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Definitely. I find it particularly interesting, and honestly, I'm surprised that this blade isn't thrown around as much (at least where I communicate about tanto) compared to other Kunimitsu works like Aizu Shintogo, which more represent his "textbook" style of swordsmithing (leaning more into the Awataguchi School traditions, with hints of Soshu-den elements, like the clusters of chikei or rare burls of chu-mokume along the ji). At least for me, it definitely stands out as one of the more historically relevant early Soshu pieces to study.

The smith's name is 義次 = Yoshitsugu

G'day Colin, Sorry mate, I am a little late to this party. Do you still have this tanto? I think it is a pretty good looking thing. I don't have any expertise to bring to the table about dating, but I can offer an opinion on the quality of the horimono. I think they look very good. Having tried to capture good images of horimono myself, I know they are tremendously difficult to photograph. It is very difficult to capture the 3D effects that can be seen with the naked eye. As a comparison, here is your Fudo, beside one done by Gassan Sadakazu. Mine is on a katana, not a tanto, but is contained entirely in the hi. From toes to top of head, it is probably about 3-4cm, which I think is similar to yours. Although yours doesn't have the same level of surrounding detail, the face is done very well. I have seen a lot worse. Cheers, Bryce

Superb deal. This little tidbit just adds to the soup "The nidai Masachika, Kaei (嘉永, 1848-1854), Musashi province, never signed with the same characters as his father, but instead used 正近. Of note, the nidai was executed in 1868 for producing gimei blades." Although he could equally have been beheaded for politcal allegiances. Afterall Kajihei wasn't executed for his gimei foibles. Nethertheless an interesting historical demise.

Some remarkable deals here. A Nihonto in Gunto mounts, papered...for the price of a Showato?

Here's your guy: "KANEMUNE (兼宗), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kanemune” (兼宗), real name Fukumoto Koichi (福本小市), born October 14th 1902, adopted son-in-law of Fukumoto Amahide (天秀), he died on March 8th 1977, ryōkō no jōi (Akihide)" I appreciate how you feel about your grandfather and this sword that represents so much. If you haven't read up on caring for the blade, this is a good site: Japanese Sword Care

Hi Paul, Your sword is signed 福本兼宗 = Fukumoto Kanemune He was a WW2 era smith. Are there any stamps on the nakago?

Hello Mindy: I can't read the smith name, however the date is Nov 1943. In addition, it looks like a showato, meaning a decent sword but not of great value. For Japanese sword collectors, I would assume 300-500 euro in that condition. For military collectors, maybe a bit more as a war relic. John C.

Dear Jonathon. The Board is usually a good source of information, but doing a search on naganobu gives a null result. I had a memory and went searching to my own archives and found this FYI: In the long course of history this sword has come to rest in my collection. I had a window put into it by Andrew Ickeringill and the result seems to be that this is a shoshin by Naganobu. Also encouragingly it is very similar to a Tokubets Hozon sword another collector has that I have personally handled. Shame about the nakago, nonetheless this sword is on my bucket list for polishing. A point worth mentioning is that the date is rendered in 'grass script'. Regards, BaZZa. aka Barry Thomas.

