Leaderboard

I think it is probably time to offer an explanation of what was behind the original post and I am grateful to Brian for suggesting people select their first pick up. It helped illustrate the point I was hoping to make. The majority of participants selected no.4 as their first preference with no.3 coming in close behind. No.4 has been taken to a number of exhibitions and study days for people to examine. Sitting alongside other pieces it has been largely ignored. It is very conservative, the hada is not immediately visible and the complexity of the hamon needs close study. As a result people tended to leave it on the table and gravitate to the larger and more flamboyant pieces that were also on show. However when restricted to focusing on shape something people saw in no.4 drew them to it. The somewhat laboured point I am trying to make is that we should, as Walter Compton said in his 100 masterpiece volume, look at shape before we look at anything else. I still maintain that regardless of whether it is ubu or suriage a good sword will never have a bad shape. Once we have studied the shape move on to the other features that can tell us a great deal more. For those who want to know what they were looking at: 1. A mumei shin-shinto piece attributed to Aizo Tadamasa by the NTHK 2. O-suriage katana with old NBTHK papers to Daido. I think this falls in to what Darcy so eloquently described as a typical "bucket attribution" . it could be the work of a number of smiths and Daido was a safe choice. 3. Has a shumei and sayagaki attributing it to Aoe Tsunetsugu. The NBTHK Juyo papers from the 13th session attributed to Aoe and dated it to the late Kamakura period. Interestingly they do not describe it as having O-kissaki leaving it at extended chu-kissaki. They also mention the shumei but state that this does not refer to the Ko-Aoe master of that name. 4. This blade has three separate attributions to the same smith Awataguchi Norikuni who was working in 1220 and one of Go-Toba resident smiths. It has Hozon papers and as far as I am aware it has never been submitted for higher papers. It does however have a sayagaki by Tanobe Sensei in which he describes it as "A masterpiece of the Kamakura period". Awataguchi work is not common Norikuni's pieces are rare and highly regarded I think at the last count there were seven of his blades awarded Juyo certification and four of those were tanto. There is one national treasure piece which is suriage but retains the mei. This piece has a great many similarities to that work. This is amongst the finest examples of sword making I have had the opportunity to study in the past 40 years. However it requires time to look and appreciate it. looking at the shape first and in detail gives the observer that little extra time to start to see the detail.

Love the question! I was 11 years old.. Thank god I didn’t do anything stupid with it at that age It belonged to my grandfather. The story of how he got it, is lost. Every time I would visit, I would ask to see it. He was pretty grumpy, and only occasionally agreed to show it to me. Anyway, he had a stroke, and I think he knew he was going to pass; because while visiting a couple weeks before my birthday, he decided to give it to me. He was only 73 and I was turning 11, and my parents shocked looks were priceless Anyway, after many lectures about the responsibility of owning a weapon. I took it home with me. He passed away a week later, RIP. Fast forward ~20 years, I take interest in it, post it here, and send it off to Ted for ID. He tells me its genuine, and early Shinto mino! I didn’t even know it was real for those 20 years. Nothing particularly valuable, but very special to me. Cheers, -Sam

The Awataguchi is the superb blade clearly - not just because of the name but due the very graceful sugata. I also prefer old blades and emphatic curvature and my modest collection has mostly such blades. That was the whole purpose of the post - not to opine on quality or polish etc as that is not particularly visible here but focus on proportions. The proportions plus curvature make it stand out. Thank you Paul for posting this mental exercise.

So, indeed shape is one of the first aspects that grab us, probably followed by proportions etc. But sometimes it might be misleading as to dating the blade. Paul’s Oei Yasumitsu is a case in point as it is shaped like an earlier sword. I attach an image of an early Kamakura kodachi, which typically people could probably not guess dates to 1245-1250 by looking at the sugata. Yet it is ubu or very nearly ubu. While the shape is not one of those curvaceous beauties, the sword’s hataraki and other activities more than make up for what the sugata does not offer.

