Leaderboard

Dan, the sawastika is called manji 卍, the pattern on the second one is called sayagata 紗綾形. There are many Tsuba with this auspicious pasttern. Here's one of mine with some kind of manji: Best, Florian

One also purchased on Grey's website with the manji 卍.

From Markus Sesko's book "Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords" pages 315 - 316 nanako (魚子) – Nanako means literally “roe.” In earlier times, many different characters were used for nanako, like (魶子), (七子), (粟子), or (鉾子) but these passed out of use. Nanako was frequently applied by specialized craftsmen, the so-called nanako-uchi (魚子打ち) or nanako-maki (魚子蒔き). According to the Japanese nomenclature, nanako is “beaten” (utsu, 打つ) or “sown” (maku, 蒔 く ). For this, specially made nanako chisels (nanako-tagane, 魚子鏨) were used. According to the arrangement of the “grain,” we know different terms for nanako surfaces, like Tatsuta-nanako (竜田魚子, horizontal nanako which resembles the Tatsuta-gawa [竜田川] in Nara), gunome-nanako (互の目魚子, wavy nanako), daimyō-shima-nanako (大名縞魚子, nanako where between each row of grain a polished row is applied), or shaka-nanako (釈迦魚子, very coarse nanako). Nanako was mostly applied to fittings made of shakudō and sometimes also to shibuichi and suaka surfaces, and we know examples by Tanaka Kiyotoshi (田中清寿) who applied nanako also to iron. As you can see there are single or multiple punches that were used.

This one was sold to me by the excellent Grey Doffin under the tittle Yamabushi manji tsuba. I like its simplicity.

Hello everyone, Sunobi Tanto signed Echizen Kuni Shimosaka Sadatsugu Sadatsugu Shimosaka Early Edo – Echizen Province – 1624 Shimosaka School NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate Fujishiro rank : Josaku Flawless and beautiful ubu blade, one mekugi ana. Koshirae richly decorated with solid gold menuki. Nagasa: 30.5 cm Sori: 0.2 cm Moto-haba: 2.8 cm Moto-kasane: 0.5 cm Don't hesitate to visit my website for more information and pictures. If sold through the NMB, I will make a donation. My price : 7800 € (+ shipping)

I thought this was an plausible explanation by Ford at ~13 minutes that makes a multiple punch tool unlikely and I ruled them out. I also wonder how useful it would really be.

There have been excellent posts made above. I think I will just expand this with various examples, as I will have plenty of those to add substance to some of the various points made in posts made to this thread. I made the Hizen Tadahiro comparison just to show some variety. Given they would all be priced equally I would personally choose the one with horimono & koshirae. However these swords are all of size and shape that I would not buy. To me personally I do not find this shape & size interesting and I would look for something else. Like Jacques I don't like to talk about the price of items that much. Of course I am in fortunate/unfortunate spot I cannot buy anything for several years, so for me it would all be speculative stuff anyways. And I do think sometimes we might get too attached to attribution the sword has been papered to or the level of papers by organization etc. Historical provenance is highly sought after, yet blades with proven historical provenance are pretty difficult to obtain to the collection. I am currently doing lots of research on provenance of famous old swords and there are still lots and lots of blades that have varying from of provenance. Sometimes I am not absolutely certain how the Japanese experts can connect the dots on some swords & provenance but I bow to their authority. I have only quite recently started being fascinated with this and there is so much to research and learn, I am bit shamed to admit I have previously overlooked this subject. Blades with proven provenance will be available for buying but they are often high quality items which of course puts them in expensive price bracket. I completely agree what @dyn @Mushin wrote about zaimei & mumei earlier in the thread. However there can be curveballs where other factors override the signature. For the smith Rai Kunitoshi, here is a signed tantō: http://web.archive.o....net/SHOP/O-225.html that was listed for 2,7M asking price, and here is a mumei tantō attributed to him: https://eirakudo.sho.../tanto/detail/750496 that was 3,5M asking price. Both items being Tokubetsu Hozon, and in my opinion they are now at their current end level with NBTHK classification. I couldn't see either of them going any higher. Small disagreements with attributions are perfecly understandable, as kantei for mumei blades is extremely difficult. Something like Mihara Masaie vs. Aoe I could very well understand. Here is another example that I found interesting as it was long very old tachi https://yushindou.com/生ぶ無銘太刀（伝古青江）（古波平）白鞘/. NBTHK attribution was Ko-Naminohira and NTHK attribution Ko-Aoe. Now while they might seem very different to me there is not too big difference between them. If I would had somehow acquired that item, would had been fun to send to Tanobe for 3rd opinion and see what he thinks of it. Unfortunately I am not yet that aware of NTHK attributions and I only have 1 of their 4 Yushu books. I plan to get all of them some day. However there are items with both NBTHK and NTHK attributions. Some of the famous so far might be Norishige tantō, Motoshige tachi, Yasumitsu tachi that are both Tokubetsu Jūyō and NTHK Yushu. Also I think there will be very high level experts in Japan even if the old guard passes. Of course often in Japanese way the students feel they can never surpass their teachers. However I would give props to modern generation of NBTHK staff too, reading the Jūyō setsumei, Tōken bijutsu magazine etc. I feel comfortable with their expertise as it far surpasses mine. Also what I have heard there are multiple unaffiliated experts in Japan too, and they teach too, so I feel confident the next generation of sword researchers keep it going. I have never met any of the top Japanese experts, just read their knowledge from books and I think same will happen in the future too. While the old experts had/have their mountain of knowledge, they were generous in sharing it and we have ever expanding amount of data in various easy to access forms currently. While it is possible some information will be gone, there are new things being discovered and researched.

