Mark Green

Hiya Rich, That's a gem for sure. I had a feeling it would turn out nice, when I saw it 2 years ago, or more. You may want to post what the final bill $$$ was for that project, for the education of our newer members. Many new people to our obsession, do not realize that it takes thousands of dollors to restore an old gem like this. Great pics!!!! Mark G

I got mine!! Great book Darcy! Mark G

Hi Gang, My Dad was in china in the 30's I have a lot of pics of Japanese troops chopping heads off, using people for bayonet, and machine gun practice, and many other nasty things. My Dad told me he saw one Japanese nco chop a half dozen women into many bits. Just for fun, and sword practice. Very ugly, what thinking people are subhuman, can make other people do. So, I'm very sure, that many thousands of folks were used for cutting practice durring WW2. Mark G

Andrew, I couldn't find any oshigata of your guy. Maybe Milt can help. He has all the good Bungo books. I suppose it could be as old as mid 1500's bit looks newer to me. It may just have been well kept in the Shrine. If that is some kind of log # from the shrine. I'll keep looking. Looks like a nice sword though. Mark G

Yes Andrew that is right. The larger group is the Takata smiths. This is a very big group of swordsmiths. Very active through the years of civil war, and beyond. They copied everyone's style. But the swords were well liked by Samurai, as they held up in combat. I have a few Bungo swords, and I must say that they feel very powerful in your hand. More so than any other swords I have. I like the Bungo Tomoyuki group, they worked about the same time as your guys did. Rich is right, that the late 1500's guy signed his mei just as your sword is signed. Could be him. I will look in my books as soon as I get back home. The sword looks very healthy from what I can see in your pics. Should be very nice in polish. Mark G

Andrew, Takata Nagayuki, Bungo province, yeh! I like Bungo Looks shinto to me. Looks like the Nakago has been shortened a bit as well. The Takata Nagayuki worked in Bungo from late 1400's till about 1700. They worked in many styles. The early 1600's guy made swords for close to 50 years. I like it. Mark G

Maybe it is is my old eyes, but in your top pic. it doesn't look like this fine sword comes to a good point. Has the tip been broken off? Or maybe reshaped. It is hard to tell in the pic. but the Boshi looks very thin as well. Is this just my eyes? Mark Green

I agree with Peter. The Dragon looks new. It may have been done at this swords last polish. Going off to WW2. Does anyone read the bonji ? Mark G

I don't think this was retempered. Just an old, tired, recut polearm. It did make for a wicked looking wak. Sombody did a bunch of work to reshape this sword. Looks to have some nasty goobs though. Putting that big fat Kissaki on it looks a bit silly to me. That could have been left off. Mark Green

Hi Rod, I can feel your pain dude. I had some REAL problems with the last shinsa in NY. I don't mind them pinking if their not sure about a signiture, or if they can't read a signiture due to age, although you would think they would try. I sent through a couple that I thought were gemei, just to be sure. Still nice swords though. But they really blew a couple of mine. One to the point of likely getting skipped, and the sheet atributed to the sword next to it. Of course they could not admit to any of this, as it could have opened a big can of worms. But it didn't take Serlock Holmes to figure out what had happened. I have had a number of people look at the swords in question, and they all say the shinsa team was on crack. or more likely, there was a mixup of some kind. Oh well, I just put it down as a lesson. Not much I could do about it anyway. I will just enjoy them as they are, as paper doesn't make them any better looking, unless you plan to sell. One day I may sell them, but I will just get what I want for them or they will not go. Mark Green

I think my guys mei is way off Rich. Although Shinkai's mei changed a bunch over time, there were still many things that stayed the same. Plus the sword does not look shinto at all. At first glance, I said Shin-shin or newer. That is why I thought it was the 1920's guy. It is made in the shape of a sword from 1350 or so. BIG kissaki, wide body, nice sori. Very nice to look at. But looks as though it has never been outside. And not polished, more than once or twice. It doesn't make much reason that someone would gemei this mei on it though. But I have seen worst. We shall see more this weekend I hope. Mark

If you had to go to war, you would likely take that old Bungo sword. nuf said, Mark

