-
Posts
703 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
4
Everything posted by Ron STL
-
Very nice Mino Goto tsuba and fuchi/kashira set. I have collected a group of these to learn from them over the years. These alone are certainly to be kept safe and appreciated. You are a lucky man, Michael. Ron STL
-
Namban tsuba is an interesting area of collecting. While many are rather common and not particularly interesting, many others are fascinating. One kind of Namban-style tsuba are referred to as Kagonami, from Kyushu. These are apparently Chinese design. One signed example appears in Fukunaga's Hizen-To book. I wrote an article on these for the JSS/US which proved a learning experience for me, at least. JSS/US Newsletter 42/4 - Sept. 2010. I've rarely seen this kind of tsuba turn up at shows. I have one that does have Tokubetsu Hozon paper. Another TokuHo is a large (84.5 mm) more typical Namban tsuba from an old collection, also attached. Ron STL
-
Definitely O-gissaki, possibly the end of a much larger O-suriage daito. Ron STL
-
Nice strong mei, but I'd never trust myself totally, judging Sukenao or Sukehiro written in this form. Ron STL
-
This would appear to read: Takada Masani or Shoji? Whatever, the forging is wild and if authentic, certainly blacksmith forging. I would think your cuneiform tablet and ushabti, if authentic, would have much more valuable (desirable) than this badly abused and questionable sword. If you desire an honest centuries old representative Japanese sword, they are available at a reasonable price. If you wish to venture into more quality, of course the price goes up. Wall-hanger vs a sword to study and learn from. Interesting that you mention the number of Japanese living in Brazil. Some 30 years ago I was contacted by somebody in Brazil, encouraging me to look into advertising for swords in Brazil, because of the large Japanese population there. I never did pursue this suggestion, reading of swords being used for cutting sugar cane and the unlikely probability any of these swords being worth wanting. Ron STL
-
I recall seeing this sword listed on AOI and did admire it very much. Only drawback perhaps, it is a little short. (Amazing how picky we collectors get!) I own a similar mumei sword attributed to Kiyotsuna but it never reached Juyo. When first found I asked Tanobe about what it might be. What puzzled me was it showed a mixture of Yamato and Yamashiro characteristics. He initially said "at least Nambokucho" and possibly Nio.den. After polish and shinsa it was attributed to Nio Kiyotsuna of late Kamakura. It failed to reach Juyo and was resubmitted again the next year, and again failed. Tanobe insisted it is Juyo quality and that I should wait a few years and submit again. At my age, I'll not worry about it because the sword is beautiful, Juyo of Tokubetsu Hozon. To enjoy the sword one must definitely study the jigane and the hamon. Otherwise it appears to be a lovely shape, but having a quiet hamon. There is so much more to be enjoyed if you study in various lights. Which Kiyotsuna made it? I was always happy to consider it the late Kamakura smith of good rating. I always felt good that Tanobe liked it very much, a great indorsement. The one on AOI may be equally beautiful or perhaps even better considering it was judged Juyo. If you buy it, just enjoy it for what it is. My two cents worth. Token Bijutsu English edition fold-out features a Nio tachi with mei that will be helpful, if you have this publication. Ron STL
-
This explanation makes sense; couldn't imagine how it could had been accomplished any other way. As often is the case, what appears to be a lot of timely work to accomplish is in reality, for an accomplished craftsman, not all that difficult of a task. Always amazing to realize how things were (are) done! Thanks Ford. Ron STL
-
Attached are photos of a simple, undecorated polished shakudo tsuba recently acquired. Initially, I thought it was solid shakudo and probably quite late Edo work, nothing particularly interesting. Looking closer, I discovered the tsuba must be sanmai construction; thin shakudo over a copper plate. What's interesting is that other three-piece tsuba usually have a shakudo rim helping to hold everything in place. This one has no hint of any seam or joint around the rim, but continuous shakudo covering. It still looks latest Edo work (or newer) to me. But I am wondering is somebody can elaborate on this type of construction using a total encasement in thin shakudo. Ron STL
-
I checked Mino Taikan and on page 351, 2nd Illustration, shows a Kanenori mei that looks quite close to Anders's Kanenori. Still not 100% but I suspect as close as we'll come to the exact smith. His Nori character seems a little sloppy (?) which I would think making verifying it a little easier. Check it out and see what you think. This one is placed in Tensho period, 1575-1591. As for the NBTHK not being "specific" on their papers, this has always been a complaint of us American collectors. I've already talked with Tanobe about this and he agreed, that "they" should include a little more information, in the end, I think it's just the way its done and that's that. At least the Hozon paper is telling the owner that the mei is accepted as authentic as signed. I think many times it is left up to us to do the homework and figure out the details. There are a number of Mino smiths named Kanenori and not all have their mei illustrated. Bottom line Anders, it looks koto and like a very handsome and authentic 430 year old blade. Congratulations. I felt happy when finally acquiring a couple 1851 Navies and a pocket Colt, something I wanted since childhood. No treasures, but I love their history! Ron STL Not sure my photo worked. If not, I'll try again.