The Hachisuka of Awa and Tokushima used this as their Mon, and a close family branch family used the reversed Manji. For a while the first and second lords became Christian and used a bladed cross as their Mon during the Momoyama and early Edo battle periods, but later under the repressions they hid the cross, reverting to the traditional Manji.

A description (Setsumei) of a particular blade is only given once you have achieved Juyo status. A sayagaki primarily serves only as information about the content (what it is, who made it, the length). Tanobe Sensei's sayagaki are usually accompanied by an explanation and his opinion of the blade he has studied - which is basically similar to a juyo setsumei. Therefore, it is not the simple presence of a tanobe sayagaki that is important, but its content! And it is precisely this point that makes his sayagaki so coveted. One should not forget that Tanobe Sensei writes a sayagaki because its owner wants it. Therefore, you should also carefully consider why you are presenting a particular sword to him in order to request his assessment.

Here some further examples:

Putting aside the side issue of Tanobe and "expert panels," (which, BTW, Tanobe oversaw for many, many years while at the NBTHK where he once was the head researcher, ie an "expert,") there is another factor that helps determine blade value: the condition of the nakago, or the tang. Nakago are often overlooked, especially by newbies, but I've seen the value of swords with great workmanship plummet when the nakago was badly deteriorated by water or fire damage, or if it were horribly disfigured by a clumsy shortening process. Likewise, a blade in which the nakago as been "lengthened" by moving the machi up the blade (machi-okuri,) will also impact value. In short, anything that alters the "original vision" of the smith -- reshaping kissaski (sword tip) , changing funbari (blade taper) or shortening the blade -- all can impact the price. That is why among Juyo blades and better, naginata nioshi (naginata that have been reshaped or "corrected" to be a sword) are always more affordable than unaltered Juyo blades by the same smith. Why? Because the changes altered the smith's original vision of the blade. Additionally, what's on the nakago can increase or decrease a blade's value. For example, a blade with the name of the original owner on the nakago can increase a sword's value, even moreso if it was an historical figure. I recall a blade listed on AOI Art a few years back that was a signed Hasebe with an inscription in gold inlay that it once belonged to Tokugawa Ieyasu's father. The blade wasn't on the AOI auction site for but a few hours before it was pulled, presumably by somebody willing to pay way more than the opening bid price because of this incredible information on the tang. In the case of Sue-Bizen smiths, full signatures, called Zokumyo Mei, that include a smith's full name and title, are deemed more desirable than generic smith inscriptions. Thus a blade signed Bizen no Kuni ju Osafune Jirozaemon no Jo Katsumitsu is going to cost you considerably more than a blade signed simply Bishu Osafune Katsumitsu, even if it is papered to Jirozaemon Katsumitsu. Blades with signatures and dates, or nengo, also tend to command higher prices than a blade with just a signature. In fact, the Japanese consider blades with inscriptions such as dates on the ura side of the blade to be "precious." Rarely, the nakago mune can also be inscribed with information, adding to it's allure and price tag. So, just to recap, if you have two katana of equal nagasa and quality by a famed smith such as Echigo Norishige, the one with the original unaltered tango will command a bigger asking price than the one that is suriage, as long as all other things are more or less equal. Likewise, if both are ubu and signed, but one is signed AND dated, that will command more money. The same is true if the signature on one is better than the other because of a water damage nakago. Often it's hard for new collectors to understand why the part of the blade hidden under a handle is so important, but it is. The more you get into the hobby, the more things you learn about why one sword might command a higher asking price than another that is similar. There are many things to think about before you plonk down you hard earned cash on a sword. That said, the reality is not all of us have the resources of Elon Musk, and often we mere mortals have to settle for a blade that is less than perfect because of what we can afford. But at least we can understandn the things that make the difference in the ask, and can even help us understand why one sword was awarded Juyo or Tokubetsu Juyo status and another did not. These things can also help us in negotiating better prices.

