KungFooey

Another downvote😂 OK Jacob, you're obviously a real sensitive guy - so let me put it another way. Your user name is 'martialarts' so I'm assuming you actually practice some kind of martial art? Me too - I've done MMA for 16 years. So tell me, how would your sensei/trainer react if somebody came to their dojo/gym and said "I'm thinking about taking up this fighting stuff but it looks waaay difficult - you convince me why I should bother doing it." Just sayin'. Dee

You keep saying it's too complicated and you shouldn't even try, sweetie. Sorry if I'm not nice for pointing that out.

Moriyama-san has called it. It's a very typical Chinese fake.

I agree Jussi - after all, not every Soshu blade is a Masamune.

I rest my case.

Sounds like I'm leading Mr. Stephen into bad habits!

Sorry Eric but it's a really unusual question. Obviously, the Japanese have displays in their traditional alcove or tokonoma (床の間) which are changed for each season but swords are usually kept in a storage drawer or safe. If you want to display them in your new home, then it's entirely up to you - but, as far as I'm aware, there are no traditional Japanese rules (which is what I think you're looking for). Dee

I'd absolutely love to see it Chris!!! Dee

Thank you again Francois!!!

I hate Google Translate.

Thank you so much Steve!!! After a lot of deliberation, I've decided to get this sword so your transcription is real helpful. I hope that gentle rubbing with camellia oil will deactivate the red rust on the tang but, as to the blade itself, I've made one of my crazy gambles - so I'll just have to wait and see what I end up with. 🤦🏻‍♂️

I saw that François and it's a beautiful example!

There was a really interesting video put up by someone recently where a modern swordsmith is interviewed and he claims those upturned hilts were phallic.

Well folks, I just checked the oshigata of all nine generations and that weird 'Kuni' character is a big NO for all of them. Dee

Hi Stephen! Current nagasa is 69.6 cm - so definitely never a wakizashi! Dee

Many thanks gentlemen! Even though it's suriage, I thought this couldn't be right...

Hi guys, i'm sorry for the terrible photos but I've seen similar inscriptions on another thread (very anti American and British slogan) and wondered if this was the real deal? Thanks as always! Dee

Never a problem in my case! Thank you so much for the additional input. It's one fast learning curve on this forum! Dee

Bless you, George!!!

Hi! Another question to throw out there. I know that Hizento (the good ones at least) follow a rule of tachi-mei on katana and katana-mei on wakizashi. Are there any exceptions to this rule apart from obvious gimei? Thanks again! Dee

Many thanks Sam! I found out that it is the forerunner to an torokusho, issued by a "Cultural Property Protection Committee" in Showa 16.

So, is a Yasukuni sword next on your list, Steve? Dee

Hi Fumie-san, To me, the carving on the kanji doesn't look any worse than what you normally find on World War II blades. However, their carving looks far too bright and fresh. If they were contemporary to the blade (judging by the nakago), I would expect to see some oxidisation or dirt inside the kanji as the blade is not in polish. Just my thoughts. Dee

Lesson number one (just to show there's no hard feelings with my first comment). IMHO, those two examples both look cast to me. I was looking at the fish one myself (as it's a favourite theme of mine) but, if you look closely, there appear to be unfiled edges around the inside of the carving and the main design itself does not look very crisp. it also has a crude, modern lead insert at the top of the center hole (the nekago ana) - usually, these are copper and filed to fit a particular tsuba. The second tsuba has a sandy texture to its surface which is often a sign of sandcasting. As I said before, I speak from experience - only recently I bought an obviously cast tsuba (luckily for peanuts). All the best if you do decide to pursue this hobby - and this is definitely the forum to seek help (I do, virtually every day)! Dee

If you are a pebble then I am a grain of sand Steve. 😂 I found that, in this hobby, anything which does not make us bankrupt makes us stronger! Dee