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  1. Having a particular fondness for brass-inlaid tsuba, I eventually added several pieces from the Washida school of fittings makers to my collection. This sparked my interest in learning more about the school and its production. Over time I gathered a fair amount of information and eventually decided to compile it into a single document, which you can find in the download section of the board: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/files/file/210-the-shōnai-washida-school/ I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. As I mentioned, given my particular weakness for brass inlay, the document is somewhat biased toward the work of Washida Mitsunaka! Just as an example of the Washida production here are the pieces from this school (or supposed to be from this school) in my collection: NBTHK Hozon to Washida. Dimensions 85.4 mm x 85.3 mm, thickness 3.9 at seppa dai, 4.2 at mimi. NBTHK Hozon to Washida. Dimensions 85.3mm x 79.2 mm, thickness 3.6 at seppa dai, 4.0 at mimi. Identical to tsuba attributed by NBTHK to Washida. Dimensions 87.2 mm x 82.2 mm, thickness 3.7 at seppa dai, 4.0 at mimi. Signed in kinzogan mei Kyozan Mitsunaka with Kao. Dimensions 87.2 mm x 77.6 mm, thickness 2.6 at seppa dai, 4.2 at mimi. Dimensions 83.5 mm x 78.6 mm, thickness 3.0 at seppa dai, 4.1 at mimi. Dimensions: 96.9 mm x 13.9 mm, thickness 4.7 mm. REgards Luca
    3 points
  2. Leave it as is. Grey
    2 points
  3. Hi Andy, This is probably not too much to worry about - it’s an antique blade and if it isn’t going to be used for cutting, it’s just part of the appeal of an older blade.
    2 points
  4. Great Jussi and perfect timing for the post! I was also searching around and found this one: http://www.e-sword.jp/sale/0810_1116syousai.htm Nakago and Mei's style are a great match.
    2 points
  5. To add a little bit to the Fujiwara-ju, I am researching this one that belonged to my family:
    2 points
  6. Looking at the mei I would think this would be from quite unknown group of makers who resided in Fujiwara area in Yamato. By extremely unlikely timing coincidence you should take a look on this thread that was started yesterday:
    2 points
  7. I may have some these with larger images on the DB some where. I'll go through and take a peek. I do wish the Bunka site had larger images. They have missing swords but then provide a 100x200px image of the item to identify it Based on some early looking, it looks like many of these have been photographed and are documented in the Nihonto Taikan.
    2 points
  8. Dear Giorgy and pnsshogun, I am not certain if the signature is genuine, as the sword has not been analyzed by a specialist nor has been certified. What I know is a bit of its recent history and an hypothesis regarding its provenance. My great-grandfather, Hisashi Kawase, brought it to Brazil in 1927. It previously belonged to his father, Lieutenant General Toru Kawase, a shizoku from Wakayama, Kii. Toru's father, Narutada Kawase, was a retainer samurai of the Kishu Clan in Kii; he served the 14th shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, in Edo and was the sword's former owner. The Kawase clan was close to the Tokugawa at least during the late Edo and Meiji eras (see the attached letter), though the Chronicles of Wakayama Prefecture list the Kawase as Tokugawa allies since the Tensho period. However, the historical presence of the Kawase clan in Kii dates back at least to the Muromachi period. After extensive research into the clan’s presence in Kii and surroundings, I discovered an interesting coincidence. While the Kawase clan is not listed in any Yamato genealogies or historical records I searched, the Chronicles of Hidaka, Kii, list a former retainer of the Hatakeyama clan — Kawase Hisatsugu — who became a ronin after the fall of the Hatakeyama and retired to Yamato. This occurred exactly during the same timeframe that Fujiwara-ju Nagayuki was active as a swordsmith in that province, according to Sesko's dating. His son later moved from Yamato to Kii, where he established himself as a Yukawa retainer, and where the Kawase clan remained until the Meiji Era. I know it is a leap to conclude that the original owner was Kawase Hisatsugu (assuming the signature is authentic and the dating is correct), but this information adds context to the sword's history. Regarding the more recent information, those details are more certain and contribute more to the analysis. As for fake signatures, do you know when they were most commonly made? Don't they usually replicate the signatures of famous swordsmiths? Fujiwara-ju Nagayuki is listed as a fairly obscure swordsmith (Hawley 15) in Hawley’s index, so why fake such a smith? Furthermore, I only know of one other sword with the same signature. It is listed in the magazine Swords and History, issue 531 (刀剣と歴史 [531]), but I cannot access it as I am not a resident of Japan. Source: https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/7901225 Regarding the physical characteristics of the blade, I cannot provide precise dimensions at this moment as the sword is currently held in a museum collection. However, I will soon be visiting the institution to personally conduct a formal measurement (nagasa, sori, and motohaba) alongside the conservation staff. I am attaching more pictures of the sword, the mountings, and some references in Japanese.
