peter Posted October 1, 2009 Report Posted October 1, 2009 hello all, i just got a sword with what looks like a copper pin holding the handle on, is this normal as my other 1 i pushed the pin out to reveal the tang?? Quote
raaay Posted October 1, 2009 Report Posted October 1, 2009 Hi Peter I have come across few copper type Mekugi and other soft metals, always in my experiance they have been on Shin Gunto mounted swords and are more like rivets. I would presume more secure if called to use the sword in battle !!. just my twopence worth regards ray Quote
peter Posted October 2, 2009 Author Report Posted October 2, 2009 Thank you Ray, would you think then that it,s an old sword? how could i find out if the tang is signed? Peter Quote
Stephen Posted October 2, 2009 Report Posted October 2, 2009 check to see if the copper pin...must be big to fill the hole...is threaded. it may unscrew Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted October 2, 2009 Report Posted October 2, 2009 Oh, and if it is a screw, remember that Mekugi screws tend to go clockwise to unscrew. Quote
raaay Posted October 2, 2009 Report Posted October 2, 2009 Hi peter The point i was making is that most of that type of mekugi i have seen were metal rivets, I TAKE IT THIS IS NOT A RIVET IE. DOMED OVER SO IT CANT BE REMOVED , there are as stated in the other replies many types mekugi or for the want of a better word secret fixings that are threaded and push fit pegs etc. a couple of pics of the sword and tsuka will help. and as far as the age of the blade, you need some pics also of the blade and the tang if you can remove it. regards ray Quote
peter Posted October 3, 2009 Author Report Posted October 3, 2009 thank you all, this is all a great help, how do i get this copper out to see if the tang is signed or do i leave well alone? Peter Quote
Stephen Posted October 3, 2009 Report Posted October 3, 2009 Send pix so we know what were dealing with please. Quote
Toryu2020 Posted October 3, 2009 Report Posted October 3, 2009 I would presume more secure if called to use the sword in battle !!. just my twopence worth regards ray Ray et al - I would think if metal worked better in battle we would see lots of Muromachi era koshirae with metal mekugi. To my thinking metal bends, and sets. Bamboo flexs. If you struck a heavy object with a copper (or brass) mekugi it would bend maybe not break but then you have slight movement in the tsuka and slowly but surely with further use it becomes worse or even breaks. I'd say bamboo is best, -tom Quote
Brian Posted October 3, 2009 Report Posted October 3, 2009 Tom, I am sure it is not just you that thinks bamboo is best.... 1000 years of Japanese sword tradition think so too. :D Brian Quote
raaay Posted October 4, 2009 Report Posted October 4, 2009 Hi , Tom / Brian Just to clear up my poor wording of my reply , i agree nothing works as good as bamboo or wooden Mekugi / you can't argue with 1000 years of proof. the point i was trying to make badly was that i have come across metal mekugi in rivet form on two or three gunto moutned swords some of which were riveted at the fuchi and the kashira and they were not the 1944 late pattern gunto mounts and this of course may have of been a personal choice for the owner ? . they were all on what i would call semi civillian mounted shin gunto mounted swords and now that i recall they all had a dark green ito ! so Peter, we are still all waiting on the pics to clear up the mystery MEKUGI problem. regards ray Quote
peter Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Posted October 5, 2009 Again thank you, i will try today to get pics on, had some scanned in but was coming up they where to large, peter Quote
peter Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Posted October 5, 2009 i,m having no luck at all getting my pics on, only about 6 and it saying file to big my mobile no is (Edited out by admin) if someone is more compatent on computer than me, i could send them via text, fingers crossed, Peter Quote
Stephen Posted October 5, 2009 Report Posted October 5, 2009 email me the pix and ill crop reduce it for you. Quote
peter Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Posted October 5, 2009 thank you steven, whats your email address Quote
Stephen Posted October 5, 2009 Report Posted October 5, 2009 just click on the email tab and it will come to you Quote
peter Posted October 6, 2009 Author Report Posted October 6, 2009 Hello stephen, i couldn,t mail you direct so i emailed you via my hotmail account, i hope you got the images ok and are able to shed some light on my swords, many thanks peter Quote
Stephen Posted October 6, 2009 Report Posted October 6, 2009 pete I have not recived pix, check spam folder as well. try this h2obro1@aol dot com Quote
Stephen Posted October 7, 2009 Report Posted October 7, 2009 Peter three out of all the pix is most i can work with rest where washed out with light or blurry. really cant tell if its just a brass rivet or one that unscrews. Quote
peter Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Posted October 7, 2009 hello Jean, is that latin? is that what the inscription on the tang says? Peter Quote
peter Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Posted October 7, 2009 Thank you very much stephen, not sure on the translation yet tho, look forward to hearing from anyone with input, peter Quote
Jean Posted October 7, 2009 Report Posted October 7, 2009 Yoshinaga (from what I can decipher) is the name on the tang (swordsmith); for the date (on theopposite side) I let you have a go at it, it is very easy with the Kanji pages. It won't be too hard for you to find the area, knowing that the blade is not very old. Start from Meiji to Heisei, then after you have the year, the month. Becarefull, the zero is unknown. By the same way we changed of Millenium in 2001 not in 2000 for the same reason. Quote
Brian Posted October 7, 2009 Report Posted October 7, 2009 hello Jean, is that latin? is that what the inscription on the tang says? Peter Peter..no. The Latin is Jean's signature line. Your tang says Yoshinaga. If you find Latin on a Nihonto, you are either going to be very wealthy or drive archaeologists insane. Brian Quote
peter Posted October 8, 2009 Author Report Posted October 8, 2009 Hello all, well all i got was jyu,10, and ichi, 1, but had to search elsewhere for that as my old laptop is only showing me boxes etc and i don,t have the disc needed for the download required, time to invest in another machine me thinks, :? anyway it,s good to see a few of the pixs on after all the hassel so thanks to stephan for that and thanks to jean for the smith name, peter Quote
peter Posted October 12, 2009 Author Report Posted October 12, 2009 hello again to all, can any1 help with these? Peter Quote
Nobody Posted October 13, 2009 Report Posted October 13, 2009 hello again to all, can any1 help with these?Peter The mei reads Hidetoshi (秀俊). To read the date, I need a clear picture. But maybe Showa 1x'th year. Quote
cisco-san Posted October 13, 2009 Report Posted October 13, 2009 ...and the stamp seems to be a Seki stamp. Quote
peter Posted October 13, 2009 Author Report Posted October 13, 2009 thank you v,much i,ll try for a better image 2moorro peter Quote
peter Posted October 14, 2009 Author Report Posted October 14, 2009 Hello there, glad to see who made the blade, i have 3 in total, could you help with those? i,ve tried my books and net but only got a few bits here and there but nothing that makes much sense, Peter Quote
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