Lewis B

I wouldn't expect anything less.

Tough one. A signed blade is going to have a greater commercial value vs one thats mumei. Yours has quite an early registration number which doesn't do it any harm.

Thats interesting. As we all know, Shinsa is a competition. If too many from a school or Gokaden are submitted in a given year the best ones will go through but others, that might have otherwise passed, could pass another year if the competition is weaker. Congratulations on your pass. I might not have been able to afford mine if it had passed.

Here is a 2nd or 3rd gen signed Norinaga Shikkake with 1991 Juyo papers. The pricing is 10 years old but gives a reference point. https://www.aoijapan.net/masterpieceyamato-kuni-sikkake-norinaga/

Swordsmiths and schools can wax and wain in the market. I see many Juyo Papered Shikkake from the 60's and 70's but I think Shikkake in particular has lost favour more recently, hence the lower market pricing. Personally speaking I do think they are undervalued and a good purchase option. My first blade was a 70.6cm Yamato Shikkake. It passed TH in 2022 but failed at Juyo the following year, despite Tanobe sensei stating it was a candidate in his opinion. 2023 and 2024 have had especially low Juyo pass numbers for whatever reason.

That's not all. Looks like someone carved out the Hi with chisel and angle grinder.

I don't see Pechalov mentioned in the organization list or acknowledgements. Appears to be mainly a locally organised event. And Koto blades are not represented.

I know how a nakago is Suriage just not how that relates to the file marks and only on one side.

Please explain how this sort of effect relates to suriage?

Its carved in a more cursive style which makes interpretation more difficult for non native speakers.

Yes, looks like the upper image is the ha. Thought it was the mune. The lower one is a different kirikomi. If not for the boshi this would be a very valuable and desirable sword.

There are 3 kirikomi pictured. This blade has seen some serious action, both on and off the battlefield. Nice long, survivor tachi with lots to appreciate so I can see how a buyer might be attracted. From a purests perspective though its got problems. Any idea what this could be. A welded repair patch? And whats going on with the nakago? Would this be a very poor effort to remove gimei carving? Only one side so can't be habaki wear. Biggest issue for me is the boshi running off the kissaki. I thought this was a fatal flaw, yet it gets Hozon. Case of age trumping condition?

Its Tanobe speak for very important and valuable. Sometimes he uses chin cho, and other times the more emphatic chin chin cho cho. As Darcy Brockbank once quipped, it's the equivalent of, if there's a house fire, this is the blade to save first.

The differences are quite pronounced. Its clear one must choose carefully. Which style was the togishi championing?

The 'patina' on the shirosaya is not very convincing. The whole setup does look a little engineered to appear older and as for the provenance and backstory.... crazy...as you would expect for Jauce.

Yes, actually great timing to resurrect this thread. I'm also in a dilemma with regards my tanto. Much of the nioiguchi in the hamon has been worn away through repeated polishes over the centuries. No surprises as the dealer was open about it and I could see what was going on in the photos. Under normal circumstances a sashikomi polish would be the order of the day but I wonder, in this case, if a proper hadori/kesho polish by an expert togishi is the most appropriate. I also need to read this thread to understand the arguments for and against.

My first interest as a teenager cutting my teeth on Japanese antiques was Netsuke (like Colin, ivory seemed to be the primary medium at least in the UK) and lots of discussion on how to tell the difference between the natural material and resin copies. These were fairly widely available and while not cheap, attainable.

Well it says chin chin cho cho and the style matches Tanobe. There must be additional writing on the reverse side.

Very nice looking blade and a great memory of your father. I would also say it's a tanto. The only picture missing is of the complete sword preferably against a dark background, without the habaki (metal collar). Does it have a pointed or flat spine (3 facets)?

I'm reading it slightly different. Less critical rather curious. Certainly there is no question regarding the quality of the forging meeting Shintogo Kunimitsu standards. This is the google translation for the opinion piece. The blade is a shallow furisode, slightly polished, with a small ridge, a small rounded manho, and a bell-like hi-katsu-de. The blade has a fine and thick ji-fure. The blade has a thin and straight blade, a strong ko-fure, and a gold-suji-like edge in the middle of the blade, which is connected to the ji-kei. The blade is deeply turned into a small rounded hat tip. The front has a koshi-hi. For some reason, the date has been written in a way that makes it seem like a bottom inscription, but the two characters for Kagen are also written in cursive script. Is Sei a substitute inscription? The inscription written by Gyokou, which has been looked at, is notable for the fact that the characters are not in the so-called Kita-kanmuri style. However, there is no fake smell at all, and it is rather more dried and relaxed than usual, which is pleasing. As mentioned above, there is a two-character inscription and a date, and the workmanship of the blade can be easily attributed to Shintogo, but Kunimitsu's two characters are closer to cursive writing, and according to his memories, there seems to have been a demand for these characters and men. (We appreciate a glimpse of the beloved works of the late collector Tsushima Sohei.)

Would that be considered a hitatsura temper?

You're not the first and certainly won't be the last to complain that the photos/scans are not representative of the blade received. Those buyers also had to send their blades to a togishi for a full polish, which in Europe is far from ideal. For me this is very dishonest, especially at AOI prices. I will not buy from him unless I see the sword in person. Can you not return the sword to Tsuruta san? There should be an inspection period. You'll be out the return shipping but that may be a worthwhile price to pay for a lesson learned. Can you post some photos and a link to the blade on AOI?

Fascinating modification whatever the purpose. The conversion to nagamaki sounds highly plausible.

Kosher as in legitimate/real