Great exercise Paul, has really been informative. Would love to see more of this sort of post, as it doesn't even cross over to that touchy subject of online kantei, but more of "gut feel" and what attracts us initially. More like this would be wonderful, and even more discussion in this particular thread. Really fun. Now when it comes to wakizashi...this gets even more tricky.

In about 1970 when I was 15 years old I owned a few non Japanese swords . Each month I would attend the Antique Arms Collectors Guild meeting at the Hawthorn Band rooms . There was a signed Japanese blade in a gunto saya on sale for Eight dollars . That price was way too high . Each month the asking price would come down by a dollar and when it got to five dollars I bought it ( from underneath my good friend Barry Thomas's nose ) . I couldn't read the mei at the time but later was able to read it as Tojiro Hisakuni a famous koto maker . Gimei ,I am sure ,although one Japanese who saw it was pretty keen on it . It is something that I still own . Ian Brooks

I was 24, living in London for my first corporate job. There was a little store near Camden Lock close to where I lived that sold Japanese prints and art. There was an o-suriage wakizashi on the shelf above the cash register. I was shocked to learn it was a real samurai sword and had to have it. The owner joked that I must be very savvy to buy a blade without a signature because it could be a treasure! It's wasn't, but I was thrilled. He sold it to me along with a copy of John Yamato's book. The infection set in almost immediately and it wasn't long before I was at Sotheby's for every Japanese sword auction they had. I was poor back then but I ended up buying my first signed piece with koshirae soon after: a ko-wakizashi by Hida no kami Ujifusa. Now, 40 years later, I still have that blade and many tens of thousands of dollars less because of this hobby. Don't regret a single minute. Thanks for making me walk down memory lane.

was 14 bailing hay, was paid with a sword and a flight leather suit ...but then he charged me for lunch was a Stainless Steel sword naval but thought i had the world ! Fred

All I wanted to Thank Fred W for putting on another great SF show, he always does such a great job! And having the NBTHK-AB to do the Bizen display which the club pays for the room, we bring the blades, it really was an incredible display of Shinshinto display of 600 to 700 year old blades, if you looked at the swords you know what I mean if not you missed a huge one! Was great to see everyone again and what a great crowd on Saturday Also HUGE thanks to Bill R for the ride to the airport not for him we would have missed our flight, thanks for being such a great friend. Fred Geyer

I was aware of Japanese swords my entire life as my father had brought home several from WWll as a young 11th airborne paratrooper. However, my first personally purchased sword was a Sadakatsu Shin Gunto purchased at an antique show. I was in my late 20's.

Just as a final piece I think I'd feel a little guilty talking about shape if I didn't include the example below. It is Ubu, exhibits fumbari and has one of the smallest ko-kissaki I have seen on a tachi. I think it is stunningly beautiful

Antique Japanese art metalwork disc.

I must say this thread has been an enjoyable and educational read. Coming into the thread I would never have thought a tsuba like this one was authentic. The idea that an oddly shaped tsuba like this one could have been authentic and modified in such a significant way never even crossed my mind.

I am not sure how to respond Kirill. I mentioned in the original post that shape was the feature that originally attracted or deterred me. Whether ubu or suriage the shape has to have some aesthetic quality that appeals to me and what appeals to me may not appeal to you (as it obviously doesn't). I di not suggest that these were examples of A+ sugata although thankfully in at least two cases the NBTHK think they are. The piece you suggest might be bought fishing at sword shows has been described as " A masterwork of the Kamakura period" Theblade you decxribe as a traumatized Chogi received Juyo papers and has a sayagaki by Honami Kozon both describing the blade as "despite being suriage having a typical shape of the period" It is of course incredibly difficult to make a judgement based on a single image (B&W or otherwise) and this is made more difficult without any suggestions of size. This wasn't the purpose of the post.

