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Ich Danke Dir Christian für das Lob!

Yeah, I talked to another member earlier and it seems that, for whatever reason, the link doesn't work properly on Safari. Maybe it is just a temporary thing but Chrome and Edge work fine so far.

I think the proper name for the deity is matarajin (摩多羅神).

It's done, the Nobuie project is finished! I am going to start upload the PDFs to wetransfer.com tonight, adding the email addresses I have from you guys. So you will get an email from them in which I will include a private link to Lulu where you can order the print copy. Hardcover print copy with 210 pages glossy paper and color print (I added some color pics as promised) is $55. As mentioned, this is just the printing costs. I'm not making any money when you order your print copy. You all (or almost all ) paid me with the $45. What you will get is Ito san's explanation why Nobuie tsuba are so great (i.e. his artistic approach), a very detailed biography of Akiyama Kyusaku, a complete chronological overview of all Noubuie studies done from the Edo period until the 1980s (Ito includes all the pics and oshigata from these period publications), and Ito's own approach of classifying the Nobuie mei into two main categories with a few sub-categories each. Just a little reminder (I have mentioned that earlier in this thread): Please do not share or resell the PDF you get from me! The same applies to the private link to Lulu. As soon as everyone got his copy I will take that down anyway. I have explained before why: It is not about money, it is about that when everyone thinks he can get a copy later down the road from buddy or dealer XY, no one will join such little projects and nothing will be realized. So it is in our all sense to keep the making available of Nihonto knowledge going. Thank you. PS: If you don't get your wetransfer mail tonight, don't worry, it might take me another day to send it out to all ~60 participants.

I should like, if I may be so bold, to refer to my new -50% off eBook Super Sale that started today. Its done in view of the upcoming DTI and will therefore last until Nov 6. This time, it is directly via me and for more details, please check out my announcement on my site: https://markussesko.com/2016/10/23/new-ebook-super-sale/

I think it is a mixture of very few high quality Kaifu blades available (i.e. collectibility/availability) and the overwhelming focus on mainstream work. From my own experience, the far out of sight wakimono are often only addressed if someone has a special interest in them, e.g. by acquiring or coming across a very nice piece, and then he does some research and submits that. It is ususally not that experts who write day in, day out on the Gokaden wake up one day and decide, well, why not doing some research on the Kaifu group today? Or in other words, there is no checklist to work off topics. Suggestions have to come from outside. But that's just how I perceive Nihonto studies in general.

The Kaifu School is very interesting and I did some research on it a while ago. A theory says that the resemblance to Go (i.e. what the 24th Juyo setsumei actually means, not "transformed itself into a big river" as mentioned in the newsletter) goes back to the fact that the former owner of the Iwakiri, Miyoshi Nagayoshi (1522-1564) had the Kaifu master smith Ujiyoshi, who worked for him, study the originals. This approach is supported by the "fact" that Nagayoshi was known for owning two great Soshu meibutsu, the Miyoshi-Masamune and the Miyoshi-Go, which were both unfortunately damaged in the Great Meireki Fire of 1657.

I usually translate (氏蔵) as "owned by (Mr.) XY," i.e. in reference to an individual. Also "from the XY collection" is possible but still in reference to an individual. In contrast there is (家蔵), which I usually translate as "in the possession of the XY family." And when it is (伝来), I usually translate that as "heirloom of the XY family" or "handed down within the XY family."

UPDATE ON THE PROJECT: I am glad to announce that the project is in its final stages and that everything should be finished by the end of this month. Again, I apologize for the delay and the stupid deadline that I announced first, not bearing in mind that its no longer me of ten years ago. I think I got all your emails and when the project is finished, I will make a short notice here and start to send out the PDF-based eBook to each paying participant. As I'm going to use wetransfer.com, you will get an email with a download link and at the same time, I will send you a private link to Lulu.com from where you can order the print copy if you want. As always, just drop me a mail if you have any questions. In the meanwhile, I tried to get in touch with two parties who participated via Facebook, but no answer yet (maybe my mesage landed in the filtered folder). Apart from that, there are three participants from NMB who have not paid yet, Alan Sue, Justin Orr, and Ed Harbulak. There is still time left until everything is finished but may these gentlemen get in touch with me in the meanwhile. Thank you all!

Geez, I remember your site being my very first place to go back then. I absolutely absorbed everything from your site! I can't thank y'all guys enough for providing the solid, earnest, and inspiring base for this whole internet nihonto thingy

The description box in the link should be left out as it's a "copy and paste" error (referring to shinogi-zukuri, chu-kissaki, a ko-notare hamon, a sugu boshi, and bohi on both sides). The actual juyo paper, which is not linked, says o-suriage.

It's actually a big clue as the first character is ubu (生).

I agree with Franco, great learning experience. And Darius, I think you made a good buy in the very sense of a study object that will keep you fascinated for a long time. You did your homework. I mean, there are plenty of other, standard blades out there by Kunisuke, so it takes some balls going for this one as you were following your taste even if such blades are surely out of the box. But smartly with a safety rope, the Tokubetsu-Hozon papers, what tells us that even if reshaped (and I still think it is pretty close to ubu), the NBTHK recognized its importance. I'm really curious right now how many remodelled shinto era naginata got Tokubetsu-Hozon (all juyo naginata by him are unaltered naginata of course). Kunisuke was surely a great master but as mentioned, it's not like that it passed Tokubetsu-Hozon just because there are only three blades of him known...