TACHI NAOHIRO in KOSHIRAE PUBLISHED ON PAGE 126 OF JOHN SLOUGH’S, “THE MODERN Japanese SWORDSMITH 1868-1945”. *MEASURMENTS IN INCHES. MEI: NAOHIRO SAKU KORE (TACHI MEI) DATE: TAISHO YON NEN HACHI GATSU BI NAGASA: 25 OVERALL: 30.75 MIHABA: 1 KASANE: 0.25 SORI: 0.75" NAKAGO: UBU MEKUGI ANA: ONE YASURIME: SUJIKAI MUNE: IORI HADA: KO-ITAME HAMON: SUGUHA BOSHI: KOMARU HORIMONO OMOTE: BO-HI with KAKU-DOME HORIMONO URA: BO-HI with KAKU-DOME HABAKI: 1 PC. SILVER KOSHIRAE There were a few Naohiro working in this time frame. Two are listed as working in Meji 1868-1912. Sloughs refers to this smith as Ueno Naohiro. Ueno Naohiro is listed as a Showa smith (1926-1989). This sword is dated Taisho (1915), so depending on his age when this sword was made certainly close enough for some overlap. If he was say 25 years old when he made this sword in 1915, he would have only been 36 in 1926. The blade has a very elegant and graceful shape as it tapers gently from a 1” motohaba to 0.625 (5/8") sakihaba ending at the ko-kissaki. Boshi is ko-maru The toshi-zori shape reminds me of the early Kamakura tachi where the kissaki was just slightly larger than the previous Heian period Ikubi kissaki. There are bo-hi carved bilaterally which end at the base in Kaku-Dome or squared end. The Kaku-dome are said to be the hardest to carve. The jihada is a tight well forged ko-itame/masame, almost muji. The hamon is an exquisitely controlled suguha in nioi-deki. Nakago is ubu with one mekugi ana, yasurimei is sujikai. The koshirae is modern as is the sword, with my personal opinion being that it is later or recent modern work. The koshirae is well made but feels like it was made very conservatively. It just doesn’t have the quality feel of a higher end koshirae. I do not mean to downplay the koshirae, but to maintain full transparency, I must be honest. So, what are the issues I am referring to? Almost everything, the saya is painted opposed to lacquered, the tsukmaki is far from well done. The tsuba is blackened or painted steel and some of the exterior has rubbed off. The pro’s are that the dragon menuki are pretty nice, The tachi fittings ie; kabutogane, ashi, koiguchi, kojiri are all matching and not bad, but are modern. This my opinion only, please look at the photos and decide for yourself. If I were to keep this one I would either have the koshirae redone or have a shirasaya made for it. REFERENCES: Hawley’s (NAO 30), pg. 573 Gendaito Meikan pg.108 Gendai Toko Meikan pg. 75B Slough’s Modern Japanese Swordsmiths pg.126 Nihonto Meikan (NMK-659) Toko Taikan pg. 446 Sesko’s, Swordsmiths A-Z., pg 764 To reiterate the blade is gorgeous. Courtesy of Sesko’s, Swordsmiths A-Z: NAOHIRO (直弘), Meiji (明治, 1868-1912), Ōshū – NAOHIRO (直弘), 2nd gen., Meiji (明治, 1868-1912), Musashi – “Naohiro” (直弘), son of the 6th gen. Naomichi (直道), he lived in Edo´s Ichigaya-Takajōmachi (市ケ谷鷹匠町), real name Yanagawa Saijirō (柳川才次郎), mostly a chōji-midare NAOHIRO (直弘), “Ueno Naohiro” (上野直弘) This Gendaito is published on page 126 of John Slough’s, The Modern Japanese Swordsmith 1868-1945 (see photo). Condition: See Photos. The information I have provided is all I have. Returns: Not accepted unless item is not as described. Ships USPS Priority Mail Insured. Your address and contact information is required to get an accurate shipping quote. Buyer is responsible for knowing your countries import laws and regulations. *LIMITED TIME SALE: As with all “sales” sale is final. $2800 plus S/H and any additional associated fees (pp, wire, etc.) *If you would like to own this beautiful Gendai Tachi, please contact me via EMAIL ONLY: yakiba.com@gmail.com

Some nice examples shown in this thread, thanks for sharing. I haven't seen one for sale in a long time. Only have one, it was gifted to me a few years ago.