I think I was 26 or 27, it was a wakisashi attributed to Kongobey Moritaka in red urushi meï.... I offer it as a gift to a 10th dan hanshi who was my friend and master. He died 10 years ago. Best regards, Éric VD

東北遺物展覧會 – Relics in the northeast Exhibition 記念帖 – Commemorative book (The exhibition was held for the relics of daimyos in the northeast district.) 温故知新 – Learning new things from the past. 昭和三年秋 – Showa 3rd year, autumn 伯爵伊達興宗 – Count Date Okimune

There is indeed amazing stories here. And thank you Rick B reminding us there was a nearly similar topic So far the average age is 28 years old with 17 collectors

In various presentations and articles I have often quoted many expert voices telling us the importance of shape and how it can tell us a great deal about a blade. I believe this to be true but for some reason have only just realised how much it influences my ideas regarding the desirability of a sword. On reflection I believe that in every case it has been the shape of a blade that has first grabbed my attention. If the shape looks good carry on looking if not walk away. I hasten to add this is not based on any criteria other than aesthetic appeal. I have posted an image below of a number of different blades, all are suriage so attempting to date them based on shape becomes immediately more challenging. They are very different but all caused me to stop and look in more detail.

I always use "Metal Craft" to avoid any misunderstanding and deflect overzealous custom reaction... Regards Luca

I was 24. A single father of 2 boys that was lucky to have 2 pennies to rub together on good days. (their mom left us and dissappeared for years...party girl) I saw a gunto saya on a shelf at an antique mall. I grabbed it and out fell a broken piece of a Showato katana. Signed Noshu Seki Jyu Fujiwara Kanefusa. The seller wanted $75 for both, but would sell me the broken katana for $30. I didn't have enough money for both, so I got the broken katana. To me, at that time, I felt like I hit the lottery! Over a period of 6 months, the same guy sold me a decent Showa period civilian tsuka for $25. It only needed minor filing on the inside to fit. I later found a matching civilian tsuba that matched the fittings on the tsuka for $35. Working as an apprentice machinist, I was able to carefully grind a new kissaki onto the broken blade. End product looked decent. I took the newly re-fitted katana, now a wakizashi, to the Show of Shows in Lousiville, Kentucky in February of 1995 and quicky found a cheap $25 saya for it. Altogether I had $115 into it. A guy offered me $400 for it and I thought I hit the lottery again! Good times!

What Brian said. The Customs People don't have either time or ability to think. If labeled "XYZ" and the system says "XYZ is bad", you're out and there is very little chance human face to face logic will change it these days. In conclusion: control how it is labelled when sent. When tsuba mailing to shinsa in Japan.... don't call them sword guards. Do as Brian said. ...and apparently Belgium is the same way. I love that Sweden is fine with swords and you can say most anything with it sailing through. Even the USA isn't that relaxed. Mention of 'sword' with declared value, and your chances of it disappearing in LAX or Chicago customs gets much higher.

Crickey I just realised I was 27 when I bought my first sword, which I kept for about 14 years. Means I've been collecting for over 42 years now!

Lewis, I use this as an example of "shape doesn't tell you how old a sword is but it can tell you how young". This is trying very hard to be a Heian/ early Kamakura period work but it was actually made about 200 years later in the Oei period. There was no attempt to deceive by the smith he signed it with his own name, Yasumitsu. The shodai was working in the Oei period at a time when the incumbent Shogun was attempting to move away from what he perceived as the excesses of the Nambokucho period and attempted to return to the more subtle forms of the early Kamakura. I do think the shape really does illustrate what first attracted me to Japanese swords there is a severe elegance that I am challenged to describe in a meaningful way but that really grabs my attention.

Paul, thanks for this thread. Most of us took it as intended. Not as an online Kantei but as a simple question…”which shapes appeal to our eyes” and most answers addressed it accordingly. Brians suggestion to pick most vs least appealing added an extra enjoyable perspective. It made me look and think focussing not on who/where/when/what but simply on what my personal taste is. Great fun with no risk of making a twit of oneself! Many thanks. Colin

I started late, age 59. Dad died and I got his Mantetsu and got hooked. Now to your title's question, my first nihonto came when I was looking to add an nice kaigunto to my collection. A dealer was selling a beat-up, bedraggled one, but I went ahead and bought it as it had a Fujiwara mon, a decent leather cover, sharkskin saya cover (though bad shape) and the coup-de-grace - a Muromachi era blade. I later did find a great looking kai, but that old one was my first nihonto.

