Hoshi

Hozon or Tokubetsu Hozon, it makes absolutely no difference for me, in my area (Kamakura to Nambokucho blades). - it is relevant for fittings, as it becomes an indicator of importance (as opposed to a mere checklist). - it is relevant for Showa period swords, where TH is rarely awarded. There, I believe it may contain some information about relative Importance. TH is a checklist, and one that keeps on changing. If you learn the checklist, you do not need to get the paper, unless you plan to submit to Juyo. As Ray justly points out, The NBHTK has moved the goalpost with mumei Muromachi blades receiving TH.

Don’t restrict yourself too much when looking for a Kamakura period piece. It can take many years to find a good, healthy Kunimune that has textbook characteristics. the vast majority of them are unfortunately worn down, or compromised in some way. Don’t buy a sword because the maker is a “big name” - chances are, what you’re looking at on the open internet are the compromise pieces that don’t get traction in the Japanese market. The gems go quietly to top clients who have a standing order with dealers. Great swords from this period are disappearing to private museums and foundation. Be patient, and take your time to learn and examine great blades.

I strongly suggest you get @Ray Singer’s help on this one and follow his recommendation. I can vouch for his character and ethics. The blade is likely quite valuable. It has Nambokucho period aura. Soden-Bizen or Sue-Sa comes to mind. Perhaps a few tens of thousands of dollars. Much less if it’s later work suriage, or if it has unseen flaws. More if it’s from a famous Nambokucho grandmaster. Which is unlikely, as cutting tests weren’t performed on top master blades. In any case you’re looking at ~1 year + significant costs to get it appraised, certified, and restored if it makes sense financially. Best of luck!

The "Nibelungen theory" of Nihonto. The mythical dwarven smiths of the North... For Hoju and related schools, @Jussi Ekholm is your man. Jussi has a deep interest in this school, and I'm sure would know exactly where the key references are to be found, to build a good foundation.

Dear Jeb, As you wisely put it, If it is too good to be true, chances are, it is. Sanjo Munechika... Ko-Bizen Tomonari... For onlookers, beware the lure of the Sirens of Greed. "Come here...gold, I offer you gold...at the price of lead..." "Priceless treasures...that only YOU could find...come, come closer, take the gold..." At best, when you wake up from the drunken, greed-fueled fever, you will realize it was lead all along. You will put your mistakes behind, cut your losses, and gaze upon the steep path of learning ahead, and engage with it in earnest, and with passion. A financial hangover, a blunder on the path. At worst, you will succumb to pride, and convince yourself of your judgement, that you truly, maybe, have found gold at the price of lead. There you will begin your descent into Nihonto Hell. A place antithetical to knowledge, a path of self-deception with only ruin ahead. You will work to convince yourself that a cabal of dark-hooded "experts" have elected themselves above you, for their own gain, to deny your prize. A conspiracy to deny your worth. You will preach, and convince a flock of resentful souls of their own righteousness, and carry their cause. You will fight tooth and nail to spread the immaculate truth, to take down the cabal, and perhaps even setup your own booth to peddle your treasures to followers in the process. Or you may emerge from this fever dream in the Limbo of Nihonto: Relativism. "Whatever" There are no superior sword, there is no excellence, no art. It is all in the eye of the observer. Nothing matters. There is no up, there is no down. There are only perceptions. There are only opinions, and they all matter the same. Lead is gold, to me, and therefore it is true, by virtue of being my "lived experience". Beware out there.

This is a wonderful topic, and I appreciate all the photos and references being shared. Lovely to hear again from you @Rayhan. Welcome back. I am still not sure myself how utsuri was obtained, but I (weakly) subscribe to the temperature-control theory and single quench, so far at least. Annealing, thermocycling, are two plausible alternative theories. I believe the focus should not be utsuri - but rather, antei - the dark band above the hamon. How was antei obtained, and how does it differ metallurgically from the white-ish band above? (utsuri). I believe this is important, because the utsuri itself is the default jigane state whereas the Antei is where the metallurgical alterations of interest occur. I have not seen a convincing metallurgical analysis comparing the three bands: hamon, antei, and utsuri. This is an important gap. I would be very grateful for a credible reference to come to light. Regarding a photo of utsuri, here is a striking midare-utsuri on a Tokubetsu Juyo blade by Osafune Kagemitsu (photography credit to Ted Tenolds). This is a good base to anchor the conversation. Notice the 3 distinct bands: - Hamon (and the nioi-based substructure forming the nioiguchi and the ashi) - Antei (the dark area above the nioiguchi) - Utsuri (the whitish area above the utsuri)

