Could You Guys Share Some Information On What I Just Bought?

[Matt300ZXT]

I have a friend I used to train with who was in need of some money and knew I was looking for another sword.  After a while he decided to offer me his 500ish year old Koto katana.  After a little research of my own, plus him showing me signs leading to it being authentic, I decided to buy it from him since I wanted a real sword and wanted to help out a friend who needed money.  He did, however, offer a buy back policy in case I found it to be a really good forgery instead of being authentic.  

 

I had this posted on Sword Buyers Guide's forum and got some pretty good info there, but they recommended I show it to you guys as well.  

 

From what he told me about the filing pattern on the nakago (bear with me on some of these terms, I'm still learning all this new stuff) and some other things he was showing me, and what the guys on the other forum said, I've learned quite a bit of new info thus far.  I've learned it's a suriage, or o'suriage but there is no signature on the nakago.  It's probably just a run of the mill tachi cut down due to the government regulations of the time.  The saya looks nice enough for my tastes but I don't care much for the tsuka or the tsuba.  It's a Fred Lohman piece that doesn't quite fit right and is pretty wiggly.  There were a couple habaki, a seppa, and another tsuba tossed in with the deal, though neither of the habaki fit it and are just silver foil wrapped around copper.  However, the other tsuba has some kanji stamped into it, and they said you guys might be able to read it and know what it means.  

 

Anyways, here are the pics:

 

 

There are all the pictures of the blade.  Sorry if it's a lot to look at.  I know it has a few open grain spots and that doesn't bother me.  Would be cool if it was a museum quality piece, but I'm happy with a blade that has a little character.  If there is anything else you guys need a picture of to get a better idea as to what I've got, I'll be more than happy to snap any pic you want.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Hi, Matt:

 

First, showing us anything except the bare blade doesn't make much sense, so please give us a good, in-focus photo of the blade without anything on it. That lets us decide what the sugata is, & determines the age. Then, more IN-FOCUS shots of the rest of the blade provides more details, perhaps letting us figure out which school. Only after that do we want to look at things like the koshirae & tosogu.

 

From what I can see, something looks quite strange about the nakago, but I can't figure out just what. Maybe the 4 different size mekugiana, or maybe that it looks like it's been cleaned....

 

I'm sure some of our experts can determine more just from the few shots you've provided, Matt, but I need the sugata to help you out.

 

Ken

[Kai-Gunto]

Dont like the nakago. Hole maybe drilled by lohman.

I wouldnt buy it.

[Brian]

It's old and it's authentic, and if the openings don't bother you too much then I think you did ok as long as the price was fair. Collectors will always be put off by extra holes drilled and the possibility of a tang being cleaned. That is a big no-no. In some pics, the tang looks cleaned (maybe the flash?) and in others...not so much. You need to try a few natural light pics.

It's real and Japanese, and depending on what you are after, it may fill the gap. In time, if the interest sticks, you might want to upgrade to something with fewer flaws, but everyone has to start somewhere. It looks like a decent package, maybe with modern finishing. I would remove the modern tsuba in favor of an older one that fits.

Can't tell if the fittings are old or not, but hopefully it is a start to something in the future.

 

Brian

[Matt300ZXT]

Yeah I don't like all the holes from mountings myself and I did read about the rust being cleaned off being really bad in the antique sword community but maybe in several hundred more years it'll grow back  Wish I had several thousand dollars to buy some of the really nice ones but I'll have to make do with buying the ones that cost $1500 or so, though this one ran me $500.

 

Anyways, I snapped some more pictures in natural light, and tried my best to get the whole sugata in there for Ken.  Standing up high enough on something to get the whole sword in there is tricky.  There are just too many decorative trees and landscaping around the yard in the way of the 1 or 2 good places to lay down a sword and photograph it so I did the best I could w/o using flash.  I did shoot a video too but it doesn't really show anything that the pictures don't.  

 

If anyone needs any measurements I can also get those and pass them along.  

 

[Brian]

For $500 you did good. Even as an iaito it would be a good price. The hamon looks sleepy...maybe retempered or etched and buffed. Nakago cleaned near the top.

Looks looooong?

 

Brian

[Matt300ZXT]

I measured it the other day for one of the SBG forum guys, from the mune-machi to kissaki, it's dead on 27".  From the end of the nakago, it's dead on 35 1/16th".  I like the slightly shorter length on the business end.  I also have a cheaper Hanwei Raptor I bought a couple years ago that is pretty much the correct length for my height of 5'11.5", but it just doesn't feel smooth when I draw it.  I probably just suck at drawing, but the shorter length on this one is much more comfortable to me.  

 

PS does it look like it needs the cleaning kit with the powder from the pom pom and oil and all that? My martial arts teacher (we don't train in kenjutsu or iaijutsu or anything) has one that came with his Paul Chen sword and wants to do it, but I think he just wants to because mine is old and stuff.  I'm kinda leaning towards I don't him doing it just for the sake of because it's old, unless you guys think it could use a good maintenance procedure.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Matt,

Care & etiquette:

http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm

Grey

[AndyMcK]

And if your martial arts teacher is not too experienced with nihonto, trust your instincts and don't let him at the blade.

 

-Antti

[Jamie]

Matt,

Definitely steer away from uchiko that came with a Paul Chen.

If you must use uchiko at all, you'd want to get it directly from a known Japanese trained togishi( polisher).

a light coating of oil and a microfiber cloth is mostly all you need.

 

You might check this link out:

http://www.nbthk-ab.org

Hope this helps

Jamie

[Alex A]

Hey Matt, for $500 you did very well indeed. For that price i wouldnt be too bothered about the flaws or the nakago being cleaned, big 300zx fan too

[Matt300ZXT]

Awesome, you guys have been more than helpful.  Noted, I will decline the cleaning and stuff.  The group participation with my sword will have to be strictly looking at it and people getting to hold it and see how it feels.  Any body caught swinging it around like they're in battle will be immediately escorted through the wall