Alex A

Thanks Peter, Wow, the silence is deafening on this one, so to speak Noticed off top of head 6mm differences in length of some kozuka, perhaps there is more difference out there Maybe I'm being too pedantic

Something i have never really thought about, you just get an idea in your head of what roughly is right. Looking online and in books, most Kozuka appear to protrude through the ana by about 3mm on average. Made a cardboard mock-up of one that has the correct width but appears a little short (considering buying), see image. The thing is, just read online that Kozuka are not supposed to stick out so much through the ana, they are only supposed to slide out through the ana Not sure if that's correct, as most i see stand above the tsuba. Noticed there is variation in length of Kozuka.

A bit confused by this, could you elaborate?. Reminded of a tanto that i used to own by Enomoto Sadayoshi (mukansa). It was made later in his career and i could describe it as perfect. I think even he would have described it as perfect. At such an high level at that point, i doubt he would have put his mei on anything less. Over a swordsmiths career, quality varies. I've seen Katana by Enomoto Sadayoshi being sold for Iaido, same goes for the smith that made the tachi i was talking about earlier in this thread, seems that school also makes a lot of swords just for martial artists. I guess its comes down to studying the work of a particular smith and working out what is what. Hope we are not getting "perfect" down to pedantic levels, being like stupidly picky

Hi Jonathon I don't have any real clear high res images. I'm not big on photography either.

Agree Francois about recent improvements, don't know the reason but have noticed. Perhaps your right.

Love this, never thought i would ever see a Japanese dealer use the term "Top Notch" I thought it was just a NW of England thing "Our company categorizes swords based on their craftsmanship as top-notch, excellent, high-quality, and standard. This sword is classified as an excellent work."

Aye, fair point. He be thinking the Nihonto Police are on to him

Good point

Only 20 mins from me that auction. Called them and politely mentioned to a gent that the description needs looking over by an expert as it comes across a bit misleading. Passed on the name of a local guy that does the odd write-up for dealers, maybe he could help. He said thanks for letting him know and that he will look into it,.

Aye, here's the line up.

Mentions here Akamatsu Taro, ten generations (Kimura family), I'm all ears if anyone has further info regarding the lineage ? https://www.Japanese...ru.com/akamatsu-taro The name "Akamatsu Taro" is used by a swordsmith family since ten generations living in Higo country (Kumamoto Prefecture current). "Akamatsu Taro" was named by Mountain pass(Akamatsu-touge) of his hometown. Akamatsu Taro swordsmith family, who has served for generations as a swordsmith patronized of the Sagara Daimyo(Hitoyoshi-han in HIGO country

Well done for getting stuck into the research.

Hi Adam, If you find an exact match for the work then it could be the same smith, but then again you will find very similar work from other smiths. A "could be " is as near as you will get. This perfectly demonstrates the issue we have with mumei blades. As mentioned before, not just mumei. Signed works by generations where the work and mei are similar, can be a real headache. There has to be something that stands out and makes it distinguishable, to narrow the field. It was owning such swords that made me a little obsessed with anything that has provenance or inscriptions that add more information, hence more into Shinshinto and later of late.

Hi Adam, As said, if Shinsa cant call it then i don't want to be throwing names up and leading you on a wild goose chase,, so to speak. The hada in your sword does remind me of the one i have but there were many that worked that way. Appears as Itame with Masame above. in your images This paragraph from Markus highlights the headache for Kantei. The transition from Sue-Seki to Shinto can be difficult, ive given up being too picky and like i said, just accept it. The most knowledgeable folks have papered it the best they can. "A good way to identify a shintô is to check if there is masame in the shinogi-ji (see bottom picture below). So if this is the case, it is safe to concentrate on shintô. But please bear in mind that itame along the hira-ji and masame in the shinogi-ji is also a typical feature of Sue-Seki blades so you might check first if something speaks for Sue-Seki (i.e. sugata with sakizori, togari or fushi elements, shirake) before taking the shintô road on the basis of the masame in the shinogi-ji. Incidentally, it is said that the shintô masame in the shinogi-ji actually goes back to Sue-Seki as the majority of early shintô smiths had Mino roots. That means at the end of the kotô era, Bizen was literally wiped off the map as largest sword production site by the devastating flood of the Yoshii river and this left Mino, and Seki in particular, as leading manufacturer of blades. In short, the early shintô smiths who were hired from there by the newly established domains just continued to work on the basis of their scholastic Mino background. Their successors adjusted to the trend to refinement but by keeping basic elements like masame in the shinogi-ji. And that is why this Sue-Seki element “survived” in shintô times." A good read https://markussesko....i-2-jigane-jihada-2/

