Hi, This is my first post here, and I will fess up right now that my knowledge of Japanese swords is extremely limited, and hence so is my terminology. My interest got tweaked recently, and now I'm on a bit of a mission to get something verified. I am hopeful that you will be able to assist me. My father was stationed in Japan immediately following WWII, where he spent about two years. While there he acquired a sword that he brought back and kept squirreled away from my young prying eyes. Prior to his death he had tried to get some information on the writing on the tang, but since the internet wasn't what it is today, he didn't have any luck. Upon his death I acquired, and I too kind of kept it squirreled away. Recently I had acquired some Japanese rifles since I am collector of older military rifles. I had gotten in contact with a Mr. Francis Allan who is somewhat of an expert on them so I could find out more about them. In the course of the discussions I inquired about the sword. He asked for pictures of the mei and the entire sword, that he in turn sent to a gentleman who up to this point has only been referred to as Takehito. He thought that some of you may have heard of him, although his expertise is more in Japanese rifles and not swords. His assessment, based on closeup pictures of the blade and the mei is that the blade is a Yamato Daijo Fujiwara Masanori blade. According to his information, and corroborated by my initial research, he made blades in the early 1600s, which I believe is the Keicho Shinto period. Takehito believes this is a 1st gen mei on this blade, but without looking at it he can't be 100% certain. Now when my father brought it back it had apparently been mounted in a wartime Shingunto mount, which from what I understand was fairly common. My question(s) are this: Can someone help me determine if the mei is true? Since I live in Texas, do any of you know of anyone in this area of the country that might be considered an expert in Japanese swords? I have enclosed some photos of the tang and the entire sword. The pictures are not fancy, so my apologies if the sword is not mounted in a stand right now. That will soon be rectified, but for now this is all I have. If you need any additional photos, please let me know I thank you very much in advance for any assistance you can provide. Mike Frederick
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Masanori
Hi Mike, Your reading of the mei is correct, and I would agree that it is a 1st generation Yamato Daijo Masanori, based on ONLY comparing your mei with the examples in Fujishiro's book, page 321. Page 322 shows one example of 2nd gen - not only is the signature less similar, but also the nakago-jiri (tang tip) is different. Fujishiro rates the 1st gen as "JOu SAKU", which is quite respectable. The 2nd gen is "CHUu JOu SAKU", which is not quite as good (but note that anything in Fujishiro's book is decent).
As you may know, the saya (scabbard) of yours is ray-skin that has been lacquered, then shaved smooth. That's a higher-end saya for a WWII mounting. On the other side of the saya (not shown in your pix), look for one white spot that is much larger. If it's there, it is from a place on center of the back of the ray fish, and there is only one such spot per fish. A better tsuka (handle) will also be made from this "choice" piece.
In your picture, I believe I can see a "Mishina Boshi". I like it, because Mishina is my favorite school. Let me know if you need explanation of what a Mishina Boshi is.
Unlike most posts from folks with "this is my first sword", this blade could justify the time and expense to send it to Japan for a polish. It would cost you $2000-3000, I believe. However, it may be just fine the way it is - polishing does NOT make a better blade, it just makes it look prettier.
Please do NOT consider any sort of amateur polish or restoration work!
Don't touch it with any sort of abrasive or chemicals.
Learn how to care for it properly, as a high-quality 400-year-old blade. If unsure, please ask.
You should probably NOT store it in the old WWII saya - dirt, oil, and moisture could easily cause rust spots.
Pete
Arisaka
BTW, you mentioned Japanese rifles - I used to have a good-sized collection, but now just a couple of Model 38's (one short, one long). My brother was a recognized expert in years past - he wrote this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Rifles-World-War-II/dp/1880677113/ref=sr_...
Nowadays, most of these books are a bit obsolete because of the internet...
Pete
Pete, It's a small world as I
Pete,
It's a small world as I do happen to have that book. I'll buy most any book that will further my knowledge, and that's one of them. Right now I have four rifles; a Type 38 long and short; a Type 44, and a last ditch Jinsen Type 99. Still looking for a decent stock for the 38 long as the stock was a bogus Chinese copy. Stupid me, but the barrel and such is in great shape. Sorry, a bit off subject.