Does anybody else have a tsuba with this Buddhist motif? Care to share pictures? “In Buddhism, the swastika is considered to symbolize the auspicious footprints of the Buddha. The left-facing swastika is often imprinted on the chest, feet or palms of Buddha images. It is an aniconic symbol for the Buddha in many parts of Asia and homologous with the dharma wheel.” So, I just received a tsuba which shows that symbol. I think it is a nice piece! I also have my daisho tsuba which shows the same symbol (although those symbols are very small). Two pictures are shown below-

From old computer files, not referenced.

Hi David, Apologies for the delay. Tanegashima threads do not come up in my 'new posts' for some reason, and the email notification is usually a couple of days late. At first I thought your new gun was not Japanese, but now I can see that it is. The only part of the Mei that you have photographed is the barrel construction, i.e. 二重巻張, Ni-ju makibari, or double helix bound barrel. There should be more writing on the lowermost facet of the barrel base. Can you get shots of the bisen breech screw, or even the head of it? As to pins missing, no problem; the simplest thing is to make some with bamboo or wood. You can try toothpicks and skewers for size, and file them to fit perfectly, inserting from the right side of the stock. Once you get the hang of making and playing with these, you can try to source smoked bamboo, even better for the job. Having said that, your gun has been through various changes and modifications, so it is possible that the mekigi holes and under-barrel loops do not match up, and that may be why it has been fitted with brass retaining rings.(?) PS Some people like to see fancy inlay on Japanese barrels, but personally speaking they do not interest me as they are usually (but not always) added later as extra decoration for sale purposes. Looking forward to closer shots from various angles!

Possibly HIROKAZU.

I've seen 3 and 5 punch with my own eyes. Watching Ford in the video you can see the displaced metal forming a ripple all the way around the nanako. When a multiple punch is used the ripple forms an uninterrupted continuous wave down the line of nanako. That may be a clumsy description on my part for now. I'll try to see if I can come with a better way to describe it.

What's that saying about a thousand monkeys with a thousand chisels....? https://markussesko.com/2019/12/31/kajihei-鍛冶平/

I’m the one who started this but after looking at the pictures it seems to be the result of the of the walls of the punch surrounding the actual dome. So I think they are punched round but the surrounding punches pressed on there sides. I encircled some of the more prominent ones I see. Here I made an enlarged picture of Nanako I made to see where the chisel can be improved. my flaw was striking to hard creating this honeycomb like walls while striking lighter was enough to create the domes without the walls. The picture was take with 60x or 120x magnification I’m not sure anymore. I’m just trying to learn and it could be because of the lighting of the pictures that yours appear so squarish but then there are this punch marks at the sepapdai.