-
Token Bijutsu Nov. 2015 #706
Ron STL replied to Ron STL's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Thanks Markus. Now I recall reading this TB 702 and the description of this sword. I'll go back and check out the oshigata again. Two of my Naokatsu, a ko-wakizashi and a katana, are made Soshu style. I may be back asking for this article to be translate later. I keep as much fresh as possible on Naokatsu when it comes available. Meanwhile, thanks again for explaining this article for me. Ron STL -
I'd say this answers your question. Nice fancy fittings. Ron STL
-
Ray, it does appear that a ring did once wrap the kashira and was secured at that spot of pitch (?)that we see. It would seem that having a ring band around it, that more discoloration would be exist. Maybe that's just good luck? I have something similar that I'll show here. I'm not 100% sure if what I have is a kashira or kojiri from a saya, but I believe kojiri might be correct Whatever, the form is quite similar and as you see, a band does exist. Ron STL
-
Luca, I do not think so since those articles were published as part of 2015 newsletters, if I'm correct. Maybe Mike Vinehout or Grey Doffin can check on this for NMB members. If I can find something about this, I'll pass it along. Meanwhile, I will post a simple but lovely Heianjo tsuba that was one of my very first tsuba back decades ago. Morihiro Ogawa happened to be in St. Louis and I showed it to him, knowing nothing about tsuba at the time. I was so happy when he said it was a nice example of Heianjo tsuba. I still have the tsuba, a fond memory of years gone bye. Ron STL
-
The November issue of NBTHK's Token Bijutsu arrived today. There is an article on p.26 (not available translated online) that menions Naokatsu in its title. It appears to deal with Naotane working with Naokatsu since illustrations of nakago showing both smiths' names on them are shown. Can anyone tell me if this article might warrant paying for a translation? It may be a rehash of known information, but if worthwhile I'd enjoy knowing its contents. As some know, I have an interest in the works of Jirotaro Naokatsu and his son and followers. Ron STL
-
There are some great articles in recent JSS/US newsletter on this subject, written by Mike Vinehout. Also some fine examples are shown in past issued of our KTK catalogues. Onin, Heianjo into Kyo-zogan, all very interesting to study as long as the tsuba are of good plate material. Not so interesting when very late examples show up on what we used to call "factory" plate. Ron STL
-
Hi Bob, Glad you like the record sheet. Been using it for years, and it works. The Hisamichi is 1st generation with kiku and is quite a big sword. It was interesting going through verifying the mei. One very helpful article was the late Cary Condell's Conundrum on Hisamichi kantei. I believe the location of that in the JSS/US newsletter may be mentioned on that sample sheet, unless it was on some following pages. While I tend to buy Kamakura or Nambokucho, I also get excited over good swords from any era. Not very focused, but I do have fun with whatever comes my way, if quality. Ron STL
-
Blade kanji is just "Bishu Osafune Kanemitsu" from what I can tell. I found a extreme sori blade like this back in 2004 in a collection I purchased. It seems I found reference to this shape, but can't find any notes on it. I thought one of the NMB members may have bought it from me back then. Strange shape, for sure. Ron STL
-
We put on an interesting display of mokume tsuba at one of the earlier Minneapolis shows. Here are some from my own collection. The second tsuba FYI has been issued NTHK papers to Jirotaro Naokatsu, but the mei does not read Naokatsu. Never did figure this out, an error or what? Had this one under discussion a couple years ago on NMB. Ron STL
-
Found my CD of photos on the Hoju. Attached are a few shots (Danny's photography) showing the jigane and hataraki. Ron STL
-