    2 points
  9. #72Buzen-Gō Sword, Unsigned, Gō Yoshihiro (Meibutsu: Buzen-Gō) Length: 2 shaku 2 sun 5 bu (68.2 cm) Curvature: 5 bu (1.5 cm) Mekugi: 1 Important Art Object, Designated May 27, 1937. Owner at the time of designation: Count Ogasawara Tadaharu, Tokyo. Important Cultural Property, Designated June 28, 1956. Buzen-Gō is said to be the work of Gō Yoshihiro, who resided in Matsukura-go, Etchu Province, and is the most flamboyant of Gō Yoshihiro's works. Ownership of the blade: The origin of the name "Buzen-Gō" is unclear, but the sword was handed down to the Ogasawara family of the Ogura Domain in Buzen Province (different from the Ogasawara family of the Echizen Katsuyama domain where Uguisumaru was kept). The Ogasawara family also owned the Hakata Toshiro, Fudou Yukimitsu, and Akita Toshiro but it is unclear if they owned them all at the same time. Designated as an Important Art Object on May 27, 1937. It was owned by Count Ogasawara Tadaharu at that time. Akita Toushirou, which was designated as an Important Art Object in the same year, was also in the same collection. In the 1949 publication "Commentary of National Important Art Objects of Yamaguchi Prefecture" is recorded that the sword is owned by Yamada Shinmatsu. Designated as an Important Cultural Property on June 28, 1956. Exhibited in the "Masamune and His Clan" exhibit held in 1961 and owned by Nakazawa Akira. Exhibited also at the "Famous Japanese Sword Exhibition" held in 1968, but the owner is not recorded. According to a 2018 survey conducted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, its whereabouts are currently unknown. Description of the blade: Buzen-Gō differs somewhat in style from other Gō swords; while the blade width and cutting edge are of normal form, the forging shows a fine wood grain mixed with mokume, with ji-nie (small crystals in the surface), and the hamon (temper line) is a mix of gunome (irregular wave pattern), notare (undulating pattern), and choji (clove pattern), with deep indentations and extending into the shinogi (ridge line) in places. The boshi (tip) is broken down and sweeping. Although it exhibits an unusual style, it is generally consistent with other works by the same artist and is a superior example among them. It is a long tachi (long sword) that was shortened to a katana (short sword). Shape: Shinogi-zukuri, Iori-mune, slightly thin cross-section, medium-sized point. Forging: Fine wood grain pattern, mixed with mottled surface, fine ji-nie (small crystals). Hamon (temper line): Wavy with gunome (irregular wave pattern), frequent ashi (legs) and ha (leaves), with occasional kinsuji (golden lines), making the striking surface particularly brilliant on both sides. Overall, the nioi (misty effect) is very deep, with fine nie (small crystals). Boshi (tip): Irregular and sweeping pattern with kinsuji. Tang: Greatly shortened, chestnut-shaped tip, cut file marks, one mekugi-ana (peg hole). The name "Buzen-go" is written in red on the reverse side. Honma Talks: Regarding Gō Yoshihiro, Dr Junji Honma describes him in detail in his book, "Masamune and His School" (1961) The following in parentheses is an translated excerpt from the same book: "To understand the style of Yoshihiro, or Go, one should first examine Inaba-Gō (or Tomita-Gō), Murakumo-Gō, and Matsui-Gō. After fully understanding the Gō style, one should finally examine Buzen-Gō. All existing works by this artist are greatly shortened swords; no reliable short swords have been found. Swords can be broad-bladed with extended tips (e.g., Tomita-Gō), of normal width and tip (e.g., Kuwana Go), slightly extended tip (e.g., Samidare Go), or somewhat slender e.g., (Collection of the Tokyo