Markus

I tend towards Osafune Kanenaga (aka Kencho)...

I think it is "nigaru" (焠), a rather uncommon term for "harening." So "hardened by..." Not sure about the name but the first character also reads "Omi" or "Tomi" as Japanese family name. So maybe "Omi/Tomi Tadao kore o niragu".

Yes, the character for "katana" is read in this context as "horu", i.e. "carved (by)".

Hi Klaus, The info comes from the catalog to a 2010 Ise Shrine exhibition that is titled: Gendaito no 100-nen: Fukkô to Keishû - Chôkokan Kaikan 100-shûnen Kinenten: Zuroku (100 Years of Gendaitô: Renaissance and Succession - Commemoration Exhibition to the 100th Anniversary of the Opening of the Chôkokan) 現代刀の100年 復興と継承 徴古館開館100周年記念展 図録 Don't have a copy though but found a reference to Okimasa's earlier name online. Also that he signed with Kazunori (和則) for a while. As for the authenticity, well, my gut feeling tells me that this might be the real thing. Don't know if it would make sense to forge such a rare signature variant of Okimasa (and not a Okimasa mei right away). But you never know these days...

Hi Klaus, The mei reads "Oshû Iwashiro-jûnin Tsukamoto Kazuyuki saku" (奥州岩代住人塚本和行作) and the left part "Tôyama Mitsuru'ô no teinai ni oite" (於頭山満翁邸内, "made on the grounds of Tôyama Mitsuru"). It is this Tôyama Mitsuru: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dyama_Mitsuru "Kazuyuki" was a name Tsukamoto Okimasa had used for a while. I have to add that info to my Gendai project.

Seems that my last announcement made wider rounds as more material keeps coming these days, what is really great! Just don't want that people approach me after the book is out and say that they could have contributed many important references. As Brian said: If you have a great or promising gendaito, give me the chance to published it and save so information for future generations of collectors.

I have only seen less than a handful over the years and would consider them as rarity. Maybe because the blade was just shortened something was arranged with Hon'ami so that the older paper can stay.

Hi Dirk, The missing parts are: 少 - In the part after shoshin, so "a little bit suriage ニ - Particle ni in the part after Kyôwa three. 承認 - as "confirmation" atop of Kôitsu.

No problem Piers. Still don't know why they decided to do it that way, i.e. split up the translation to two different guys. I mean, it is not that I was charging a fortune or that the NBTHK is so poor that they are only able to afford half of a translation and have the other half give to someone who does it at the side and for free... I mean, I would not care if there are some typos or a few ambiguous sentences but the parts done by the other party are just straightforward too bad to have it print that way (I am far far from anywhere near perfect but these texts read really bad, sorry). That's why I can't think they were done by Gavin Frew, as Michael suggested, who has published quite some stuff. I wish my name would have been removed from that catalog as it feels like a blemish. I take full responsibility for my own work but I don't want to be associated forever with something that I did not do and that is too sub-par... So I can fully understand you Piers in thinking about letting them drop your name.

Maybe on of those: Yoshifusa (吉房), 1st gen., Bunmei (文明, 1469-1487), Yamashiro – “Heianjō Yoshifusa” (平安城吉房), “Sanjō Yoshifusa” (三条吉房), Heianjō school, gunome-midare in nioi-deki with ko-nie, some blades have a tight nioiguchi, wazamono Yoshifusa (吉房), 2nd gen., Kyōroku (享禄, 1528-1532), Yamashiro – “Heianjō Yoshifusa” (平安城吉房), “Heianjō Yoshifusa saku” (平安城吉房作), “Sanjō Yoshifusa Izumi no Kuni ni oite saku” (三条吉房於泉国作), he also worked in Izumi province, chū-sugha mixed with ko-midare, gunome-midare, notare-midare, chūjō-saku Yoshifusa (吉房), Genki (元亀, 1570-1573), Yamashiro – “Yoshifusa” (吉房), “Heianjō Yoshifusa” (平安城吉房)

Yamato no Kuni-jûnin Kanenaga saku (大和国住人包永作). Very big name, signature very different from that big name...

