Katsujinken

The way I see it, anyone preserving nihonto in good condition is doing a good thing. And even if it’s mumei, suriage, and from the Shinto period, it’s still worth preserving if it’s in polish. 
 

There’s never a reason to judge anyone who is collecting in good faith within their means. If you meet a millionaire who owns 50 mumei chu-saku Kanbun wakizashi, then I think a conversation might be in order. 
 

But we really have no place to criticize the average Joe/Jane who (hopefully) builds a small library of books, sees swords in person when possible, and owns a low grade blade or two. 
 

It’s all relative. There are blades out there that are truly junk, and I think we all know that’s not what we’re discussing. 
 

Everyone has their own collecting journey, and we all learn as we go. I would never judge or fault someone who genuinely loved nihonto and owned a mumei Shinto piece if it was the right investment for them. Owning art of any kind is personal. And preserving artifacts should be commended regardless of their value. 

Well, buy this next: 

The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords https://www.amazon.com/dp/1568365810/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TfVnFb0KEQHK2

You got what you paid for. As long as you weren’t expecting a better sword to come out of the woodwork here then I expect you got what you wanted. 
 

It does look authentic, but it’s loaded with flaws and has seen a ton of abuse (I see fingerprints) and was “polished” (or something) by someone unqualified to do so. You can see that the width of the blade is inconsistent along its length, one side has a yokote and the other doesn’t, etc. The proportions are now a bit strange overall. 
 

Maybe others can speculate on the age and the signature, but at this price point neither really matters. 

This looks like it might be a nice Meiji suzuribako – a box for a calligraphy set. 

Halle-xxxxing-lujah. 
 

Using uchiko is basically like Marlboro saying cigarettes don’t cause cancer. 
 

Uchiko evangelism is the flat earth movement of the nihonto world. 
 

PS: I see the new board has a profanity filter.

Bump for the week, thanks all. 

I’ve recently had luck using some fabric swatches I had lying around from some furniture shopping last year. Took a minute to trim to shape and it worked out great. 

5 minutes ago, Jussi Ekholm said:

Number 16 is actually Chinese made production sword, Cold Steel O-Tanto. The reason why the tang is "overpolished" is due to it being made c. within the last 10 years and Cold Steel using a stamping method as they put a serial number of the item on the tang. The stamp has been filed off on this...

I can't even... For the love of god people, just buy from a real dealer or another collector on this board. Auctions for nihonto are almost universally terrible and rife with scammy crap like this.

The younger the blade, the more a given flaw will detract from its appeal and value (generally speaking). While the overall quality of the blade is paramount, a more renowned smith – even if it's not an old blade (e.g. Kotetsu) – offers more leeway for flaws. But even there, age plays a big role. Shinto and younger and the blade should be more or less flawless in my opinion, but it's really a personal preference.

Is the blade still interesting? That's in the eye of the beholder. 

A bump for the new board! I’m open to reasonable offers and would love to support the board with a donation. 

Congrats on a successful update!

Anyway I'm sure I've bored you to death lol!

You can clearly see where my interests are.

Not at all. :-)

Right on, thanks again Adam! It wouldn't surprise me if the fuchi and kashira are not an original matched pair.

Hmmm whilst clearly Nara style of workmanship, I'm not getting high end work from the Fuchi but the kashira looks better.This could be a condition thing I guess as it's not in fine condition.

It's not quite good enough workmanship for me although I appreciate it.I guess I was expecting more finesse from this fine student of Toshinaga.

I'm on the fence sorry.

If it's him it's nice, but not one of his best works.

That makes a lot of sense to me, Adam. I agree the work on the kashira is both stronger and in better condition. The fittings on this wakizashi are not very fancy and for me are just a bonus. The blade itself is papered, and that's where I wanted the money to go. I acquired it to wear at formal events so wasn't looking to blow a ton of money on the mounts. I guess the question is, would anyone go through the trouble of faking this mei? I'm more educated about blades so I have no idea if Jōi was a desirable artist.

In any case, thank you so much for your help!

Thanks Adam! Here are some photos.

Adam/Babu

 

You are reasonably off.... https://blog.yuhindo.com/den/

Beat me to it! I think Darcy’s explanation of ‘den’ is the best one out there.

Only a trained togishi should attempt to polish an authentic Japanese sword.

Nothing special here, just parts assembled for mounting, but would appreciate the help of our resident translators, before whom I bow with utter humility. :-)

A bump for the week, thanks for looking.

Good points of course Peter. I should have been more specific: it's not a traditionally made Japanese sword, which I think i what Rodney hoped he was buying.

What do you make of the misaligned machi?

Hi Rodney,

This is not an authentic Japanese sword. It is especially obvious looking at the nakago (tang).

Price drop to $2250 OBO. Thanks for looking!

Bump for the weekend. Happy to discuss offers and payment plans (within reason).

He was a wonderful man who will be missed by so many.

NYTK wouldn’t be what it is without him, and I know his influence will continue to support and guide the group, which remains vibrant, in the years ahead.

The smith is listed in the meikan (page 863), and there are no “daimyō papers”, just a photo of the registration. And katakiriba swords usually don’t have a yokote.

 

I don’t know the seller, I don’t endorse the sale, I don’t like the horimono - I just find all this shooting from the hip and NBTHK bashing - instead of doing some basic research - kind of annoying.

Indeed, thank you Guido. You guys are really hilarious sometimes.