gun addict Posted October 24, 2018 Report Posted October 24, 2018 Decided to pick up this sword over the internet while on deployment. It'll be another 4 months before I can see it in person but just getting a consensus on this sword. Looks like its signed Bishu Mitsuhisa. The polish looks great over pictures and for $800, i dont think it's a bad buy even if it ends up being an average gunto at best. Let me know what you experts thinks! Cheers! Quote
Geraint Posted October 24, 2018 Report Posted October 24, 2018 Dear Timothy. Looks like a good buy to me, not your average gunto but a civil blade, looks to be in quite good polish and civil mounts though you might find that the tsuka combat cover is an addition to make up for the loss of tsuka ito etc. I'm struggling to make out the first kanji of the period, the second is sho which narrow it down a bit. Be interesting to see what others make of it but I'd be itching to get a look at it. $800! All the very best with your deployment. 1 Quote
gun addict Posted October 24, 2018 Author Report Posted October 24, 2018 Thank you Geraint! I plan to have my wife skype me this weekend and show me the sword on screen, she's been quite supportive of my collection and told me to bid when I told her this was a good deal , with a stipulation that I take her to Greece after I come home, fair enough! I am also confused on the first mei cut on the date, it's not a kenji that I can decipher, Taisho would make sense with the date of the gunto, or possibly Kosho but that would date the blade to the Mitsuhisa of Echizen to 1455, quite the mystery 1 Quote
PNSSHOGUN Posted October 24, 2018 Report Posted October 24, 2018 I'm afraid you've bought from one of the most notoriously shonky sellers on ebay. That "great" polish has been done by him and all but destroyed the Kissaki geometry. I would have my doubts as to the authenticity of the leather wrap and what's underneath it. Quote
Ray Singer Posted October 24, 2018 Report Posted October 24, 2018 This looks like 延正 - Enshō, which is not a real Japanese era. My feeling is that the mei is questionable. Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted October 24, 2018 Report Posted October 24, 2018 You might try running this by the Translation Assistance forum: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/forum/15-translation-assistance/ Quote
Ray Singer Posted October 24, 2018 Report Posted October 24, 2018 Translation seems clear. Ensho San Nen hachi gatsu hi. Bishu ju Mitsuhisa saku. Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted October 25, 2018 Report Posted October 25, 2018 On 10/24/2018 at 11:20 PM, raymondsinger said: Translation seems clear. Ensho San Nen hachi gatsu hi. Bishu ju Mitsuhisa saku.Sorry Ray! I posted before I saw your comment! Admittedly, translating kanji is my LEAST capable skill, but even I couldn't find any eras matching that marking. Thanks for breaking it down. The mei looks old, so do you think it's a geimei from the original smith? Also, the cut of the mei seems to have been made in the nakago as it was really hot. The metal seems to have given way to the cutting tool, like it was soft. Am I on track with that? Quote
Ray Singer Posted October 25, 2018 Report Posted October 25, 2018 Hi Bruce, I think it is a conventionally executed mei (not cut while the blade was hot). The mei has a fresh appearance, so perhaps a late gimei. Nakago-jiri resembles Kaga. Quote
Geraint Posted October 25, 2018 Report Posted October 25, 2018 Dear Bruce. All the information I have seen confirms that the mei is cut, well perhaps chased is better, when the sword is cold, never hot. Steel when soft is not that hard to work and nobody wants to be resting their hand on a hot nakago to apply a mei, even a dodgy one. The sword in question does have rather obvious tagane makura and does seem to have been signed by someone with a heavy hand. The only smiths signing this way that I have references for are early and you would certainly expect the makura to have been worn down; just another thing to make us question the mei. (Crossed posts with Ray.) All the best. Quote
gun addict Posted October 25, 2018 Author Report Posted October 25, 2018 The Gimei (maybe) aside, what era would the Nakago, file mark and color put this sword in ? Quote
Bazza Posted October 25, 2018 Report Posted October 25, 2018 From a photo???!!! Quite some time ago I heard that "someone" in Japan could put 300 years of rust on a nakago in one day... Your sword needs to be seen in its totality, in hand, by knowledgeable eyes. Be patient and get thee to a Sword Show... BaZZa. 1 Quote
vajo Posted October 25, 2018 Report Posted October 25, 2018 BaZZa you can fake all, but no patination of a nakago. Rust need a long time to change its consistency. Its the same as someone would say he can make a bone petrification in one year. Quote
gun addict Posted October 30, 2018 Author Report Posted October 30, 2018 Better picture of the Nakago Quote
Brian Posted October 30, 2018 Report Posted October 30, 2018 On 10/25/2018 at 11:50 AM, vajo said: BaZZa you can fake all, but no patination of a nakago. Rust need a long time to change its consistency. Its the same as someone would say he can make a bone petrification in one year. I think many would disagree with you. Modern methods are quite convincing. Just ask Ford. 1 Quote
vajo Posted October 30, 2018 Report Posted October 30, 2018 Hello Brian, i would learn but i didn't find any source to make a hundred of years rost patination. You can make a rost patination yes. But it didn't look like a old patination. O+H2O+Time Quote
Bazza Posted October 30, 2018 Report Posted October 30, 2018 On 10/30/2018 at 7:13 AM, vajo said: Hello Brian, i would learn but i didn't find any source to make a hundred of years rost patination. You can make a rost patination yes. But it didn't look like a old patination. O+H2O+Time Ahhh, yes, but the Japanese have been patinating metals for centuries with some methods even now not known. As far as tsuba go I have heard reference to specialist "rusters" of iron tsuba, so I would not be at all surprised if "sum wun" has a secret formula for rusting nakago... QED?? BaZZa. 1 Quote
reeder Posted October 31, 2018 Report Posted October 31, 2018 Yep, this one was destroyed. I recommend returning it as soon as possible. Quote
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