I see. Thanks for the update Guido!

You are right. This option is indeed available for a while now. Do you know by chance when they introduced that (I kind of think it was just a couple of years ago or so)?

Hi Hoanh, Yes, the suriage point was dropped for TH. Major changes are that you now need Hozon and you have to go through Hozon, and Tokubetsu Hozon to receive Juyo (and higher). So no longer any Kicho or other older Ninteisho are accepted to submit for TH. But, and what they did not say in that part as it does not concern the standards per se, you can now submit for Hozon and TH at the same time and you get the paper the blade, koshirae, or fitting qualifies for. Doesn't save you much money though but time (if you think your piece is really promising for TH or if you are going anyway for Juyo).

Hi Ken, Mukansa is a title that is solely granted by the NBTHK and connected to their annual sword forging contest. I.e. if you win several top prices in a row (I think it is eight, or six plus two special prices) then they take you quasi out of competing with the other smiths and no longer judge your work. As Malcolm said, the prefectural designations are decided by the administrative department of the cultural affairs office of the individual Prefecture and as far as I know, these departments and the national board heavily rely on the NBTHK Mukansa rank to decide which smith should become intangible cultural property.

The paper is supposed to be by Hon'ami Koson but it raises a big red flag as it is dated November 3rd 1957 and Koson died in 1955! That's now the second highly doubtful Hon'ami origami I have seen in recent times.

The sayagaki is from December 8th 1950 and by Inami Hakusui.

Post mainly those that were shared with me and on my FB wall, so that's why they might look somewhat egocentric.

Am so free and forward some pics Joe and Bob shared on FB. Made some new friends and had a great time and I was one of those who took the "scenic route" to Little Saigon Great show and great after show sword study with some outstanding blades! Thank you guys and I am already looking forward to the next show(s).

Thanks for the update Arnold. I've learned that there is a schedule online in the meanwhile and I am glad that most of the program is taking place on Saturday: http://orlandojapaneseswordshow.com/us/schedule/ Looking forward to next weekend!

Oops, thought that WAS the actual link. Fixed now

Thanks Axel, changed the footer.

I am upgrading my blog from "markussesko.wordpress.com" to "markussesko.com" so it might be down for a little. Wordpress should redirect automatically but I guess everyone should change their links and bookmarks when this is done. Thank you for your patience and everything will be back to normal soon.

Hm, as it is kind of similar in shape to the kashiwaba (柏葉) of a tachi or handachi koshirae, maybe kashiwaba-dome (柏葉留め)?

I think you accidentally quoted the entry for Tanaka Kiyotoshi (p.217)? This line "Besides Gotō Ichijō and Kanō Natsuo he is ranked among the greatest kinkō artists of the bakumatsu era." is found in Kiyotoshi chapter. The Bamen were indeed armorers, helmets from the Sengoku period for example are extant and the latest kabuto seems to have been made around Genroku (1688-1704). The place name of Bamen is found in pre-Genroku era maps as being a district of the town of Maruoka, Echizen province, where the school had moved after their original place of residence, Toyohara, had been destroyed by Nobunaga in 1575. When one branch of the local school participated in the siege of Osaka in 1615 as part of the arms and armor production and repair unit, the did a good job and were so their lord, Honda, allowed them to use Bamen as family name (they also received a house as reward). The horse mask thing is probably something that was later claimed to give their name some fancy background, for example, one tradition even sees the origins of that name back in the time of Sasaki Takatsuna (late Heian) who allegedly ordered a mask maker to make him a face mask for his horse. His horse did not suffer a single wound in the subsequent fightings and each time his horse wore this mask, Takatsuna turned out to be victorious. So the craftsman, his name was Jigo, adopted Bamen as his family name. In short, the Bamen were for sure armorers or at least blacksmiths (mentioned so in historic documents) and when it was time for the obligatory rewards after a battle, i.e. Osaka in 1615, they were granted with a family name and probably created this horse mask myth around it because it suggested itself.