Hello, Reminds me of a sword i own with the Masame above the ridge. That can be one of a line of three smiths that worked around 1600 Without distinguishing features very difficult , especially from images. Sometimes you just got to accept that. If the folks that papered it had trouble narrowing it down, i understand why. Its a good sword, like it

Hi Alexi. Good question. Others that have studied Masame hada more will be better prepared to answer your question. Though as always expect different answers from different folks that appreciate different aspects. Poor for me means flaws and open grain, seen in mass produced blades in the late Muromachi, for example. A few amateur bonsai enthusiasts here though that enjoy the hobby. Maybe one day you could show us your exhibition trees in the members area below.

Lot of stuff to carry into the show John. Have you been in training specially for it?

Just to mention, had some further discussion with the dealer. He mentions the BEST swords by Inoue Shinkai a few times. Get the impression he likes those a lot.

Very Nice!

Over the last few weeks I've had nothing but spinning on every website, done my head in Suddenly sorted after an update to laptop.

Ok Alexander, i will leave it with the fact not much info available etc Your call, Cheers

Actually, found another Kunimori for Uda. (need better glasses) 1394 to 1428 Not much information available. This would be the better smith, i assume.

Hi Alexander That was my point, don't think I've ever come across an Uda sword by a swordsmith that was not on that page. As said obscure, very rare. The good thing about such an unknown mei, it is less likely to be fake. Saying that though, don't see enough information to work out whether its fake or not, hope its not expensive. If the only information you have on this sword is what is present here, then don't buy it. At the beginning of the thread you mention some substantial amounts of money, would dread to think you would spend that kind of money on this sword. As said, try and find a sword with Hozen. If there is nothing around of real interest then don't just buy something to fulfil the urge, something will come along eventually. Learn a bit, appreciate it. Wish i could help more. Perhaps someone else can. Ps, buying swords from bad images is RISKY.

Aye. Even the first page of wood carvings. My first thought is, genuine? Quickly read the description and didn't see anything about carbon dating or any provenance, maybe i missed it. Do folks actually pay that kind of money, wow.

For anyone interested. Woke up this morning and was quite surprised to see a reply from the Japanese dealer that i put this question to. As the old saying goes, if you don't ask, you don't get. Over the years he has seen an astonishing amount of top notch swords and has had the time to study them, hence my curiosity. Anyways, he mentions the various traditions and the fact that he has seen countless blades that have left him in awe and goes on to talk about folks personal preferences and how ones taste can vary widely. A good example of this would be the Shinsakuto competition where the "flavour of the month" factor may come into the equation. Even after him seeing all those wonderful blades in hand, he replies......................... "Therefore, I do not believe it is possible to definitively declare one sword as the best. I think that by nurturing affection for a particular sword, regardless of its flaws or imperfections, one can find happiness in preserving it." He mentions that he does not collect swords but owns a tanto that is very special to him, he intends to pass it on one day. If you guys are thinking it must be a big name then you couldn't be further from the truth. He states the hamon as "exquisite", but the blade is worn and not worth much. The importance of the blade is that it holds the most memories. I'm sure most of us will get that, hopefully enlightening to some. He is a real gent to take the time to reply,