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Everything posted by Rivkin
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Interesting Mixed-Metal and Enamel Tsuba
Rivkin replied to terminus's topic in Auctions and Online Sales or Sellers
That's a platter holder utilized to hold tsuba. By the looks of it, a good late Meiji work, maybe someone associated with godai (tokyo university of art) - too lazy to check the signatures etc. etc.. Those are not completely traditional but nice in their own kind. -
Far from being a tosogu person, but: the ones of such shape supposed to imitate either rapier's guard or a similar continental device. They tend to have cross-shaped ana since all European and Chinese ana are rectangular and thus remade tsuba would have a combination of native rectangle and Japanese triangle. However there are exceptionally few (contrary to a popular sentiment) cases where the rectangle is indeed original, usually among Hizen tsubas, and almost all are Japanese imitations. Also geometry is quite different compared to anything European or continent related, including guards made for European market.
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Price Point Question: What Amount of Money gets you a given level of quality?
Rivkin replied to Winchester's topic in Nihonto
Expanding on this, I will voice an unpopular opinion that a differential between TH and Juyo prices for the top names reflects the certainty of attribution. Kiyomaro or Sukehiro, signed, papered are close to 100% certain, and a very bright Kiyomaro will cost a lot with or without Juyo papers. TH Norishige or his developed type (with matsukawa) will likely cost similar money whether TH or Juyo, while his work without matsukawa will not, as there is less certainty of attribution and quality of those blades also varies a bit more. Masamune with TH, Juyo and TJ are in the different world of prices. etc. etc. etc. For "'lesser names" a price differential between TH and Juyo is more a function of expectation whether it makes to Juyo or not. -
Price Point Question: What Amount of Money gets you a given level of quality?
Rivkin replied to Winchester's topic in Nihonto
I think some of these offers do come at a discount because of later generation. I would argue that when retail prices are concerned, everything below 4K USD are non-collectibles. Does not mean one can't pick a good name from something unsigned unpapered and likely poorly polished in this category. 5K USD is the level where one can on occasion buy a good blade with some issues like out of polish or unpapered. Sort of still in the gambling territory or its just not a great blade to begin with. Casino land for those who like the feeling. 6-10K is where you typically find rounded packages with every box checked but obviously no stellar names. If shinto can still be a very good sword. 10-20K you start seeing koto daito from genuinely good schools. 20K is junior Juyo usually from one of the Yamato branches. 40-60k is either serious Juyo, like Ichimonji, or H+ to top level shinto smith like Sukehiro, or TH papered top class koto like signed Fukuoka Ichimonji with some blemishes. 70-125k: I would argue this is top class sword bought below retail. You can get a good Juyo Norishige mumei or Go at this price level, but only directly from a collector. Its also a common price level for good name JuBis but that's the kind of material that has its affecianados and its detractors. 200k: TJ, major name. 150-200K is a typical price level for the top of the line Japanese shop trading in such material. 400-1000k: First class name, high provenance sword, likely Bunkazai. -
Katana worthy of a polish I think.......
Rivkin replied to MHC's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
A good Soshu blade, but looks shinshinto. -
Please help identify a Tanto
Rivkin replied to Tatyana's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
The way the signature is done is weird, but the work appears to be at least a decent late Soshu adaptation. -
Is a date worth 1,000,000 JPY?
Rivkin replied to Artorius's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Its something to ask from a seller. Can be anything from poorly cleaned oil, "smudge" in the polish or even a sign of possible fukure. The last one is unlikely given the shop's reputation. If you like the style, its a good piece. I don't, but then I frankly can't stand almost the entire lineup of Bizen products. I also personally feel that the top of the line shops make sense when one buys absolutely top of the line items, usually with top of the line papers, its just something cheaper sellers will not offer that often. This being said, again if you really like this particular style than this piece might cross all the good points - certainly Oei, signed, dated, good koshirae etc. Oei Bizen items tend to be quite expensive in Japan now. I had difficulty in selling them outside Japan at comparable levels though. -
The Bad and the Good on Yahoo!Japan
Rivkin replied to Curran's topic in Auctions and Online Sales or Sellers
95% of things sold are problematic and the market is noticeably more expensive than it used to be... at least my personal impressions. -
Not a specialist, but nijimei with them implies the mainline, i.e. someone like: TOMOSHIGE (友重), 5th gen., Kōshō (康正, 1455-1457), Kaga – “Tomoshige” (友重), “Fujishima Tomoshige” (藤島友重), “Fujishima” (藤島), first name Jihei (次兵衛), chū-jō-saku But I think that's 6th or 7th generation, though Markus Sesko's reference volume does not indicate those specifically as signing with nijimei. Kaga nakago (as here) in Fujishima I think is also somewhat more popular with 6th+ generations, but I am not sure. So I would put it as Tomoshige between 5th and 7th, myself believe its 6th.
