Jussi Ekholm

I am bit ashmed that I haven't participated in the online kantei yet (nor sending the card either for a long time)... However I got the TB magazine on friday and got my guess in on saturday. Like Ted said above in the spring this online form is a nice modern step by NBTHK.

I would look towards Chōunsai Toshimune as you have gone for

Darcy has this posted at Yuhindo blog (and has the info on Jūyō+ items you seek) some time ago, gives you clue about how rare really old swords are even at top level. https://blog.yuhindo.com/visualization/ In my own research I have so far encountered around 420 swords from Heian period (although some might be difficult to pinpoint if they are late Heian/early Kamakura, and I might be wrong in some of them). However mine is still a work in progress and still missing lot of the Jūyō but in turn have lot of swords outside NBTHK evaluations. Also would be helpful to know who/what is the maker or attribution on your sword. Then giving some more detailed info about that specific school etc. would be possible.

長村兼清作

Looks high quality and very interesting item. I do not focus on items of this period but I do know Korekazu and he is highly appreciated smith in general. Like Jacques I don't in general like discussing price all that much as the items are worth different amounts to various people. I can put in links to few Korekazu blades currently listed for sale in Japan so you can look them as a reference. http://hyozaemon.jp/product/korekazu/ https://www.seiyudo.com/ka-070420.htm

I believe the signature is 兼俊作 and the swordsmith Kanetoshi. I am not well versed in later smiths but Seskos Index lists two Shōwa period smiths. Based on the few signature examples I found from Japanese dealer sites I would lean more towards Murayama Kanetoshi. Reference example: http://www.giheiya.com/shouhin_list/japanese_sword/iaiyoushinken/01-1430.html

Naminohira is not generally too highly regarded school in Japan. While they do have few historically very remarkable swords their work is in general maybe quite basic/practical. Therefore the Naminohira attribution kind of lacks "prestige" in my view. Now the following might be wrong view but personally I think many basic/practical swords will get low prestige attributions by NBTHK as the workmanship is not easily defined and is maybe not of high quality. In general I think the lower prestige schools like Naminohira are quite reasonably priced, as they have lower desirability by majority of collectors. However there are some good mumei tachi with Ko-Naminohira attributions that are bit more expensive.

Unfortunately I cannot see the tsuba signature very well but my best guess from that picture might be Kiyohisa - 清久

It is a statistical outlier and I was surprised when I saw it first time. I have been following Naminohira swords (pre-Edo). In general old Naminohira swords tend to have relatively large curvature on average. For 14 signed old Naminohira Tachi I have tracked down they average the following Nagasa: 73,6 cm (some of them are suriage) - Sori: 2,6 cm - Motohaba: 2,9 cm - Sakihaba: 1,7 cm For 14 Mumei tachi with Ko-Naminohira attribution they average Nagasa: 76,8 cm (some of the are slight suriage) - Sori: 2,4 cm - Motohaba: 3,0 cm - Sakihaba: 1,7 cm For 11 Mumei katana with Ko-Naminohira attribution they average Nagasa: 68,7 cm (all suriage) - Sori: 2,0 cm - Motohaba: 2,7 cm - Sakihaba: 1,7 cm For the 4 Mumei tachi with Naminohira attribution (most likely made after Nanbokuchō) they average Nagasa: 78,1 cm (all ubu) - Sori: 3,2 cm - Motohaba: 3,0 cm - Sakihaba: 1,7 cm For the 19 Mumei katana with Naminohira attribution (most likely made after Nanbokuchō) they average Nagasa: 71,6 cm (most suriage) - Sori: 2,2 cm - Motohaba: 3,0 cm - Sakihaba: 1,9 cm Of course this is not in any means definitive analysis but based on available examples that I have for data it is easy to see that in general pre-Edo period Naminohira swords are quite long and with strong curvature and average width. For comparison I do have a mumei tachi attributed to Naminohira and Early Muromachi period, it is 77,2 cm with 3,7 cm curvature. Quite the opposite in shape to this example in the opening.

