MPP1234

Here's another pic of the boshi and the entire sword. I've also learned that trying to photograph the whole blade and the hamon is very difficult. Thank you for your input Rivkin. Please let me know if these help to gleen any more info about the sword. I do notice some strong similarities between signatures on this blade vs other Bizen example linked above so that's conforting ;-).

Also was wondering if the koshirae would be from same period as the blade or would it be something that was likely crafted later to fit the blade?

Thank you Steve and Bugyotsuji! So is it safe to say the sword was produced between 1600 and the late 1700 but beyond that it would not be possible to come up with a more specific date range? The blade does have a few noticeable flaws so is it a reasonable conclusion that it was probably not some master swordsmith? Also the signature does appear to be a bit more sloppy than the example you provided in your link (Bugyotsuji).

Thank you all very much for the replies!! So with the signature being a 'general' name is there any way to narrow down the actual age of the blade or who might have made it?

Thank you again for any posts or replies!! Here's a hi-res image of the saya/tsuka.

Paper for Mother of Pearl Inlay Saya/Tsuka: Crack in Saya: how do I figure out if this should be repaired and if so by whom?

Here are the papers. Any idea why the txt is covered and cut out of older papers? Is this to prevent forgeries?

Hi All - I found this board while searching for information on a newly acquired Wakizashi. My wife and I spent a little under a month in Japan this winter for our honeymoon and in our travels we came across this sword and for a variety of reasons (symbolism, craftmanship, beauty, etc) we decided to purchase it to commemorate our honeymoon and our marriage. Yay! We purchased the sword from an Antique dealer in Kyoto (Hatsune Antique) who provided the below information on the sword as well as papers for both the sword and the Saya/Tsuka. The Saya is severly cracked on one side and has some minor cracking on the other but is otherwise stunning visually. The dealer provided the below writeup which seems to suggest that the sword could have been made by several different smiths. I was wondering if anyone is able to assist in translating the papers and can offer any additional details on the sword. It seems like they know the school but are unable to attribute to a specific swordsmith. Additionally, I was wondering what folks thoughts were on finding an expert to repair the saya. Given its age (not sure if it was made at same time as the blade) I'm not certain if its the sort of thing you would actually fix or not... any thoughts? I live in the Northeastern US and would be interested in seeking a professional though I have no idea how I would locate someone who could be trusted to review/repair the saya. Thank you all kindly and if I can provide any other photos pls let me know! Details from the Antique Store: Bizen Osafune Sadasuke Osafune School 1500-1868 “新刀”―Shinto (**New sword) period ; Yokoyama Ueno Fujiwara Sukesada Sadasuke was the name for Bizen swordsmiths who belonged to the Osafune school from the late Muromachi period, and were known to be master swordsmiths alongside Tadamitsu and Katsumitsu. Although there were several swordsmiths who were named Sukesada throughout this above period, only those appraised as worthy of this name could use it for inscription on their swords. As this sword was certified as a “New Sword”, it was forged during the “Shinto” period from 1596-1771. During these specific years, one famous” Sukesada” was named “Fujiwara Sukesada”. Another renowned” Sukesada” was called“Yosozaemon” . Both can be searched on the internet.

Hi All - New nihonto owner and eager to learn more about the work we purchased on our honeymoon to Japan.