When Necessary

I get a downvote for attempting to give some entirely well-intentioned advice? I can only presume that I must have frustrated someone who had hoped to relieve the OP of his find before he found out what it actually was.

Read these, especially the first one. You join the Internet Archive for free and then you can borrow these - just like a conventional library. The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords : Nagayama, Kōkan, 1920- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive FACTS AND FUNDAMENTALS OF Japanese SWORDS : a collector's guide : NAKAHARA, NOBUO : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords : Nagayama, Kōkan, 1920- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

@Brian I'm surprised you haven't weighed in on this one yet Brian. You normally out the Chinese fakes very quickly.

It's Chinese - look at the one way twisted tsukaito.

All good advice there, but comparing it with the inner wood liner would tell you if the kissaki (pointed end) has been re-shaped or shortened (the biggest worry as far as I would be concerned).

Hi Steve, I know - you can feel the spiritual intensity in Tesshu's work! I had no idea about the instruction book but I find it fascinating to compare his signatures before and after his enlightenment.

@Anto Hi Cole, To dismantle the scabbard, you need to unscrew two, very small brass screws in the brass fitting at the scabbard mouth. I've enlarged your photo to show you the screw head on one side. You will then be able to pull out the wooden liner and separate the two halves. Good luck!

One last thought Cole. If you want to see how much blade edge has been lost by blunting it, unscrew the brass fitting at the mouth of the saya (scabbard). Inside there will be a wood liner which should split into two halves pretty easily (it's only held together by 85 year old rice paste). Then, position the blade against the inside of one half of the liner; if the edge or point section has lost a lot of metal, you'll see it easily.

Yeah - 1,600 EXCELLENT blades which lots of people want.

Cole, it's entirely your choice. My opinion (for what little it's worth)? You lucked out big time getting this particular sword for your first. Most of us started out with something of far lesser pedigree (if not outright junk). The man who made your sword made blades for Imperial Japanese generals, admirals and even the emperor himself. The blunted edge is almost certainly the pay-off for such an incredibly cheap price. Yes, you can very easily swap it for something sharp in 'minty' military fittings which was (probably) carried in the Pacific War. However, it will most likely be machine made and will never, ever have the same value as the sword you possess now, especially should you choose to have it professionally polished - years down the line. Think long and hard and research what you already have before letting it go. Good luck!

Oh, without doubt you could, Cole. Though you should bear in mind that would be like swapping a Jaguar in need of a full respray with a decent Nissan.

Thank you all. S Alexander Takeuchi says: "In case of an animal motif, the “heads” should be oriented toward fuchi while the “tails” should be oriented toward kashira" Iiyama Yoshimasa says: "Principally, the arrangement of the motif always shows towards the kissaki of the sword or to the kojiri of the saya respectively." And: "Omote-menuki: the body of persons or animals faces to the right Ura-menuki: the body of persons or animals faces to the left" So, as I've got two oxen and two goats all walking left, it sounds like Charlie's "doesn't matter in this case" is the winner. (Unless the sole goat looking backward has a hitherto unknown esoteric meaning.)

This is one of several originals I have by Yamaoka Tesshu. It reads 一日千里百福 "A thousand miles and a hundred blessings in one day" However, I got it simply for the incredible dynamics of his calligraphy.

It's a highly sought after Yasukuni smith so don't be so quick to return it. Yasunori signed Takenori when he made blades away from the shrine. If the edge has just been dulled by about a millimetre, the hamon is probably all still there and it can be polished out. (And his swords go for way more than $1,000 - so ignore any "I'll take it off your hands for what you paid for it" PMs.) You can find out more information on him from this old listing from Yakiba.com https://yakiba.com/yasunori-kotani/

Shirasaya originated in the mid-Edo period when the Honami family of appraisers were employed to evaluate, authenticate and index the sword collections of important families. These families had many swords in almost permanent storage and so shirasaya were regarded much like the magnolia boxes used to protect valued tea utensils such as bowls and teaspoons. As with these other wooden containers, the Honami would write formal descriptive calligraphy onto the plain white wood. Then, following the Meiji Restoration, and the subsequent abolition of wearing swords in 1876, shirasaya became a necessity.

Passed Tokuho.

Gentlemen, Despite the much appreciated support I have received, both in private communications and on the last page of this thread, I am now heartily sick of what has become some kind of bizarre witch hunt (or 'warlock hunt' for those of you who like to claim I'm a man). As Hokke @Hokke so succinctly puts it, I have neither attempted to make any profit from this forum nor ever suggested I have superior knowledge which I do not possess. Yes, I've gotten angry occasionally but I have otherwise tried to be an active contributor and helped with observations or suggestions wherever I could. When I first joined here it was a real pleasure to interact with everyone but now I sign on always expecting to be denigrated or baited - so it's high time to call it quits. Lastly Stephen @Stephen, you only got really spiteful and nasty towards me after I asked you to stop sending me PMs - apparently "hell hath no fury like an old man scorned". Your incessant messages were starting to freak me out. (And, before you start spluttering 'it was all part of a cunning ruse to uncover your hidden identity' I took screenshots of all your PMs.) Goodbye to the many nice folks here and good riddance to all the rest. Adios, Dee

Thank you.

Oh, I see! So that's what you do to get a blade papered? Wow - sounds expensive.

Thanks Alex, I'll go and research Uda now.👍

I think maybe you're mixing up the NTHK with the NBTHK. The latter hardly tell you anything, even when a blade passes. The former gives notes on the pink fail slip about why it's failed and what they think it is.