Mike
Hi Pete, Thanks very much for
Hi Pete,
Thanks very much for your information. Would picking up a copy of Fujishiro's book be a good thing for me to do? As you can tell, I'm quite the novice.
Also, I went and looked at the other side of the scabbard and sure enough there is a larger white spot. I've posted a photo to see what you think.
And thank you very much for the advice; consider it taken! I've done some reading and found out the amateur polishing thing is about the stupidest thing someone can do to it. I did order, and receive, a traditional blade cleaning kit, so will give it a good cleaning based on the formal way of doing it. And I never considered not leaving it in the saya, but will take your advice and remove it from it. If you have any further advice on taking care of it, I'm more than open to them.
Just out of curiosity, how does one go about getting it sent to get it polished?
Thanks again!
Mike
care
Would picking up a copy of Fujishiro's book be a good thing for me to do?
... larger white spot. I've posted a photo to see what you think. ...
... a traditional blade cleaning kit, so will give it a good cleaning based on the formal way of doing it. And I never considered not leaving it in the saya, but will take your advice and remove it from it. If you have any further advice on taking care of it, I'm more than open to them.
Just out of curiosity, how does one go about getting it sent to get it polished?
Fujishiro's book is a classic, but I think it is rare and expensive today.
I forgot to mention that this smith is known by the reference number MAS738 to Western collectors (a Japanese collector would just refer to it as "Yamato Daijo Masanori"). There should be a record for MAS738 in this site's online database.
Yes, your white blob is what I was thinking of.
The blade cleaning kit is a good thing to have. It probably comes with some "special paper". Instead of that, what I use is plain, white, 100% cotton flannel bought at a fabric store. Since you're not using the saya for storage, you can use a large piece of the flannel to wrap the naked blade in. If it's humid in your part of TX, be very careful about moisture. If you happen to be a woodworker, you could build a nice box for the blade, and design it so that the blade is completely supported by the tang (only the tang is in contact with anything other than air), and put a dessicant pack in the box. I've never done this, but it seems like a good plan... :-) .
If you were to get it polished (properly), part of the process would be to get a "shira-saya" (plain wood scabbard) made for it at the same time. A newly-polished blade should NEVER be inserted into an old saya. A proper saya only touches the blade at the back surface of the kissaki (tip), and at the habaki (collar, which is not actually part of the blade). Old sayas tend to shrink, warp, and crack, so that there is contact in other places, which is bad.
Polishing: I'm no longer familiar with the process of getting a polish (I've been inactive in collecting for 20 years or so), except that I know it's expensive, and your blade will be gone for months, and there is a risk that the polishing exposes defects that you would rather not know about. In general, you would go through a broker, who will (of course) take a cut for his services. A broker is necessary for most Westerners, because fluent Japanese is required, in addition to cultural knowledge. Some J-sword web sites offer polishing services - you should ask a LOT of questions before signing up.
As I've written many times on this forum, when thinking about a polish you need to be very clear and honest with yourself about WHY you want to do it. Polishing removes metal that can never be put back. A not-so-good polisher will remove the WRONG metal, and he probably won't know it. There are some not-so-good polishers in Japan (and a LOT outside of Japan, I suspect).
Pete
Pete, I did look up
Pete,
I did look up Fujishiro's book, and you are right, it is expensive. I'm not sure having one sword would constitute enough need to purchase something like that just yet.
Another question for you concerning the saya. If I did build a case for the blade, what does one do with the saya? Is it normally kept in there with it, or what? I do happen to do woodworking as well, so you've given me a great idea there. Creating a case for it would be relatively easy, so I'll sit down and sketch something out. I like the idea as it keeps it protected, yet still visible.
I think for now the polishing idea is something I will keep in the back of my head. I'm not overly keen on doing anything with this just yet as I don't really see any need to do anything with it. The last thing I would want is to have something happen to it, so for now I think I'm content to just leave it be.
