Weekend pickup

[tokashikibob]

Gents,

Last weekend I was doing some highbanking for gold in Western Carolina. I took a break from the shovel and hit the antique auction. Wondering if anyone has any ideas on these translations for the tsuba and nakago. Sword has a company grade tassel on it, wavy hamon and is beefy compared to few others I have handled. Thanks for looking.

 

Semper Fi,

Bob

[NihontoEurope]

Hello,

 

Not so sharp pictures and therefore perhaps unsharp replies.

 

Tsuba Mei could be KUNIHIRO.

 

/Martin

[NihontoEurope]

...and for the sword...

 

NAGATSUGU or NAGAMASA

 

or

 

YASUMASA or YASUTSUGU

 

/Martin

[Lindus]

Chalk the mei and use a flat bed scanner, this will give good easily readable results.

 

Roy

[Stephen]

think it starts with Yoshi, chippy style mei, most likly a factory blade.

[Jean]

Agreed with Stephen, it is Yoshi ....out of focus picture

[tokashikibob]

Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. I really enjoy the board and learning aspects of this hobby from seasoned pros. Cleaned and oiled this sword up, it looks to be mokume in places but hard to tell due to all the fingerprints and lack of polish and me being a novice. No arsenal stamp. Black laquered saya, copper maple leaf menki , non-gunto fuchi, kashira, Blade has that older metallic color vice shiny under the habaki as referanced to older Nihonto in some books. I'll have to bring it to a show to have you guys take a look someday.

 

Questions:

- Does the chippy style Mei belong only in the Showa era? Would it be found in earlier works also?

 

- What is the proper kizu term for a small, smooth, black spot in the jigane? Is it a bit of carbon?

 

Semper Fi,

Bob

[runagmc]

Hi Bob, mabey it's kitae ware. Here's a web page with pictures and descriptions of kizu, http://www.ksky.ne.jp./~sumie99/flaws.html