Excellent,then my learning Tsuba has served its purpose.

Nice pre-WWII mounts with seldom seen black lacquered Army Saya. Some have hypothesized that this has a connection to the Special Naval Landing Force, the Kikusui-To on the Habaki may offer some support to this.

I was 18 or 19, a copper hilted NCO's katana, bought from Rob Taylor when he was in Queens Road, Peckham. Price £65 ! Though I started collecting edged weapons when I was just six, and when I couldn't obtain anything new for my collection, I read everything that I could find on the subject.Though I was already fascinated by Japanese history and culture, I quickly realised that Japanese weapons were the ultimate edged weapons, and they became a sort of obsession, and I'd even get books just because they had a picture of a Japanese sword in it!

I was 58 in 2021. A Hozon Kaneharu Sunnobi Tanto. I am still very new to the hobby and have a lot to learn. Now that I am retired, I have time to learn but very little money to spend on new swords.

When I was about 19, I was working a summer job for my former high school history teacher. He learned that I collected militaria. One day near the end of my shift, he explained that he had a Japanese sword and a German rifle in his garage that had been there for decades. Long before I went to high school, a tornado destroyed the old high school. He said the sword and the rifle had been on display in the school at the time (clearly times have changed) and no one came to claim them after the tornado. So he took them home and they sat in his garage. He decided to give them to me. I did not know anything about the sword, so I took it to a local militaria dealer who explained that it was a traditionally made blade predating the war but in military mounts. It was in rough condition—tired from too many polishes and it probably had been used to hack something by the soldier who brought it to the US. I later traded it for a nice Luftwaffe gravity knife that I still have. I still have the rifle—a matching Mauser K98. It took another 30 years before I acquired another nihonto.

Hello, After about a years lurking here and reading a lot, I finally decided to subscribe, I wanted to thanks the amazing dynamism of this forum and the work of Brian. your way of supporting the field of interest is the gentleman's way. And a subscription is worth buying few books. That said I bought the books as well. I'm a very beginner so i'll inevitably say stupid things in future posts. But the hobby is complex and exciting so I'll try. I'm so sad not having discovered it sooner. My interest began after a family travel in Japan a year ago. the purchase of a iaito that brought me to a koryu then to nihonto. All in a few month. I own three blade : an awful first purchase I paid to much (but I don't regret it), a cheap (maybe) mumei blade that I like pretty much (discussed here), and a middle range NBTHK TH shinto blade I love. I'm waiting for a fourth one, a TH koto blade. Oh and I will often apologize with my english for that I'm very unsecure. Please forgive my typos Regards Benjamin

3rd for most-liked (because it is unlike any of my other swords). 4th for least-liked. Well, it's not that I don't like it, its just it is similar to one of my swords. So the other ones feel more interesting to me.

Have to agree, the shape, and symmetry all play one of the most important roles when I first see a sword. Awkward shape or curvature immediately takes it down a notch for me. This is way more than just the curve or length. The proportions and how it tapers all can add extra interest. Let's say someone saw the 4 swords above lying on a table, let's have a quick poll on which one (1 at the top) would you pick up first, before you looked at all the other factors?

Would like to hear more expert opinions than mine because mine is basically worthless - but I’d go for Koto, ruined, trade it on.

Fwiw, I always use "iron decoration (no battery)" when having tsuba mailed. Damon

I will check my pile of "shipwreck Tsuba" for similar drill holes.

