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EDIT: Ooh, shiny! :-D Thanks much.

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TL;DR: Authentic antique Japanese sword. Assuming it is not gimei Possibly gimei (false signature; the mei is not as well-carved as I would like it to be), but if the mei is genuine it was made at the Imperial Court by one of the Iga no Kami Kinmichi smiths sometime between 1624 and 1840; subsequently stuffed into gunto mounts and given an amateur "polish," but still restorable and worth preservation. Please read the care guide here and here, and if you would like to have it polished I've listed resources near the bottom of the thread. I recommend cross-posting to the Nihonto Message Board to further narrow down which Kinmichi smith made this sword, and/or if it is gimei.

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I will attempt mei translation tomorrow (going to bed now). First glance I can tell you it is genuine in the sense that it came from Japan. Nakago patina looks significantly older than WWII, but Imperial chrysanthemum is often used during Gendai / WWII period. Long signature with ura date is usually a later-period trait too. Interesting; looking forward to mei reading in the morning.

Too sleepy for more right now, will return tomorrow.

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EDIT: OK, here we go. I can't try to read them until they are oriented correctly so I'm downloading them as a zip packet now. TheWildTurkey is also right that the surviving mounts (such as they are) are gunto mounts. On the other hand I am not 100% convinced the blade proper is gunto (as opposed to antique prewar) yet, that nakago just looks so much older. On a side note, I can see the suggestion of a hamon underneath the unfortunate amateurish attempt at restoration (which doesn't mean much, could be oil-quenched if WWII, but it is heat treated at least).

Images downloaded. Translation in progress...

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First interesting point, the mei is done in tachi style, that is, the name is on the side of the nakago that would face outward if the sword was worn edge-down.

The omote (outside, i.e. the side an observer would see with the edge down and nakago to the left) reads:

日 NI (first character of Nippon/Nihon - Japan/Japanese)

本 HON (second character of Nihon)

鍛 (first character of KAJI, smith)

冶 (second character of KAJI)

宗 SO (first character of Sosho, master/teacher)

匠 SHO (second character of Sosho)

藤 FUJI (first character of Fujiwara, old honorary clan title)

原 WARA

金 KIN (first character of Kinmichi, smith name)

道 MICHI

So as a sentence: NIHON KAJI SOSHO FUJIWARA KINMICHI (Fujiwara-clan Japanese master swordsmith Kinmichi)

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The ura (reverse) reads:

三 (first character of Mishina)

品 (second character of Mishina)

伊 (first character of Iga province)

賀 (second character of Iga province)

守 KAMI (lord; highest official title for swordsmiths)

As a sentence: MISHINA IGA NO KAMI (Mishina line, Lord of Iga Province)

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I'll be back in a minute. This is not gunto, it is a fine older sword (stuffed into gunto mounts). I will help narrow down the possibilities once I have finished translating and cross-checking, but there are a number of smiths in this line between 1596 and 1860.

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OK, I'm back. The Kinmichi smiths signing with "Nihon kaji…" seem to date between 1772 and 1848. The only one with the Fujiwara title I see at the moment is KIN55, Kinnmichi working in Yamashiro around Anei period (1772-1781). This is the Shinshinto era ("new-new sword" period) when many copies of older, classical swords were in vogue. Since this is done in tachi-mei with an Imperial kiku (chrysanthemum), it certainly matches that artistic trend. Update: I have discovered that many of the "later" generations of Kinmichi did inscribe the kiku emblem, which matches this sword. Second update: further info suggests this is an earlier sword, and turns out "Nihon Kaji Sosho" (master swordsmith of Japan) started with second-gen Kinmichi.

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In the Shinshinto volume of the Nihonto Koza, there is the following on Kanemichi/Kinmich of Iga:

> …As for Iga no Kami Kanemichi (Kinmichi), there is nothing that could really be called his works, as he worked exclusively in the Imperial Court, and his duties were to determine who should work there. At any rate, he is interesting from the point that he was the last of a famous Mon which had continued for a long time.

Take that how you will. Still researching.

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Success on the ura mei! The first two characters together read "Mishina," which is a sword line. This will help narrow down the smith. In fact it suggests it is an earlier smith. More digging to do...

