markc

David, i would be very interested to see some pics, if you have the time, of your new "kanetoki" in the military section as i have a gunto with mei " noshu seki ju kanetoki kore saku" possibly 1930's with no arsenal marks or date. thank you Markc

Jason, I came across your post which led me to review one of my swords. My sword was purchased as a murmei gunto in WW2 mounts , on closer inspection this sword has the same traits as the one you have described. The characteristics are as follows: 1) takanoha - saka takanoha yasurimie 2) shingoni zukuri 3) lori mune - gentle oroshi almost flat 4)nakagojiri - kurijiri 5) osaka yakadashi harmon 6) nakago- mune has longditudinal file marks 7) negasa 71 cm Putting all these traits together it is possible ( my Humble opinion only)that my sword and yours is Horikawa School or related schools around Genroku era 1688- 1704 and has all the features osaka shinto. i will post some pics when i have more time thank you regards Markc

Thanks Peter, at the time i did not think to query this decision as i assumed the Shinsa Team had a far greater knoledge than a newbie like me. regards Markc

Dear Members, just for interest sake the sword in this post papered at the Sydney Shinsa as Bungo Takada School Jokyo period 1684-1688. there was no attribution to the smith. The Sydney Shinsa was a great experience, talking to other collectors, organisers and in particular Andrew Ickeringill who shared his experiences as an apprentice Art Sword Polisher. regards to all Markc

Dear Alex, i do not know anything about Heian period swords but i have purchased several swords from Yuzo and they have been as described and in great condition. i would recommend him as a reputable e bay seller thanks Markc :D

Dear Keith, if you search the NMB site for "kanetoki" there was was some previous discussion on this smith, with some pictures and hopefully some useful information for you. regards Markc

Thanks David, very helpful, hope to see you there. Thanks Markc

Hello all, having never been to Shinsa before could someone please post the protocol for presentation of blades. Are they presented bare or in Koshirae or in some other manner? I intend attending and presenting a sword. Thank you kindly Markc

David, the one i have is "sukemitsu nobumitsu" also can be read as "sako nobumitsu" pg 135 Sloughs. Thanks Markc

Hi Terry, haven't got much time at the moment, just a fiew pics for you. thanks Markc :D

Just recieved a sword by the same maker yesterday. Kinoshita Yoshitada , no 1 seat RJT swordsmith in the same mounts as yours and same date. Through microscopic examination my sword exibits hand made water tempered qualities such as hada, nei and abundant large martensite crystals. I am as far removed from an expert as you can get but have worked out a system that works for me totally non scientific. I own a control group of swords (15+) that i use for comparison eg non trad mill steel etc, trad made tamehange water quenched, oil quenched etc. My sword exibits the qualities of a handmade waterquenched sword? Also i have seen two examples of swords in 44 mounts in the last two days by this maker that are for sale for around $4000 Aud or Us To give an example i have a sword made by "nobumitsu" who is classed in Sloughs as low grade showato, the one i have is clearly handmade waterquenched so there is always an exception to the rule. Thanks Markc :D

Thank you to all who replied on this one, with many hours of further study i might have half a chance of pinpointing it's maker. your comments have been most helpful Markc

Just a few more pics thanks Markc

Hell Everyone, I recently acquired this sword and the seller thinks early Muromachi Yamato style circa 1450 deimensions are: Negasa: 65.5 cm estimated to be 74.5 before shortening Sori: 1.5 cm Nakago: 18.5 cm Attributes: temper line: slightly wavy chu-suguha Temper Pattern: ko-nei Boshi: kaen fittings are gold over shakudo with flower design and the tsuba is mokko shape iron with leaf pattern. After studying this sword for some time it does fit all the descriptions of yamoto school from the above mentioned period. If i could hazard a guess possibly Tegai Kanenaga? The Nakago has some faint characters on it only one is barely visible. This sword has a look of elegance about it if i can use that term. Any comments or opinions would be welcomed and appreciated. Thank You Markc

Piers, yes i do have the sword in my possession and the mei of my sword reads " sukemitsu nobumitsu" on the mei of my sword there is no seki prefix or saku suffix. thanks Markc

Jon, i have a sword with the same mei minus the seki, shoshin mei, no stamps hand made and water tempered, not bad for a low to medium ranked showato swordsmith. the mei reads seki sukemitsu nobumitsu saku. regards Markc

yes the blade does have two meguki ana as per 1944 mounts. the fittings had not been removed since then so it is definately late 1944 markc

thank you all for your replies, this gives me a direction for futher reasearch. i will post some further pictures of blade and nakago as soon as i get time. as always i really appreciate the forum members assistance. regards markc

Dear Members, i aquired this one nakago unseen and to me reads "takashi" jan 1944 please correct me if i am wrong. the mounts are late 44 in very good condition as is the blade with some minor pitting to the boshi. The nakago bears two stamps on on the nakago and one on the mune both na or nagoya stamps, George mentioned in a previous post this may indicate gendaito? Any opinions or comments would be appreciated thank you markc

Thank you Chris for the translation and speedy reply. thank you and much appreciated Markc

Dear Members, assistance with this one would be appreciated. The mei reads"kane ?"maybe tora. the date ?? i do not think it is showa maybe shocho, meiji, meiwa ju ku nen go gatsu 19th year 5th month of what? the position of meguki ana on the nakago points to late 44 type? the nakago has a very definate chimata stamp as does the mune. the sword was mounted in civilian mounts that has minamoto clan crest as the menuki and does not appear to be original to the sword. the blade is very highly polished and has a faint hoso-suguha harmon any assistance would be greatly appreciated. than you mark c

thank you Morita -san for the translation, the second kanji threw me off a bit. thank you again and much appreciated. regards markc

to my untrained eye it says "emura saku" markc

greetings everyone, the nakago pictures attached are of a recent purchase a naval rust resistant steel blade. i have tried to translate the signature and the best i come up with is "toyokawa saku". i am sure that i'm totally off so any assistance would be greatly appreciated. thankyou markc

Hi Doug, the tsuba is not original to the sword, early pierced ww11 as the original was missing when i was given the sword, the menuki as does the fuchi and kashira have traces of gold and light blue enamel on them. The tsuka-ito appears to be standard type light brown silk. sorry for the quality of the photos, the camera is not the best. looking forward to getting the book. regards markc