I describe tsuba as sword ornaments and have no trouble with customs here in Australia. I would almost guarantee most customs people would have no idea what a "tsuba" was so I avoid using the word because they might want to find out! "essential parts of weapons" I guess that customs might think you are bringing in weapons in pieces to reassemble? I see people do that with gun parts. I suggest you change the description to something like "iron coaster" or "Chinese belt buckle" They were often misidentified that way in the past.

Welcome, and your English is great. You seem to be making great leaps in terms of collecting. I wish I had been so smart and progressive.

I think as a first blade to purchase, its a good choice. But there are couple of things I don't like about it. For example, "masame" does not change much as it crosses from hamon's area towards the ji and back. While it states in the description as sunagashi and kinsuji, you get this effect when hamon is not tempered into hard nie. So this blade is bright, but with Dotanuki better blades always show a lot of nie activity which is very much subdued here. Its both atypical and not the best.

I always found the beautiful sugata/root of all nihonto aesthetic discussion to be a bit provocative. The moment it starts there is lingering fear, you don't nod on time you come out as a fool who can't see a thing... And you look. And you look. And instead of the hidden beauty what lies in front of you is still something that has been cut off, overpolished and violated to such an extent Bungo Takada himself wrote to NBTHK swearing he did NOT make it. There are blades which have such a graceful sugata which is noticeble all by itself: those by Chogi, unusual items like Kamakura kodachi, where the shape is often both profound and distinctively well done compared to a plain Muromachi waki, etc.. Frankly with these four I am a fool who does not see a single A+ sugata. Critical kissaki theory suggests one needs to focus on #4 since its tip proportions and tapering towards it looks no later than mid Kamakura, carefully finished suriage suggests it was already owned by someone with more than half the brain towards the latter days of Muromachi, hi pressed all the way into ko-shinogi confirms the age and the fact that hi looks deep/consistently wide all across the blade despite otherwise clear polishing distortions in sugata suggests people who polished it at least from 1500 forward had more than a general idea of what they are doing. This is a kind of blade one first buys than studies when fishing at sword shows, hoping one day it makes TJ. I should hedge all the above and below statements since its a crazy guess without knowing the actual dimensions (maybe these are all waki), but that's how it feels to me. Often one has to make buying decision based on such feelings. #3. All sexy kids with o-kissaki are supposed to have less taper, more uniform curvature and kissaki curvature should be more natural. I almost want to vote for Kambun shinto, but B&W pictures always make me suspect its Chogi which has been a bit traumatized by a polisher. Why would someone photograph o suriage Kambun in B&W? Plus its a bit more graceful than Kambun shape, less "sticky". If I were to encounter this blade with zero polish I would check the kasane. If its thin and the blade swings well, maybe it has potential. #2 is most likely a Japanese sword. Can't tell anything more. #1. Full fukura is considered an auspicious sign by some who believe such blades were tempered in the blood of virgins and exemplify ko-ikubi forms in their healthy state (???). On practice its usually cursed by witches, and after polishing comes out laughing as mid Muromachi Bizen blade. If this was out of polish I would not prioritize the restoration based on this picture alone.

Bienvenue Benjamin, looking forward to seeing good photos of your swords, if you like! And your English is wonderful, impeccable! Kind regards, Jean

I would take the Shintogo Kunimitsu tanto home though. What an absolute beauty. Full writeup here. http://www.nihonto-m...togo-kunimitsu-tanto