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Kokan Nagayama's "Connoisseur's" book has a more detail on the early Mishina school. Instead of typing it all out, I will simply upload the relevant pages here, here, and here. However, here are a few key quotes:

> The founder of the Mishina School was Kanemichi, who lived in Seki, Mino province, at the close of the Muromachi period. He had four sons. Iga no Kami Kinmichi was the eldest, and the second eldest was Rai Kinmichi. His third son was Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi ad his fourth, Etchu no Kami Masatoshi. The four brothers later moved to Kyoto, where they played an important part in the manufacture of blades in the Keicho Shinto period.

> The second-generation Iga no Kami Kanemichi (ed.– alt. Kinmichi) titled himself "Nihon Kaji Sosho" (Master swordsmith of Japan). His important position allowed him to use his influence at the Imperial Court to help determine which smiths would be given honorific titles. Later generations, as a distinguished family, succeeded to this exclusive business through the end of the Edo period.

Very interesting! More to come, but this info seems to be narrowing down to KIN46 (1661-1673) or one of his line.

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The Shinto volume of the Nihonto Koza has some additional information on the Mishina school smiths. Again, here are the pages (one and two), and here are some key quotes:

> Kanemichi was the eldest son of Seki Kanemichi and it is said that he received the title of Iga no Kami (ed.— Lord of Iga) during Bunroku (1592-1596). …

> MEI: Those inscribed IGA NO KAMI FUJIWARA KANEMICHI are the most common, there are also some without the FUJIWARA, and some that are just the nijimei of KANEMICHI. There are some that are fairly large size, and also some that are not all that large, but the tagane (ed.– chiseling) is proportionally fine, and have a tone which looks like the previous era, in other words, Late Muromachi.

> SPECIAL TRAITS … As for the nidai (ed.– second gen.)… the quality is inferior to that of the shodai (ed.– first gen), and are poor in elegance. …As for the mei, he inscribed IGA NO KAMI FUJIWARA KANEMICHI the same as the shodai, but he used a flat tagane and it is thicker than that of the shodai. Also, he inscribed the KIKU MON (ed.– Imperial chrysanthemum) and NIHON KAJI SOSHO on the ura.

> From the sandai (ed.– third gen.) on, it is the same mei style as the nidai, but SOSHO (惣匠) was inscribed as SOSHO (宗匠).

The last line there is pretty interesting, since if strictly true it implies this sword is at least a third-generation (KIN51, 1675-1716) sword.

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At this point there are various conflicting pointers to different generations in this line, from the second gen to the later gens. Narrowing it down further would require rubbings / illustrations of the nakago & mei from previous swords, and a more thorough inspection of the workmanship and style of the metallurgical activity / shape / nakago cross-referenced against records of the smiths' known works. I do not have any more resources than I have already shared (apart from googling – we might find a matching sword online), so I highly recommend that you post this sword on the Nihonto Message Board to help narrow down which smith made this or to check if it is gimei (false signature).

Someone has attempted an amateur "polish" which has done some damage to the blade (note the softer geometry) and masked the details, but the good news is it looks very healthy and restorable by a professional polisher. I am going to quote myself from another thread to save time:

> If... you wanted to have [the blade] assessed further, then the next steps would be to post it on the Nihonto Message Board, bring it to a sword show, sword club, shinsa, and/or to send it to a qualified professional polisher. There are very, very few qualified pros outside of Japan; some are Moses Becerra, Jon Bowhay, Bob Benson, and Jimmy Hayashi. Or, get in touch with Paul Martin (who serves as a middleman for Japanese sword services).

> Please read the care tips here and here.

> As far as what you can do: repeated cleaning with fine-grade uchiko and oiling will help neutralize any red rust and even strip off some of the thinner rust. That's it, please do not attempt anything else. If you want to look into having the blade professionally restored, it is very expensive ($75~$100 per inch) so is usually only recommendable if you have a valuable-enough blade, expect to turn a profit, or just are well-off and sentimental. ;-)

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That's the end of this monster post. Thank you for an enjoyable research project to spend my morning on.

Cheers,
—G.

ok, first off, I'll just emphasise, there's a real big improvement from the previous one you did - each one is clearly showing improvement throughout - especially the shaping of pommel and grip, which are really starting to get into the right sort of ballpark now, compared to your previous one - a huge step forward there.