I guess you are not referring to swords for sale on this forum?…..because a price is always required here. So, the reasons for “price on request” are various, as follows… 1. It’s vastly overpriced but the dealer doesn’t want everyone to know he is overpricing things 2. The dealer wants to get you to contact him so he can give you a load of b.s**t 3. The dealer wants to figure out who you are, what you can afford qnd why you are interested so that he can then give you the highest price that he thinks matches your budget 4. The dealer thinks he is more important than he really is 5. The dealer does not to reveal the price in case the person he bought it off finds out 6. Or finally he really is a top end dealer who has wonderful things but simply does not wish to reveal the price to everyone and simply wants to talk only to knowledgeable customers who can probably afford it. There are probably a few more that I’ve forgotten 🙂

Thanks for this illustration, Jacques. I cannot see the text well - where does the Rai Kinmichi sayagaki say that it is with excellent workmanship? But even if we disagree on evaluations of excellent / very good / good/ adequate / poor as these are qualitative evaluations, we are somewhat deviating from the view expressed earlier of attribution objectivity. Sometimes, I also do not understand how certain swords are evaluated as excellent, when I see jigane that stands out and rough hada. But the NBTHK and Tanobe sensei say excellent workmanship etc. I take it as a lesson that perhaps that smith could have hadatachi or whatever, or the “brightness of the jiba” is more important than tightness of jihada, or the “clarity of the hamon and consistency of nioiguchi” are more significant than what I perceive to be an exciting hamon (ie niesuji and hataraki within) etc etc etc and that I need to learn more. This has happened also at various times when I have visited the TokuJu shinsa and seen some of the swords elevated to that level and scratch my head. However, this has nothing to do with Tanobe sensei. Also you raised the issue of sayagaki being paid and I am raising a parallel example - Juyo shinsa also being paid. The NBTHK has also made a way of “making ends meet” by charging fees for their shinsa. In fact, some sceptics are being increasingly concerned by the very varied and bewildering behaviour of the last few shinsa, with rejections of swords which are far superior to those actually being passed at Juyo or Tokubetsu Juyo level. But that’s a discussion for another time and I am not sure I wish to go into that on this public forum and disseminate speculations or inside knowledge. In principle, I agree that we should not idolise individuals and seek several opinions and do our own homework. Also, it is normal for retired people to also undertake “consultancy” services the world over. So, taking as many educated opinions as possible is always the best approach.

Could this 忠義 (Tadayoshi) be 進藤忠義 (Shindo Tadayoshi)? In the 1942 大東亜戦末期の刀匠と序列(Swordsmiths and Their Rankings at the End of the Greater East Asia War)http://ohmura-study.net/025.html the names 進藤忠義（Shindo Tadayoshi）and 親房(Chikafusa) appeared among the swordsmiths, and they received the 会長賞(Chairman's award) for 研磨の部(Polishing department), indicating that they were likely working together.I also found 進藤忠義（Shindo Tadayoshi）'s name on the PTA list of 湖陵高校（ Koryo High School）in 1951, with his occupation listed as 金物商（metal/hardware business man）. No further information was found.

Hello all, lurked though many of the posts here. I recently acquired a matchlock that was converted to a percussion lock rifle. There were no pins holding in the barrel, and to my displeasure the bottom of the barrel was covered in a bad rust. I removed the rust residue from the wood, washed the barrel off with soap and water, and lightly oiled it. I plan on hopefully getting it more operational, without destroying the history.

Could someone please translate this signature for me. It is on an old iron 3 crane tsuba. Thanks

Dan, I found a similar tsuba in my collection. No idea of a school but Akasaka might be an option.

I possibly see Enkyo, which would make it not a Meikan recorded smith. It can be a shinto rather than Muromachi nakago. In my impression shinto's Uda were a generic shinto style smiths: https://www.aoijapan...katana-uda-kunimune/ but possibly the meaning behind the papers is that some continued to imitate the Muromachi style. In which case its actually an interesting attribution.