Hello Tumi This is a topic of huge interest to me. I visited the Japanese Sword Museum in Ryōgoku earlier in the year. It was my first time to the new museum building since they moved from Yoyogi several years ago. The facility is beautiful, and, I think, for tourists it is in a much more interesting location than Yoyogi. But I found the display itself to be underwhelming, and I think of very little interest to anyone outside of sword aficionados. I think this is somewhat natural for any museum that specializes in one particular field. Anyone not interested in swords probably won't be going out of their way to visit a sword museum. But I think it is a lost opportunity to bring more people into the hobby. I've studied swords for a while, and I know a bit about swords, and I walked away from the sword museum feeling they could have done much more to educate, and to make the subject more inviting to the non-enthusiasts (for example, the partners or children of people who visit the museum, or maybe the people who are in Ryogoku and who have a vague interest in Japanese history, but aren't necessarily sword fans). My first thought was: for a three-story museum, the actual sword display area (one room on the top floor) feels small. I somehow expected the new facility would have three levels of sword displays. Or that they might have a floor dedicated for sword-related items. The small room on the first floor near the entrance gives a brief overview of the sword-making process, but that seems somehow dated and not really of great interest. (It's like a room with a couple of artifacts, with a video loop of the sword-making process. Very 20th century if you ask me). Up on the third floor, it was nice to have the QR code for English explanations, but it really was the bare minimum of effort. The translations of the explanations seem inconsistent (maybe translated by several different translators, or different translation software), and, again, only meaningful for very hard-core sword enthusiasts. The translations I saw contained spelling errors, and were in need of editing. The explanations sometimes seemed quite different to what was being displayed - for instance there was more than one occasion where the explanation described a sword as having utsuri, but the actual sword had absolutely no visible utsuri. Was it a problem of lighting? Was it a lazy description made without examining the sword? Was the description card switched with a different sword? Or was it a problem of my vision? It is (presumably) the world's premier Japanese sword museum, so you would imagine the lighting and descriptions would be perfect. In the end I walked away feeling doubt about my own ability to view swords. I wondered how bewildered a novice must feel. The swords themselves were broadly arranged according to time of manufacture, with the oldest swords at the entrance, and then getting progressively newer as you go around the room. But it was a somewhat vague timeline, and it required to visitor to intuitively understand why sword shapes changed. There was no effort made to educate newcomers about how the times influenced sword shape or sword production. I agree with Lewis that some information about the gokaden and how the gokaden influences our understanding of swords would also be of enormous benefit. The center of the display room has long cases for the display of tosogu, but here too the explanations are very perfunctory. Some paperwork was on display (like Hon'ami certificates), but these weren't even rendered into modern Japanese. It was just an old document full of old, indecipherable cursive writing, which had zero educational value, and only minimal value as an artifact. I say this as someone who likes deciphering old Japanese cursive writing. I hope to not discourage anyone from visiting, because it is worth going to as a sword enthusiast. Better descriptions would be a huge help, and probably the most cost-effective way to improve the overall exhibitions. Some more explanatory information about how/why swords changed over time would be interesting and educational. More "eye candy" in terms of koshirae, tosogu, or armor/helmets would be fantastic. I'm not suggesting the sword museum expand its remit to include a room dedicated to armor, I'm just suggesting that a few items other than swords would help draw in more newcomers, AND could help educate why swords changed over time. A broad overview of the authentication system would be interesting, or even a timeline of the changes in the authentication system would be great. I was at the Bizen Osafune museum two years ago, and I really enjoyed it, especially the working space next to the museum where the craftsmen are making swords and koshirae. I can't quite recall how the descriptions were displayed. I wasn't looking as critically as I was this year when I went to the Japanese Sword Museum. If you want more information, or if you want to talk in more detail, feel free to send me a PM.

