Ted Tenold

曉　"Dawn" "Daybreak" . Likely just an owner romantically naming a sword. The work in the blade looks nice and gendai-like. Reminds me of the style of work from the Enomoto family.

At a glance, the blade is quite nice. Considering it had a gakumei that has been struck, likely scenario is that it was submitted for the maker of note on it, bounced as gimei, gakumei erased, re-submitted for attribution and then left at hozon. As has been discussed many times in the past, many owners/collectors in Japan (and some outside also) don't concern themselves with anything higher than Hozon as chasing tiers is not their objective. The attribution of "Den" (伝), also as referenced in this thread, is not necessarily a diminishing statement and can be in some cases a note of enthusiasm for a piece. Indeed for some makers, such as Go Yoshihiro where there are no known signed examples in the extant body of works, it can be a matter of policy to include den in the attribution and/or elevation. "Den" can be a large colorful signpost sometimes, partcularly in the Tokuju tier works where a remarkably good Shizu ascribed as "den", might have been attributed to Masamune back in the olden days. They can be that good, or [humble opinion switched on] better. All Tokuju arrive from lower tiers also, so looking at the quality and not the teir should be the focus.

Condolences my friend. I lost my little best friend last July. We always wish for just a few more years, but what we really want is forever.

Hokke Ichijo

Tom, your question is a bit vague in that there are several different organizations that conduct shinsa. Is there something that you feel would substantially legitimize any particular Shinsa team to you? Ask ten people, get ten views.

Not at all insignificant. The buckling is because the metal is becoming foil thin, and due to it not being fused with the sub-structure, it is essentially "floating" in this region. This could be a problem originating at the seam/juncture of the kawagane with the shingane, which in turn could mean that the kawagane is getting very thin throughout much or all of the blade. It doesn't mean the metal will "erupt" like this throughout, but instead the shingane will just become exposed as the kawagane is worn away. Here's an example of a cold shut between shingane and kawagane made visable in a cross section. It's the black gap seen to the left with the lighter color to the outside showing the kawagane, and the darker core metal being the shingane. Sometimes they can be repaired with "umegane" or filler metal obtained from a donor blade. This is essentially sword surgery, in that the metal in the region is carved out, and a small slab of replacemet metal is installed with a mechanical fit, then the sword polished either in that place or in whole. The best of these procedures will be nearly invisible, and the least attentive are small rectangular pieces that are quite conspicuous, but do afford some measure of repair. Blisters in the yakiba cannot be repaired with umegane as the hardened steel isn't ammenable to the process.

Significant "fukure". Fukure are delamination blisters. In Western smith terminology they're called "cold shuts".

The NBTHK does not issue papers to living makers. Perhaps you are confusing this Kuniie (Shoji) with his Grandfather (Katsukichi) who was also Kuniie.

It will depend on what is necessary to fit it, and how it is done. If the nakago is smaller than the tsubas nakago ana, "peening" the ana shut against the nakago is one technique, as is adding filler material such as sekigane. Both of these significantly alter the extant form of the tsuba. Sometimes sekigane can be fitted in such a way as they can be removed later without much disturbance of the original material, but some marring/scratching might be expected after removal. If the nakago is larger than the tsubas nakago ana, then the nakago ana will need to be enlarged to accomodate a fit. This can alter the original form modestly or massively depending on the size of the nakago of course. However it also removes the original patina inside the nakago ana of the tsuba, so there will be conspicuous evidence of alteration. The larger question is this; How will the use of a tsuba on an iato alter its condition? Friction, sweat, contact, environmental changes, personal body chemistry, all can have a very detrimental effect on fittings.

......good luck. Seriously. Please folks do fulfill your commitments. I've seen this happen to Robert before and it's totally not cool to flake on his good will and efforts.

I would take my peanuts with me.

David Bull is a great guy, and very talented, intelligent, and animated. :-) I'm fairly well acquainted with him and have visited his studio many times. We've had some very interesting conversations and I own a few of his prints including his re-creation of Hokusai's "Great Wave off Kanagawa". If you want to see the development and production of that one, you can view it on youtube in 16 parts. Fascinating and very educational. I saw him again last April and he was again expanding his shop, taking over the ground floor portion of the building as well. He was working on a recreation of another classic Hokusai print but I'm not sure I'm at liberty to discuss it so I'll refrain. He was kind enough to show me the recently finished key block though and I told him I'll be buying a copies of it. Just have to wait however many months or years for him to finish the color blocks in what little spare time he has. :-) He's incredibly busy taking care of the regular printing needs, plus his annual prints, series prints, new years cards, and print parties, running the day to day, etc., etc., so I doubt he'd be interested in taking on a private commission, and especially not for a print that was not "production" intended as the trade is really meant to focus on. However, he is very approachable and kind, so one could ask him. I encourage everyone to visit his shop. It's near Sensoji Temple which is also a good reason to visit the area, and it's not all that far from the new NBTHK Museum either. About a mile and a half and across the Sumida river. Plus, the Hokusai museum is near the NBTHK also. He also has a nice selection of vintage/antique prints.

I heard a story once about shakudo habaki perhaps indicating the presence of a hagire in a sword, which to me makes as much sense as a black mag wheels indicating the presence of a bent frame on a car. Preference? Style? Fashion? Yes. Yoshindo Yoshihara seems to have shakudo foil habaki quite often. I doubt anyone would approach him as ask if that sword he has on display is somehow inferior because of the habaki.

Spending all that good money on plastic watch bands??? What the hell is wrong with those old shoelaces? Mottainai!!!

I received the wood plane yesterday. Thank you Stephen for your prompt communication, excellent packing, and fast shipping! I look forward to trying it out soon. Thanks, Ted

PM sent...

Old Time John?? Guess that makes me Late Generation Ted!

I find that when I drink enough, everything I say is a long vowel.

Kodai = 後代

I look forward to seeing his work in the future.

Okay. Thank you very much for clarifying Tim!

I've been back through this thread a couple of times, and maybe I missed something, but am I to understand that the blade was known to be of non-Japanese origins and was submitted to the shinsa with that information withheld? When submitting things to any shinsa, "trust" is a two-way street.

Another interesting thought; this is one of my favorite craftsman, ever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Maloof His rocking chairs are iconic for mastery of design, execution, and in price reaching $30,000 to $50,000. However, I've not yet heard of, nor seen, any evidence or accounts of his works being faked. Hmmm.... If you've never seen one *in person*, examined the wood stock choices, the joinery, the color, the finish, then looking at one on line won't help you determine if it's going to be the first fake to be discovered by some dude working in the style of Sam Maloof who is talented at woodworking, but still stands dismally short of the visual tibre of Maloof's finished works.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getty_kouros https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/arts/design/french-museum-fakes.html https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Brewster_Chair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Beltracchi This is not about the Chinese, or the Japanese, nor is it about any infalibility of any expert either qualified or self-conceived to ride in on a white stallion and safe us from financial doom. It's about vigilent, devoted, study and an individual's personal ability to sequester emotions born of passion and/or greed. I once knew a militaria dealer in California who said "Sheep are to be shorn", and he did not have any problem manning the shears with someone needed to be fleeced. Ray has a point when he posits the thought of the smiths in regard to their efforts. Thus, it's important to understand that the motivations for faking things are often not born from avarice. It's ego. Though arguably, money does help oil the gears of enthusastic production. Consider this: Who is the most well known forgery artist of Japanese swords? Anyone?

Not nearly enough....