Hi Kevin, The ji is executed in itame mixed with mokume, and although it is denser on one side compared to the other, it is within the normal range of variation. First tip: don't over index on the distinctions between itame, mokume, etc...it's just not that important, in the end. Likewise, don't fixate on minute irregularities in the ji, in Japan nobody really cares. What you want to train yourself to look at (sugata aside): pay attention to the hamon: is it bright and clear?, the nioiguchi: is it consistent and luminous? the quality of the ji: is it lustrous with ample jinie? And the expected midare-utsuri (which cannot be seen on the current photos, alas). You'll notice that the blade's ji is rich in jinie, and is quite lustrous, which is a rarified feature for Nambokucho works. The most important of these qualities is the nioiguchi. It is rather thin, clear, and consistent. Then look at the form of the hamon, you'll recognize that it resembles closely the hamon pattern of his master, Kagemitsu, with an angular and almost kataochi-style gunome. This lets us infer that this is relatively early work of Kanemitsu, before his prime phase where he executes his hamon in a noticeably different way. Pay attention also to the slanting and brilliant ashi that give the hamon depth and clarity. It is a worthy Tokubetsu Juyo blade. Personally, I am more fond of such early Kanemitsu work with the brilliant ashi, and angular kataochi-style gunome, compared to his more mature style. Is it in the upper echelons of Tokubetsu Juyo for Kanemitsu? Not quite, and that is reflected in the price. It is certainly a lovely blade. Hope this helps. Hoshi

Hi fellow Swiss, The photos are difficult to interprete, but based on what you have, I'm afraid that they do not conform to Kencho's characteristics in a way that makes me confident in the attribution. Kencho (And Chogi) for that matter, have a different hamon shape and structure. The nie is likewise too intensively expressed (from what I can discern by squinting) in your photos. I can't make pronouncements on the Boshi, as the photos make it difficult to discern what is the hardened area. There is what appears nie kuzure, and an undelineated nioiguchi composed of blotchy nie. The simplest way is perhaps to think of Kencho as being more wild than Chogi, with sharper ups and down, and an overall more nervous appearance, whereas Chogi expressed a more wavy-like, more in the alpha frequency band to take a radio analogy. Kencho by contrast, goes into much higher frequencies of ups and downs. Some blades fall in the middle and can go back and forth. Both smiths were probably close to equal in skill. Kencho is one of the unfairly classified smiths by Fujishiro as Jo-Saku. His Tokubetsu Juyo record would point that he is at least Jo-Jo saku, or even close to Sai-jo saku. Now, this is based on the tradition of attribution, in reality we have only three signed works left by him and they do deviate from the canonical Kencho in significant ways. The Honami judges that did issue kiwame to Kencho are also the unreliable ones, so we don't have a lot to go with. Kencho is really a vibe of Soden-Bizen. Some of his works are truly wonderful though, and some even prefer Kencho over Chogi or Kanemitsu. Regarding the "kizu" folder - the Kirikomi is not what you should be concerned about. There are two Fukure in that blade, one in the ha. This is a signifiant condition issue. Good luck in your search, I would recommend skipping this one. A great Kencho attributed sword, however, is a solid path that I would recommend pursuing. For reference, here is a legitimately excellent Kencho: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-Japanese-swords-and-armour-from-the-paul-l-davidson-collection/a-soden-bizen-school-katana-attributed-to-kanenaga It's one of the great heights of the Nambokucho period's Bizen tradition. Good luck!