National Museum), these are all Iori-mune. The forging is of the same type as: tightly grained ko-itame (e.g., Inaba-Gō), mostly straight grained (e.g., Murakumo-Gō), and a mixture of itame and straight grain. There is ji-kei (pattern in the steel), but it is not as prominent as in Masamune or Norishige. All have good ji-nie (small crystals in the steel), and the coarse nie is not as noticeable as in Masamune or Norishige. The hamon (temper line) is mostly shallow and irregular, mainly small notare (e.g., Inaba-Gō), in which case the nioi (cloudy effect) is particularly deep and there is ko-nie, and sunagashi (sand-like patterns) are relatively few. Also, straight, undulating, and small irregular patterns (e.g., Murakumo-Gō) have particularly prominent nie (crystals), and some have frequent sunagashi (sand-like patterns), fraying, and uchinoke (striking patterns). Some have tight straight patterns with small nie, and some have ashi (legs) and ha (leaves) (e.g., Matsui-Gō). However, ashi and ha are present in all of the above types of hamon. Moreover, all types of hamon are deeply tempered, especially from the monouchi (striking point) to the boshi (tip), and some have a single boshi. The boshi is generally less elaborate than the activity below, and sōme are shallowly irregular. Many have a rounded shape, some with a pointed shape (Matsui-Gō), some with a flame-like shape, and some with a slight sweeping effect. The hamon (temper pattern) of Buzen-Gō swords is unusual, with a deep in-and-out pattern of gunome, notare, and choji (clove-shaped) patterns, and in places extending onto the shinogi-ji (ridge line). There are no carvings other than grooves, and while Inaba-Gō sword has grooves that slope downwards and deep, skillfully crafted bo-hi (straight grooves), generally, most do not have grooves." (Reference: Reprinted, quoted, and excerpted from the Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords) #72Buzen-Gō
    2 points
  10. For your spring/summer collection: https://paypayfleamarket.yahoo.co.jp/item/z562035124 Damon
    2 points
  11. Other side is 潜龍 "Hidden Dragon" 源義制 佩劔 Owned/Worn by MINAMOTO Yoshinori. Hidden Dragon would be the name given to the sword. I think Minamoto Yoshinori was a hatamoto in the Tokugawa Bakufu Government.
    2 points
  12. I usually collect all the information on a school that I am interested in and at a certain point I feel the the need to put all toghter in a coherent form. From that to sharing it is a just a small step. Regards Luca
    1 point
  13. For sale: Two Japanese KOTO swords from my collection Hello everyone, I am offering two blades(with nbthk hozon) from my collection, both mounted in very refined koshirae. One is an SIGNED ex tachi kanetsune(end 1400, early 1500) with elegant sugata, with a particularly elegant mounting that I found very well balanced and visually striking. The fittings and overall presentation give it a strong presence. The second blade is a mumei wakizashi (end 1400) from mihara school also features a high-quality koshirae with excellent attention to detail. Both pieces are currently listed, and full sets of photos and details can be found here: KANETSUNE 兼常(5659$): https://www.ebay.com/itm/317875954251 wakizashi mihara school(3500$): https://www.ebay.com/itm/318025502655 I would be happy to answer any questions or provide additional information privately. Thank you for your interest
    1 point
  14. Agreed. Leave alone. Most of the time you won’t even notice it. Judging by the gaps towards the munemachi I would say this was not originally made for the blade or the blade has seen many many polishes(unlikely). It’s not uncommon for fittings to be married to a blade for sale purposes.