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main thing I am spotting is that the pommel and particularly the cross are fairly large and bulky - the cross thickness is much more than most real ones are - its a common fault - people tend to see pictures of swords in profile, and dont really get to see the depth of the crosses - they tend to be much more gracile than they expect... let me see if I can find a few photos on auction houses for you:

• http://www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/images72_max/210043_b.jpg
  
• http://www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/images72_max/202206_b.jpg
  
• http://www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/images70_max/91334_a.jpg
  
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  best I can find quickly, those, particularly the last one show clearly how slender hilts can be - the crossguards often taper away to almost be as narrow as the blades. So you might like to think about the 3d nature of the hilt, and how you can shape it to have pretty dramatic curves and shapes which make it quite sculptural, without being bulky at all.
  
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  Given the length of the blade, therefore, I'd have expected it to be much less balanced than it is. What that indicates to me, combined with the weight of about 1.3kg, is that the blade is still pretty chunky along its entire length. Would I be right in saying that the stock you're working from is 1/4 inch thick bar? So, for future ones, you might want to start thinking about making distal taper more dramatic - its a lot of work, and tiring to grind thin, but the results are satisfying when done. These relatively broad cutting blades tend to have fairly agressive distal taper - a blade 75cm (30") long might start at about 4.75mm (3/16ths) thick, 50mm (2") wide at the cross, but by the time it's 10 cm from the tip, they might be just 1.5 mm thick - slightly more than 1/16th of an inch. that sort of dramatic distal taper pulls a lot of mass out of the blade, and that in turn lets you use a more compact pommel and cross, which makes the weapon move much more dynamically. its like the difference between twirling a weightlifting bar with 1kg at each end,like this: |---------| vs trying it with the weight in close to the middle, like this ---|-|---. With exactly the same weight on that bar, just moving the mass into the middle makes it far easier to twirl around and control. Same goes with a sword.
  
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  So, that's the main area I'd look at working on now, tapering the blade down in thickness so there's less mass to it. Other than that, the only thing I can say is, that small spring that came with the larger one is absolutely asking to be used to try a dagger blade. I'd guess the whole thing is about 30cm, 12" long? If so, then its easily big enough to fit a dagger into, working round the holes (you dont want a dagger to be more than about 32mm / 1 1/4" wide, so you can offset it and avoid the holes) , and try out techniques. I'd be inclined to make a small quillon dagger. Cut the bar lengthways for the main blade, but keep the offcut, and then use that to make a steel cross with a curve to it. then saw off a 1/2 inch thick length of the brass you've got, drill it lengthways for a tang and you've got a perfect base shape for a round wheel pommel shape. (also, that lets you practice doing tangs for peined ends, instead to screws, if that's an area you'd like to improve in future.)
  
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  last tip I can give, it looks like you're using a G-clamp and/or mole grips for a lot of your work holding stuff. that's always a nightmare, so I'd thoroughly reccommend one of these little 2-1/2" Drill Press Vises - they're really useful for detail work, in all sorts of crafts applications:
  
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  https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Tool-W3939-Drill-2-Inch/dp/B002RTKFWU/ref=pd_cp_469_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YCYCRJ61NHKYGG8CCJ5J
  
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  you can clamp it onto the worktop surface, and it'll allow you far more control working on things like crosses, working with a file, all those sort of little fine details. Not big or tough enough to use as a real vise for clamping work ultra-securely for heavy work, but they're a great investment for fine jobs where you just want a secure hold sitting on the table or bench.

I'd recommend this book, The Medieval Longsword by Guy Windsor . In the intro, he breaks down the sword by its parts and functions. Then he goes into a bunch of beginner exercises, sword handling drills, and other really great starting off material for Longsword. The HEMA group I practice with uses Guy's syllabus for our classes and it is highly effective! I've also attended two of Guy's seminars, he's very knowledgable and good spirited, he's been studying Fiore for over 25 years now!

I purchased an unsharpened version of this for Iaido training: http://smile.amazon.com/Musashi-Carbon-Steel-Miyamoto-Sword/dp/B002IZC83C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1411607379&sr=8-4&keywords=musashi+sword
Mine has 2 pins in the full tang handle. I recommend also buying a cleaning kit. A wooden saya is more authentic to me but will wear or split over time from repetitive drawing and sheathing. I liked the price, reviews and a handle long enough to balance or use a two-handed grip. Educate yourself via research and reviews. Good Luck!

> There is little choice regarding functional kama out there, that one certainly isn't bad.

If you're happy with ones made as garden tools, there's plenty of choice, including some very nice traditionally-forged ones.

