sensei215

He couldn't translate it fully either. Tim S

Congratulations its a fine looking blade. I have just started to take an interest in gendaito and realize I have not fully appreciated the skill of the makers. When I first started to collect it was all about Koto blades and some Shinto ( god forbid if the machi had been moved ). I first became interested in swords because of a Japanese friend of mine who asked me to look for them at the gun shows that I regularly went to on the weekends. I became addicted but I think I also adopted some of his opinions. I learned a lot by handling blades. It wasn't unusual to see 20 to 40 swords at a big East Coast and there were very few buyers. Now if you see 1 or 2 clean blades its a lot. Tim S

I am in a bit over my head. I was able to translate the maker "Fujieda Taro Hideyoshi "and the year the sword was made 1 st year of Bunkyu, I think it says that it is a customer order for Kondo Masakatsu. There is another date and something about the execution grounds. I am trying to understand if this is a sword test and if so what it actually was. All help will be greatly appreciated and I will post photos of the blade as soon as it arrives. Tim S

So far it seems to confirm my opinion that this was done as a show piece ans not to be functional. Tim S

Thank you Moriyama-san. The information was enlightening especially to a poor commoner in the old colonies. Such a waste of a good sword. I wonder if anyone knows what happened to it? Tim S

I noticed this while I was looking at the current EBay listings. I found the both the subject and the shape to be different then anything I have come across up till now. I would like any information that might explain this tsuba. Was It done for the Western market or is this just a style I have not seen. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT Tim S

I think it would be very interesting if you could post Ian's findings. I know I for one am curious and am sure other members will enjoy seeing what you have found. Tim S

I thank Reinhard for his concern. I have enjoyed all the information and sometimes opinion that posting the Hisanori has generated. It has been an interesting learning experience. I appreciate the point that Reinhart has illustrated so well with the tsuba he chose to show. I agree the Hama-Mono examples he posted are a bit over the hill as was the silver dragon tachi. But do all Japanese share the exact same taste? Hmmmm!!! I wonder. I have seen quite a few swords over the almost 40 years I have collected. I readily admit that I have basically always been a blade enthusiast. I always consider it like an ice cream sundae the whip cream and cherry were great but didn't help if the ice cream was bad. I have been told that more then a few of wakazashi's and some tanto were mounted for people other then samurai. Is this what we are seeing ? I will admit I have several ornate pieces but I don't think to many of these were done for Western taste. I have a Satsuma daisho that may be of interest in this conversation. I will try to post pictures in the next couple of days. I think I will need to take a course in photography to learn how to get a good photo. Tim S

I have stated from the beginning that I was having trouble photographing the tsuba. Just as I seem to be having the same problem with getting sharp photos of several blades I own. I have scanned the the tsuba and that may be part of the problem. I would appreciate any possible suggestions on improving the images I am taking. Tim S

Nice find. From an educated guess I think it may have been reworked in the Solomon Islands or New Guinea. Tim S

A beautiful piece. I would appreciate if you could supply some measurements of the nagasa and overall size etc. Congradulations I would gladly own it. Tim S

I would be very interested in also seeing photos. I have handled several Sosho blades and I am always interested in any more information I can acquire. Tim S

I thank everyone for their considerable opinions. I think this is why I first started to collect nihonto. It animates and enlivens the mind and senses. The imput is wonderful and very stimulating. I wish I had found this site so much earlier. Tim S

Hi, Well I think it would first help if you could post photos of both sides and the tang so we have some idea of what your sword looks like. The length of the cutting edge( from the point to the notch) and the overall length. If you start with that I would be glad to help as I know others here will aaso help you. Tim S PS you are supposed to sign your posts

Hopefully this doesn't cast oil on the fire but I picked up the sho tonight. Definitely shows dedication we had over 23" of snow yesterday. I felt like a little kid going to the candy store. I think this might answer if this was done by a Japanese artist with a traditional mind set. At least from my humble opinion. I appreciate all the interest this has created and like with all human things there can be a difference of opinion as there will be when judging art. As long as we keep it friendly. Best regards, Tim S I think that if the rest of the box can be translated it certainly would help.

I bought a small wakazashi in shirasaya about 35 years ago in NYC. The nagasa was just under 17 inches and shinogi zukuri It had been brought to Sotheby's and had been rejected. When I first saw it I was very doubtful at the time because of the mei. It had been signed by Masahide and his son Sadhide. About a week later the owner came in with the sword again and produced a set of papers that he had received with the sword when he bought it in Japan.They were by Fujishiro. At the time he didn't think they had any importance. Needless to say I bought the sword. I had it for awhile and traded it for something more to my liking at the time. Tim S

Here is a picture of the box. I haven't been able to find much on the maker myself up to this point. Tim S

Does anyone know how many tables there are at the show. I may see if I can fly in great reason to get away from the 24+ inches of snow we just received. Tim S

Hi Reinhard, Its actually 9.1 cm or 3 9/16 inchs round. About 4/10 of a cm thick. I hope this helps still trying to get better pictures. Tim S

I am sorry to read that your retiring from your position as moderator. Even though I am a relatively new member I have enjoyed your insights and critics. I hope you stay in touch and wish you the best of luck in your new endevors. Tim S

I read Dr Barrett's comments and he is correct. The horse is shown with its head turned looking back. The other side is the back of the horse gallopping away showing the back of his head and his posterior with his tail in the air. This ctually has a very rich looking patina. Tim S

I am enjoying the commentary. The back of the tsuba is very interesting. The tsuba has a signed box. I just received a call from the person I got it from and this may be a daisho. A big part of the problem is my poor attempts at photographing the tsuba. I actually have several dozen items I have collected over the years that I wanted to put up for discussion. Several I know quite a bit about others not so much but they all have a bit of quality and I would like putting them up for discussion. I would appreciate any help or suggestions on how to get a clear photo. I am using a Nikon Coolpix L15. I am having trouble with both the focus and light reflecting from the items. I was impressed with the photos of the fuchi I saw this morning and would love to knew how these were done. Tim S

Not that I would consider myself a very knowledgable judge of fittings but the quality of the second one is excellent to my humble eye. I would have loved to have seen the complete set of mounts to which this belonged. I am still amazed at the level of skill these Japanese craftsman possessed. Tim S

Great reading and quite useful information. A pleasure to read. He seems to do great work. Tim S

Thanks for the info John. The photos does not do this justice I'm still trying to upload the other side. Can this signiture be read any other way? I have seen this with fittings but not with swords.I am basically a blade collector and have always bought that way. I have several well mounted pieces but with me the blade was always first. I hope to pos some soon if I can start to get a few decent photos. Tim S