Lewis B

Torokusho registration started early 1951 as far as I'm aware

I got almost exactly the same feedback. And its justified in hand. Although for my Shikkake its the omote letting the side down. No Shintetsu but the polish according to Tanobe could have been better. I might get it looked at by a Togishi at some point and perhaps resubmit when the chance of passing improves. I would certainly think twice about submitting any blade (unless signed) at the moment based on the last 2 years Shinsa. But as Bobby says this strict Shinsa period could mean buyers have the opportunity to purchase some excellent blades without the Juyo premium.

Have you had any replies to the avalanche of emails I'm sure you've sent out by now? You may also want to consider posting an image of the blade so that if someone posts a FS ad without the koshirae or nakago showing it will be easy to spot.

Unfortunately true, and its not a trend that started recently. I know of several that switched to kitchen knife manufacture after an early career making swords. Some still make them well into their late '70's. I own several by Yoshiaki Fujiwara (nihonto name Kanekuni and a 3rd generation swordsmith), all forged and sharpened by the same guy. He is now semi retired at 80 but still producing at a slower pace.

I stand corrected, thank you John. A good case of dogma benefitting retailers. Heck, even some well regarded dealers use and perpetuate this as a selling point if it suits them. I found this excerpt from Nihontocraft that makes perfect sense as to why Daimyo and Shrine blades are overwhelming represented in the early Torokusho paper registrations. Q: Are blades with a Torokusho date of Showa 26 (1951) ones that came from top Daimyo collections? I have heard that only the treasured items like Masamune, Ichimonji, Sanjo Munechika, Awataguchi, Rai etc... from only old important families were invited / allowed to get registered in Showa 26 - 27. You are asking about the phrase of so-called "Daimyo/Kazoku" Torokusho registration some dealers/collectors like to use. This registration was based on the Culture Property Protection Law. Any swords that had artistic value could be registered. Even gimei and blades with any kind of kizu could be registered. This was not a shinsa. The fee was 230 Yen. This was established on Nov. 15 of Showa 25 and executed on Dec. 1, Showa 25. There is the factor that people in "the know" and in charge of important collections, would have been more aware of this new law than others and quick to react. But there is no evidence of special or private access. Please remember that at this time in sword history the total destruction of Nihonto was just barely avoided. Regular class people with regular class family treasures wanted them to be protected just as much as Shrines and Daimyos. Please see the collection of Showa 26 registration cards here (below). These are all regular class items. Yes, there were many meibutsu Daimyo/Shrine blades registered in 1951 but these years were not times when blades of that level were exclusively invited or permitted.

CHIKAFUSA (近房), Jōkyū (承久, 1219-1222), Bizen – “Chikafusa” (近房), Fukuoka-Ichimonji school, Chikafusa belonged to the goban-kaji list of emperor Gotoba that consisted of 24 smiths, therein we was working with Bungo Yukihira (豊後行平) in the fourth month, ko-midare mixed with ko-chōji in ko-nie-deki ◎ CHIKAFUSA (近房), Kōan (弘安, 1278-1288), Bizen – “Chikafusa saku” (近房作), Fukuoka-Ichimonji school, there exists a date signature of the second year of Kōan (1279), the hamon is more flamboyant than that of the Jōkyū-era (承久, 1219-1222) Chikafusa It would seem there is a 3rd Chikafusa from the Koan era (1278-1288). A signed and dated example exists for 1279. Definitely much research is needed to tie down an attribution to one of the three smiths. Interestingly Markus doesn't reference the Tanobe attribution for a Chikafusa from the Kencho period.

Don't feel too bad, the last 2 Shinsa have had extremely low pass rates relative to previous years. My Shikkake didn't pass 69th Juyo but Tanobe sensei said it has Juyo potential. I have a soft spot for Kashu Sanekage and considered buying one that was owned by your fellow Singaporean Mr Chua

I based my response on this article I read on Saturday. The description says the blades are displayed vertically to best appreciate the blades activity. "The sword "Spring Dawn (not for sale)", which won the Masamune Award in 2014, is also on display at the venue. Usually, when it comes to the exhibition of swords, it is placed horizontally, but this time it is placed vertically, and you can see its beautiful "figure 姿" and "refl 映り" up close."

This is not a tanto I'm planning to purchase. It was offered to me for 800,000 yen but I had my doubts from the getgo regarding the style and application. As you remarked John, the style is quite atypical. Of particular concern is the bottom kanji with the right curve element being made of two individual gold pieces. I would expect a single piece of gold with file marks. In my experience this is not a good sign. I initially saw the jiba and found it very fine and attractive with possibly influence of Norishige.

