Lewis B

Beautiful work by Shozo Sato, encapsulating the imagery of a Masamune hamon in full energetic flow. Very powerful.

Darcy used to sell some of the big name blades he acquired through the major auction houses. Given his contacts both in Japan and outside I can only surmise he chose that venue because they could command top dollar in a public auction. I think one blade he sold was a Norishige achieving ~$100k, which at that time it was a significant price for a sword by the smith. Maybe even the well heeled, inner circle, Japanese collectors have their limits...

That tanto is magnificent. It’s the first time I’ve seen it so thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Excellent points. According to historical references there was a signed Masamune blade, dated 1314, so he was active for several decades. The condition of this blade will almost certainly hold it back. Very speculative pricing for a blade that, taken on its own merits, is far from appealing. This is the best 'Masamune' that I've seen on the open market. Very healthy and I think this is worthy of its attribution at Juyo level, also with early Honami family papers. The distribution of Nie is quite distinctive. I doubt there would be Sadamune without Masamune's influence. Their style from what I can tell is quite distinctive compared to the other contemporary Soshu grandmasters. Who else had such control of Nie distribution? Of course with so much cross pollination of ideas and technology a great deal of overlap should be expected. Norishige with his Mitsukawa hada is probably the standout Soshu smith offering a unique style later in his career.

Whats so interesting about that Norishige? Plenty out there to be viewed. Take this one for example https://www.samurai-nippon.net/SHOP/V-2144.html Or this https://katanahanbai.com/en/katana/katana-norishige/

Last visited 5 years ago so I doubt you going to get a reply.

Personally I buy to collect and study not as an investment vehicle to diversify my portfolio. There has been way too much speculation in other collecting arenas eg whisky, fine art, watches etc that all it achieves is to price out the little guy (read enthusiast). I’m all for downward adjustments as it warns off the investor types who have no interest in the commodity only that it makes a profit on resale.

Perfectly put and sadly true Alex. Even at the highest echelons of Nihonto expertise, the evidence in front of the observer can be misinterpreted. And what’s worse is those conclusions go unchallenged as it would be deemed 'rude' to discuss an opinion. This is not how a field of study improves and evolves. Dogma should always be challenged.

That was a great read Uwe and it mirrors my reaction to the blade. There is an organic sophistication to the forging that is beguiling, in a very understated way. Truly a masterwork amongst masterworks. The reference to a dated Masamune blade for 1314 was especially interesting. This coincides with the earliest known Norishige sword (1310) and neatly meshes with the presumed death of the atelier's master, which could have been the catalyst for these 'apprentices' to transition towards their independent swordsmithing endeavours and the appearance of these early dated works.

The quality of blades attributed to Go are on a different level. This one went Juyo and was polished by Andrew Ickeringill https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1994822754423622&set=pcb.1994826924423205

Agreed, it appears to be Kiyomitsu. Lanes Armoury got it wrong. Ura side of the nakago isn't shown but my guess is that a nengo is absent https://www.thelanesarmoury.co.uk/shop.php?code=24324

I agree with this sentiment wholeheatedly. And why membership and attendance at NBTHK-EB or AB meets is so rewarding. Many of the members are exceptionally generous with their collections and occasionally its possible to handle these otherworldly blades and not be restricted to viewing them through a lens.

It's blades like this that keep my fascination for Nihonto. This guy takes some amazing images of these superlative blades and all from behind glass. Kudos to the museum for getting the lighting just right. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1996901080882456&set=pcb.1996902534215644

Here is a blade purported to be by a Bizen Osafune Kanemitsu from the late Muromachi era. Choroku period smith?

Besides a loup I would take a small LED flashlight. The lighting at these events is less than ideal so the torch can help you see the finer activity. I believe @Matsunoki has a table at these events so I would suggest you have a word in person and see what he has to offer.