Happy to hear! Positive feedback is encouraging. If there are enough interested people that follow the substack, it'll keep me motivated to post more research! The Shizu line is fascinating. Did you know a new zaimei Shizu daito was uncovered and passed Juyo Shinsa this year? I'd love to do a writeup on that blade, but the odds to get in-hand and do photography aren't on our side. To each his own. I'm basing my research on the NBHTK's tradition of attribution, and belong firmly into the "Tanobian" school of thought, which is itself extension of Honma Junji's approach. As you know, appraisals on mumei blades are partly specific features, partly quality gradients, depends on the case. For those interested, the best way to dive into it is to buy Markus Sesko's excellent (and ongoing!) translation of the Kanto Hibisho. I can't recommend it enough, it's a rare glimpse into his stream of consciousness. Get it here. Beautiful photos, great write-ups, and in-depth research, this is what I miss most. Hopefully, we can re-create some of the magic of Yuhindo. Best, Hoshi

Thank you! The photography is the work of Ted Tenold (and the copyright owner, photos reused with permission). The photos are from Darcy's original post on Yuhindo.com.

Hello everyone, I miss everyday being able to go on Yuhindo.com to gaze at magnificent blades, it used to be a "Zen" website where one could just linger surrounded by beauty and knowledge. I memory of my friend Darcy, I started a Substack project where I plan to publish articles when time allows, with in-depth with high-quality research, with the help of friends such as Markus, Ted and others. In the long run, it'll form the basis of a book. My plan to focus on swords that "have stories to tell" and delve on often overlooked topics such as provenance and discussions on attributions. The content is aimed at intermediate-level enthusiasts, but with the help of AI tools it should be understandable by everyone, new or experienced, in the hobby. Here is the first article of the series: https://hoshido.substack.com/p/the-falling-leaf?r=bw6e8 I hope you enjoy. Best, Hoshi

A beautiful tribute @Kotetsu1959 This is what matters, in the end, friendships, sharing, learning and memories that live on. Paul has left a big mark on our field. This auction is a tribute to a lifetime of passion, discovery and careful curation. I wish for this auction to be a big success.

A few fakes have been discussed lately on YJP. Fake Odachi, fake Awataguchi Kunitsuna - to name a few. None of these are convincing fakes, however. Convincing fakes do exist and - if you remember a few months back - we've had a Go Yoshihiro, and an Awataguchi Kuniyasu from the same 'new' vendor with Juyo papers that were exceedingly good reproductions (or real. re-issued papers). The blades were made as convincing copies, however the photos were 'too good' and it was easy to see the blank hamons and other telltale signs. The fakers put in some real effort, real investment, and achieved a 5M yen cash grab on the Go if I recall correctly. The swords were made to closely ressemble the Oshigata of the Juyo blades, including the nakago, with convincing reshaping and drilling. Now, it returns. This has either inspired a copycat, or it could also be the same 'gang' operating: They learned their lesson with the photos and the setup is now optimized to make it more difficult to tell. https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/u1175987916?lang=en&rc=yaucc - The papers look real (and match the Zufu). - The blade looks like a good match for the Oshigata (notice the hataraki). - The seller is a newbie that is cleaning up his friend's attacs (so he is naive, hehe). It's all made in a convincing way to attract bargain-hunters that want to buy gold at the price of lead. If you look closely, you will notice that the hataraki are 'painted' with hadori, the Yubashiri becomes a tobiyaki, the dimensions are slighly off, you can't discern the bright nie you'd expect with Sadamune. If you know you know, but it's a very real danger for all the YJP! chasers out there. I get the thrill, but be careful. If its too good to be true, something's wrong.

This is the kind of sword we should be discussing on this forum. Great effort @Lewis B lately. You're picking up fast. Your posts are interesting, which is motivating a few of us to contribute more to sharing knowledge. RE: The Yoshifusa. As @Gakusee said, it is in his early Ko-Bizen style, which is more suited for an advanced collector, perhaps as a second Yoshifusa, to provide an illustration of the migration movement from Ko-Bizen to Ichimonji in the early to middle Kamakura period. It is understandably somewhat arcane, so it can be quite difficult to find a market for such a blade. The price is reasonable given its extreme rarity, but it's far from an easy one for which to find a good home. In general, the more you deviate from the preferred style, the more your market narrows. For Yoshifusa, this preferred style - and most common style - is the glamorous and complex choji that vary wildly. Although, keep in mind, we are talking ultra-rarities there, with 31 works extant works that can even be exported outside Japan. So, this Yoshifusa in Ko-Bizen style is a rarity amongst rarities, with 4 exportable works in Ko-Bizen deki. Nonetheless, the glamorous Yoshifusa is most sought after, and I think this needs no academic explanation...the flamboyance is simply spectacular, and wildly considered to be the peak of Ichimonji's glamorous style, everyone just "gets it". For other smiths, their rare styles are their preferred styles. Take Nagamitsu, he has less than a handful of blades in the style of his father, but the few that can be found tend to be Kokuho or Jubun and considered to be his supreme masterworks. Keep up the passion!

