Ray Singer

Kaneshige (no date)

Yasumitsu, dated November 1943.

Signed Muramasa.

Yes, Nagasa: 72.0cm. The fact that it is daito length and signed katana-mei (on the katana side of the nakago) is not a good sign as far as being a legitimate mainline Hizen-to.

Vit, the blade is signed Tadayoshi as is indeed an authentic Edo period sword. However there were many blades with gimei (fake inscriptions) from the Hizen Tadayoshi school and I could suggest holding for something with papers (kanteisho) which this does not have. The attached document is simply a torokusho sword license and does not authenticate the inscription or give any type of attribution for the sword.

The sides each have different information and are not read sequentially. Hizen (no) kuni junin Yoshitada saku kore The other side converts to a date of May, 1942 (the fifth month of the 2,602nd year of the founding of the empire)

The mei is 相州伊勢大掾源綱廣 - Sōshū Ise Daijō Minamoto Tsunahiro. This is the inscription of a Shinto (early Edo period) swordsmith. Best regards, Ray

Izumo jū Tadatsuna saku - 出雲住忠綱作

This smith's name is also read as Teruyoshi. From Sesko below: "he was then employed by the Matsudaira family (松平), the daimyō of Musashi´s Kawagoe fief (川越藩), he moved to the fief and was granted with the family name Fujieda, in the first year of Bunkyū (文久, 1861) he also got the permission to engrave the three-part tomoe crest of the Matsudaira clan"

Roland, you have not shown us the nakago (tang) of the sword which is the most important feature of the blade to see. It is not a good idea to estimate value based on photos vs. in-hand inspection, however a range of $950 - $1,500 is likely where were are looking at.

Unfortunately the sword does not have that level of importance, and the 'expert' you gave you that feedback was not one. It is a nice and collectible antique wakizashi, with a blade dating to the late Muromachi period (if the attribution on the paper is correct) and is mounted in fittings from the Edo period. If you sent it to Japan for current certification you would not have a challenge exporting it again (the sword would not be seized as a National Treasure). That used to be something it was common to hear collectors told here in the US, a 'conventional wisdom' that Japanese swords returning would be seized and not returned. It is a false wisdom in almost all cases. There are also certification events (shinsa) held in the US every year or so, and you can check back at the website below to see when the next such event is scheduled. https://nthkamerica.com/

In terms of the swordsmith: 三州吉田住広房 (Sanshū Yoshida ju Hirofusa). You may need to create an account to view the link below. https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/HIR216

Perhaps 植田兼忠 - Ueda Kanetada. Best regards, Ray

There is no Yasumitsu that I see documented with this mei, but FWIW there is a Fujiwara ju Yasutomo in late Muromachi, Yamato province. YASUTOMO (安友), Eiroku (永禄, 1558-1570), Yamato – “Fujiwara Yasutomo” (藤原安友), “Fujiwara-jū Yasutomo” (藤原住安友) - Credit Markus Sesko

The Nihonto Club swordsmith database is now gated behind a login, so sharing a screenshot with some examples rather than a link.

Appears to be Fujiwara ju Yasumitsu. Fujiwara as a place rather than a clan is unusual to see, but you can see other examples searching in Sesko

As some of you may have seen on my channels, I received a number of swords in gunto koshirae this past week (generally quality gendaito like Kawano Sadashige, Mitsuoki and others) along with older blades. Offering here a gendaito by the well-known smith Mizuno Masanori in Japanese polish and shirasaya, NTHK kanteisho and its original gunto koshirae. Please see below for photos and message me with any questions you have. $4,750 + shipping MASANORI (正範), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Ōsaka – “Zōtairan Mizuno Masanori kore o saku” (贈台覧水野 正範作之), “Sakaiura-jū Mizuno Masanori saku” (堺浦住水野正範作), “Masanori” (正範), real name Mizuno Teizaburō (水野貞三郎), born February 4th 1902, student of Sakurai Masayuki (桜井正幸) and Morita Masamichi (森田正道), gō Zōtairan (贈台覧), rikugun-jumei tōshō, jōkō no retsu (Akihide), Fourth Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941)

Sadamasa (WWII showato arsenal blade). Best regards, Ray

I'm sorry to resurrect an old post like this, however a friend of mine reached out asking for help contacting Bill. I was not able to do so directly through the normal channels. Does anyone have an update on Bill or how he can be reached? If so I will relay the information to my friend. Best regards, Ray

It would be helpful to see better photos, however I do not see an association here with So-den Bizen Kanemitsu or his school and as far as the appearance of the mei and nakago that also does not evoke a feeling of Bizen.

The mei is Kanemitsu. Unclear which Kanemitsu that this might be. There were a number of Kanemitsu working in Mino, and in other regions as well.

I see that this same sword was posted here in 2018 (and the same photos of the nakago, rotated).

Tsuba = Echizen ju Kinai saku

I believe the mei is Yamashiro (no) Suke Moritake (山城介盛武), and the date is 慶應三年八月日 (a day in the 8th month of 1857 - Keiō 3). Best regards, Ray