Mark S.

Not trying to hijack, but my own personal opinion is that all mumei blades should be “Den” and then attribution. But that’s me…

No slings or arrows. At the end of the day, it is your money and you can do with it as you see fit. Members here can only comment and provide ‘conventional (hard earned experience) wisdom’ that can lead to less regret later on. I have had a blade or two that the purchase of, or polish of, would be seen as ‘not having a return on investment’. As long as you understand that and the item makes you happy no matter what others think, then you are free to do as you choose.

As stated, always be cautious with old papers, but let item stand for itself. I have a Bizen Osafune ju Yokoyama Sukekane wakizashi dated “a day in February 1862” that has a 1961 NBTHK Kicho Hozon (white paper) and just received NTHK-NPO paper in 2023. I would consider old papers a ‘starting point’ for research to confirm the blade and/or mei matches the claim.

Well, other than $$$ I find it helpful to bring my own microfiber cloth to rest a blade on while viewing (always ask first to make sure person behind table is ok with you using your own cloth), a mekugi punch (although you can usually borrow one) and if you need any ‘help’ seeing up close (cheater glasses, magnifying glass, etc). I always make sure to have a couple extra pairs of cheater glasses just in case. The last thing I want is to be at the show and not be able to see!

Kikusui hamon?

I don’t have a specific reference to that mei, but you might want to invest in Markus Sesko’s book on the 11th generation Kanesada. Both book and .pdf download. https://markussesko....generation-kanesada/

That would have taken me for ever… IF ever… well done.

The last 5 kanji are Izumi no Kami Kanesada. Working on beginning.

So just to head this off at the pass now that you are convinced ‘papers’ are the end all be all… There are all kinds of papers. Dealers on EBAY will claim that the registration is “papers”. Some dealers issue their own official looking papers for their own blades… convenient. There are NBTHK, NTHK, and NTHK-NPO papers. There are different level papers. There are very high rated smiths that have the same level papers as lower tier smiths for a variety of reasons. Papers do not set the price of any given blade, the market does. Papers can give you a sense of security hat a mei is legit or point you in a certain direction in the case of an unsigned blade. There is no way around it… research, knowledge and education are your friend.

You’ve taken a VERY EXPENSIVE and DIFFICULT area of study and made it WAY MORE EXPENSIVE AND DIFFICULT than it needs to be, but that is up to you. And hey… we all learn in different ways. As my now 90 year-old Mother used to say when we were kids just before we were making a decision she could see was pretty much 90% gonna blow up in our faces… “Suit Yourself”. Of course she was always there afterward to make sure our Father didn’t kill one, or all of us, 3 boys. Love you Mom… But I will ask you some of the same questions I asked about the other blade you had questions about: Why did you like the blade? How does it fit in your collection? Is the condition acceptable to you at this price? Do you know anything about Gassan Sadakazu? Have you compared this Sadakazu’s blades against similar Sadakazu blades at other sites to see if this is Shoshin and at a fair price? And finally, do you like the blade at this price no matter what we think? At the end of the day, that is really what matters. I already know the answer to a few of the questions, but it really does pain me to see you go through this. I still hope you will stay and learn. I just hope you will take the time to learn less expensively and learn less painfully.

Mark S. & Michelle S. (wifey) are in. Will have to figure out something for Michelle S. to eat as sushi is a no go… but she is a good sport and will find something.

SWORD FIGHT!!!

Why do you like the blade? How does it fit in your collection? Is the condition acceptable to you at this price? Do you know what the papers say? There were a ton of Kanesada’s… do you know which Kanesada this is? Have you compared this Kanesada’s blades against similar Kanesada blades (or blades from similar smiths of the same size, school, type, mei, period, condition, mountings, etc.) at other sites to see if this is a fair price? And finally, do you like the blade at this price no matter what we think? At the end of the day, that is really what matters.

I was just going to say that rushing to buy blades is never a good idea. Not a criticism, just saying that if you are going to buy on line (especially EBAY), much study is needed to know what you want and what you are looking at. Another HUGE learning curve is having a feel for the going rate of blades compared to similar blades from different dealers. To simply post a blade and ask everyone “what they think” will get you 100 opinions. Sooner or later you have to decide if a blade is worth it to you despite what everyone thinks as you are the one who has to own it. Not everyone likes the same things. Learn enough to know what you want, what you like, and how much you’re willing to spend. Hope you keep learning here.

Thank you. It looked kinda rough.

Just confirming that this is modern? https://www.ebay.com...r=artemis&media=COPY

$20/day or $35 for 2 day pass. Your pass gets you into BOTH the firearms and sword show. It’s all one GIANT show and a heck of a good time. Bring yer walking shoes!!! https://www.antiquearmsshow.com

Sad news indeed. May his family and friends find Peace in the days ahead.

I know it has been discussed many times, but I think it bears repeating, Darcy used to remind us that Hozon and THozon are ‘confirmation’ while Juyo and above are ‘competition’. I apologize if I did not use his exact words. Hozon & THozon are a judgment of specific smiths and schools. They confirm originality, condition, and quality… but relatively narrowly . So (FOR EXAMPLE) you can have Hozon Sukesada blades, and then (the theory is) the best examples of that Sukesada’s blades can go THozon. You could also have Hozon Ichimonji blades with the best going THozon. Where the confusion seems to fall is believing the two THozon blades (or ALL THozon) are the same… they are not. No one would equate a THozon Sukesada with a THozon Ichimonji. Hozon and THozon level papers do not really place blades/smiths within the ‘grand scheme’ of Nihonto. They are very specific to that smith/school. And I am sure most of us understand that just because a blade is Hozon and not THozon (or even above) does not mean it ISN’T a higher level blade. The owner(s) may just not have submitted it for higher papers. The blade is still the blade. NOW… Juyo and above DO start to consider where a blade/smith/school fall within the ‘grand scheme, world, and history’ of Nihonto and is now a competition between ALL other blades/smiths/schools both at the time of submission (what is sitting in front of the judges at that moment in time) and also much more ‘globally’ of what the NBTHK considers ‘best’ in the history of Nihonto. DISCLAIMER: This is MY understanding of what I believe Darcy was trying to convey. ANY mistakes and misunderstandings are my own. I am very willing to hear if I am misrepresenting something he wrote. I respect his teaching too much to steer someone else wrong.

Another one… Tsuruta-san mentions it, but does not go into any details, so I’m guessing it was a bit of one dealer not wanting to discuss another dealer. https://sword-auction.com/en/product/17523/as23195-刀肥州八代住源盛吉延寿宣次合作之無鑑査刀匠/

What was it about this blade that made you want to ‘jump on it’?

I would categorize that as “a few”…

Here is the listing in case anyone wants to double check the info. https://www.ebay.com...r=artemis&media=COPY

UPDATE! Just found some info on an EBAY seller’s posting that states that Sato Hitoshi, the director of JASMK (Japanese Art Sword Museum of Kurashiki - Sword Dealer), is using the “Bizan” pseudonym or art name. I did not know he was doing sayagaki, but the kao and print style of “Bizan” on mine are very similar to the one in the listing. It would also explain the current 2023 date. Will treat this one as an inventory sayagaki and not a judgment of shoshin mei or quality. Just want everyone to know there is a new source of sayagaki you might come across. I guess mystery solved…