We need the real experts' opinions here .... but these two smiths look like they were part of the Horii group ..... My mother in law's cousin was Horii Taneaki (her brother still has some Horii swords).
V. Hanazawa Tanren Jo (羽沢鍛練場) and the Horii (堀井) Group The Hanazawa Tanrenjo was opened in the late Meiji period and operated until the late Taisho period. The following list includes smiths from the Hanazawa Tanrenjo and their students:
I too have been offered this sword and know the owner fairly well. As I told him it is not restoreable as the pitting in the monouchi is to deep. A dear Japanese friend and "true" Japanese sword polisher agrees that the sword is not repairable. My friend wanted it simply for it's mei. He offered $450.00 for it which I believe to be fair given it's problems. Trust me...your wasting your money if you can't buy it at that level.
Rule of thumb - A sword like this when offered by someone who is not totally clueless regarding swords is very likely to be beyond restoration. A few might take exception with me on this, but a knowledgeable seller would be all too happy to share a polisher's opinion if it was a thumbs up.
Lots of Caveat Emptor in the Japanese sword world, but that is what has all but killed this hobby.
I too have been offered this sword and know the owner fairly well. As I told him it is not restoreable as the pitting in the monouchi is to deep. A dear Japanese friend and "true" Japanese sword polisher agrees that the sword is not repairable. My friend wanted it simply for it's mei. He offered $450.00 for it which I believe to be fair given it's problems. Trust me...your wasting your money if you can't buy it at that level.
Chuck
An excellent post that points out there is much that can not be determined just from photographs when it comes to Japanese swords.
Thank you all for the help, i managed to get the sword and another for a much better price. Thank you all very much for helping me save some funds and learn something new. Thank you thank you. Ill post some better pics later but the tip does not get better the more i study it. Lol
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