    1 point
  15. Agree with Grey. A LOT of entry and mid level swords have that identical crack. Judging by the gaps, it may be a replacement that doesn't fit properly, unless the sword has been polished down a lot. But it isn't a huge deal for display.
    1 point
  16. @Shay this is IDO HIDETOSHI of Seki, Gifu. He is in the AMAHIDE workshop. Look for AMAHIDE in the NMB Downloads found at top of page. It also says "made with Tokushu steel"
    1 point
  17. Thank you to everyone for this very informative information and help. I have also posted this to various groups on Facebook and am pleased to say it has generated quite a discussion! I truly appreciate everyone who has helped andj please join in on the conversation. I've learned alot but am also almost overwhelmed with all the information! It's been great! Bob R
    1 point
  18. Welcome Andy. Would be helpful if you post a photo so we can see the material (copper vs gold foil vs silver vs solid gold), single vs double habaki and the crack you’re seeing on the habaki. There are people in the UK who can make repairs and the material might help determine who best to contact.
    1 point
  19. Dear members, I am researching a family heirloom currently held at the MUPA Museum in Brazil: a blade belonging to my ancestor, General Toru Kawase. The smith has been identified as Fujiwara-ju Nagayuki (Yamato School), active during the Tenbun era (1532-1555). While official measurements are pending, the total mounting length is 104 cm, and I estimate a nagasa of approximately 70-71 cm based on the photos and proportions. The museum has invited me for a physical inspection and professional photography in two months. In the meantime, I have prepared a composite image from archival photos to analyze the sugata. I would value your expertise on a few technical points: Does this specific sugata and curvature appear typical of late Muromachi Yamato-den blades? What else does it reveal (like intended use, etc)? Can you name a few characteristics of it (like the type os Sori)? The yokote is notably attenuated. Would you attribute this to centuries of polishing wear, or is it a known trait of this lineage or period? There are at least two significant nicks and the ha looks very deteriorated. Is a blade in this state generally considered a candidate for professional restoration, or is it better preserved as it is? Please note that I do not yet have clear photos of the hamon or hada, and it remains to be seen how visible they are in the blade's current state. I intend to capture these details during my inspection and will share them with the forum as soon as they are available. Best regards,
    1 point
  20. Another good post Brett, I really enjoyed reading about Buzen-Gō I took a quick look and I think I should have pictures/oshigata and old information on 42 of the still missing swords. I do think Agency for Cultural Affairs know a lot more about the items than they wrote out on the page. I think they protect privacy of people & shrines.
    1 point
  21. Was this sword in military mountings? I understand quite a number of Japanese families emigrated to Brazil, it always amazes me where these swords show up.
    1 point
  22. Apologies, I started a new thread and should have posted here. Bought a tsuka on the loose just for the gosan-no-kiri mon and the very nice condition naval tassel. Can't get any closer with my lousy phone camera but it is a 3-5-3 paulownia.
    1 point
  23. Very interesting development! Not much known about this Seki swordsmith. Did not see him listed on the guild list. Translation help & Polishing, Post #27
    1 point
  24. Dear nihonto student, Here is the enhanced picture of the Mei and Sesko's reference:
    1 point
  25. Perhaps 植田兼忠 - Ueda Kanetada. Best regards, Ray
    1 point
  26. Hi Bob, as the length (= NAGASA) is 51,2 cm, it is a WAKIZASHI. The OVERALL length remains 66 cm. Although not 'really' old (= SHIN SHINTÔ), it looks like a nice piece which should be competently restored.
