Ray Singer

Jim Kurrasch used to say that the best test of how clear the jigane is, and its colour, is to view it alongside a small mirror. The mirror being equivalent to perfectly clear steel, as a mirror contributes basically no colour of its own.

Thanks for the kind words. I will say that it is hard to discern a darkish jigane in this sword, which is first thing one should look for in a hokkoku-mono. The jigane is filled with ji-nie though, and that may be making the color of steel difficult to evaluate. Here is an oshigata from the Zufu which has similarity to this sword and gives an idea of how the hamon appears.

I thought this sword would be of interest and would enjoy hearing others thoughts on it. The sword is one I found in essentially zero polish at the 2014 Tampa show. At the time, the majority of the blade was covered in black rust, except for a clear area under and just above the habaki (maybe 3cm total). From what I could, see there was a feeling of ayasugi, not a very regular one that would point to Gassan, and I made a guess of Ko-Naminohira. I was at the show with a friend and asked him if he wanted the first shot, which he jumped on. After polish, there was a feeling like Norishige in places, not a textbook matsukawa-hada but a workstyle that showed some relationship. My guess at that point was something between Tametsugu and a very high quality Ko-Uda. The sword received a kanteisho at the 2016 Tampa shinsa to Nambokucho jidai - Uda Kunifusa, who is considered to be a student of Norishige and falls into the Etchu middle period along with Tametsugu. That said, the sword has not gone to the NBTHK yet or been in Tanobe-sensei's hands, so I wanted to open up for the groups thoughts. I will take better photos if possible this week, but I think the attached gives a good idea of the work in this sword. Best regards, Ray

BTW, from the kanteisho length is 2 shaku 2 sun = 26.25" = 66.6cm.

Looks genuine to me, but not of great quality. Off the cuff impression of wakimono work like Uda or Hoju.

Yes, the third great Ko-Mihara to come up in recent weeks. This is an excellent buy. Good luck with your sale Grant!

Very sorry to hear this, a great loss for our community. My condolences...

Did anyone here purchase the Dohi Shinryo at auction on Aoi? I did not research the mei, but at a glance it seemed good and sold at a very reasonable price. Hopefully, like the potentially authentic shodai Tadayoshi and nidai Sendai Kunikane which sold in the same price range, one of our members got a good deal on a nice sword. https://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashi-dohi-shinryonot-guarantee Best regards, Ray

Short answer is that many bidders are treasure hunters hoping to buy a diamond in the rough, but more often they will have greatly overpaid after the cost of restoration, shinsa, etc. There certainly are treasures to be found on the auction sites if you know what you look for and have a bit of luck, but those are in the minority. For the most part, papered and restored swords are the way to go.

To my eyes, looks like Yoshihiro as well.

http://web.archive.org/web/20030411153425/http://www.togishi.com/Den%20article.htm

Then you are using the wrong microfibre cloth. https://www.amazon.com/Microdear-Microfiber-Deluxe-Cleaning-Cloth/dp/B0002E3WGI

That is the very point. They remove oils without scratching delicate surfaces.

I would likewise recommend against experimenting with chemical rust inhibitors on an old and valuable sword. Choji oil will come off fully in one wipe with a $10 microfibre cloth off Amazon.com. - Ray

Just a note that this is a sword I encountered about 15 years ago. It was owned by a friend/local collector and I gave serious consideration to buying it (at a much higher price than is being asked here). A very beautiful, healthy sword. Good luck with your sale Rohan... Best regards, Ray

Gone.

What I am seeing is a fairly coarse jitetsu with openings and, as Ron mentioned, a turnback. It is difficult to evaluate in the photos you have taken, but looks like it may have saki-zori as well. My impression is Sue-koto. Not a Nambokucho-period naginatanaoshi.

Refer to the June 3, 2015 post. https://www.facebook.com/groups/collectingjapaneseswords/search/?query=gore

A few suggestions for polishing agents: Bob Benson, Paul Martin and Mike Yamasaki.

I would not use the sword below as a reference to value your Jumyo. It is priced as it is because the owner has placed a high value on the koshirae. The blade (in shirasaya) itself is one I personally would value around $5,000. This is comparing apples to kumquats, as that sword is 29", recently restored and flawless, but is also shinshinto and mumei. - Ray

Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro

I was referring to locating that page from the journal, which should specify the generation. Please share your findings here after a copy is located.

If the blade was published then your answer is there. Contact individuals from one of the two current NTHK organizations and see if either can help locate a copy. I suggest Chris Bowen and/or Gordon Robson. BTW, if the sword was published in the NTHK's journal then the kanteisho would also have been from the NTHK. Ray

Paul Martin is a great choice. Good luck and let us know how it goes after evaluation.

Hi Sly, While offhand it does not look like a good mei for Saburo Kunimune, it looks like an interesting piece and it is certainly possible that this is Nambokucho or earlier. Given the abuse, deep scratches, hakobore etc... it is especially important that any polisher that works on the sword is a skillful one, to avoid making a bad situation worse and risking the sword not surviving its next polish. Please let us know if you need any help making contact with someone who can have the sword evaluated by (and potentially restored by) a licensed togishi. Best regards, Ray