I can't see many file marks on that? And no mon as well. Looks like a bunch of examples in Fuji's. Most of them look a bit off in many ways. No telling. I look forward to getting a better look at it. Let ya'll know what I find. He said that a Japanese General, gave it to and Amarican General, who gave it to his father, another General. Ya never know. Mark

here is the date. It does not show good file marks, and has no mon. Fun puzzle. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/ ... edited.jpg Mark

I only had a chance to look at this sword for a short while. The pics he sent me are not good. At firts glance I thought shin-shin or gendi. It looks like it has had one polish. It is in a shiny ww2 polish common for what you see on WW2 swords. It is very thick likely 8mm +, and has a huge kissaki. Not common for the time. If it is a shinkai, it was maybe custom made to look like it does. What I could see of the hamon looked great. a very bright Yakiba, of flamelike gunome. very powerful. I hope to get a better look this weekend. It has a date as well. The pic is goobed, I will try to clean it up and send it on

Wow, I think that is right. I have found some mei copies. It looks very, very close. I will see if I can get some better pics. This sword looks very untouched. It is in a wartime shiny polish, but the hamon is almost flame like. Thanks Gray, Mark

Hi Gang, A friend of mine pulled this out of the attic. Nice big late period sword in WW2 mounts. Great hamon. very long kissaki 4" Is this the Sadakane of the Sadakazu school? Is it Sadakane? http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/ ... edited.jpg Mark G

Saterday at 10am

Thanks Rich, I am in contact with the NYC club as well. That is exactly what has happened. They mixed up the papers some how and looked at my Tanto twice. The papers read exactly the same. The Nobusada didn't even get looked at. Or if it did, it is on someone elses paper. I'm more that a bit worried about this whole shinsa. Thanks for the info, Mark

Thanks Milt, My mail address is on the profile pg. If anyone can help. I plan to write the shinsa orginizers as well. Makes me wonder about any paper that came out of that room now. I blame myself for not catching this right away, but with all the bad opionions that we saw, I was just blown away. I just today looked closely at the papers again. And that mixup is exactly what happened. And both guys got the mei wrong on the darn Tanto. unreal!!! Here is my nobusada, how many here, think this is a yokohama export. http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/ ... C-012F.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/markisit/z11.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/markisit/z12.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/markisit/z13.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/markisit/z9.jpg http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/markisit/z7.jpg Mark G

I have figured it out. The shinsa team judged my shinshinto tanto twice. Although, I beleive they are wrong about it as well, That is what has happened with my Nobusada. It is the only likely explaination. My peeps in Japan say there is no way this sword,and mei are not good. The pinks read nearly the same. That explains it now. two people must have mixed up the paperwork. one was looking at my shinshinto tanto when they were suposed to be looking at my Nobusada. Just makes you wonder how well they were looking at the top of the sheets. Does anyone have any idea of my recourse on this?? If somebody has GR's ph# would you please email it to me. Maybe they need to slow down a bit on these things. Mark

I will Milt, MG

I had a signed late period tanto get pinked for the same reason. In good polish, nearly flawless, old school serface chikei, and a double utsuri, with tight visable moku hada, nice tiny black nei running along the sugu hamon. couldnt believe it. ?????? Like they hadn't even looked at it close!! mark G

Yes, I know there was a Q&A after the shinsa. I went to the city, and didn't get back till late. Had to leave out early Sunday. I should have brought that sword back, and said WHAT!, as soon as I saw the pink. I was just overcome with disbelief. We had a few others nearly as off. Oh well, lesson learned. I will put much less stock in 'paper' now. Mark G

Here is one of my pinks. Wonderful shinto wak signed 'Mitsu no kami FW Nobusada' side one, Shimosaka school signiture on the other. Known smith, have had about a half dozen people in Japan say this mei is good, great looking sword. Pinked as Yokohama export. WHAT!!!! It was though there was some kind of mix up, or they hadn't even looked at the sword. I doubt that mr. Nobusada made a sword for export 200 years into the future. I've sent the mei to some friends in Japan again. They said WHAT! as well. If this is bitching about the shinsa, than yup, I guess it is. I guess I should have gone back and asked if there was a mix up of something. I was just floored by the result. I was just wondering, even if a smith was known to make swords for export, how the heck would anyone know that a sword was made for that reason. That would surely be just a guess at best. He could have just as well made it for his brother. or friend, or some samurai commissioned him, or many other reason. Mark G