    1 point
  27. Here's one side: 備前長船秋水子祐直六十二歲作 = made by Bizen Osafune Shūsuishi Sukenao at the age of 62 文政十三年正月三日 = on the third day of the first month of Bunsei 13 (1830 CE) This is his entry in Markus Sesko's Swordsmiths of Japan:
    1 point
  28. Hello everyone, TLDR: Interested in Japanese swords and fittings? I made this to help the field. Open nihontowatch.com on your phone browser, and add to home screen (Share → Add to Home Screen). Thank me later. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have been thinking for quite some time about the future of our field. I have been blessed with incredible mentors and opportunities, most notably the late Darcy Brockbank, who was so generous in sharing his knowledge. Since his tragic passing, I have felt a responsibility to carry that work forward. What I am about to present, I built as an homage to his memory. Our field has problems. We operate in a field of extraordinary depth without being equipped with the knowledge and tools to understand what we're looking at when we browse the market. Refreshing dozens of dealer websites every week, most in Japanese, copy-pasting listings into translation apps, pinching to zoom on sites built twenty years ago — market awareness is just painful and you miss things constantly. You spend an hour and walk away unsure you have seen everything. And this is just the market experience. The deeper problem is access to knowledge. There are no catalogues raisonnés for artists. Yuhindo would have grown into it — it was planned. But alas, Yuhindo is no more. No way to know, with any confidence, whether a price is reasonable without decades of experience or tens of thousands of dollars invested in published references. No way to know why something costs what it does. Communication with Japanese dealers remains daunting for most. No easy way to know who is a reputable dealer. The barrier to entry is simply too high, and this friction keeps our field artificially small. Fine art has Artnet. Watches have Chrono24. Antiquarian books have AbeBooks — markets with comparable depth and comparable opacity, served by platforms that bring transparency and accessibility. These fields have benefited immensely: they have enabled new entrants in droves to collect in confidence. Our field needs more knowledge and transparency to build interest and trust.Japanese swords and fittings. Eight hundred years of collecting history at the highest levels. The category that contains the most national treasures in Japan. The indefatigable search for perfection of an entire civilization. And yet, we have nothing. This had to change. As I write this, there are 3,021 Nihonto and 1,607 Tosogu items for sale across 44 dealers, Japanese and international, in a single searchable interface. Every listing is structured with attribution, certification, measurements, and artist intelligence data. NihontoWatch is on track to follow 100% of the online market for genuine items with NBTHK papers. Refreshed 12 times a day. Everything is translated and structured, as it trickles in live. But what is this worth, if it's so hard to know what you're looking at? Especially for newcomers, it is so hard to tell what you're looking at. This is where the magic is. I am nostalgic of reading through Yuhindo's artist descriptions. It made me deeply appreciate the field. It got me in. NihontoWatch scales this experience and creates something approaching a living catalogue raisonné for every Tosogu and Nihonto artist. It matches every listing against a database combining the complete Juyo, Tokubetsu Juyo, Juyo bunkazai, Kokuho, and Gyobutsu designation data — over 23,000 items at the highest level, with rich text in classical Japanese. This data is then processed, synthesized, and presented into NihontoWatch's artist directory in a way that is respectful of the NBTHK's copyright. With this, you'll be able to discover a maker's historical reputation through quantitative analysis of exhaustive provenance records, in ways never seen before. Over time, all of these artist pages will come alive, forming an ever-expanding knowledge base. - How rare is it? - How many Tokuju? - How many designated works ranked Juyo and above? - Why is this important? - Where does it rank relative to other works? - What is for sale right now? - What was for sale recently? All the answers are in. These are questions that come up constantly in our community, and until now, answering them required years of collecting published references worth tens of thousands of dollars, and patiently indexing