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-TYOUNSAI-Sickle-Wooden-Handle/dp/B071NRND1Z/

https://www.amazon.com/OJIKA-Thick-Blade-Sickle-Edge/dp/B01FGV5ZHK/

https://www.amazon.com/Trusco-TS-0010-Japanese-Sickle-HTS-0010/dp/B0020FUZHG/

https://www.amazon.com/Trusco-TS-0010-Japanese-Sickle-HTS-0010/dp/B0020FUZHG/

Martial arts stores often sell them too: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077RSCSCZ/

All right, look.

The Miyamoto Sword, made from specified AISI 1060 carbon steel, offered by Musashi, available from Amazon for $125 USD with free shipping.

1060's good enough to slice through water bottles and tatami mats and not worry about bending or chipping the edge. If you cut at the right angle.

So if you REALLY NEED A SWORD THIS SECOND OMG OMG OMG IT CAN'T WAIT o_o SO KAWAIIIII... well then, there you go.

Otherwise, there are a bunch of other vendors you can get a quality practice katana from. Ronin Katana, Cheness, Hanwei, others. But those cost more, and they take time to get it shipped to you.

One of the people at my iaido class won a Musashi in a raffle and he's been very happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Master-Skyward-Limited-Replica/dp/B06X95YDWV That is one of the cheaper but better ones. Those are made of 1045 Steel - 1045 is not to bad but also definitly not great - but you could actually swing it since it's also full tang. Furthermore is it a more "reasonable" approach on the form.

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I wouldn't cut or fence with it, but it isn't as bad as most master swords. I can speak from experience btw, I own one of those ;)

mostly a mini hand planer, file and pocket knife. You could get away without the hand planer but it does make it easier. Glue and heavy weights to set it all up. You would be surprised how fast you can put one together. https://www.amazon.com/Great-Neck-Saw-LSO-Maker/dp/B000LNTGTM/ref=sr_1_2?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1536196045&sr=1-2&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A2803928011

https://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-1-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ

This is the easiest way to sharpen a knife/sword if you don't mind having bevel. I have used this to sharpen stainless steel and carbon steel, works great.

They're super common and fairly cheap, you can get them almost anywhere online. Just google "Cold Steel gladius machete" and price shop around. But here are some links to get you started:

http://www.kultofathena.com/product.asp?item=CS97GMS&name=Cold+Steel+Gladius+Machete

https://www.coldsteel.com/gladius-machete-with-sheath.html

https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-97GMSZ-Gladius-Machete/dp/B004MMS0PE/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=cold+steel+gladius&qid=1554837063&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Oakeshott's book would be a great option, and there's a decent amount of good information on myArmoury and while the Oakeshott Institute's website doesn't get a lot of traffic, there's some decent articles there from what I remember.

There's plenty more out there, but some of that would depend on antique vs. repro/location/period etc. for more detailed info. Also depends on what info you're wanting (physical properties? time period used? geographical usage?)

Yeah I totally feel you on that. An option if you don't want to send it out and don't have access to a belt grinder is to buy an "accusharp" http://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-1-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452262053&sr=8-1&keywords=accusharp+tool+sharpener It obviously isn't ideal, but it does a pretty good job and is mostly idiot proof.

The links provided are good, if you can I suggest you order in a book by Oakshott, The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry. This book will give a pretty broad understanding of swords, I've been working my way through it at a somewhat leisurely pace (so as to absorb the info better).


Here's an amazon link for you. http://www.amazon.com/The-Archaeology-Weapons-Prehistory-Chivalry/dp/0486292886

More pics here: https://imgur.com/a/MBBxJK2

The seller is Xinan2018 on Amazon, and you can find their product(s) here:

https://www.amazon.com/xinan2018-Japanese-Damascus-Tempered-Scabbard/dp/B07KG14DN2/ref=sr_1_1?m=A3OGBL8YK75O1H&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&qid=1563593591&s=merchant-items&sr=1-1

The "color" I went with here is Dragon.

Got this cause I had a $100 gift card, it was prime day so it was on sale, and I didn't yet own a katana in my collection, so I figured fuck it why not. Let me know if ya'll think I wasted the card haha.

Not even remotely practical.
Also, considering the size of the pommel, it looks as though it would be horribly unbalanced.

If you're interested in the factors that medieval swordsmiths used in their designs and manufacture, check out Ewartt Oakeshott's typology of swords. It goes into great detail (sometimes really dry though) examining what made each type of sword unique and what the purposes of their designs were within their historical context.

Here is the mobile version of your link