Signed early Koto swords are thin on the ground and often carry a very hefty price. Obviously if as a collector you're not fixated on Kamakura/Nanbo, which I am, then the options expand tremendously.

Agreed, but this shouldn't affect the desirability if its done well and there are no issues exposed, at least thats what I read and hear from Japanese collectors/dealers. It was likely done centuries ago.

Good eye. Lot to like there and if you can get it for around the starting bid you will be making an excellent 1st purchase, assuming it fits with your collecting aims. It has to speak to you and from what you say it appears to have made an impression. Positives. NBTHK TH, obviously very healthy, characteristic Nanbokucho era sugata, very little kitae ware and in what appears to be good polish. Cherry on the cake is the very low registration number and date of Feb 1951 which means this was once owned by a Daimyo family. I would recommend you see if Tsuruta san can ask Tanobe sensei write a sayagaki. They are well worth the stipend IMHO. Oli makes a good suggestion too, but Koto blades were thin on the ground in 2024.

1

Synthetic stones are great for certain jobs early in the process, but I think it's generally accepted they don't perform as well as the natural stones at least for finishing in the final stages of the polish. Synthetics are better at abrading metal, but naturals produce a naturalistic finish, hence the use of fingerstones. (One might compare to digital vs analog Audiovisual technology. I've always found watching CRT images more pleasing than digital. Same for vinyl). One advantage of the natural sourced material is that the particles change form as they're being worked on the metal surface generating an increasingly finer polish. Synthetic particles stay uniform.

Does anyone recognise the Kinzogan Mei Kao and attribute it to a specific appraiser. The style seems quite unique. On the Omote side there is Uda Kunifusa Kinzogan mei

Coincidentally I was just looking at a tanto by his big brother Kunifusa. Their father was Uda Kunimitsu. Kunifusa was said to have been a student of Etchu Norishige, not sure if Kunimune studied with the Master. The jihada shows some similarities. Does this blade have papers?

I have a few high quality Jnat stones for polishing and sharpening kitchen knives. Before I graduated to Nihonto I collected mainly Japanese kitchen knives. Good quality stones are becoming increasingly difficult to find although if you know the right people the high quality ones, especially those used by the top togishi are still obtainable although the price can be into the 1000's of $. My top stones are from Nakayama, Shoubudani. Ohira and Okudo. The red dots is Renge and highly prized in a stone. And from each of those mines stones are extracted from multiple layers as they are sedimentary rocks. The tricky bit is getting clean stones that have a predictable grinding/polishing action as there are often 'toxic' lines caused by sand deposits extending through the rock that will mare and scratch the steel. And as they are sedimentary the polishing performance can change as the upper layers are removed. Here are a few of my stones. The righthand image is a Nakayama Tomae. The lines are not 'toxic' but all 4 illustrate the difficulty in extracting very clear stones from the different layers. I believe for final nihonto polishing the togishi uses Uchigumori and these are becoming harder to find in the size and quality demanded by the top polishers. The cost of these range from $500 -1K. For the top examples you can expect to pay $2-3K

Am I seeing some utsuri? Does the sword have a Bizen origin?

oops. You're right, my bad. Yes, I would like to see that one too. It should be a rule that anyone with a nice sword has to learn how to take nice pics

Mid-late Kamakura? I like the proportions and have a softspot for a well executed bo-hi.

Did you receive your Ichimonji? Would love to see some images of what I can imagine is a wonderful blade.

Go to the Post Office everyday? Thats my definition of masochism. Only a lost Masamune would make me do that.

Thats the spirit. Never say die. I assume you have seen this webpage. File a complaint, phone customer service, write to as many emails as you can find. Someone knows something. Its just a matter of shaking the tree. ...... https://aide.laposte...-or-file-a-complaint

Yes, sad fact of life and we can only protect ourselves the best we can. I don't think anyone on the NMB has indicated that they include an airtag in the box but its becoming more common in general when travelling with suitcases and for high value shipments as an extra layer of security. If you can trace the location you could get the authorities involved. Hopefully the tanto was fully insured. You should also be able to claim back the customs duty if the package is lost in transit. And you're right, the only obligation the carrier has is to the contracted person ie the sender in this case, unless you paid the carrier directly. Has the shipper in Japan opened up a claim? Some retailers allow you to pay with a credit card (most don't it seems) so that could be another avenue to pursue, if applicable. Was a signature required upon delivery? If yes and there is no signature then the finger has to point at a specific person in the French Postal Service. Good luck and I hope it eventually materializes.

Many advocate including an airtag in packages to assist with tracking. They aren't very expensive but could prove really good for pinpointing the movements of the box and the last person to have control.