them with post-its or one-by-one in a spreadsheet. Only professional dealers or major collectors could afford to do this. This is a BETA, so there are errors. The more obscure the artist, the higher the error rate, and there are still basic errors I need to fix with some famous artists. A lot of algorithmic tinkering and curation ahead. It will keep getting better with your feedback. See the results for yourselves: - Soshu Masamune: https://nihontowatch.com/artists/masamune-MAS590 - Ichimonji school: https://nihontowatch.com/artists/NS-Ichimonji - Yasuchika (tosogu): https://nihontowatch.com/artists/yasuchika-TSU001 - Goto school: https://nihontowatch.com/artists/NS-Goto Click one and explore the designations, the provenance abalysis, the measurement distributions. This is just a first shot — over time this data will grow. Here is one where I have published an item I studied for my Substack article on Mitsutada: - Osafune Mitsutada: https://nihontowatch.com/artists/mitsutada-MIT281 Imagine Yuhindo, but with a page for every artist and every piece ever captured on camera. Saw a national treasure at an exhibition in Japan? Share your photos on NihontoWatch's artist catalogue. In the future, owners of particular works will be able to publish them to the artist's catalogue. Think of it as a growing, community-curated knowledge base for every artist in the field. And so much more Browse and filter: Designation, dealer, item type, school, province — all filterable, all instant. Prices display in JPY, USD, or EUR. Every filter combination is a shareable URL. The sold archive tracks thousands of items for pricing research. And it works for every budget, for collectors at every level. - All Tokubetsu Juyo Nihonto on the market - All Tsuba with Hozon or Tokubetsu Hozon, maximum price $2,000 Setsumei translations: On some items, you can press the floating book icon on any Juyo item to toggle between photos and the Juyo setsumei translated text. For most Juyo and above items, the NBTHK evaluation text from the dealer's page is identified by computer vision and translated into English. It will fail if the dealer has not posted the Juyo Zufu extract, but in the majority of cases they do, and the result is remarkably accurate. Do use responsibly — the quality is great, but not perfect. Always purchase professional translation from Markus Sesko when contemplating the purchase of a Juyo-designated piece. Search alerts: Never miss an item again. Define keywords and filters and save them. NihontoWatch will run your search every 15 minutes, and when something new appears, immediately send you an alert email. In practice, missing a listing that fits your interests becomes almost impossible. Tip: I recommend avoiding overly specific queries. "Juyo tsuba" or "Kamakura signed tachi" are safer than specific artists such as "Yozozaemon Sukesada," which would be more fickle. Broad queries give you the best market coverage. Inquiry emails: Press "Inquire" on any listing to draft a professional inquiry in Japanese. Handles etiquette and formality, and can help you request the 10% consumption tax exemption available to overseas buyers. Did you even know you could get 10% off? How many new entrants lost 10% on this, at least at the beginning? I for one did. I've seen countless high spenders neglect to request it while shopping across Japanese galleries. Glossary: The technical language of Nihonto and Tosogu is deep and specialized — needlessly so for non-Japanese speakers. Anytime a technical term comes up, you can click and see what it means. Over 1,200 terms, searchable, automatically linked from the setsumei translations. Who remembers always keeping an index open to keep track of terms when studying Juyo items? https://nihontowatch.com/glossary How best to use NihontoWatch While it works wonders on desktop, NihontoWatch works most beautifully on your phone. I use it every day — it feels like I have the market in my pocket. Open nihontowatch.com on your phone, hit Share → Add to Home Screen. And voila, you have an app. It becomes something you check with your morning coffee, the way one might check the news. A word of caution The data has errors — always verify independently. This is a tool to explore the market, not a substitute for critical thinking. If it looks too good to be true, it likely is, and this system can't easily correct online misrepresentations. Old listings where dealers have not marked items as "SOLD" will still appear as available. Listing errors will slip through, but data quality improves continuously