is a world of its own on top of blade knowledge. cheers Clive

Can anyone advise me about this copper tsuba as I am unsure of its age and if it is Japanese made. My guess is it is 1930 - 1960 and Japanese. Thanks in advance.

Is that expensive. salmon .........................🙌

I went there a long time ago, is well worth going just for the variety of weapons on display. In its hey day the castle must have been daunting to attack, even after the outer moats were removed.

Doug We are mere custodians of Nihonto. I don't think he bought his first sword to turn it over for profit. Clive

I am sure that Brian is going to buy it ..........................................;)

We need a worldwide sword count Can't be many left in Japan

A very nice looking tanto, well done with all 3 blades.

I don't have any tsuba reference books and to avoid hours of online searching can anyone assist with the meaning (if any) of the design on this wakizashi tsuba. Thanks in advance.

Looking for a complete naginata, any size and age is ok. Doesn't need to have a mei or even a nise-mei. Prefer a medium quality blade that is in reasonable to good polish with no fatal (major) kizu, some small chips or rust is ok. Pole should be in reasonable condition, wear and tear and chips are ok. Happy to consider anything for sale. Would need to post it to Australia so one directly from Japan would be my preferred option. thx

must be 6 months old at least ...........

Do these 'poor rich' people they have any single daughters who might like to live in Australia ...............................💖

John Will there be other Nihonto dealers or sellers there or just you ? thx Clive

I am sure Brian is going to win this one ...........................

Jussi, thanks for the information. More details are found at: http://sho-shin.com/sanyo16.htm Kai Mihara (貝三原) was founded in 1455 by Masakiyo and it continued to at least 1573. Other informal bits on the internet say that Kai Mihara was a very broad group and perhaps covered the largest number of Mihara smiths. It seems that Masatsugu MAS1101 was in the Kai Mihara group. Markus Sesko also mentions there was a Kinashi -Mihara (木梨三原) but there is very little information that I can find on them.

I am losing the Mihara School plot, does anyone have a copy of Japanese Swordsmith Groups, by W.M. Hawley http://www.wmhawley.com/products/books/images/groups_1.jpg http://www.wmhawley.com/images/cleardot.gif Major schools with their locations, famous smiths and time periods. Large fold-out map from wall chart #24 included. 12 pages. so you could see what Hawley says about the Mihara School and advise me. So far it seems that the Mihara School started in the early Muromachi Period with Ko Mihara before 1394, then Chu Mihara from 1350 - 1450, then Sue Mihara from 1350 - 1573. There seems to be conflict with the start of the Sue Mihara as some reference it from 1500 to 1573. Kai Mihara seems to refer to the whole school. Any advice appreciated.

Ok, I will redo the phone pics as most were too dark. I have a nice camera but need to buy a new connector to transfer photos from it to my pc. I was told the mei reads: 三原住正次 (Mihara ju Masatsugu)

Only a few pictures worked. Need to try again later.