HOSOKAWA MASACHIKA SHINSHINTO RATING: 2 MILLION YEN MEI: MUMEI DATE: NONE NAGASA: 72.39cm (28.5") OVERALL: 96.52cm (38") MIHABA: 3.175cm (1.25") KASANE: 0.63cm (0.25") SORI: 2.222cm (0.875") NAKAGO: UBU MEKUGI ANA: ONE YASURIME: SUJIKAI MUNE: IORI HADA: ITAME WITH MASAME HAMON: KO-MIDARE BASED ON SUGUHA BOSHI: MIDARE-KOMI HORIMONO OMOTE: NONE HORIMONO URA: NONE HABAKI: ONE PIECE SILVER FOIL GUNTO KOSHIRAE NTHK KANTEISHO This is a long wide mumei katana attributed to den Hosokawa Masachika by the NTHK. The kanteisho does not directly attribute this katana to a specific generation, however, they do attribute this work to Musashi province and Kaei period (1848-1854). There were two generations of Hosokawa Masachika. The shodai, Tenpō (天保, 1830-1844), Musashi province, signed using the following combination of characters 正親. He was active from approximately 1830-1868 and was a student of the famous Hosokawa Masayoshi who in turn was a student of Suishinsei Masahide. The nidai Masachika, Kaei (嘉永, 1848-1854), Musashi province, never signed with the same characters as his father, but instead used 正近. Of note, the nidai was executed in 1868 for producing gimei blades. The working period of the two generations overlapped and with this sword being mumei we can ascertain this is what led to the den attribution. The kanji used for these papers is the Chika character used by the shodai 親, although that doesn’t mean anything other than that is what was written. I only mention this as I have seen Masachika papers using the character used by the nidai. The working date of Kaei would point to the nidai. This is a big beefy katana with a 28.5” nagasa and is 38” overall. Structurally, the blade is in great condition but not in great polish. There are a few light surface scratches or hikekake and a few stains, but nothing fatal, detrimental or anything which prevented it from receiving NTHK papers. Even with the less than optimal polish the blade still offers lots of activity to be seen, like chikei, kinsuji, sunagashi, etc., see photos. If this sword was re-polished it would be a stunning piece. The blade is housed in a standard Type 98 Gunto Koshirae. The koshirae is in good overall condition. The ito was replaced a few years ago as the original was tattered and falling apart. The saya has one small dent, and the paint is flaking in spots as seen in the photos. Courtesy of Sesko’s, Swordsmiths A-Z: MASACHIKA (正近), 2nd gen., Kaei (嘉永, 1848-1854), Musashi – “Namiesuke Masachika kore o saku” (濤江介正近作之), “Namiesuke Masachika” (濤江介正近作), “Masachika saku” (正近作), real name Sakai Namiesuke (酒井濤江介), he was the son of the 1st gen. Masachika (正親) but signed his name throughout his life with the characters (正近), i.e. never as (正親) like his father did, some sources list both smith in one entry, i.e. as one person and one generation, he lived in the village of Kobiki (小比企) in Hachiōji but moved later to Edo´s Kobikichō district (木挽町), we know blades from the Kaei to the Genji era (元治, 1864-1865), he was very talented but was executed in Hachiōji in the course of the execution of Ogura Tadamasa (小栗忠順, 1827-1868) in Keiō four (慶応, 1868) who sided with the bakufu against the emperor, but it is also said that he was executed for producing forgeries Condition: See Photos. NOTE: The photos didn't come out too good on this one. It looks better in hand that the photos. The close-ups of the activities reveal the condition better than the full length shots. The information provided is all I have on this item. Returns: No accepted unless item is not as described.Ships USPS Priority Mail Insured. Your address and contact information is required to get an accurate shipping quote. Buyer is responsible for knowing your countries import laws and regulations. *LIMITED TIME SALE: As with all “sales” sale is final. $800 plus any additional fees (S/H, PayPal, Wire, Insurance, etc) *To purchase, contact me via email only: Yakiba.com@gmail.com

Appears to be a Showato...not traditionally made. Wartime sword, I expect with the tassel you're looking at $1200 or around there. If paying much more than that, I would think twice.

thats a insane price, i could buy this in AUD and still make money

Thats a nice offer Ed.