as the system learns over time. Get involved - Missing a listing or dealer you like? PM me or post here. - Bug? PM me or post here with steps to reproduce. - Dream feature request? Reply in this thread. I will keep this thread active and share major updates when time permits. Everything is free right now, and will remain so until ready for official release. This is no trivial task, and it is expensive to operate — it will need to be covered in some way down the line. It will be tempting to keep it for yourself. But if we want our field to grow, we must share knowledge and expand market access and transparency. The single most impactful thing you can do right now is help others discover and use the tool. Share it with your study group. Share it with your collecting circle. Share it with a friend who has been curious about Nihonto and Tosogu but found the barrier to entry too high. That barrier just got a lot lower. Farewell, Darcy. This is for the teacher in you. Hoshi
    1 point
  29. Given that I need to pay my polisher and a few other obligations, here is one more reduction as well as some additional pieces listed for sale. 1. 28" katana in shirasaya. $2100 -> $1900 2. 19" wakizashi in substitute saya. $1500 -> $1400 3. 27" katana in partially restored gunto mounts. $1800 -> $1700 4. 23.25" o-suriage early to mid Kamakura tachi in assembled mounts. Off the market. I have decided to get this one put in shirasaya and papered. 5. 24.5" katana in remnants of WWII leather-cased mounts. $1800 -> $1700 6. 26" katana of WWII origin. No further reduction on this one. $900 7. 17" wakizashi in American-made saya. No reduction on this one! SOLD! 8. 11.25" tanto in restored mounts. $1200 -> $1100 9. 26" katana of WWII origin. $1050 -> $1000 I have also decided to list these pieces for sale, if you are interested then please request pictures. A boy's tachi, 18" nagasa, signed to Omi no Kami Minamoto Hisamichi, with kikumon. 1st generation, 1650-1673, needs restoration but is worth having done so. In shirasaya. Silver-plate habaki. I believe this one is shoshin. $2200 A Bizen no Kuni ju Osafune Norimitsu wakizashi, dated to February 1506, 20" nagasa, in the remnants of Satsuma Rebellion mounts with classic washer menuki. Needs a polish and habaki, but the rest of the mounts are present. I suspect the habaki was shorn off by a bullet strike to the tsuba as there is a clear bullet strike on the tsuba that has bent the tsuba itself. No reason to disbelieve a signed/dated piece from this smith is anything but shoshin. $1700 A Koto katana, possibly Kamakura... at latest Muromachi based on sugata and workmanship according to polisher, 28" nagasa. Was shortened to fit Kyu-gunto mounts and is therefore o-suriage. Bohi were added on during this time. Ill-fitting silver plate habaki with kyu-gunto tsuka. No saya, I had to make a paper saya for this one. $2200 A lady's kaiken, bare blade, narrow suguha. 6.125" nagasa. Ca. 1680. A cheap little project knife. $400 A Soshu Naginata, circa 1380-1410. 18.5" nagasa. 36.25" OAL, so this one is ubu. Very much worn down but enough to bring back even still. Itame hada at the ha that turns into masame at the boshi. Could even be possibly earlier. Had a very long signature on the nakago that is completely rotted out and illegible now. $2250. A Yokoyama Sukesada wakizashi, circa Kanbun. Signed Yokoyama Kozuke no Kami Fujiwara Sukesada, probably a lesser generation? Needs more investigation. Has beautiful Yokoyama Choji/Gunome mixed hamon. Masame in ji. In original black lacquer saya with habaki and tsuba. No tsuka. $1800 A rather rare SIGNED Owari-den wakizashi, signed to Noshu-ju Ujimasa. Circa Kanbun. Damaged silver-plated habaki, bare blade. Needs a polish. Not sure how to price this one, so just tossing out the price at $1000 since I've never seen a signed Owari blade. 17.75" nagasa, ubu. Two rather rough-condition tanto in full mounts for $1,000, being sold as a pair. One is earlier, probably 1600-1650 and the other is probably 1800's. These are good for display, but would not make sense to pay for restoration. Perfect for an amateur to dabble with though I suppose. The mounts are clearly made for export. Shipping is $100 CONUS, and will include the original valuation insurance. Outside CONUS, shipping will be discussed and as reasonable as possible. You can ask any of my previous customers. I made sure things are transparent and arrive quickly. If you would like pictures of one, feel free to DM me. ~Chris
    1 point
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