chinaski

Wow! Congrats and Happy Birthday!

Very much appreciate the invite, and I have been wanting to attend a meeting. My work hours recently shifted, so I unable in the short term, but I think I will request a day off one of these days and attend. I had a brief conversation with him via Facebook messenger, and I believe he is aware that this sword is in my possession, Would be really interesting to hear his take on it!

For sure! That's very interesting about the Note "meikan more", I am a total noob and still learning. This sword was acquired from a friend of Mr Yamasaki, so I am confident in its provenance. That said, another mystery on this one I suppose.

Try this again.

I know this has been covered here before, but is there a definitive answer on the Chrysanthemum engraving along with the Mei? I have read that certain smiths were granted permission to use it, and others adopted different symbols as well. I have also read that in some instances it indicates Gimei, but with my example I do not believe that is the case. FWIW, it's an Edo Period Wakizashi with NTHK papers along with the worksheet. Also, I do not believe the smith "Morihisa" would necessarily be worthy of faking...then again I have not dove too much into this particular blade/smith. I added a few pics. (Forgive me if I posted this in the wrong section)

Very much appreciate it! I'll get a better pic of Tanobe Sensei's work and post it up this week.

After a phone conversation with Grey Doffin, he encouraged me to post these here for translation help. Nihonto on the left is a Nambokucho Tachi signed Hidemitsu with NBTHK TH papers (I posted a thread last week with pics of the sword) - On the right is an Edo period Waki with NTHK Papers.

Thank You Grey!

Thank you for all the replies so far! If I get a chance this afternoon, I will take pics of the Wakizashi we purchased and post that as well.

More...

Greetings and I very much appreciate this resource. I purchased 2 Nihonto (Tachi and Wakizashi) from the wife of a deceased acquintance in early July, and I have spent the last month learning as much as I can here on the NMB, Facebook and books. I have read Yumoto’s book and have ordered The Connoisseur’s Book of Japanese Swords to further my education. The previous owner of these swords was a very special and famous person, so I recognize the importance of protecting his legacy and passion as well as preserving these for future generations. I purchased proper supplies from various sources on the internet, including Tozando in Japan. I initially posted these on the Facebook Nihonto group that Ray Singer moderates, and I very much appreciate the initial assesment he gave me. I have since deleted that post, as I feel a bit weird about posting valuable stuff on Social Media. At least there is some level of anonymity here. That said, I know asking about values is a bit subjective without sword in hand, so I will forgo that aspect and just wish to learn as much as I can about this sword, the time period in which it was made, and the bladesmith himself. I am not looking to sell, as I hope these swords can bring me many years of joy exploring a new scholarly pursuit. Today, I will be posting just one of the swords that appears to have Tokubetsu Hozon papers from NBTHK. Ray Singer’s assesment was that this is a Nambokucho Tachi partially signed Hidemitsu and signed Hidemitsu Tachi are somewhat rare. The Shirisaya is in decent shape, but does not close all the way. The Koshirae is obvisouly modern with modern fittings. I did attempt to mount the blade, but the Tsuba doesn’t appear to fit properly. The wooden “blade” appears to be a dead on match for the real thing though. I suppose a visit or chat with a Sayashi is in my future. That said, I took the best pics I could with the resources I have. I will post pics of the Wakizashi at a later time, but it appears to be a late Edo Period piece with NTHK Papers along with the Worksheet. It's in very good shape. Thank You NMB!

I'm new here as well, but I just answered the questionnaire! Good luck with everything and greetings from LA, CA!

Hi! I have a Tachi in Shirisaya that developed a small crack on the seam at the Koiguchi. I saw a few threads here about reactivating the rice glue by dabbing warm water on the crack and clamping it, I tried it and it worked perfectly...but now it won't close completely and I certainly don't want to force it. I live in an arid/hot area (SOCAL), so I am speculating that has something to do with it. FWIW, I keep both of my Nihonto in a gun safe in Cotton sword bags. I attached a pic. Thanks in advance!

I'm fairly new to this, but I am 48 going on 49 years old.

HI, I'm new here! My name is Scott and I live in the Los Angeles area. I have had a fascination with Nihonto and swords in general since I was a little kid, and that fascination even leaked over to my wife...at least a little bit. My wife and I recently purchased 2 Nihonto in Shirisaya that are papered. I also have been browsing here and reading The Samurai Sword by John Yumoto. I'm a bit of an introvert and history buff, so scholarly pursuits are right up my alley. From what I can tell about our swords so far, one is a Late Edo Period Wakizashi forged by a smith named Morihisa. The other appears to be a Koto era Tachi partially signed by Hidemitsu. Both are in good polish and present very nicely. I also purchased proper supplies from Tozanda in Japan to maintain these blades correctly. I will get around to posting pics here eventually, but currently busy with some things and I haven't had the opportunity. I also want to continue to read and study on my own to test whether these assessments are correct, but I did have a little help from a Facebook Nihonto group, but I was warned by a knowledgable person to be wary of online "experts" Lastly, I believe both of my swords were purchased from Mike Yamasaki, as he knew the previous owner of these swords. I have reached out to him and had a short chat with him via Facebook Messenger, but so far haven't had an opportunity to speak with him directly yet...I know he is a very busy man. I am also interested in attending a meeting at the Southern California Japanese Sword Society, but my work hours and the location of their meetings is a bit of a stretch for me right now....but perhaps down the road. Until then I will continue reading here and on my own to learn as much as I can. It's certainly a fascinating thing, and who knows, maybe I will purchase more down the road to enjoy. Thanks! Scott