Jimmy R

This is a very interesting subject. I have several unsigned ubu Nakago Nihonto but one in particular has always made me crazy. It has NBTHK kanteisho from the 70s papering it to simply "Masahiro". I bought it in Sasebo Japan several years ago and it has all the characteristics of the first generation Hizen smith of said name. I have never heard of an unsigned blade by him. It is very similar as far as photographable aspects are concerned to the sword listed as stolen by the Pepin brothers (it is not that sword). I would love to know for sure which smith made this. If anyone wants to help I can send a file of pictures. Jim

Hawley makes mention of a Shinto smith that signed Inoue Shinkai. Jim

This sword is on eBay. Jim

During the various festivals in Japan you always see the vendors wearing coats like that. It is kind of like a vendors uniform. Jim

That was a typo. I meant Yen not dollars. When I lived in south Japan I saw stones for 350,000 yen. I am always thinking in 3 different currencies. I wonder what the most expensive one out there would cost?? Anyone know? Jim

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I just wanted to reply in general to some messages I have received because it is a subject I have some passion for. When you receive a Kanna from Japan it takes some work to prepare it for use. They come with multiple surface edges and are hollow ground. To prepare a standard 42 mm plane knife of this style will take an experienced person 4 hours or so if done to exacting standards. This is why there are waterstones in the $100,000 range. When you take good care of your tools a deep relationship develops. This is translated into the experience of the work and makes it very personally gratifying. My father tried to show me this at a young age but (sorry dad) I did not get it until much later. It is not in books or videos it is just something you learn by attunement to your instruments in moments of extreme presence. This sort of idea is central to the Japanese aesthetic and is why well made Japanese tools do not traditionally come ready to use. Happy Holidays! Jim

I used Japanese Kanna. I had to buy the Sori Kanna but I had 2 regular Kanna. I made both of the stands in the picture. I make all kinds of Kake. They are black walnut. Jim

I just wanted to post how my first few shirasaya are coming along. I went to Holland a few weeks ago and worked with Ron VanStee for two days as he showed me the basics. He would do half and then make me do the other half. I do not think this is normal to jump right in but I have been carving my whole life and have sawdust in my blood. I left early with a big block of wood that was starting to take shape as I was very sick and had to get home to bed. I had all the tools except for one special chisel and a Sori-Kanna. As I waited I for the plane made a Shirasaya for my Massive Yari and did some inlays etc. etc. Well the tools just got here a week ago and I just finished with the ibota yesterday. The shirasaya is 12 sided, tapered and holds a nice katana with a 30.5 Inch nagasa. I am also finishing up two more wakizashi and so far so good. I have some Honoki and some Tulipwood coming and I am making shirasaya for 3 or four of my other swords. My thanks to Ron. He is one hell of a guy and extremely talented. Merry Christmas to all, Jim

This will be on eBay. I saw the other Nihonto she was asking about go up last week. Jim

I am actually surprised every time I am on eBay. I cannot believe what people are patting for machine made swords from WWII. The tadayoshi thing just seems so disproportionate. I wonder if it is just because Tadayoshi and his lineage was really just the beginning of the end of the pure sweat and blood tradition of Nihonto fabrication. In the various revivals all true arts undergo it seems recently the popularity of that tradition especially in the realm of the serious collector has become a focal point. Maybe what we are looking at then is a mirror of similar interests peaking at different times throughout recent history and how man instinctively without moral distinction profits from said interest. Do not get me wrong, Hizen-to stand on their own as serious weapons and obsession worthy objects of art, but after posting this and placing all my thoughts together I am beginning to see how this field I love so much has way more depth and complexity on every possible level than I ever imagined. So does the tadayoshi lineage represent a transitional focal point point the key being FOCAL, for lovers of Nihonto in the purest and most accessible sense? I do not know. But I do know that every Nihonto I hold in my hand has an answer to some such question. I just want to contribute and help preserve. Jim

