Peter Bleed

Sorry, I was having too much fun.. and getting a bit ahead of my sources. Kawachi no Kami was the first generation Kunitsugi. The title showed by later, but the shodai had the title He seems not to have been part of the Kunikane cohort. P

Thank you - and I do mean thank you for this opportunity to comment in a minor but interesting line of smiths from the Sendai-han. The signature of your sword reads\ Oshu ju Kawachi no Kami FW KUNITSUGU There were nine generations of this line line and they worked in Natori. Kunitsugu 1 was a deshi of Kunikane 2 and he worked in Edo, too. I don't see which one was a Kawachi no Kami.-more below And here's the deal, Natori is on the coastal plain to the east of Sendai, and it was heavily damaged - like really heavily damaged - by the tsunami. Sato-san had a piece in Token Bijustsu about them right after the disaster. Peter P.S. Sorry, with more digging it seems that Kawachi no Kami Kunitsugu was a side line of the main line- he was the 9th,. Kan-en era 1748. An interesting sword. Peter

Friends, As usual this thread has moved across a couple of topics. I've enjoyed them all, but I'd like to go back to the issue of "stock production." In fact, I suspect that the mass of tsuba that we see were much less than original creative undertakings. They were made by workers who may have had some technical skill, but that skill may have been limited and they probably were following designs created by others. They likely did only a part of the production. And they were paid - not very - much by the piece. It is also worth remembering that tsuba followed fads and fashion. They were more likely following rather setting tastes. I am also recalled stories about potters who had to throw several lots of 10,000 IDENTICAL tea cups before they could be taught how to make other forms. Kinko had to pass thru a comparable system, making their masters rich and themselves skilled. Peter

Dear Friends, Thank you for these excellent suggestions. Indeed, i know both John and Brian and deeply respect them both. They are wonderful artists. I have wonderful work by both of them, I'd welcome more, but the sad reality is that they are both very busy and that they have long waiting lists. I'd like to find a worker who could produce serviceable storage fittings for a couple of blades - a nice koto Ken, a shinshinto Kunikane tanto, and Sendai shinto by Kanekura. These are not swords that deserve to go to Japan where there are specialists in Japan can do this sort of thing in a very manageable window. The market over here. however, seems clogged. Is Mike Virgadamo still working? In fact, maybe what the JSSUS or the the NBTHK-AB ought to do is recruit a willing individual who will acquire and practice the craft we need. Peter

I'll happily donate some tsuba to the raffle. As usual, tho, I am challenged by the image posting process. Please count on two - 2 - tsuba Peter

Hey, I need to get some shirasaya made. Noting heroic, just taking care of some blades. Does the Board have any advice on who is good these days? Peter

I have not followed this entire thread BUT,to me. this signature sure looks like Bizen Chikakane Peter

Of course it is kurikata - look at it - and darn nice. P

Well, at least a Job well done P

This is a fabulous thread that has entertained, educated, and vexed me. Thank you, thank you! This is why NMB exists! P

I was going to say Shimada even before I saw that you were aiming that way. Sure isn't a Mino nakago. Looks like a nice sword. Peter

Jussi has brought this discussion to a point of sterile finality. The fact that northern European swords made between 900 and 1200 AD can be assigned to types is meaningless. The fact that English/French sword blades of the 18th century can be seriated into decadal increments is –likewise – irrelevant. Jussi seems not to know this, but he appears to have played games of kantei and done well enough to get a dozan. It’s a game, Cricket. But, “Ganbatte.” Please do reread Markus’ wonderful treatment. He says that about 20% of koto don’t clearly fit into the gokaden. Well, gee, let’s do the math , . . 5 traditions (that are themselves are admittedly pretty sketchy”) plus another 20%. (Oh, and we all agree that the Mino den is a mystery tradition that popped late “from somewhere.” ) . And so what does the gokaden describe? Maybe something like 60% of pre-Muromachi era swords. Ahh, please pass the shiny sharp stuff. P