Truth is we don't know. The author has an axe to grind about the treatment of Gunto and the requirements that art swords are made according to "traditional methods" which are defined as using Tamahagane, etc. With this caveat in place, he's right to point at the massive gap in scholarship when it comes to the nature of the iron used prior to the Muromachi era. The 'state of the art' metallurgical studies usually analyze a few low value blade from the Muromachi period. You can't draw conclusions on such tiny samples with non-representative blades and extend this to the golden age of Nihonto, the Kamakura period. Grain of salt yes, but would personally love a properly calibrated XRF-bases study, with multipoint measurements, over a vast collection of treasures. For now, we just lack in-depth scholarship in the topic.

I'm of the opinion that "important" should be interpreted more "important in general in the field of nihonto" than "important within the corpus of Mitsutada" - so my bias weighs heavily towards passing them Juyo. People at this level can differentiate and don't need to rely on papers, and TH, unlike Juyo, is a private database. This means outside researchers miss signature style, nengo, etc, because blades are Saiha or otherwise ruined but they are important references that can significantly affect the sholarship on a smith. It's already hard enough having to trace all the undesignated blades in various collection catalogues and word-to-mouth. This is a problem for me. Or, make a new publication "known nengo and signature styles on compromised TH blade". The reason it was done this way is that clients complained that they don't like to wait and TH is "just a checklist". You can pass blades TH in your head with 99% accuracy by reading the requirements. It means something only for very recently made blades, and for fittings. For old swords, Hozon or TH, makes no difference if you have eyes.

Remember that If Tanobe-sensei didn't agree with the mei, he would not have made the Sayagaki. The mei varies, has distinct phases through the smith's career, and Tanobe wrote extensively on the smith in the past. In fact, he's singlehandedly push the the frontiers of knowledge on Ko-Osafune substantially. So you are good. That said, it's absolutely the good approach to analyze it for yourself. That's how one learns. You are dealing here with one of the unicorns of Nihonto. There is a grand total of 29 zaimei Mitsutada tachi. Out of these, 13 can be legally exported out of Japan. Out of the 13 that can be exported, half are going to be locked up permanently in museums or whale collectors that intend on creating museums. So that leaves about 7 Mitsutada Tachi. Out of these 7 that are not in quasi-permanent lock-up, probably 2 are closer to the early style of Nagamitsu and hence late work or even Daimei, and 2 other are likely in Ko-bizen den. They are all wonderful and important, across all style. That said, If you're looking for the archetype Osafune Mitsutada, you can count them on the fingers of your hand, at best. This one is close to the zaimei archetype, which is on the quiet side, with less of a Ko-Kyomono kitae. The mumei archetypes are the super flamboyant ones with Kawazuko choji and Ko-Kyomono jihada that is at the level of Awataguchi, plus prominent midare utsuri to top it all. It feels midway into his transition from Ko-Bizen to his prime style, with still some Ko-Bizen vibes and executed of ko-nie, with lots of gunome and activities such as Kinsuji and tobiyaki. Of course, it was more flamboyant out of the forge, and lost some width, the shape of its kissaki went on the chu-side of things, and overall it's fair to say that part of its shape, due to polishing and repairs, was diminished somewhat. Remember that it's 750 years old so, it's a miracle that it is the way it is, still. The jihada has taken a hit as a result and it's not representative of his skill, but it must have been lustrous back in its glory days. Is it the amongst the best? No. but is it a legitimate Mitsutada? yes. Is still a good sword and important sword, including as a historical reference? No doubt. It's also better in hand than in the photos. At 20M yen it's the lowest priced legitimate Mitsutada tachi. The gravitational pull of Ladder theory is exerting its influence on the price. Pass Juyo? Absolutely, one day, no question. Maybe this year, maybe in five years, maybe ten, but it will pass. I think there are worst Mitsutada at Juyo than this one. Now, there is an oscillation at the NBHTK between "all mastermiths go juyo automatically" and "let's have some differentiation and make TH meaningful for mastersmiths also" - it just ebbs and flows, and patience is certainly required. Good sayagaki don't have a 'causal' impact on Juyo. In fact, according to some, it irks the judges. There are people that deliberately submit without Sayagaki. Now, it could also be a superstition and the effect is neutral, or even positive. But it's not strong. Does it correlate highly with Juyo? Yes, for obvious reason. But then again Tanobe-sensei focuses on the best aspects of the sword in his Sayagaki, it's not easy to ascertain what a truly positive sayagaki is or isn't, there are clear cases sure, but there is also a grey-zone. That's just the way of things and It's normal. He must have been very happy to see this piece, as he's been assiduously collecting all known signatures in his studies. He wrote a long sayagaki, because its a topic that interest him deeply. Very rare, very precious.