Last question. Is this worth having anyone look at, or should I be content to leave things be? The reason I ask is now I find myself with an insurance issue on my hands that I didn't realize I had before. Would it be wise to get it appraised for insurance purposes? And if so, any suggestions on who would be a good one?
Thank you again for all your advice and counsel.
Mike
tsunagi, etc.
Hi, As for storing/displaying the saya:
In Japan (and with serious collectors), a koshirae (the mountings, not including the blade) can be displayed separately. The common way is to have a "tsunagi" made. A tsunagi is a piece of wood that matches the size and shape of the blade well enough that you can assemble the koshirae and put it on a stand or whatever. You could certainly make your own tsunagi. [Trivia: Once on a Japanese TV drama, one character referred to another as a tsunagi, meaning a poseur/fake/imitation - someone that didn't have the real skills and experience for their job.]
Blade case:
Although I suggested making something that supported the blade only by the nakago (tang), the standard way is to just support the blade in two places, with two little pieces of white cloth under the blade so that it isn't in direct contact with the wood or lacquer. This way the nakago will be completely visible. Since your is a katana (not a tachi), you should display it edge-up, with the nakago on the left, which makes the signature visible. Look online for museum displays of J-swords.
Wood:
Without getting exotic, the poplar finished lumber sold at places like Home Depot is very similar to the wood used in Japan for such things (saya, tsunagi, etc.). The official Japanese wood would be HO-NO-KI (usually spelled honoki on the web) - it is a type of magnolia.
If you want to be a purist, you should do all the work without power tools, and without sandpaper or steel wool (both of which leave behind nasty abrasive particles that could scratch a valuable blade). So, your tools are things like hand saws, chisels, knives, and hand drills. It's a good excuse to go buy yourself some cool Japanese woodworking tools. Chisel = NOMI, wood plane = KANNA. I forget what a saw is called, but it works on the pull stroke, not the push. A KANNA is meant to be used as a pull-tool also. If you build a wood storage case, don't put any sort of finish on the inside - you don't want the oils or moisture to condense on the blade.
Insurance:
It's something to ask your homeowner's insurance guy about. With just one sword, depending on the value, it's possible that your policy would cover it by default(?).
I don't have any experience with appraisers. In my city, I don't think there is anyone qualified to appraise a J-sword - I would have to tell them myself what it is worth...
Pete
One more quick question. Is
One more quick question. Is it normal to display the blade separated from the tsuka, or do most display them still in the tsuka with the saya below? Just curious as most pictures I'm finding show it still in the tsuka.
Also, you had mentioned Mishina Boshi earlier. Could you give me a quick course on what that is?
Thanks again,
Mike
boshi
In a museum, or any "serious" display, the blade would be completely naked, so that everything can be seen.
Mishina boshi:
Looking at your picture again, I may not have seen what I thought I saw. Can you post a much closer picture of the tip area? Orient the light so that the camera can see the hamon shape.
Anyway, a Mishina Boshi "tends" to have 3 features:
- The shape at the furthest end makes a non-closed loop that is supposed to resemble a bald monk's head. This is called "JIZOu" (Jizo-boshi - google it for pictures).
- Where the hamon crosses the yokote and enters the kissaki, the hamon becomes narrow (gets closer to the edge). The yokote is the line separating the tip from the main part of the blade.
- As the hamon continues around the curve of the tip, it becomes wider again, leading into the Jizo shape.
Most blades won't really have all 3 of these features in a "Mishina boshi", and/or the features will be subtle. When it comes to describing any feature of a hamon, often it is subjective, and you have to use your imagination a bit...
Pete
I've posted a picture as you
I've posted a picture as you requested. Not sure it's the best, so if you need a different angle, let me know.
Mike
boshi
Thanks! From what I can see, it's not a Mishina Boshi, but that's OK.
If that's typical of most of the blade, then it's in pretty good shape, and all of the little details will be visible.
Pete
Overall the blade is quite
Overall the blade is quite nice shape for its age. There are a few small spots that show a bit of wear, but that's about it. Just happy to have it!
Mike