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Is a date worth 1,000,000 JPY?
Rivkin replied to Artorius's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Sorry I meant mumei... writing late in night after work never helps. -
Is a date worth 1,000,000 JPY?
Rivkin replied to Artorius's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
The blade I personally like at AOI right now is: https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mumei-heianjo-yoshifusa/ Which obviously crosses all the wrong points, being suriage Muromachi. Unfortunately the judgement appears to be solid. That's how Sanjo Heianjo tends to look like, but they can be of very solid quality. If one has the means, this is: https://www.aoijapan.com/katanamumei-aoe-yoshitsugu/ a truly great sword however. -
This is Kaga Fujishima and judging by a short nakago and exactly two shaku length this is uchi-gatana... which tend to be later, from 1500 onwards.
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Is a date worth 1,000,000 JPY?
Rivkin replied to Artorius's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Ginza Seikodo is a more expensive shop in general. With Muromachi Bizen signature placement close to mune (Aoi), there can be a looming suspicion its a later generation. Dated signature, or Oei-specific signature style would dispel that. Ginza has good sayagaki and higher class koshirae. No, I am personally not at all impressed by this Morimitsu at this price level. If it were pre-Muromachi dated signatures go at very high premium there, especially if the name is a good one. -
Its exceptionally difficult to make money as a traditional smith. Being a westerner educated in the tradition gives one some bragging rights. Participation in couple of NHK programs, two dozen interviews, maybe a swordclub in the USA which calls you o-sensei. You'll even get a personal assigned seat in their meeting space. And those are all helpful as one would have to invest a lot of effort in self-promotion to establish a client base. I don't think I am alone in saying there is not a huge market for new swords in Japan today and outside of Japan there was always very little interest in paying "full price" for a new, traditionally made blade. Polishers make decent money, swordsmiths struggle.
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Yes, shinto tanto usually don't have sori, but later in Edo period one starts seeing examples with sori.
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The hada is very dense and without o-hada or ware or anything else common in late Muromachi. The nakago is also a bit light for that. Hamon does not show any sub-structure, a single mass. It appears to be late. I think its owari 1700 or even somewhat later, related to: http://sanmei.com/contents/media/A42776_T3546_PUP_E.htm
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Personal take: If its NTHK, Godai = "later generation" rather than fifth generation. For Tsunahiro fifth generation I think they put his exact title in the papers. They still tend to put an approximate timeframe in the papers as well and from this one can deduce what the likely generation is. This is done to an extent to avoid being involved in controversies like when is the separation between Nobukuni's 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation - you just paper it to Nobukuni and a certain era, and the same for Muromachi Nobukuni - you say later generation Nobukuni and the likely era.
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Strongly suspect sandai.
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Usually the generation is judged based on work rather than signature alone.
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There have been multiple attempts in pre-Meiji times to use iron ores, but surprisingly the literature asserts that until Ansei at least iron sand and tatara accounted for >95% of steel produced. The shift to iron ore and blast furnace was part of modernization effort and came later.
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Information Request - Wakizachi
Rivkin replied to Vipage14's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
And sugata is not an ideal match for shinshinto. Can be early generations of Kunikane, if one blames inconsistencies on it being out of polish. -
Information Request - Wakizachi
Rivkin replied to Vipage14's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
I have conflicting feelings about this package. There is ambition, but the quality is not the top notch. Interesting habaki. There are not too many details seen in the blade, but I don't think its very old, more or less certainly pass Muromachi. It seem to have nioi based suguha hamon and lots of masame, an unusual combination pointing towards late production, possibly shinshinto. Its based probably on what Sendai Kunikane used to do, and the last generations had masame almost parallel to suguha without things like hotsure and their boshi has almost no kaeri, which is very unusual for the period. So I am very strongly suspect its either 11th to 13th generation of Sendai Kunikane. Pricewise - very little idea, sorry. -
Need a breakthrough on sugata
Rivkin replied to bnacorda's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
I would say that there are a few sugata which are period-specific (Heian, Nambokucho, Kambun shinto and shinshinto) and the rest actually sort of appears similar to one another, if the blade is cut down a lot. That's a reason you can get the same blade papering to Kamakura, Muromachi and early shinto. Otherwise you have koshi-zori of the early Muromachi and Kamakura which are also similar to each other, but kissaki tends to be different, so you have to start considering chubby kissaki or ko-kissaki as well as how transition happens from ha in the blade to boshi (it tends to differ through periods), and things like typical kasane for a period. Current NBTHK is very high strung on things like hira niku and kasane, but there are plenty of detractors of such approach treating it as a counter-reaction to 1960s when Dr. Sato was issuing Kamakura period's judgements right and left to blades with a Nambokucho o-kissaki.