Jacques

Is it Shinto though? I thought it looked Muromachi. I've never seen the Bishu Osafune Sukesada mei on a shinto blade (apart from gimei). The Tadakuni is superb, I have come close to buying it for a while now. I think that's the best deal on a Hizen sword anywhere on the net... Sukesada (real name Shichibei) was a descendant of Yosozaemon no jo Sukesada (16th century) he worked in Manji era (1658); there are many Sukesada trough the shinto era until Shinshinto. In shinshinto we found another descendant of Sukesada, Sukenaga who was a great smith.

hi, I personally think that one of the best book for a beginner is the book written by Kanzan Sato Sensei - The Japanese Sword "a compréhensive guide".

Hi, A photo is often better than a long speech, Matsukawa hada is more strong and chikei are numerous and vigorous and no masame. I've a Yamato tegai blade, look at it, To my eyes it is more similar than Mastukawa hada (but i need perhaps new glasses :D ).

Darcy, Sorry for my bad explanation :? when i said "this one looks more like shinto yamato tegai or Ogasawara" i wanted to talk about the picture that b.hennick had posted not about Norishige hada. About gassan ayasugi hada, a nice photo :

Hi, No, there is no masame in the matsukawa-hada, this one looks more like shinto yamato tegai or Ogasawara.

Hi, I say nothing.... they say. you must write to them and say "sorry but you are wrong". An other exemple. http://www.k3.dion.ne.jp/~j-gunto/gunto_147.htm Read also the connoisseur's book of Japanese swords (Page 33) and Comments on the Construction of Japanese Swords by Harvey Stearn, BUSHIDO: An International Journal of Japanese Arms, Vol 2, No. 3, January 1981. You can believe what you want, it's not my problem.

here is a daisho made by the nidai, you can make a comparison, you are better expert than me. To my eyes three things are wrong on your blade the location of the mei (too near the nakagojiri) the kiku mon (should be more large) and the thick chisel strokes. It's my thought but i'm not an expert.

Hi Patrick, The ura mei indicate the nidai of Kinmichi (kanji so). But pictures of the blade could help better.

Hi, Dai (代) means generation; sho (初) means first Shodai means the first, nidai (二代) the second, sandai (三代) the third etc...

Hi, You have it here But in french :lol:

Brian, that's possible, if it's a shinto smith it is the shodai, The nidai used another kanji "mune" 宗

Hi, No risks, There are few blades from O Sa wich are extant, few tanto and only one Tachi (It belonged to Tokugawa Ieyazu). but no Naginata

Hi, You forget Yasusada :lol: however the yasurime saka takanoha on the ura are not in accordance witth the mishina school.

Hi, Ogasawara Nagamune and his son worked in the middle of the shinto time (shodai 1673-1681, nidai 1716-1736). They lived in Musashi and worked in Yamato tradition. source: les sabres shinto (Serge DEGORE)

Hi, Ok as you want, but i keep my opinion and i'll not buy it.

Hi, Mino-den is considered to be in Yamato mixed with Soshu tradition also abundant nie is natural and required :D I think this blade is older than shinto but not Nanbokucho.

Hi, According Kokan Nagayama and some others like Harvey Stearn the tsukurikomi like Kobuse or Makuri were invented in the late Muromachi (around 1450), so many koto blades which are folded never show core steel and seems never tired even though they are also fine as a cigarette paper. This can be interesting and instructive An other koto tanto (muromachi) for comparison, this one is healthy.

Hi Mike, This blade is tired and th nakago was rechaped Why? first You have a yakiotoshi and Masashige had never done one, also you have a kakedashi in the koshiba. Masashige was a great smith and when a blade is well done it's from the point of the kissaki to the point of the nakagojiri; look attentively at the part from the ha-machi to the first nagago-ana, it's not really well done.

After some researchs i found that: Mishina school founder moved from Seki to Kyoto with his 4 sons (Kanemichi-Kinmichi, Rai Kinminchi, Yoshimichi and Masatoshi). The family developped associations with the imperial family and was permitted to use the circular kiku mon, this one was usually cut on the ura source: Mino-tô - Malcolm E Cox

You surely made the confusion with The Ray Kinmichi line. In their engraving of the kanji kami the vertical line crosses the horizontal one, in the case of Kinmichi line the vertical engraving is under the vertical one. Rai kinmichi exemple. However, i think also that this blade is gimei but i'm not an expert.

You surely made the confusion with The Ray Kinmichi line. In their engraving of the kanji kami the vertical line crosses the horizontal one, in the case of Kinmichi line the vertical engraving is under the vertical one. Rai kinmichi exemple.

Hi, a very good exemple of a blade which is tired and that the nakago is rechaped:

Hi, Seems unokubi-zukuri (cormoran's neck) and not shobu-zukuri (iris leaf), Is the mune narrower than the shinogi? Especially on the nakago? Look at the hamon, it goes straight in the nakago and disappears in the rust

Hi, Usually Mishina blades have a stout sugata with a thick kasane. With Acid polish we can't see the start of the hamon wich should be a kyo yakidashi.

Hi, I think it's more a nagamaki naoshi than a naginata naoshi one