I have a question for the members. Several years ago I bought a Nihonto from Joe Perdua that was signed Hizen Kuni Tadayoshi. It was a very nice looking sword and he really wanted a handle from a gunto I owned. I sent him that tsuka and $1000.00. A couple of weeks after owning this blade and purchasing the Hizento Handbook I realized it was gimei. He would not let me return it and I have been since stuck with it. My question is how many gimei tadayoshi are there out there? I just saw one on eBay Item number: 230691176774 and people are actually bidding on it. Is this a common occurrence? Has anyone gone through this before? Jim

I just wanted to add my two cents. I have a koto katana that has obviously had a signature poorly removed and it passed with 76 points, NTHK-NPO did the papers. I wonder if it lost points because of this fact. Does anybody know if this is a factor in assigning points? Jim

I just remembered the name of that deer. It is "Fukurokuju". Thanks for the lesson. Jim

I see now how they are worked from the back. Very interesting. I humbly stand corrected. I really love the theme. Especially how the deer/kami is willing the fern to sprout. Very beautiful. I have become too critical in my collecting habits and have probably passed when I should have purchased. This probably comes with comparing potential buys to the catalogs and other published kodogu in my library. There always seems to be a huge gap in the definition of pieces you see in museums etc. and those you see for sale online. Especially in the collections in Japan. I almost never collect fittings unless they are part and parcel with a sword. thanks for the lesson Lance I will stick to sculpting wood. Jim

I also want to say I was misquoted. I did not say all unsigned fittings are copies. I said "almost all nice fittings have copies made of them". I meant theme style etc. I have a kozuka that I have seen many copies of. I mean exact casting. I also have several fuchi kashira that are exact copies of ones I have seen in other collections, museums and auction catalogs. I have posed this question to many people and would really like to find out if my reasoning is somehow flawed. Jim

I could tell those were cast before I even saw the inside of the kashira, carvers eyes and gut intuition. Then I saw the kashira and I can say without a doubt they ARE cast. Worked metal will never bulge inward on the reverse toward the strikes. This only happens when metal settles into a mold. I could go on and on but I won't. I would like to hear from a smith or reproduction expert. Jim

A gomi shop is like our thrift store. Sometimes they have good stuff. I have bought many good things from Gomi shops around Nagasaki prefecture. It is literally "junk shop". They are always a good place to scrounge for obi, dansu, chawan etc. and I bought a set of koshirae at one in sasebo. Jim

I have spent much time waiting for planes in Fukuoka on several occasions. There are some gomi and antique shops about 8K east? of the airport. Just ask a cab driver gomi wa dokodesu ka or antiku wa..... And you will get there. But I must say the best thing about Fukuoka is there is a really good Ethiopian restaurant there. Good luck, Jim

The name of the sage is Jujorin. Pm me if you wish to sell Kozuka. Jim

Please show the rest of the Nihonto. I am particularly interested in seeing the hada. Thanks in advance, Jim

Anyone interested in the technological advances made in edged weapons cannot ignore the fact that runnels exist in all and I mean all cultures that created them. They are a natural conclusion brought about by observing the behavior of edged weapons in a sucking wound. Just a few things to mull over, Jim

Hats off to Chris and Larry for organizing an amazing show. Thanks to all the other people who contributed as well. Amazing stuff from the unequaled aesthetic of Nihonto. We are all packing up our treasures and heading home. Off to the airport for me. Thanks again, Jim

I have poured over every known mei by this smith as I have a gimei tanto with that signature and I can tell you without a doubt it does not match any known mei by him. Sotheby's sold a katana in 2007 by him and the Kiku had a quad pistil crosshatch in the center and I have also seen oshigata by the Florida token Kai with a crosshatch but the strokes are all wrong. He had a very distinctive signature and an even more distinct hada. Maybe post a picture of the blade. Jim

This sword is for sale on eBay right now by a seller named jikkiden. Jim

Ruling out the shodai, nidai and sandai, there are 11 successive generations of this particular lineage with the Kunikane mei. I believe only the first two beyond the sandai received honorary titles. The waning quality of work would be the best indicator of where this smith stands in the lineage without a direct correlation to an existing mei. Please show the rest of the sword. Jim