Additional thought. This is a very plain, basic long-barrel smoothbore gun, so without a Mei, there is little else to indicate gunnery school or place of manufacture. Helpful remaining pointers might be the fact of four mekugi holes, (one, two or three are more common in my experience), the broad brass lock band, the shapes of the lockplate and sights, the water droplet trigger, and any metalwork inlay on the stock, etc.

6 legs anyway

I think that one of the ways to tell would be to see if the nanako line up or if they are alternating (if you see what I mean): OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO or OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO The large punch would have them all in lines, whereas a single punch (in Ford’s video) would have them alternating. You can see that in Andi’s example they are alternating on the kogai, so maybe it would be related to the quality of the work. I can imagine that Goto would insist on the very highest quality craftsmanship…

Agreeing with Jean above, 廣一 Hirokazu, Ko-ichi, etc., plus 作. PS Three-crane, or two-crane?

Thank you so much Arnaud! King of East ! If someone has some information on a tale related to this King, please tell me who he is! Anyway, might be : Jikokuten (持國天), or Dhṛtarāṣṭra in Sanskrit, is a guardian deity with fierce expression that protects the east of Buddha's realm. He is associated with the color white. In China, he is regarded as being harmonious and compassionate, using his pipa to play music in order to convert others to Buddhism. In Japan, his statues mostly carry a sword. He is also the leader of the Gandharvas, the celestial musicians and messengers. His name means "he who upholds the realm/nation."

When evaluating nanako it needs to be determined whether the nanako was made using a single punch tool or whether they were made using a multiple punch tool. That can be determined by looking at the displaced metal surrounding the nanako. There are a number of factors involved in the making of nanako including the precision of the tool and the precision of the strike.

Genivaldo, to help you with the identification of your sword, your photos should be: - well focused, not foggy or blurry - made with a dark, non reflective background for good contrast - made with light from the side (may not apply for HAMON photos) - made from directly above (not at an angle) - made with correct orientation (verically tip-upwards, especially NAKAGO photos) - without HABAKI but showing the MACHI and NAKAGO JIRI - made in high resolution to see details - showing details of the sword like BOSHI, HAMACHI, HAMON, HADA, NAKAGO JIRI etc. - presented as cut-outs so very little background is shown If you cannot supply good photos (these photos are all I have from the dealer..../ I do not have a good camera but only an old mobile phone.... ), DO NOT POST THEM. They will not be helpful.

Maybe I am misunderstanding your intent, but you seem to suggest this is a reason to question Tanobe sensei’s credibility. But these things are not mutually exclusive and more context is needed. A blade having kizu or ware does not automatically disqualify it from achieving Juyo or receiving Tanobe sensei’s praise if it meets other criteria. Yes, Tanobe sensei is human and one person. That said, I am more likely to place his opinion over a shinsa panel due to his depth of knowledge and expertise. Others think the opposite, which is fine, too. As discussed on NMB earlier this year, I have a TH mumei sword that NBTHK attributed to Den Aoe. When submitted to Tanobe sensei for sayagaki, he declined to write it as Den Aoe and explained his reasoning. Instead, with my consent, he wrote a glowing sayagaki as Ko-Mihara Masaie. If you look at this sword, I think you’d agree that the NBTHK shinsa panel got it wrong. After all, they are also human. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/47932-seeking-advice-on-tanobe-nbthk-different-appraisals/

The only shape nanako I’ve ever seen are round…..owned many examples, looked at hundreds in sales, ….tsuba, fuchi kashira, kogai, kozuka etc etc As Ray says, wear on the patina and even more so actual wear to the surface metal can create different illusions. Can anyone show us anything other than round? (Talking true punched nanako, not indented punching)

Hi Justyn , IMHO , i think it is just some rubbing on the Nanako over a period of time , which in some places makes them look a little flat / square . but i could be wrong of course .

When the sunlight is better today, I will take much better images of everything, let me know what other areas I should photograph, thanks!

Well, to my eyes it looks a 20thC cast tsuba with maybe some hand finishing. Made to look flashy but lacking in quality. I really cannot see it being Edo hand carved. I’d vote Showa. Just an opinion, might be wrong.

