Blazeaglory

Looks like it was a hidden stiletto at one point.

Looks like two different things with the top being the long kaeri katai and the bottom (or middle?) being maybe utsuri?

THIS^^^ I dont even know how many times I reference this book on any given day of the week. Its the first book I look to for quick info. I consider it to be the first or at least one of the top 3 Nihonto books to have laying around forever I say KEEP IT!

Thanks for participating! As Muromachi and Kanemoto became later, the jihada/hamon became more uniform with the 3 ridge middle peak. Also, was the Kanemoto line of smiths known for grain pattern on the Shinogi? Or above? below? Is the boshi pattern reminiscent of the Kanemoto smiths? Im just pointing out things for new people to look at and the slight variations involved I think the "Mino" den is fairly obvious but there's more to it and Mino has a very interesting beginning and end to their story with different dens involved. Im not saying this blade is or isn't Mino but I would like for people to show how they arrived to their final choice if possible please.

Please take this lightly and have fun with the Kantei. Maybe new people can try their skills. From what I've seen and gathered from multiple sources and other collectors(caretakers), I have a rough idea of the age/ local of this sword. I'll try to post decent pics but remember just have fun please... good luck! Here's a couple bits of info: Length is roughly 21" Osuriage

That's awesome! Thanks

I love the hamon on this one. It's amazing that this sword is roughly 1000 years old! I keep trying to imagine how it looked in all it's original glory freshly made! IMHO it's a little pricey. His prices have gone up quite a bit in the last year or two but he's also added quite a few decent nihonto to his selection. I agree with the above. If you truly have the funds, shop around. Think on it for a bit. Maybe you'll see something else you like better? Either way it's a good long term investment you can hand down to someone you love. Or not😉 Good luck

Same here. Even if it is, usually it's a part of the polishing processes to gently reshape the kissaki (if needed) and in this case isn't much if any reshaping done at all imho. I say send it. Why else are we in this hobby? We only live once.

Well it's a very confusing hobby to have lol My connoisseurs guide looks like it's 100 years old and the pages are brown from so much page turning. And still I am at a loss in many cases. But the reward comes from learning what to look for and before we know it we're fairly knowledgeable in regards to basic kantei All the headaches are worth it lol

Yep! We're sword voyeurists Haha I've seen a couple dozen swords in hand and several of them were very high end but my favorite swords to see are the complete/semi complete WW2 bring backs. The military models. As a collector, I'm all for koto blades, preferably early Muromachi and prior but my immediate second are WW2 military swords in full koshirae

The papers turned pink? Why?

Sadly that looks like a hagire. Stress crack? If the dealer says its not a crack then return it and get money back and the dealer shouldn't have any problems if it's not a crack right? Also be very careful with it at this point. It seems solid but even a tiny jolt or hit in the proper spot could crack the sword in half in that area. I would leave it alone and send back if possible

It seems to be a thing around here. I've noticed that many members will claim gimei almost instantly. Personally if a sword comes in signed it'll remain suspect in my eyes but I honestly feel that quite a few are legit. The only way to find out is shinsa. Even then tho the shinsa could be wrong but I don't think they're wrong much and they're right more times than most people here. Instead of immediately claiming "gimei", unless it's painfully obvious, maybe we could just say "suspect" Haha

Sorry I should have said a PROFESSIONAL polishing/ sharpening Haha 150$ is a super deal for that nihonto! I love hearing stories like this! But going forward you need to take good care of it. There is special meaning in nihonto and there are a set of procedures and rules that we need to follow to be caretakers for these hunks of metal. I myself came here thinking that nihonto were like any other sword but boy was I wrong. Everything is different about nihonto from the method of forging to the method of polishing. It truly is an art. If that's your first find than you're in a good spot. I do see a serious flaw in the kissaki that I think they call a "crows beak"? I don't think it can be fixed with a professional sharpening but maybe it could be adjusted and taken down a bit. It's not cheap tho. The mei looks like it had gold paint in it but at the same time it looks like someone had tried removing something. Either way, mei aside, the sword looks legit. It's a keeper!

I don't use FB but does anyone have a link to the story? Is it referenced any where outside of Facebook?