steve oakley

Hello Seeking some assistance and clarification for what i believe to be a katana muromachi period. I believe the mei is Kagamitsu I was informed that the date is eisho 2 nen 8 gatsubi. Which i believe is August 1505. Please correct me if i am wrong. thankyou Steve

Uwe, Thankyou for taking the time to view and respond. I have found a few of the Kabuto Toppai examples. At least i have a name for the design of the armour to do some more digging around on the internet. thanks Steve

Hello I have no idea about Japanese armour and seeking opinion about the possible age. It was my thinking that the helmet was older period (early Edo?) but the armour was late Edo. thanks Steve O

Like many, I too am awaiting the book from Markus. What I can't find an answer for is who was responsible for placing the cutting test on the mei. The tester or another? Chris, you mentioned that saidan mei recording from the two established testing families can be checked. Is there a particular reference or book for this? Regards Steve O

Hi Hamish Yes the market for these is a dangerous place with the good copies kicking around. I have either purchased an expensive replica or got a reasonably good deal on the original. regards Steve O

Hello I am seeking opinions on your thoughts if this tassel in the real deal or one of the chinese copies that has hit the market of late. It does show appropriate wear but then again this may have been done to deceive. thanks for looking Steve O

Thankyou John Steve O

Hello I have a mei which i am trying to translate. I thought that it may have have included the kanji "Kane". Also the last kanji is saku?? thanks Steve O

Hi David Thanks for looking. Yes that is what the mei reads as Kaneharu but any ideas on which one? regards Steve O

Good evening Wondering if i could get some help on this mei. Have been told it is seki junin kaneharu. From what i can see there are about 20 or more Kaneharu. If the mei is correct as Junin Kaneharu then can narrow this down to a couple. Thoughts on this smith to this mei. If someone has an example of another mei for comparison would be good Kaneharu (兼春), Tenbun (天文, 1532-1555), Mino – Nōshū-jū Kaneharu“ (濃州住兼春), Nōshū Seki-jūnin Kaneharu“ (濃州関住人兼春) regards Steve O

Stephen Yes a koto blade in gunto mounts. The blade has a deep sori. The blade measures 24 1/2" cutting edge, 1+1/16" width, 5mm thickness at the notch, 7/8" curvature. regards Steve O

Hi Chris Thanks for looking, its a gunto that i have had for a while. I was going to send it to Shinsa but funds and time run out for Tampa. Steve O

Seeking some help with last last two kanji. (sukesade) ??? The first kanji may be Suke The second although barley visible maybe Sada. Thankyou Steve O

Jean Gimei, i prefer genuine replica :lol: Besides the cut on this mei is thinner strokes and newer looking. Was thinking that there may have been others that signed this way. Steve

Geraint I was hoping for some other examples of the mei to compare. After i bit of searching, the mei i have found for the 1504 Kanesada is different to the one i have. http://www.sho-shin.com/kanesada.html Steve O

Gabriel, Your right about there being differences computer font. I was looking for mino smiths before hand due to the hamon on the blade. Grey, Thankyou for the translation. Is the second kanji a variation. I only ask fromm a previous post that talks about Kanesada. I posted some additional images and have been looking for a similar mei.There was a Kanesada active in 1504 which talks about the Z mei? viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17682&hilit=Kanesada "one thing worth noting are the changes in mei styles during this smiths working life. His early works display the "SADA" character cut with the "E" shaped "MAKOTO" character. Later on the lower part of the "SADA" character looks like the "NO" character in some works, hence the name "NOSADA". From around 1503 the lower part of the "SADA" character was cut with the "KORE" character which is "Z" shaped. This smith was occasionally referred to as "KORESADA" because of this." Some key features to look for would be a high SHINOGI, a very active hamon that displays gunome choji, o-midare/notare and hoso-suguha. The hamon displays mainly nioi with small amounts of nie. regards Steve O

Seeking some assistance for a mei on nakago that has been cut down. I have had a go and looked at the second kanji and thought that it was similar to Shige or Kore but I'm probably way off the mark. I picked it up a while ago and it was sold to me as a mumei blade??? thanks Steve O

Matt It is a purchase from ebay and yet to arrive. I took a gamble after it was listed as a Edo period signed Norimitsu but my comparison research at the time showed that the mei didnt match. When it arrives i will post some more photos. Steve

Thankyou for a quick response. Just a quick check shows that he was an average smith dependent upon which period the smith was from, so at least it less likely of being gimei. thankyou Steve

Hi I recently come across a blade with this mei. I was advised that it was Nori Mitsu but i have checked other examples of this smith and can not see how it matches this example. Thankyou in advance Steve

With all the posts about gimei signtures and the negatives associated with them, i thought this shows a positive of something with a gimei signature. Whilst searching on the internet i came across this. It may be of interest to some as it talks about the removal of a gimei signature. It shows the before and after of the signature removed and method to remove it. Information sourced from. Japanese SWORD SHOP USAGIYA http://www.ksky.ne.jp./~sumie99/sword18.html The narrative below is from there site. The fake signature is just crushed. It is the manner to remove fake signature. Do not grind off the signature by filing. Such a way removes the steel of tang. Crushing the signature carefully with chisel and hammer is the proper way. It needs some skill, but it never removes the steel. The crushed surface doesn't have good rust, but it occurs natural rust by aging. You don't have to put fake rust there. Honesty is one of the most important thing on samurai sword. regards Steve

Hello I have had this blade for a while and was wanting to confirm a few things with your assistance. The blade is old but not sure of how old. I was thinking that by its shape would lead me to think mid Edo however could it be pre koto considering the condition. It appears to have had a number of polishes in its time. Attached are images being over polished. One image depicts what i believe to be nioigire (hamon running of the edge). I understand that nioigire is considered fatal if the hamon breaks. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Steve

Yeah tried that but wont allow me to install the program on my computer Steve

Thankyou, didnt realise it was upside down. Just goes to show i had no idea. Steve

Hello Would someone be able to assist with a translation and age. It is from a fuchi that i own. Thankyou Steve