On a number of occasions I listened to RSG members, our friend the late Arnold Frenzel in particular, talk about the fact that during the Edo period swords were not only tested to determine their cutting ability, but also tested to gauge their integrity. Oddly enough, one RSG member who had a wonderful papered signed Shinshinto period sword with a gold cutting test, learned that the sword had a hagire, but only after it was put to stone where it surfaced during the foundation stage of the polish. So, while cutting test swords generally demand a premium, there is another side to be aware of. It's never easy!

As I've already said, the wazamono ranking is irrelevant. For a start, a single sword was and all the smiths haven't be tested, especially the best from the Kamakura or Nanbokucho periods. This classification is not part of my criteria, just like the saidan mei, which adds nothing to the intrinsic value of the blade. The same goes for sayagaki, which are not free of charge, therefore are not really objective.

When buying or selling a sword don't forget to factor in the condition of and the quality of the polish into the price. The cost for a new polish alone will quickly add to the price of the sword. An excellent polish in itself may increase the value of the sword and make it worth paying a premium price. On the other hand a mediocre polish may have the opposite effect. Speaking of which, a new polish doesn't necessarily translate into being an excellent polish. So much to know, so much to learn.

There are other kinds of inlaid gold inscriptions (generally, kinzogan-mei), but yes, this is a saidan-mei which records that the blade cut through a body at the chest on a particular day on Kanbun 6 (1666). A blade, just like anything else, is worth what someone else will pay for it. I don't think there is any real "formula" by which one can compute what a given sword is worth in an objective sense. NBTHK papers swords in four levels and a blade has to go through them in order. They have some defined criteria: here they are. The first two, Hozon ("worthy of preservation") and Tokubetsu Hozon ("especially worthy of preservation") are more "mechanical," in that if a blade meets the criteria, it will pass. Juyo ("important") and Tokubetsu Juyo ("especially important") are more like competitions; a blade is competing not only with the other works of that smith, but with the other blades submitted to that session. It is not unusual to have an excellent blade fail because a slightly better one was submitted, etc. The selection process can be a bit inscrutable and lead to some head-scratching... so nobody can give you a list of the things that will certainly guarantee Juyo or Tokubetsu Juyo in any meaningful or realistic way. The Hon'ami were an old Japanese family that had a historical connection with sword polishing and appraisal. They held this role for the Tokugawa shōguns. Markus Sesko wrote a fantastic history of the Hon'ami that goes into a great amount of detail. Sometimes the Hon'ami just appraised blades (writing the results on wooden tags or origami), sometimes they also gave them values (daizuke), sometimes they left kinzogan-mei on the nakago of blades. The greatest Hon'ami appraiser is Kōtoku, of whom we have very few blades left and only a tiny handful that can be privately sold — the rest are important cultural property and cannot leave Japan. The next two most important are Kōchu and Kōjo, and we do find blades with their records still intact occasionally. As I mentioned earlier they are often forged so you need to validate them carefully.... Later on the Hon'ami judgements became a bit more suspect in a sort of grade inflation. Wazamono was an Edo period ranking of swords and then swordsmiths for sharpness. The saijo-saku ("grandmaster"), jojo-saku ("very high skill"), jo-saku ("high skill"), etc. ratings are for swordsmiths and come from Fujishiro. The most important thing about Fujishiro is that his ratings are also by period. That is, you cannot say a saijo-saku smith from the Kamakura era is comparable to a saijo-saku smith from the Muromachi period, like Magoroku Kanemoto. Kanemoto was a great smith and a standout for his time, but he is not playing the same ball game as Hisakuni, Tomonari, Masamune, etc. Hope that helps.