日置藤原兼次作 (因幡) = Heki Fujiwara Kanetsugu saku (Inaba) 慶応四年二月吉日 = on an auspicious day of the second month of Keiō 4 (1868 CE)

A list of books has been added to my website below and will continue to updated in the coming days. Please email me directly with any inquiries and to confirm the exact amount with shipping. https://swordsofjapan.com/product-category/books/ Best regards, Ray

My latest crossover piece - a tabako-ire with tsuba, seppa, and kashira as the kanagu. John C.

I'll play. This is a bit of the curve ball though. The Kaikuni Go has 2 quite different oshigata although the 1st one was probably drawn after it sustained fire damage and 2nd after an unsympathetic saiha. Echo's of this sorry workmanship

Here is another photo of the blade

Having also encountered this controversy the suggestion is the Midare Shintogo was daimei daisaku by Yukimitsu. The deviation in the signature to which you're referring could be the absence of the north crown radical on the mitsu kanji. A similar discrepancy is found on the 1306 tanto to which Tanobe sensei suggested reminded him of Yukimitsu's Mei in Token Bijutsu #29. Compare to Yukimitsu's signature.

I believe it should be this Jūyō Bijutsuhin tantō.

Tsuba is sold. Thank you, Sergio

Hi Charlie, A few things go into the quality of a sword blade. It can be said that the standard of the forging is probably most important, followed by the level of heat treatment. The forging basically refers to the lamination of the steel and drawing out of the blade, here we consider are the laminations all properly welded, are there openings, how large and deep are any openings, how numerous are they, are there bubbles or air pocket at certain points in the steel, is there any cracking - this sort of thing. Then you have the heat treat to consider, is it nie/nioi, is the hardened area the correct hardness and in the right proportion to the spine, is it too brittle, how tough is the edge etc. This sword being a modern forged sword should basically have no flaws at all, especially if the maker is well-known. In the moden and contemporary era, there is no great need for swords, and smiths are limited in their production output by law. As a result, all blades made are custom order, and several are made at a time with only the best selected for submission to the client. The result is that swords made in the modern era have very few if any flaws.

Sending an email now.

SOLD

Showing my case built with a friend, then I added every other element. All from cheap chinese seller (except the stones) : the leds, the handle to open the display case, the stands, the wide white satin sheet, the hygrometer and anti humidity silk bags.

Here is mine. I ordered it online to custom dimensions, then added the black felt and LED lights. My stupid phone started doing this thing months ago, where it adds yellow or blue thick ghost stripes to an image, so forgive the blue tinge everything has - totally not like that IRL. Also weird how my plastic Torokusho sleeve fluoresces. I live in the California desert so humidity is not a problem and it's super easy to raise the left side of the display cover up and remove the blade as needed to oil. It's not a perfect seal so it won't develop its own micro-climate, but it's sealed enough that it should be near dust-free (which my whole house nearly is anyway since I have no pets). Anyway, the LED spotlights do an amazing job making the contrasts and textures of the blade stand out, even from across the room. This is on a mantle above a fireplace I don't use (there is a Ducati SBK parked in front of it), so the display is at eye level and higher, so you can walk right up to the blade and it's perfect height to let the light play off it as you move around.

Grev, its been and gone... Just got the catalogue, well worth having, but the online download is probably just as good. Only 300 copies of the catalogue were printed. BaZZa.

I can see why you pounced on this one, Colin. The scent of the hunt! The temptation to take a punt. Love these pursuits for the truth!

Torrez I think Jeans assessment of the guards is spot on. No.1 I have seen a lot of, must be thousands of them out there. No.3 also fairly common - there is what could be a collection series in this type, there is one with a fat faced child sitting atop a emakimona (picture scroll) that has the same 'look' and is also very common. The Kaneie (Kaneiye) are a real mine-field nearly everyone has one, but they were one of the most copied and there are a great number of 'Kaneie style' - meaning they have similarities to the works of the three 'Kaneie' masters. There are lots of these that have the signatures added at a later date, difficult field!