Toryu2020

What a great afternoon! I spent many a day here when I lived in Kamakura - actually the Kamakura Branch of the NBTHK holds their monthly meetings at this very temple, so we were literally studying at the foot of the great master. I would like to make some small additions to the information. The large stone that Guido is standing in front of is from the Edo period - it was dedicated by a collection of sword dealers, who owed their prosperity to his excellence (Masamune not Guido). If you were to look closely at the square stone at waist height on Guido, the names of all those who donated to have the stone erected are inscribed there but the years have nearly worn them away. The grave where Bob is standing is the grave of Masamune. As Guido pointed out Masamune can also be read Seiso and means "true teaching" however he got the name he was a devotee of the true teaching of Nichiren. The very ancient pair of graves in the last photos are held to be the family graves of the Yamamura Family, so may include Sadamune and other early members of the school (family). Incidentally Yamamura Sensei still practices sword craft in Kamakura as the 24th generation Masamune, Yamamura Tsunahiro. Kamakura is absolutely the place to visit for anyone interested in the sword, Bob is very lucky to make his home there taxes or no... -t

I believe this is read Kazutada 一忠 - there is a Taisho era smith listed using this name. Anyone seen this before? Any help appreciated, -t

Piers - Do you know if anyone received any of the "premiums"offered as enticement for donors? -t

Moriyama san - Thank you very much - I can see the Ko (Oka) but just could not decipher the Hen (Kata)... -t

I only have this one picture - I can read the signature and know the smith is Kunihiro 国広 - what I don't get are the two kanji at the top of the Nakago. Any help appreciated. Please don't ask for more photos this is all I have. Also does this look like a Komonjo special? -t

John - swords are evaluated on their quality and given an assigned number - better than 85 would be something really special and the team would recommend the blade be sent to Japan for Yushu Shinsa. There have been a number of such blades come thru our shinsa and based on our appraisal we know that some have gone to Japan for full restoration and NBTHK papers. So it does happen. We do have a mail-in service and a FAQ page on our website... -tch NTHK Hyogi-in https://nthkamerica.com

Sad news

Roger - its clear you have a nice blade by Ryumon Nobuyoshi with a sayagaki by Tanobe Sensei of the NBTHK - the photos are a little small, having trouble enlarging them enough to read. Might help if you can post closer up pictures. Of Course there is sure to be someone on here who can translate this for you. -t

Kicking around in my parts drawer for years - a little worse for the wear and tear...

Jason - The Gokaden are "Traditions", really methods of construction and how a blade presents itself. They developed in specific places so share the place-names from whence they came. However as has been stated a smith can learn a smithing style and then go practice in a completely different part of the country. In most cases the "DNA" of the original style is still there even when the smith tries something new. Like the way an artist mixes his paints, he does it the way he was taught probably without much thought but the discerning eye can see the "DNA". In Kantei we assign quality first, then age, then tradition. If you can do this you are a long way to identifying a sword-maker based solely on the workmanship. In Koto "Bizen-den" often but not always means you are looking for someone making swords in the Bizen tradition who resides in Bizen. This is where it is helpful to know the many "Schools" within Bizen - the schools developed over time so if you have correctly identified the age of the piece you have pared your many choices down to just the few schools working in that tradition in that place. This works for all traditions. The closer you are to the original place the stronger the influence of the tradition. (This is why it is good to know the Kuni/Kaido) In Shinto times there developed the Shinto Tokuden and several regional styles but most smiths were inspired by works of the past. If you can identify which tradition the smith was aiming for, say Yamato, you can then eliminate all the other smiths working at the time who did NOT do Yamato inspired work. Kunikane was not in the lineage of Hosho but was inspired by their work. Knowing which styles inspired individual Shinto smiths helps you to get to the correct answer... -tch

During our time in Japan we lived in Zaimokuza one of the locations where the heads were found is now the second most popular McDonalds in the whole country... -t

A complete package - very nice...

By extension we need to start collecting these old spades so swordsmiths can turn them back into swords...

John - Which generation do you suppose this is? If we're talking about THE Kagemitsu, there were no shinogi-zukuri wakizashi produced during his time. If we are talking about a Kodachi then all features of a full blown Tachi would be present - I do not see the profile of a Tachi here. At best you're looking at some later Kagemitsu - more likely a false signature meant to deceive. Its still a 12 inch razor, if you're practiced and everyone is wearing silk it will do the job... -t

Cool!

真田六文銭 Rokumonsen - Six mon coins, usually associated with the Sanada family. -t

Fred is not able to operate the shop right now - his son is doing his best but when I spoke to him last week he admitted he has a huge backlog of emails and orders he is trying to get thru. He promises he is going to try to respond to everyone. -t

Cool piece. -t

Details here - www.nthkamerica.com There is mail in service available! Feel free to email us with any questions, -t

Very nice piece... -t

Wolfmanreid - The NTHK is indeed coming to San Francisco in August. We confirmed everything with the hotel just last Thursday. We have to wait until we have a critical mass before assigning time-slots and mailing out confirmations. That will happen much closer to the event itself. In the meantime if anyone has questions about the Shinsa feel free to email me or send me a PM via this forum... -t toryu@toryu-mon.com www.nthkamerica.com

Here is a student of Soten - I think there is a qualitative difference between this and the example from the OP (and the many examples that come up). I am not sure many people have seen a real Soten. The airy-ness of the piece, the quality of the plate, the very fine detail all need to be seen, masterworks stand out and the many copies do not compare... -t https://www.nihonto.com/juyo-tsuba-by-nomura-kanenori-野村包教/

David T - There are few restrictions for carrying a sword in San Mateo County - Bring it in a bag or gun case and you can walk right into the hotel and show room. The hotel staff are well aware of our idiosyncrasies by now... -t

Jimmy Hayashi - fully trained and licensed Japanese Sword Polisher. Harunaka Hoshino - Fake ninja, fake swordsman, fake kantei, fake polisher... -t

PSA - and with all due respect to Dave M To anyone reading this forum, please, please, please do not send anyone, even your worst enemy to Harunaka Hoshino. He is a known fraud and is responsible for the theft and destruction of Japanese swords. He is the only person ever to have his membership revoked in the history of the Northern California Japanese Sword Club. David - I have to agree with those that assess this as a severely damaged blade. There will be people who can clean it up and maybe make it more presentable but I don't think Jimmy is the guy. In fact I would be very reluctant to show him such a blade without first having passed it before others. As Dave M says there will be many knowledgeable people at the San Francisco show and honest opinions are readily had. And for anyone who is wondering, yes there will be a San Francisco Sword Show this year! It is our hope that everyone who needs it will have the vaccine by August and travel will be easier for everyone - even if we are still under restrictions we will do whatever it takes to provide safe, social distanced, sword shopping. All the information is online now; www.ncjsc.org please make your reservations, we hope to see you all there. David - you have a neat inheritance there, not an "art sword" perhaps but a neat sword nonetheless. -t Thomas C Helm President - Northern California Japanese Sword Club www.ncjsc.org www.toryu-mon.com