sohei

Aoi Art Japan has a nice eggplant menuki that might go well: http://www.aoijapan.com/menuki-eggplant ... -with-gold Is this something like you were looking for? Thanks, Mike

Help me understand the difference Mike. I see the 'kinpun mei' described as "Appraiser's inscription in gold lacquer of the name of the attributed swordsmith". And the 'kinzogan-mei' as "An inscription inlaid in gold by a member of the Honomi family of the name of the attributed swordsmith on the shortened tang of a mumei blade". Is it the 'kinpun' is in gold lacquer, where the 'kinzogan mei' is the chiseled mei filled with gold? If that is right, I misspoke, and it would be a 'kinpun mei' since the Uda Tomonori blade is in gold lacquer. (I saw the applied 'by the Honomi family' & it threw me off). Thanks, Mike

Hi Ron, I have a katana with kinzogan mei "UDA TOMONORI KOSON (KAO), FUTATSU DO NI SAN NO DO KASANE KIRIOTOSHI" that has both the Hon'ami Koson origami that says the sword was made in the Joji period (1362), the blade shortened, Naganuma did a cutting test, cutting thru two bodies between the 2nd & 3rd area on the torso. It also has NTHK-NPO papers which verifies the smith; Uda Tomonori and the era (Joji) and province Etchu. Mike

Just ordered my copy with the coupon code; PUMPKINS, save 20%. What a bargain! Thanks, Markus... Mike

Neat story and nice blade. Thanks for sharing Chris. Mike

Markus has done an outstanding job, putting this info together in a very readable format, with the pictures from the original Japanese text. I have the Japanese book, and like many others downloaded the free translation every month, actually printing them out, thinking I would put it together with the Japanese book as some sort of translation. For $70, Markus has done everything I had hoped to do, only better. Highly recommended. Thank you, Mike

I too have bought several blades from Danny. Easy to work with and nice stuff! And great guy also! Highly recommended. Thanks, Mike

Five copies for me, thanks, Mike

Removing the handle, and allowing us the see the nakago is important. It's like looking under the hood of a car. Here is a link to a common way to remove the handle: http://www.ehow.com/how_5665404_remove- ... sword.html the only thing I would add, is you are hitting your wrist (or behind thumb area) of your hand holding the blade in a downward strike. Thanks, Mike

Well, we don't know how many copies those who chose "3 or more copies" will purchase, but if we are waiting for the magical "100" copies, I will purchase at least 7 to get us there. Thanks, Mike

Regarding books on Sohei; I have "The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha; Monastic Warriors and Sohei in Japanese History" by Mikael Adolphson (was associate professor of Japanese history, Harvard). Printed by the University of Hawaii Press. Worth reading if interested in that area. Mike

The JSSUS website has a few listings for Geishu Fuyuhiro oshigata; Comptons's Cat #2, page 140, Nihon Toko Jiten Shinto-hen page 355, Japanese swords of the Boston Museum page 105. thanks, Mike

my guess: 1,5,6,9,10. Mike

I have purchased a sword from him, no problems with the blade, shipping was reasonable fast, (must go thru export customs), I believe it was shipped Fed-Ex. I believe his name is Masayuki Hirako. Thanks, Mike

Wow! Very nice, Thank you Clive. Much appreciated. Here is the direct link: http://www.to-ken.com/page.php?type=nihontoMagazine Thanks, Mike

Here is one from my library; Zuhan Tomei Soran, by Iida Kazuo, Mike

I papered this koshirae along with the blade from it; A 66cm katana with a tachi mei reads; Ten sho ko dai jin (or “Ama-terasu-o-mikami”, the name of the sun goddess, the Imperial ancestor) Minamoto Yoshimune saku Nenki: ura side reads: Ko ki nisen roppyaku san nen sho gatsu hi (January, the year 2603 of the Imperial Reign (1943)). I thought it was very unusual to see a 'civilian' style (traditional) koshirae with such nice work and everything dated 1943. Thanks, Mike

Thanks, Mike sorry about the double post on the worksheet.

This Gendai Koshirae: Truly outstanding, excellent koshirae. The koshirae has NTHK Kantei-sho papers from the June 2007 Shinsa and scored 75 points. The saya is a gold flecked with a series of gold circles (the sun) in descending size on one side and silver circles (the moon) on the other. The koi-guchi and kojiri match the fuchi & kashira; all a beautiful soft-metal with a wave pattern with gold flecks of spray. The tsuba is large (3-1/4”), circular, iron plate with reeds and a butterfly in gold and silver nunome, beautiful gold-filled hitsu-ana. The seppa-dai is signed. The habaki is a cat-scratch done is silver. Both seppa are silver. The fuchi and kashira are matching, and done with a soft-metal in wave pattern with gold flecks of spray. The fuchi is signed Yukitsugu and dated (1943), the fuchi and tsuba were signed by the same artist (Yukitsugu). The menuki are long, finely made and in the family mon of karabana or Chinese flower. The tsuka is long (9-3/4”), finely wrapped with black ito and full same’. A blue and silver sageo finish the koshirae. Thanks, Mike