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Help translating authenticating nbthk papers


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Hi fellow collectors :)

 

Just bought this sword off someone and was wondering what the nbthk papers said. :) Im still learning to read kanji but I need a translation to see if its real. They seem to be real but it is hard to tell against the ones I have there are subtle differences but they were produced quite a few years apart. One difference is that there are no stamped numbers on it. Anyway Love to hear your opinions/translations of what it says. I don't have any that were dated around the same time as this but im sure others here do.

 

Thank you,

 

Trent Spencer

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looks ok to me. Sword is mumei, attributed to Sue Bizen. You can find translations of the standard language on the papers with a google search.

 

I was hoping someone could type it out for me so I didn't have to kanji match ;D I just managed to get hold of papers from the same years and it is authentic paperwork. Thanks for the help im stoked with this sword :) Isnt sue bizen a place and time period? Who was the smith?

 

Trent Spencer

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Trent,

Having just purchased my first nihonto with papers (NTHK-NPO), I understand your eagerness. I just went through the process of trying to translate the papers and had to ask for the kindness of this board to put many of the finishing touches and translate fine points of the paper. I also asked a lot of questions that probably got a few :?

 

But I would highly encourage you (and you will get more responses) if you try to translate as much as possible on your own and then ask for clarifications. He who helps himself...

 

Below, find a list of many resources that will help you start (it's how I started). You should be able to get pretty far in the translations and you might surprise yourself a bit in what you can figure out.

 

Best of luck

 

Mark S.

 

 

http://www.nihontocraft.com/japanese_sword_papers.html

 

http://www.shibuiswords.com/papers1.htm

 

http://japaneseswordindex.com/origami.htm

 

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/tosogu_kanteisho.html

 

http://new.uniquejapan.com/nbthk-nihon- ... r-ranking/

 

http://www.nihonto.ca/ratings.html

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Thanks for the advice I mainly wanted to know if it was fake paperwork because I couldn't find any from the same year. For the price I paid it could have been fake but apparently it isn't. If I got it translated then its a bonus so I have a reference to see if im right as I go myself. You point is very good though I should post my attempts as I go. :) thanks for the links ill check them out when I get back from camping all weekend :)

 

Trent Spencer

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Danny's website has a nice section that breaks down the papers and what they say, see the image for TH paper below Hozon, he has it all translated

 

http://www.nihontocraft.com/japanese_sw ... se_sword_4

 

does that help?

 

Ive seen that page before, the problem is that it misses out a section of papers between the old oshigata type and the newest photo type.

 

Trent S

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Trent,

I'll get you started. The date of kanteisho you can figure out with a little work and assistance from the KANJI PAGES located at the top of this page just above the NIHONTO MESSAGE BOARD heading.

 

Mark S.

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Trent, you may notice that the paper has two kinds of writing on it: solid black printed boilerplate, and lighter ink that was hand-done. The boilerplate you can easily find from the resources posted, and the lighter ink stuff is easy when you know the context. You have three sections that need any actual translation: the date of the paper (as Mark points out), the attribution (under the "item: katana" header Mark has labeled), and the edge length.

 

Give it a try, it doesn't get much more straightforward than that. :-)

 

As to the Sue Bizen attribution, that's all you get… no way to narrow down the specific smith on this blade. (EDIT: John sniped me on this one, haha.)

 

http://www.nihonto.com/abtartsuebizen.html

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Trent,

 

As I told you in one of my previous posts, it is time for you to buy books, you will learn quickly what sue Bizen means, characteristics of the blades forged at that time, smith names and perhaps you won't buy your next blade at random, which is the aim of any collector/nihontophile :D

 

Btw, length (nagasa) is the small column botton right :)

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Trent,

 

As I told you in one of my previous posts, it is time for you to buy books, you will learn quickly what sue Bizen means, characteristics of the blades forged at that time, smith names and perhaps you won't buy your next blade at random, which is the aim of any collector/nihontophile :D

 

Btw, length (nagasa) is the small column botton right :)

 

Ive been reading through all the links, ive got hawley and Im waiting for con guide to jap swords in the mail so that will help :)

 

Trent Spencer

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