I wanted to share photos of a naginata-naoshi daito that was briefly on Danny Massey's nihontocraft.com site several years back. It is an amazing sword with a dramatic sugata plus history. Danny gave me a disc of photos that show the hada better than what I'm posting here, but at the moment that file is lost somewhere in my "organized" filing system. I'll add jigane/hada descriptions and a few photos taken from my record sheet description for the Hoju. Some of you may recall seeing this on Danny's site. It is one of my favorite swords in my collection. This topic on Hoju has been quite interesting and have given me more great information on Hoju works. Ron STL HAMON: Ko gunome midare based on suguha. The hamon is ko-nie deki with a soft nioi guchi. There are many ko ashi and some saka ashi. Lively inazuma and kinsuji are present. For example: one bright strand of inazuma in the omote monouchi is over six inches long. There is also sunagashi, which becomes most conspicuous in the monouchi and upper portion of the blade. (Danny Massey’s description) KITAE: Itame with abundant ji-nie. This ji-nie is made up of ko-nie and looks like a wet mist on the surface of the blade. There are many chikei in the ji. O-mokume and o-itame in the hada mono stye is mixed in. Some flowing ayasuji hada can be seen near the cutting edge. Thick bright strands of chikei are abundant in these areas. Overall the jigane pattern is very clear. There is jifu and shirake utsuri that can be seen. (Danny Massey’s description) Hairyo Sword (gift from a Superior) and the Edo period sayagaki There are paper labels that are shown in the "as found" photos of this sword. These are now stored separately for the purpose of preservation. These labels state that: "Hairyo Kunimitsu Abura Saya". Hairyo means to be given as a gift from your Superior. As seen on the sayagaki, this blade was appraised in olden times as a Rai Kunimitsu. The sayagaki states: "Jo Shu Rai Kunimitsu." An attribution like this should not simply be dismissed nowadays. It is a reflection of how this was adored in the past and important in the context of a gift. This naginata naoshi katana was bestowed from a high ranking Samurai or Daiymo to a middle class samurai as a reward. This would have occurred in the Edo period. Knowledge of this adds a wonderful layer of interest ot history to our appreciation of the blade. One can’t help but wonder what feat had been accomplished to earn this giant blade as a reward! This old sayagaki were carefully preserved along with the original paper labels by the Edo perios owner, and then continued to be preserved by the Honma family after the Meji restoration. Today, we are so fortunate to have this information intact so that we know something of this wonderful sword's history.
-
Interesting Showa tsuba smith Yoshitoshi, at least it looks like the same smith discussed last mid-June, Showa Kinko Artist Yoshitoshi, Hobo Group Ron STL
-
Here is the "record sheet" I've used for years and I've always found it detailed enough to serve well. Every sword in a collection should be "recorded" in this way, just in case of a theft or fire should happen. (shudder!) It's also a good exercise when filling out a detailed record sheet; it forces one to look closely at the sword and "identify" the jigane, hataraki, etc., a good learning tool. I just keep several blank copies on file and fill in the blanks when recording a new treasure. (I do the same with fittings, but I find they can be more challenging to accurately describe.) Ron STL ....I've also attached a completed file as an example of what to include on the record sheet. As you can see, I add additional photos and reference details to complete a sword's "folder." Copy (6) of BLANK RECORD 1.doc HISAMICHI.doc
-
This tsuba has been a favorite of mine for years. It'll be in the KTK 2016 Convention publication. Also has a lovely kozuka of this same motif. Always a wonderful, thought provoking subject on fittings, or while taking a walk on a cloudy, moonlit night. Ron STL