I recently came across a Showa period katana. I am having difficulty deciphering the maker's signature. I attended an antique arms show and showed it to a dealer who said he was unable identify the maker with certainty. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
This is a wonderful Kanayama tsuba which has been changing hands between well-known Western collectors for several decades. See Jim Gilbert collection as another reference. This is a text-book example, small in diameter with very thick rim, dished plate and lumpy tekkotsu. The colour is blackish and the surface looks wet and lustrous, typical for Kanayama and Owari sukashi tsuba.
I am looking for assistance in identifying and providing a bit of history for a Japanese Army Officer's sword that was captured on May 29, 1945 in the Philippines during WWII. We believe the Makers Mark identifies the Maker as Yoshichika Minamoto, but we cant identify the rest of the characters on the tang.
The attached photos show the only characters found on either side of the tang. I haven't been able to located a temper line on the blade either.
Hi all. My friend showed me a sword he bought from an estate sale some years ago in Vermont. He showed it to me the other day and I snapped these photos. I know a bit about Katana smithing, all I could ascertain was that the hamon is real, beyond that, I need some help.
My new sword has interesting Koshirae that I'd appreciate your opinion on. The tsuba and menuki have what appears to be Hashiba clan kamon (5-3 kiri), while the kashira and fuchi have beautiful phoenix on them (see photos). I've been trying to find exact matches online, but of course, that's almost impossible. I'm thinking they were kokinko style from Momoyama period, but someone told me he thought they were Edo. Any thoughts?
Hello there, I hope you may be able to assist me. I am trying to read an iscription on the nakago of my Yari, can you possibly help? I have uploaded four images of the spearhead. Any ideas what dates / period these relate to?
I am as of recent, a new joined member of the nihonto club. I became a member in hopes to share the Mei of my Katana and authenticate it, either value or if it's genuine. It appears to be handmade but possibly afterwards was sent off to a factory for finishing, that is unless the swordsmith himself devoted over time into the tang of the sword. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested, I am in a bit of a tight hassle over money and wouldn't have a problem selling the sword to someone whom collects and will take care of it.
See attached images.
One is of the certificate - which I now know is only a registration document and bears no relation to authenticity.
The second image show the nakago signature on the left from a wakizashi I recently purchased. The two images on the right I found on the internet and would appear to be authentic 1st generation Kinmichi signatures. The two on the right are different blades but signatures somewhat similar. The signature on the left is obviously very different in style and would suggest strongly that it is a different person that engraved/etched it into the tang.
I have recently acquired a wakizashi which appears to be either 4th or 5th generation Shigetaka. I note that the swordsmiths listed here under the name SHIGETAKA only covers the first three generations. SHI505, SHI506 and SHI507. There appears to be at least eleven generations of Shigetaka.
I have recently purchased a wakizashi that appears to be a 'Norimitsu' The nakago has a mumei/signature reading (I believe) Bishu Osafune Norimitsu.
I believe that means, in simple terms, that it could have been made anytime between about 1300 and 1700, as there were nine generations of Norimitsu working out of Bizen school/Osafune.
Admins feel free to relocate post. Can someone tell me more about my recent ww2 Shin Gunto Purchase? I was directed here from a facebook page. The Tsuka took me over an hr to remove, the Ito had also slipped back a bit, Think it seen some serious use during the war. It clearly hadn't been removed since ww2, the Mekugi was jammed on an Angle and I had to destroy it to be able to remove it. It's pretty well worn. Looks like some Idiot tried to polish it with a dremel tool or something. Mainly on 1 side. What i'm interested to know is How old it actually is?
This is the last of me 3 swords. This is a katana. The Mei is on the Omote and the Ura has painted charachers. I haven't found any information for this sword yet. Thanks again for any help.
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