Mark

Looks like a Showa sword. Clearly hand made, saka chogi and visible hada. The yasuri and temper etc do not look Mino to me

Stephen maybe, i thought that but the lower part seems wrong, i considered Tame, Kane sane, but none look right and it is cut clearly and stronly so i would have thought it would be easier

Richard I have not mailed any swords down under for a couple of months, but have mailed swords to UK and Hong Kong and have had no problems or seen any changes with USPS

i must have brain freeze (it is 19f outside so maybe that is an excuse), but i can't make out the first kanji ____yuki any suggestions appreciated Thanks

http://www.tampajapaneseswordshow.com/Home_Page.html

someone else may know better but based on previous experiance i would look for them around Feb

Kiku Ichimonji

here is one...... is it like what you are asking about?

second looks like Seki Ju Kaneuji saku

maker Masayuki, date Jan 1944

No problem with the comments. I am happyto be the seller but realistically i can do better selling rare Japanese military swords than i can antique blades. I agree it is strange but that is the market :-)

tang says SoShu Ju Tsunahiro... shirasaya says same + length of blade on one side, other is the date sayagaki was done, looks like Showa 18 1942 and the name of the person who wrote it, can't make that out

looks like Yoshitada March 1945

the sword is Yamato Daijo Fujiwara Masanori, a smith from Echizen late 1600's, there are 2 generations

if the saya has a pocket for a kozuka it is obvious, so that must not be the case. If the tsuba has a "A" side (more detail) then you may want that facing out (toward the handle). Otherwise the opening for the kozuka goes next to the body when worn edge up

date = May 1944

Showa era (circa 1940) sword, maker Kunishige, in civilain mounts

i think it is something like a Paul Chen type, at least t has that kind of look to me

ed thanks, that would be a help, i do not have that book. Mark

when i tried to read the meikan it listed the 2 generations but i thought it said the second gen was 59th gen Tomonari..... if i read that right this must fit in between???

I have a wakizashi signed BiShu Osafune Yokoyama Sukenaga saku - Tomonari 58th generation. I have attached a couple of pictures. The work looks classic for ShinShinto Bizen Yokoyama school, before seeing the mei i would have said Sukekane. I am having some trouble trying to figure out who this maker is and where he fits. The "big" Sukenaga was 56th gen, the Meikan mentions a 59th generation. There are other makers from the group who use the 56th, 57th, 58th generation. I guess it could be gimei but i do not think so. Does anyone have any info on this 58th gen Sukenaga? any chance this was a mei used by someone who changed their name later? If i have made any mistakes with translation let me know. Thanks!

I think xxx (seller) is a member here so maybe he will comment

maybe takamasa

can not see the quality of the blade, but based on condition of mounts and blade i would think you could get $2-2500.

Chris Interesting thread. I have always prefered well made blades by minor, or unknown, smiths to so-so blades by big names. You may remember the 32" tachi i displayed at your last show, it is by Yukikuni, dated 1859 made when he was 70 years old. there is a reference that he was a student of Masahide but not much else. He must have been making swords for the Chikuzen Nobukuni group then made this masterpeice that he signed himself. When i submitted it the the NTHK a long time ago (maybe long Island NY), it was given 78 points by the SR Mr Yoshikawa, then a month or so later i was suprised to see it written up in the NTHK Journal (#625), and Mr. Yoshikawa commented on the quality. It was sent to Japan and received YuShu Saku. One of my favorite swords.