Can you post some measurements of it lenght & nakago length and full sized picture of blade & nakago. I can write better reply next week when I am back home and have all my sources at home. I do think calling Shintō period naginata in general as "womens weapons" might be just association that is not totally accurate. Also while Knutsen has lots and lots of good information on his book, some like the above posted diagram on proportions are bit skewed. I do understand that he used examples of his own collection for it but in general it does not show early naginata like they should be featured.

I think you got a good blade there Brano, I like that one too. It has nice wide shape. And seemed to be good package in overall. Here is a bit more to continue: 大磨上無銘也雄勁ナル延文貞治 - ō-suriage mumei XXX Enbun Jōji Unfortunately I am limited to phone now and long sayagaki like this surpass my current abilities.

I am among the artistically challenged folks, haven't even tried doing oshigata for a long while now. Should definately do some in future again. I did this 7 years ago of Shimada Sukemune tanto I used to own back then. Horimono on that blade is quite worn and my skills are lacking in bringing justice to the sword, some things are definately wrong in that oshigata too but it is what it is...

I believe it was made by Ikkansai Shigetoshi - 一貫斎繁寿 It is tiny tanto dated to 1905 and stating he was 68 when he made it - 明治三十八年二月日六十八翁作 , and I believe seller describes it never being polished. He also hints it might be among the last blades produced by the smith (if I understood that part correctly). I checked the smith died January 25th 1906 at the age of 69.

It is very cool item. It is late Muromachi though, Aoi has had lots of mistakes in the few of their English item descriptions that I have looked lately.

Here is a fuchi & kashira made by him. I have at least 3 other F&K by him in books. As I am not a fittings guy I am surprised he is so highly rated as his work seem quite scarce at top level, maybe they are really rare? When going through books I thought he was just a good maker but I didn't think him in same league as makers you mentioned in OP. Of course I have never seen his work in real life so cannot say much.

The signature seems to me to be 備前国長船住景光 - Bizen kuni Osafune jū Kagemitsu, unfortunately I believe signature to be gimei (forged signature).

鯰図縁頭 - Namazu theme fuchi & kashira - Mumei 古金工 (Ko-Kinkō) 赤銅石目地 高彫 金色絵 - Shakudō ishime-ji takabori [Kin iroe??]

Would be nice to see more of the sword Robert, seems like a great find. And it is always astonishing what Ray can figure out.

康光 (右衛門尉) - Yasumitsu (Uemon no Jō)

I think it is 貞文 - Sadafumi

The ones that pop up with Google searches are not made by 1st generation Munemitsu. They are (at least on my searches) actually mid-late Muromachi period pieces. As I mentioned earlier this is so far the only surviving tachi by 1st gen Munemitsu from Kamakura period that I am aware of and it is by attribution as the mei has partially eroded. Signature on this is 備前国□□住 (Fumei) and it has been attributed to Munemitsu who was of Nagamitsu school.

Adam can you post the examples of 1st & 2nd generation mei you mentioned, and what references you are using for information on them?

There is partial fumei long signature tachi that is attributed to 1st Munemitsu at Jūyō 20. Other than that I have 0 info on 1st, 2nd or 3rd gen.

I believe they are Dha swords from Southeast Asia, Thailand, Burma etc.

I think trying to compete with others is not a good way to go in collecting. If someone just starting collecting goes to top dealer and gets a top item, that is just fantastic. I think the achievement in owning something might be that you have just personally set a goal like that. Even though you can get amazing items by top tier makers in a day (if you have the finances and in some cases connections too) as you put it, can you get the exact item you will want? As an example I have personally a quest for a blade from Hōju school, I know there are some top ones of that school that will be forever unobtainable for me, and probably in the last 10 years there might have been around 5 Hōju tachi for sale that I would really have wanted to own in my collection. Unfortunately the timing was never right for me at that time when the items were sold. Now if I just would want to own a Hōju blade there are probably 10+ items for sale in Japan at this given moment by various dealers, the thing is just that I don't really like any of the ones for sale that much. Of course I am not even in buying position at the moment, hopefully I will be when I encounter an available Hōju tachi that I like, be it 5,10 or 20 years onwards.