Ray Singer

Unfortunately he is not well documented. The entry from Markus Sesko is just the mei of one particular sword and there is no biographical information.

The photo is unclear but I believe it is Genji period (元治). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genji_era

Ashū ju Minamoto Yoshihiro saku

Ted Tenold - ted@legacyswords.com Robert Hughes - keichodo@yahoo.com

My interpretation would be Sue-koto Kaga (rather than the endpoint of the entire school). I may be incorrect in that reading, but that is my feeling on his intent.

Living National Treasure togishi Fujishiro Matsuo. Attribution: Sue Kashu (late Kaga)

I believe it is the top of Hiro (寛).

薩陽臣奥平元(寛) Satsuyō Shi Oku Taira Moto(hiro)

A historically important tanto made in collaboration (gassaku) with Dr. Walter Compton, who did the hamon (performed yaki-ire). Made with the Yasukuni smith Yakuwa Yasutake. For full disclosure, this sword has a hagire (crack) likely due to this sword having been quenched by Compton. Dr. Compton was one of the most important early collectors of Japanese swords in the US and, among many activities, is best known for his return of the National Treasure Kunimune to Japan. YASUTAKE (靖武), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Tōkyō – “Yakuwa Yasutake saku” (八鍬靖武作), “Tōto ni oite Yakuwa Yasutake kore o saku” (於東都八鍬靖武造作), “Tōto-jū Yasutake” (東都住靖武), real name Yakuwa Takeshi (八鍬武), he was born December 7th 1909 in Sakegawa-mura (鮭川村) in Yamagata Prefecure, in July 1935 he moved to Kyōto to study under Ikeda Yasumitsu (池田靖光), the minister of war granted him the smith name Yasutake in 1944, from that time onwards he also became independent, it is said that after World War II, he did not forge until 1973, i.e. after a break of 28 years, he died in 1984 SOLD

I believe it is the same Kato Kunihide identified below: https://nihontoclub....ontains&mei=Kunihide Best regards, Ray

Signed Kanetsune and appears to be a Sue-seki (late Muromachi Mino) blade.

Koto Kanenori (NBTHK Hozon), with handachi koshirae. Fantastic sugata with wide mihaba and o-kissaki. Fine ko-itame with ji-nie and a suguha-based hamon. Ubu nakago. $5,950 (plus shipping and PayPal) Bio for the shodai courtesy of Markus Sesko - KANENORI (兼法), Kōshō (康正, 1455-1457), Mino – “Kanenori” (兼法), first name Uemonshirō (右衛門四郎), according to tradition the son of Nara Kanenaga (奈良兼永), depending on the source, Kanenori is listed either as Nara or as San´ami smith (三阿弥) but his tang finish shows the characterustuc features of the Senju´in school, i.e. kiri on the hira and sujikai on the shinogi-ji of the tang, on the basis of this it is assumed that he actually belonged to the Akasaka-Senju´in group and moved later to Seki where he joined there the Nara or the San´ami school, anyway, there were two lineages of Kanenori smiths active, one in Seki and the other one in Uruma (宇留間) which corresponds to the present-day Unuma district (鵜沼) of Gifu´s Kakamigahara City (各務原) Nagasa: 72.4cm Moto-haba: 3.3cm Saki-haba: 2.9cm Kasane: 0.7cm Sori: 1.7cm

The attribution is to Noshu (Mino) Kanetoshi.

I don't know, there were several individuals using that name in Muromachi period Mino, and some were using the same name at the same time (parallel lineages). It's possible even at shinsa that you will not get a specific individual

Kanesada

Tom, you may be aware but one of these was offer here in the group a while back.

Fujiwara ju Yasumitsu. Fujiwara ju (藤原住) is indeed quite unusual to see in a mei but there are a few cases. https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=藤原住

February, 1943

The image is too blurry to read clearly. __hiro saku

I missed the third column earlier but it appears to be a special order inscription. 為堀祐明造之

And dated a day in the 8th month of Bunka 8.

Mei - Bizen (no) kuni ju Osafune Sukesada saku Date - Genki san nen hachi gatsu kichi jitsu (a lucky day in August, 1572)

Thomas, here is the bio from Markus Sesko on this smith. NORIMITSU (徳光), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Iwate – “Ōshū Gose-jū Minamoto Norimitsu kore o saku” (奥州御所住源徳光作之), real name Yasumoto Tokusada (安本徳定), he worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō

The sword was not used for any kind of martial arts practice since it was last restored. What you were seeing is uchiko type scratches. Regardless, please contact the present owner if you have any further questions on the sword. Best regards, Ray

There were no issues with the blade and certainly no hagire (please look at the listing, the blade has NBTHK kanteisho which wouid not be the case with a hagire). The seller explained above that he needed to sell due to unexpected financial needs.