Is that golden inscription indicative of an impressive tameshigiri cut? I imagine that plays a big part in the price of that 3M Yen one. Also why does the polish on each of them look different? Does this happen at different stages in polishing, or will it look different depending on who it gets polished by? Also thank you all for the replies. They have been really insightful. From what I can tell, the smith/lineage that made the sword (or the one that it is attributed to) seems to have the most say in the price, but it also largely comes down to the seller. This may be a question for another thread, but I'll just ask here: what does the NBTHK even look for/how is the type of shina paper determined? I have a bit of homework to do on this "Honami" thing that keeps getting mentioned. Can anyone explain what that is? From what I can tell from the comments, it was an old type of grading system for nihonto, but that's about all I can gather so far. Is it related to the wazamono grading system? And the saku ranks refer to the swordsmith not the swords, right? Thank you, Connor

I'm a little surprised there hasn't been more emphasis placed on simple demand or provenance. There are a multitude of factors that can determine whether or not a particular sword appeals to someone. But unless you have multiple people interested, it won't carry much value. A simple steel dagger may not fetch much, however King Tut's meteorite dagger might realize millions due to simple demand and provenance. Likewise, two equally rated Masamune may fetch premiums, however if one had been owned by an emperor, I suspect it would be worth more to someone. John C.

Ubu, imho is always a valuable point. original shape is important. but honestly i should be talking at this table as im just a peasant compared to the educated peaple talking

Very true. Took 8 months before I found my first blade. My second blade which I found a couple of weeks ago in Japan, is Yamato Senjuin per recent NBTHK papers, (although it has had a long time attribution as a Soshuden masterwork and was part of the Sozan Tsukamoto museum collection as such). Tanobe is writing the Sayagaki so I'm curious what attribution he gives, as its not classic Chu Senjuin. Possibly Ko Senjuin given the hada, hataraki and sugata. The blade, registered in 1966, has an interesting history which appealed to my collecting sensibilities. I tell myself my 3rd blade will be purchased in Japan next year when I attend the DTI. Patience is a worthy trait when it comes to collecting Nihonto.

When it comes to nihonto collecting patience is a must. Sometimes years may pass before the right piece (right market) at the right price presents itself. As we collect it is also important to realize when it is time to let go.

The price of a sword may depend on the knowledge of the buyer or knowledge of the seller. Buyers who are unsure of themselves may end up passing on a great deal. At the same time that unsure buyer may end up overpaying. Or even worse, a buyer with a lack of knowledge and or experience may end up buying a sword that they should have never bought to begin with regardless of price. On the flip side, sellers, including dealers, may know what they have and offer a piece at a fair price. They may also seek too high a price hoping the right customer comes along. There is also the case that the seller/dealer doesn't know or at least didn't realize exactly what they have/had. When it comes to nihonto there is too much to know. For many collectors where pricing is concerned, in the end are happy to land somewhere in the middle (breaking even) or close to it when everything is said and done.

Don't see him in Sesko's list. If anyone can find him, it would be @mecox. Nice blade!

I think nobody mentioned one of the important factors: zaimei vs mumei. A signed nihonto can be worth a lot more than an unsigned one attributed to the same smith. But again it depends on the exact sword. Age is also not necessarily the sole determination of price even though koto is generally more valued than shinto because I would gladly take a saijo saku shinto over a mediocre koto. For your example of 8000 tokubetsu hozon vs 28000 tokubetsu hozon, we could compare something like a signed rai kunitoshi tanto like this one (approx 28k) to a cheaper katana (approx 10k) by a later member of the same school. As you mentioned, they are both Tokubetsu Hozon. Basically I think papers only help value at the bottom end. What that means is if you have a cheap juyo it likely won’t be less than x (maybe 15-20k) simply to being juyo. But with a more famous smith (Rai Kunitoshi is one of the best Koto tanto smiths) it would be worth far more than a bottom line juyo even with worse papers. Basic answer is, it depends on the exact sword, who made it, what type of signature it has, when it was made (whether it was during a smiths peak or not). There’s a whole bunch of things that determine value and i’m sure I’ve missed a bunch myself. I’m only getting into this hobby.

Roger that. Yeah, he had a lot of items for sale. Honestly, I bought this as a display piece for our fireplace mantle...more or less to have something "worry free" - But I will enjoy it for what it is. There will be other Nihonto in our future for sure, but I can't justify keeping a more expensive item out in the open. Edit: And now that I have researched this a little bit more, I see what you are talking about. LOL. It's all good, and this wasn't that pricey of a purchase, but caveat emptor. For my fireplace mantle, not unhappy with what it is.