Jean, what I wanted to say was that original koshirae, whether worn by a merchant or a samurai, are important cultural relics, windows into the past. If they are original! A (family) sword has gone through many generations with different demands or tastes, and besides, koshirae are wear items. Even if an owner in the Edo period never used it as a weapon in his life - but, as you say, had to carry it every day - all the organic components of the koshirae have to be replaced at some point. Therefore, the vast majority of surviving original koshirae are not that old and date from the late Edo period. The percentage of older koshirae becomes smaller and smaller the further back in time we go. But this is not unknown to you. And so you can deduce the cultural characteristics of a certain time from koshirae. As in the Momoyama period, we find both: extremely extroverted koshirae in bright colors and surrounding gold bands on the saya, or the simple, dark, yet elegant uchigana koshirae in the sense of wabi/sabi. The custom of wearing a daisho developed during this period and was to become the norm. In any case, the koshirae becomes a calling card for the wearer in terms of his taste, origin, education and, of course, his income. More was certainly possible here in the Momoyama and very early Edo period than the rules allowed in the course of the Edo, in order to give a little more leeway again in the late Edo. In some domains it was naturally viewed somewhat more strictly, in other domains less strictly, and the urban bourgeois culture in Edo or Osaka was a topic in itself. As for the merchants, they created their own space. It is not in the Japanese way, especially for those who consider themselves cultured, to project wealth outwards. In the Momoyama period in particular, the richest merchants - who had become rich through the wars of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieayasu and the trade in guns, steel and leather - were also their most important tea masters and representatives of wabi/sabi. Until the tea ceremony was brought back to the samurai level in early Edo by Furuta Oribe or Kobori Enshu and there was a class separation here again. As a result, the rich merchants did not follow the Omote principle but the Ura principle. Their wealth was not for everyone to see, they decided who was allowed to see it. There are still preserved or reconstructed houses of important merchants with secret and separate entrances for important customers, including high-ranking samurai or lords, with delicate and tasteful gardens and rooms with fine works of art. And when you were in public, you could still show off expensive quality without everyone recognizing it. The lacquer of a sedan chair can be plain on the outside, but of the highest quality, and richly decorated on the inside, visible only to the passenger. Kimonos are the same, plain on the outside, but have the finest silk on the inside. The koshirae doesn't look like much from a distance, but the connoisseur recognizes the quality up close. And the blade, which you can't see anyway, will have been of excellent quality. That's actually typical Japanese understatement. At least in this respect, and even if only internally, traders could put themselves on a par with the nobility or the samurai, who they had economic control over anyway. The latter enabled some to bear family names and swords. For my daughter's host parents, it was the other way round. The ancestors gave up their samurai status in the late Edo period. They moved from Higo to Satsuma to make a better living as traders and farmers. When the Satsuma uprisings broke out, the great-grandfather of my daughter's boss, joined Saigo Takamori. Because of his origins and status as a trader, he was nicknamed "the squirrel of Higo". Unfortunately, the family no longer has any of their ancestors' swords.

No. 3 for me plus the TANTO. But all are beautiful!

That is very interesting research you are doing. Here are the 5 dated Norishige pieces that I have in my references so far. 1314: NBTHK - Jūyō 31, Tokubetsu Jūyō 9 1319: NBTHK - Jūyō 33, Tokubetsu Jūyō 24 1320: NBTHK - Jūyō 31 1325: Naginata of Ōyamazumi-jinja 1326-28: NBTHK - Jūyō 68 (This was featured in the huge Masamune and his disciples exhibition this spring)

No, as I mentioned above to Dan I don't intend to use an antique for training. The desire to own an antique of similar length to what I use in training is more philosophical in nature (a feel akin to having "my" sword and a connection to it, appreciating that I'm just a caretaker for a single generation of the swords much longer lifespan) rather than a practical limitation.

I finally purchased a sword. I decided on a Kunihira Kawachi blade with Koshirae. I thought hard about an antique but ultimately decided, since this might be a one-sword collection, I’d rather put my money towards supporting practicing artisans who are keeping the swordmaking tradition alive.

So far I have found 6 tachi by Norishige and only 1 of them has hi. This is Jūyō Bunkazai that is owned by Agency for Cultural Affairs. Then for comparison so far I have documented 74 suriage katana that are attributed to Norishige and 43 of them have hi. Unfortunately I cannot dig deep into the reasons why it is like this as it is beyond my expertise. However data on items would suggest that hi on Norishige tachi is quite rare thing, while it is actually quite common on suriage katana attributed towards Norishige.

Hey Ghoul (George), I finally found pictures of those tsuba that are attached to my daisho (man, I didn't even know I had those on my computer!) Anyway, just some interesting stuff I thought I would add here since I couldn't edit my previous post and add the pictures.