I am new to this forum, so please excuse any errors on my part...
I am not an expert, hardly even a novice, to Japanese sword collecting.. but I would like to learn more about them.
I have just aquired my second sword and would like some help in identifying its vintage ... also some help in regards to whether I have correctly identified it.
The sword is a Shinogi Zukuri that was probably used by a World War II Army Officer based upon the type of Saya (i.e. looks like a typical WWII Army saya).
The Nakago is signed ... I was told that the signature reads Yamamoto-Kumi. There is what appears to be an upside-down tilde (or wave) underneath the Mei, but I have no idea what that signifies. (Does anyone have an opinion on that?) Can anyone please inform me if they have heard of a swordsmith named Yamamoto Kumi and, if so, was he from the World War II era?
The other side of the Nakago has only the number 16 stamped near the top end of the tang. is this an arsenal mark?
The blade appears to be hand forged, but I can't tell if it was traditionally made or not. I am venturing the following opinions on the characteristics of the blade ... but I don't know if I am right or wrong since all I have in reference are diagrams from a web site that used info from Peter McCollum... anyway ... here goes: Sword Blade: Shinogi-Zukuri Kissaki: O Mune: Ihori Boshi: Komaru Hada: Mokume Hamon: Sudare (?) {This was very difficult to determine and is my best guess} Hataraki: I just don't know ... lack of experience of my part... and maybe the blade needs polishing, but I can't afford the cost of having it professionally polished as I understand it costs thousands of dollars.
In addition to the sword blade, I believe this sword has the following tang characteristics: Nakago shape: Furisode (best guess, as I also thought it might be Futsu or Shiribari) Nakago-Jiri: Iriyamagata Yasurime: Katte-Agari
Any and all opinions and information to help determine the vinatge of the sword blade, and maybe even if it was traditionally made, would be greatly appreciated.
PICTURES WILL GO A LONG WAY IN HELPING YOU WITH CORRECT INFORMATION. THE NUMBER IS LIKELY AN ASSEMBLY NUMBER AND WOULD LIKELY APPEAR ON ALL OF THE SEPPA AND THE TSUBA. I PRESUME THE NUMBER SIXTEEN IS WRITTEN IN KANJI. BOB
"A man needs to know his limitations" Dirty Harry Gold Badge #263
First - welcome to the Forum One question: Are you sure you are a "hardly even a novice, to Japanese sword collecting"? You are using a 100% correct Nihonto terminology that no regular "novice" would be familiar with (even born and raised in Japan). As Bob said, more photos would be a big help.
Posts: 2313 | Location: Laval Island | Registered: 17 February 2001
I picked up the terminology from doing one day's worth of research on the internet. I found a great web site for Japanese sword terminology, and then my son and I proceeded to examine the katana and make notes.
We will try to get more photos of the sword ... but the problem is two fold. One the lighting ... hard to get the right lighting indoors using only overhead lighting and trying to avoid flash that will bounce light off the sword blade. And then two, our camera takes huge (in memory) sized photos, and I need to find a tool that will reduce the photo size in memory without taking away too much detail. (Right now each photo is 1 to 2 megabytes in size)
This is my second katana. The first one was definitely a machine-made one (since all WWII collectors and dealers that we occasionally meet at gun shows informed us when viewing that other sword. Also that other sword had no signature.) This second one is of much more interest to me as I would like to expand my knowledge base on the subject of Japanese swords.