I am not sorry for having started this discussion. I learned some things, no one seemed seriously angered, and some may also have profited by the posts. Thank you all. Jean is absolutely correct; the gokaden need have nothing to do with an individual’s collecting. We can and should collect whatever we want. But the discussions in this thread do seem to indicate that lots of collectors do use the concept and structure of the gokaden as a basis for inspecting early koto swords and assessing their history and “collectability”. Whatever it is that we decide to acquire and hold, it is hard not to be interested in the history of sword making in Japan. Where and how did this ART – or at least this routinized artistic craft – come into being? Does the gokaden help us answer that question? My personal answer to that question, is “No.” Maybe with a great personal teacher and access to terrific swords, I could appreciate the 5 traditions. But as explained and described in published sources, I can’t get much use from the “gokaden”. The constituent schools of the traditions seem to my eye to have made widely diverse swords. A Jaguar and a Morris are both British, but they look different - like, say, Hosho and Tegai. The 5 traditions also seem poorly conceived. Golly, the smiths assigned to Soshu and Yamashiro were from many different locales. In other words, as a classification the categories seem quite arbitrary. I tried to suggest that by assigning Volvos to the “German school.” Furthemore, the quality of blades assignable to the five traditions seems extremely variable. In terms of quality, is it appropriate to compare a Rai with a Ryokai? A Model T and a Bugatti IMHO. Finally, there all those “other smiths” – that made swords before the Muromachi era but that are outside the whole gokaden system . And why in the world does Mino get counted at all? It seems to me that the basic question is not why Japanese sword tend to look slightly different. The challenge to me is determining why they all look remarkable alike - - for a thousand years.. Clearly there were systems within Japan after about 1000AD that got basic standards and practices set and widely shared. The 5 traditions were part of that, but there must have been more. Peter

The Board has enjoyed Jean’s thought-provoking thread on a collection achieved. I sincerely thank Jean for starting that thread.Like lots of members, I enjoyed the discussion and admired Jean’s achievement. It has also been useful for lots of NMB members to think about what constitutes a “collection”, what is “collectible”, and when and how to stop collecting. Teasing apart the issues that Jean has provided for us is interesting and wonderful. I really don’t want to tell anybody what constitutes a “collection” or what is a good collecting strategy, but I love those questions. I also admire the group of swords that Jean has worked hard to assemble. Bravo! Bravo! Maximo Bravo! A key part of Jean’s collecting focus has been the Gokaden and that DOES deserve consideration.. I understand that lots of sword aesthetes find the Gokaden useful,. But let me just say it. I have never been able to make the idea, the approach, or the categories of the Gokaden WORK. The gokaden does NOT help me collect. To illustrate this point, let me relate the apocryphal story of a “Car Collector” who was a deeply impressed by the work of the well-known MIT technology historian, E. G. Tilden. I assume that we are all aware of Dr. Tilden’s view that world automobile industry can be understood in terms of 5 national automobile types: U.S., British, French, Japanese, and German. With careful study, the “Car Collector” came to appreciate these distinct categories. He also came to admire Dr. Tilden. Cars are not easy to collect, but the Car Collector had a 5 car garage, so he decided to acquire a good representative of each national type. What he acquired was: US - A 1919 Model T Ford, found in a barn in Arizona and in “original” condition OMG! British - A great 1950 Morris Minor MM Sedan formerly owned by a RAF Ace. French - An attractive 1934 Bugatti that may have had a replaced front left fender. Japan - One of the last surviving Nissan three wheel trucks made in the 1950s. German - An exquisite 1959 Volvo limousine used in his daughter’s wedding. Could the Car Collector stop collecting? Peter