Much appreciated gents. Is there any good reference material on these early type 94’s with curved Tsuka? Any particular decorations to be expected based on rank, or was it standardized, with the tassel + Mon as the only differentiating factors? Regarding the Nakago length spec, 212 was the max I assume. Any specs as on the placement of the Mekugi-ana? Did they drill new mekugi Ana in old swords at the time for the purpose of mounting or did they exclusively try to re-use existing mekugi Ana? Thank you for your assistance.

Dear Military sword enthusiasts, I understand the standard length on a type 98 was about 66cm nagasa. - Was there a length requirement on type 94's? Any specific nakago length or sori requirements? Or was everything more or less custom made. My hypothesis is that the sword pictures below is a type 94, but it lacks the second hanger (which was removable, and hence makes any type of inference from my side difficult). My guess is that this is a type 94 with a general's tassel. But I'm not well versed in this field at all. The person pictured is field marshal Kotohito, which (likely?) would have had his shingunto custom made. - Would this have been a type 94, or a type 98? - Anyone has perhaps a better picture of this Gunto to share? - Anyone knows the whereabouts of the Gunto? (museum, somewhere?) it should be adorned by the family crest of the Kaninomiya. Below, the (short) sword of his son who was a tank officer. I believe that this particular is in the USA, according to Omura, and is published in an american book on the topic. Thank you for your insights! Hoshi

You did well. It's better than most Kinju I've seen. If it was Kinju, it would most likely express the rather regular gunome hamon in nie deki. This work is more interesting. It is aiming for Norishige school. There is conspicuous chickei, sunagashi, and rather coarse ara-nie. The relatively coarse ara-nie, thick kasane, and somewhat 'contrived' quality of the chickei does rather speak towards Shinshinto work that tries hard to emulate Koto. I think, with the signature, it was probably an entire package made with the intention to mislead. However... There is a chance that it is a healthy Koto piece. The photos doesn't show everything unfortunately, but I wouldn't rule out Tametsugu here if the work was mumei. In any case, to me, this is more exciting than some Kinju. Buying a Gimei blade? No, not a full blown gimei, not today. When I started, then certainly yes. As it stands in 2025, my limit would be "To mei ga aru" if the piece showed remarkable qualities. I like research pieces.

It's one of the top 3 Norishige tanto in existence. For items at this level, price = n/a. It's whatever a whale is willing to pay for. This is the sort of item that doesn't make it to the internet, so I can only presume that the whales made offers, offers got rejected by consignor, and now it hit the broader internet. It's very rare to see such a piece being sold openly. At the end of the day it's not far away IF you eliminate the irrational outliers (anyone remember the octopus tsuba?), account for auction house fees, and apply the appropriate forex correction. If you do it, then it's a pretty good correlation. But what is often forgotten is that these objects are not commodities, a TJ norishige's value is not the same as another TJ norishige's value. Each item needs to be examined in the context of the smith's corpus, and appraised for its strength and weaknesses in its specific category. Ladder theory exerts a "Pull" - low TJs and TJs+ tend to cluster together on price. Don't fall for the pull.