Yes, mod's please keep this topic alive for a little as it is indeed a very interesting piece. Imagine you have this thing at a kantei. You lift it up and realize that it has a highly uncommon shape: naginata-zukuri on the one, and shinogi-zukuri with full bohi on the other side. You got a yokote, what is common for naginata remodelled into katana or wakizashi as Franco said. So you probably scratch your head about the shape, thinking of a possible naginata-naoshi or naginata-naoshi-zukuri (in the sense of the former being a shortened naginata and the latter being a blade that imitates a shortened naginata). So you check the jigane and hamon and everything else and you realize that you have like a full boshi with kaeri as if just made that way (look at the oshigata), that makes you scratch your head again: Either the original naginata was hardly any wider and/or curved like the blade looks now, or it was really just made like that... At this point, I would probably dismiss the naginata-naoshi approach and would think of a beefy kind of naginata-style wakizashi made that way. So then the hilt comes off and you realize that well, it is indeed a naoshi, i.e. it was once a longer naginata whose tang was cut off, what is confirmed by the paper. Now you scratch your head for the third time as everything points towards the shape of the blade itself being pretty much ubu. But what strikes me is that the mei is on the ura side and all this, i.e. the sheer rarity of all these elements together, makes me think (copying Darious' thread title), that this blade might indeed be a very special order. I even imagine a guy who wanted to have a naginata but one that should make it later into a wakizashi as easily as possible (i.e. not much curved, which would be a pain in the ass to reshape later, but in the first place still with a naginata kind of shape with the unokubi and the naginata-hi). [Edited for typos]

Update on the Nobuie project (with some personal stuff first): I had my surgery on Monday and everything seems fine so far. Lab results are awaited and another CT somewhat later to see if everything keeps growing back but apart from still struggling with sitting for a while, I am ok and I really appreciate all your thoughts! As for the Nobuie project, translation work has made much progress and the second half needs to be proofread. Apart from that, final layout is outstanding but I got much work done. I will keep you updated of course and I thank you for your patience! Not that I'm years off but still, I don't like being late. In this sense: I have learned a lesson and note to myself: Do not make anymore promises on deadlines with your previous speed and energy in mind! Oh, and of all the participants, all but 5 paid, what I consider kind of a good result. No worries, I have sent out mails and messages a while ago so I take that on my tab. I mean, I have realized that with sword and sword fittings-related projects like that, you just have to face a certain "grey zone." I will make use of crowdfunding for certain projects in the future but thinks like the Nobuie project, I want to keep it within "our community" and don't want to pay fees to third parties. Anyway, I hope y'all still with me and it's going to be a great reference and another, fresh insight into Nobuie.

Thank you guys!

Short (or not so short) update on the Nobuie project: Translation has made much progress in between and I will be soon be able to send over the first part fo my dear proof reader and go then over to layout and so on but which should not take that long. But apart from that, I still have about 10 people on my list who haven't paid the agreed shared translation fee of $45. As mentioned, the finished book will not be made available until all participating parties have paid. To get things going, I would kindly ask the following participants to either fill up their PayPal or get in touch with me for any further questions. Not using this as "publich shaming" and refrain therefore from posting full names but the following gentleman are concerned: Luc, Barrie, Edgar, Stan, Alan, Justin, Ron, Graham, and Ed. No problem, there is still time to work everything out as the translation is not finished yet. Apart from that, I want to take the opportunity to make another personal announcement. I am mentioning this just once as I don't want to make a big deal out of it and only here because this is more like a "sworn" community than FB. I am struggling with a benign tumor on my spine for a while now, nothing life-threatening but the pain got more and more annoying over the last few months and this is topped by cramps that are the result from sh*tty sitting due to the back pain. Now I got a surgery scheduled for the end of August to get it over with once and for all and getting back to normal. However, those times where I published two books a year are over I guess and some might have realized why also my blog has slowed down recently. So that's why. Really looking forward to fall though...

Got to kill some time at Orlando airport so I copy some FB pics from various channels over here. Guess its ok as they are already on FB but if someone has some objections, just let me know and I take them down again. Excellent show and our "Orlando mini Shinsa" was a great experience! Thanks Mike for doing it and Joe and Jon and all the others who were helping and also a big thanks to Bob for the organzation! See you next year guys (well, most of you probably in a couple of months in SF)

I followed the link but the discussion over there was about a different paper, about one that was issued by Koryo. This one here fakes a Koson paper.

Its supposedly Hon'ami Koson (the kao on page 81 of my Hon'ami book). But the paper says Showa 32 (1957) what is bad news as Koson died in 1955. There are quite many Hon'ami origami fakes going round so watch out!

Thank you Brian! Will let you know.

Just a little update, and reminder * cough* I have now received about 2/3 of the payments, so for the participants here on NMB who are among the outstanding 1/3, please activate your PayPal or drop me a mail when to expect payment as translation work has already begun. Thank you.

Yes, the term Soden-Tegai, or at least Soden-Yamato, would get rid of some ambiguities but too bad they didn't ask us back then when they coined "Yamato-Shizu", hehe.

I think that the answer might already be hidden in that question: We can't really name any specific student or even distinguish between them so we have to use the term "Yamato-Shizu" to refer to post-Kaneuji local Soshu influenced Yamato works. Or: We do see for sure a post-Kaneuji Soshu influence on local Yamato works but are no longer able to name any specific Kaneuji student or smith: et voilà -> Yamato-Shizu should be the term to refer to them.

To my understanding, the wider definition of Yamato-Shizu refers to Yamato-based smiths who too adjusted to the Soshu style and not to those who stuck to the traditional Tegai style as those would usually get specific attributions like "Tegai" or "Kanetomo" (包友) or "Kaneuji" (包氏) or something like that. So even if master Saburo Kaneuji never returned to Yamato, the local smiths still experienced a Soshu influence and they are summarized as "Yamato-Shizu".