I am not a gunto collector, but having seen lots of them, the dates that are given in the quoted piece just don't add up. There was a lot of brass on swords dated before early '44. In general the prices in this quote seem high. Likewise, there were lots of what sure look like "family blades" in gunto koshirae before '45. Photographs also clearly show that there was a great deal of variation in Showa era gunto. A great deal of variation seems to have been tolerated. I am glad to have seen this piece, but I am not sure that it is the last word!. Peter

Okay, let's go in a different direction. Please let me present a wakizashi tsuka.. (the blade is signed Hizen Kikuchi Kunitomo). As you can see, the tsuka is covered with silver rings that a previous owner had held in place with tape, But. the topic here are the menuki. What is the assembled wisdom of the Forum. Gold? Peter

Thank you Brian, but... I tried to get some pictures of the hada of this sword, but I just couldn't get anything worth posting. Thanks for your interest. Peter

Let me second what George said! Amazing work, Markus!. I will correct a typo, too. I meant "high contrast steel. It truly looks like" this blade has a couple of layers of stainless steel. I wish that Kaneyoshi would have become "an important" smith. And Markus has helped me see that his use of "KokajI" was less a modest comments on Kaneyoshi's assessment of abilities than an arrogant linkage that was way out of place given the skills he demonstrated in this kizu rich blade! Thank you again, Markus. Still, I have to think that this sword is an "interesting" reflection of experimentation and exploration that was going on in the world of Japanese swords in the "Pre-War years." This sword shows that techniques and skills were being developed in sword making communities. I find it also interesting that this sword seems never to have been a gunto. It did not achieved "art" status. Maybe it was "research", but it seems never to have been called into service. Peter

Friends, Please allow me to present for a discussion a sword that seems like it ought to be interesting, but that is also, well, challenging. As shown in the attached images. The sword is signed: Mino Yoro ju Kokaji Kaneyoshi saku. And it is dated mid fall 1937 (Showa 12, Chuaki). The blade is in shirasaya with an individual’s name on the end of the shirasaya tsuka. The blade presents strident ayasugi hada made with what looks like high contract steel. The 1937 date seems rather unusual. All that seems pretty interesting, but (!) the blade (which is probably in its original polish) has several kizu and even small fukure. I have also never been able to really figure out who KANEYOSHI was. There is scant record of a smith by that name (KAN469), and he seems to have been proud to be from Mino, although he used that non-Mino “kane”. And what’s a “kokaji”? I suppose it could have been the dude’s surname, but since it literally means “small/minor smith” it could mean that he was modestly claiming only to be an amateur or an apprentice working with another “real” swordsmith. The signature seems skillfully cut and does not look like it was made by somebody who merely spent a weekend visiting a smith at the famous onsens of Yoro. A sword like thing might be an interesting document about the formative years of gendai sword history. But does interesting history overcome the kizu? Please share your insights, correct my errors, and tell me about this sword. Thank you Peter

Steve has presented an interesting and even expert assessment of this nakago. I see the odd features he has pointed agree and I can only agree that it is"funky" and not likely to be "important" in any way. Still,... I think it might be "interesting". This looks like a very late Edo period sword and lots of exploration and experimentation was going on at that time. I could believe that this sword was made in Edo by a person who was guided and well-connected and then went on to other things. I don't see this as a studied "fake." Peter

1959, july 18 (i think) Showa 34, shichi-gatsu, ju hachi nichi

That was fun. Ray nailed it and I should have gotten the Yamato John got. But, like I said, that was fun! P

crappy picture, but look for something like Tashiro, something no kami.Minamoto Kane kuni saku Peter

This question made me think. Thanks. I had always thought of these two variables as essentially different, but maybe the world is more complex than that. I thought that hitasura was essentially part of the yakiba and a result of the clay applied by the smith. Ji nie by contrast is the result of control during heat treatment. I am quite sure that ample nioi up in the blade would not be a good thing. But maybe I need to look at more of each of these. Good question. Peter

It is a Bizen nakago that has had a bit of grinding on the jiri. Peter