Andygw Posted September 14, 2020 Report Posted September 14, 2020 Hi folks, I just bought an antique Japanese sword which has two kanji at the bottom of the tang. Not sure what is says? Maybe polishers name? Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted September 17, 2020 Report Posted September 17, 2020 Steve, utsusu/utsushi, surely? Quote
SteveM Posted September 17, 2020 Report Posted September 17, 2020 Oops, yes that's what I meant. Utsushi. Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted September 17, 2020 Report Posted September 17, 2020 1 hour ago, SteveM said: Utsushi Does that mean that the maker of the blade was inspired by, or was copying, the style of the owner of the kao? But we don't know who's kao it was, do we? Quote
SteveM Posted September 17, 2020 Report Posted September 17, 2020 I'm not 100% confident that it is indeed 写 (or 寫) but the single kanji coming after the kao is pretty unique. I don't think its a name. I thought the kao would be the actual smith's kao, and 写 would be his acknowledgement that the blade was an attempt at emulating a certain style or another smith. 1 Quote
Bruce Pennington Posted September 17, 2020 Report Posted September 17, 2020 Thanks Steve! So a bit of a mystery for now. I'll bounce it off Guy at Warrelics and see if he's stumped by it as well. Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted September 17, 2020 Report Posted September 17, 2020 Andy, there’s nothing else written on the tang? Quote
YankeeAirPirate Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 I have a Naginata blade and am interested to know more about it. I am attaching a photo of the signature. Thank you for any assistance you can provide. Quote
mywei Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 Sagami (no) Kami Fujiwara Hiroshige Quote
YankeeAirPirate Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 Thank you Mywei! I lived in Japan for a couple of years, in Zushi near Kamakura. It was a beautiful place. Of all the cultures around the world I have seen I am always drawn back to Japan so its personally interesting to me that I came to be in possession of this blade. I've walked through the armories at the palace in Tokyo and Odowara Castle and was amazed at what I saw. Do you think this could be an original blade made by him? It is sharp enough to shave with. More pics attached. It would be nice if it was real. Quote
Babu Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 The only Smith in hawleys signing sagami no Kami is HIR 398 a low grade Smith, so the likelihood of a fake signature adding value this naginata is very remote. He was active around 1688 and was part of the shimohara group. He also signed Bushu Ju fujiwara 15 point Smith. However you will need to compare your mei to known papered examples if they exist. I'll offer no comments as to condition or what looks like Acid staining. Regards Adam Quote
YankeeAirPirate Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 Would the acid have been used by someone trying to remove corrosion from the blade? I'm not going to be so sad if this isn't spectacular, I think it is still a very interesting item.. I appreciate the information! Thank you Babu. Quote
Babu Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 Not sure what the expected outcome was sorry. It looks like you need to rub the blade a lot with oil based kanahada to get that staining off. It's probably not destroyed the blade but it should be neutralised if possible first. If you have any windowlene or similar alkaline based cleaner put that on, then soapy water nice n hot to wash it all off. Dry it, get some wadding like cotton wool and Clove oil or kanahada, rub the blade continually until the dark disappears. Will require time and effort ....no shortcuts with wire wool or abrasives are recommended. Just good ol' elbow grease. Quote
Brian Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 Looks like blood staining to me...not trying to be dramatic. It would be contemporary if it was. Naginata looks ok...the shape reminds me of older ones. Quote
YankeeAirPirate Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 I already think its the coolest thing ever! So its ok to polish the blade? I've always been told that old patina and such should never be cleaned and polished away on old items or it destroys their value. Not so for an old blade like this? Quote
Babu Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 I didn't say polish it it said rub it continually with oil until all the staining has gone. It's fairly recent and not blood of a contemporary nature, as that eats right through tamahagane if left.If blood is not cleaned off in a short order the salts an other ingredients in the blood will cause a reaction with the metal ranging from discoloration of the finish short term, to deep pitting if left on the metal long term. Quote
YankeeAirPirate Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 OK, thank you for the advice. Quote
Brian Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 Polishing is done by professionals...at like $150 per inch. There is NO way you should ever polish it with anything abrasive. Just oil it or use isopropyl alcohol to clean it. Don't polish it. Adam, once blood stains and is stabilized, it looks exactly like this. I've seen enough of it in the firearms industry over 30 years. Could be many things. Quote
Babu Posted September 19, 2020 Report Posted September 19, 2020 Brian I've seen swords with the lemon juice treatment and they also look exactly like that. What I can guarantee is that we will never KNOW what caused it. Quote
Andygw Posted September 20, 2020 Author Report Posted September 20, 2020 Thank You so much for Your input guys. This is the rest of the tang. I was told it's made in 1844 and a maker I'm in aware of. Any more information would be much appreciated. Quote
YankeeAirPirate Posted September 20, 2020 Report Posted September 20, 2020 22 hours ago, Babu said: Not sure what the expected outcome was sorry. It looks like you need to rub the blade a lot with oil based kanahada to get that staining off. It's probably not destroyed the blade but it should be neutralised if possible first. If you have any windowlene or similar alkaline based cleaner put that on, then soapy water nice n hot to wash it all off. Dry it, get some wadding like cotton wool and Clove oil or kanahada, rub the blade continually until the dark disappears. Will require time and effort ....no shortcuts with wire wool or abrasives are recommended. Just good ol' elbow grease. As a followup, its working! If I get any TV time I use very soft cotton pads and a light oil, rub rub and more rub. After a number of hours one small section is cleaned, much of the staining removed. The blade still has corrosion but from looking at the internet thats not something i will ever touch. I will keep this for now and enjoy it, then sell it some time in the future. Thanks again for the advice. Quote
SteveM Posted September 20, 2020 Report Posted September 20, 2020 荘司次郎太郎藤原直勝造之 天保十五甲辰年秋八月日 Sōji Jirō Tarō Fujiwara Naokatsu tsukuru kore Tempo jūgo kinoetatsu nen aki hachigatsu-jitsu Top line is the full name of the maker. Second line is the date (Autumn, 1844) A famous name. I'd like to see the blade itself. (And if possible, get the unrelated naginata, split off into a separate thread). 2 Quote
Andygw Posted September 26, 2020 Author Report Posted September 26, 2020 Thank You so much Steve. The sword is still in the mail but I will send as soon as I got it. Quote
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