Worth re-reading: https://web.archive....o.com/ladder-theory/ Best, Hoshi

Lovely sword, truly tasteful and classical sugata, well done Chandler. I also applaud that you did your research, that you took a dive on the blade and had a sayagaki made. Koson was more 'loose' in his judgement compared to the Ko-Honami, so it is a good outcome that Tanobe-sensei considers this judgement to be appropriate for the blade. He would not have made it if he disagreed outright. "To mei ga aru" on a shumei or kinzogan has a certain nuanced meaning at Juyo that is different than the same expression used for mei. At Tokuho, there is much less opportunity to carefully research the blade, and in this context "To mei ga aru" could highlight some uncertainty on the shumei/kinzogan itself, as Gakusee points out with an astute observation: In the grand scheme of things it's not really important. As Darcy used to say, we don't have a time machine. To me, this uncertainty is also a blessing in disguise for learning. It is an inspiration for you to take a deep dive into the records of Nobufusa, Ko-Bizen, Ko-Ichimonji, and the wonderful period that was early Kamakura. It is a precious ancient piece with a venerable history, and a miracle that it has come to us in such a state of preservation. May this sword will be a wonderful source of knowledge and enjoyment.

Oh come on. You know better. - "on average, men are taller than women" - "Not true! look at this seven feet tall dutch lady!" - "Surely you didn't know about the mere existence of the seven feet tall dutch lady, how ignorant! your theory is disproven!" ... I find this view overly simplistic, but it is a matter of personal preference. For the market, however, while "demonstration of virtuosity" is the major factor, it is not the only one that matter. The extant by which a field has been shaped by a virtuoso, let's call this "the historical impact of virtuosity" is at least second in importance. This is why school founders are so highly valued. Naturally, age, rarity, provenance, etc, obviously factor in as well. At the end, quality correlates with attribution. Same with fine arts. You go down one level and you get 'Studio work'. Attribution is the best predictor of quality (+/- condition), unsurprisingly, drunk Kiyomaro aside. Anyway, you can cherry-pick the best outliers from the names I cited, but even if you do, these smiths still live in a different world. % = (TJ+Jubi+Jubun+Kokuho+Gyobutsu)/Juyo Ko-Mihara Masaie: 37.5% Nanki Shigekuni: 28.6% Shodai Hizen Tadayoshi: 12.7% ... Ko-Bizen Tomonari: 257% Let's trade!

It's all supply and demand. There is no such thing as a "fair price" - there is only the the price that at least one participant in the market is willing to pay. That's all it takes. Top items are getting rarer. This is normal. This is what happens in all major art fields where there is a limited supply. The rate of attrition is essentially museum accessions, and this is a direct effect of whales who can afford to create museums or contribute to existing museums for social prestige. At the very end of this process, there is no more market so to speak since nothing is for sale. Today if you want to acquire a Ko-Bizen Tomonari tachi, there is no market. If one does come up, it'll probably be one of the last to be sold, ever. This means price = n/a. As a result of museum accessions, prices increase, it's just supply and demand. The buy-side is not happy about this, as the prices aren't "fair" anymore. At the DTI, there was a truly lovely TJ Norishige for 36M and TJ Yukimitsu for 38M. Everyone grumbles. We don't want to adjust our estimates upwards when on the buy-side. We keep remembering last year's opportunity at 25M yen, where it already felt unfairly expensive so we passed. At the end of the day, the market doesn't care about feelings of fairness. As a result of items being more difficult to find, dealers hold onto their inventories. Why shouldn't they? They know that they can't refill their inventory easily, so they slap a big price and enter a staring contest with the buy-side. Within the crowd of grumbling buy-side people, one will eventually pay up and then the new price is set, to the great dismay of the others. There will always be a steady flow of Tadayoshi, Ko-Mihara, Bungo Takeda, Shinto Waks, Uda, etc. These aren't going anywhere, they constitute the majority of the items exchanged. The pressure concentrates at the top of the field, this is normal and healthy. In fact, Nihonto suffers from a protracted 'right tail' of the price distribution. Is it fair that one can purchase a great, unique masterpiece from one of the top smiths to have ever existed, with Daimyo provenance, for the cash equivalent of three dozen 5K$ Ko-Uda blades of mediocre quality? Probably not. Look at any other art field, and the delta between the top and the low-end is at least two order of magnitude higher. This is a great market anomaly. I will say we are more fortunate than ever, with the great democratization of information, and the fact that the right tail of the price distribution hasn't yet caught up with the expected power law that tends to govern those things. Even if great items are becoming harder to find and more expensive, we live in the golden age. Enjoy it while it lasts, because the market anomaly could very well resolve itself in the next decade.