Babu

This length wakizashi is not particularly short or unusual. I've several at the 40-46cm length.

Promo I'm curios as to how deep your pockets were when you first found this sword. You have been encouraged to spend high sums of money but clearly its a very small gamble for you but you must now be into this sword for what €4000?? What was the approximate financial appraisal of this sword once completed and highest papers achieved? I mean if its not considered rude what do you think your final outlay will be and recovery from selling the sword? I'm just starting this journey myself.

I do feel that it's more likely that a complete novice will find a genuine high ticket item than all the collectors out there looking for the next Kiyomaru. It's the circles that they move in you see. We are looking at stuff others have already seen. This gentleman went out of the usual haunts of nihonto enthusiasts and that's where your likely to find the odd treasure. However it's a thin pool. I think it will appear on the market once its value is determined. Probably through Darcy.

Absolutely correct but it's still variable depending on the artists choice of outcome and the mix he used.

I'm just stating I have a collection of many fuchigashira and I've a great many with varying shades from golden to chocolate brown and they are not faded colours. I see brown shibuichi more than the grey you mention although I do have the Grey's. I would expect most people into Nihonto to have seen brown shibuichi at some point but clearly I was wrong. It's probably making up 30% if my collection. What I do know is that the mix for shibuichi will determine the colour outcome and that this is always at the discretion of the artist . Some of the skills are also lost. Ford is a respected and exceptional artist and he is hopefully doing work for me in 18 months , but thinking he is the font if all knowledge is foolhardy to say the least and I expect he would admit this. He does not have all the answers to questions from over 200 years ago. What say you ford , Do you know everything or are you still as we all are learning ?

I'm a little I'm a little confused by the above statement. I don't think the poster is an active member any longer but whatever the case its completely wrong I have over 60 fuchi kashira and kozuka in chocolate brown shibuichi of varying shades..

Yet we know of so many documented lefties Steve. This was pointed out in one of my threads a while ago.

I've just posted in the for sale section a wakizashi project that's very similar in construction to this even to hakikaki on one side of the boshi and the pronounced jigane. It's an shinto ubu unsigned wakizashi Have a look you might find similarities in construction.

Yes but I'm asking for confirmation from books that might have this smiths mei. none of the above are papered as far as I know.

Hi I'm looking for examples of this smiths first and second generation mei. I've looked on the net found a couple of similar ones and one papered but I'm unable to see the mei on that one. Could you scour your books to see if you have this smiths mei from either generation either signing yamashiro or hieanjo? My sword is the soot oshigata Thank you Adam

You have the wrong generation. This sword is the 2nd not first gen based on this mei. This smith also signed Heianjo fujiwara kunimichi.

Not sure if this qualifies but it's the only one not designed for ana.

Is that oil tempered?

Yamashiro no kami Minamoto Kunimichi Size 2 shaku 2 sun 0.45 bu Active between 1661-74 He was a swordsmith of Iyo province. A Kikumon(chrysansemum crest) has been engraved on the tang and it is what is often referred to as the rustic style.Michina school often used this Kiki. They often call this Kunishige style sword work for obvious reasons. Hawley rates that Smith 20 points. he also Signed Heianjo fujiwara Kunimichi. The katana was forged in Iyo (Ehime prov., Island of Shikoku) during the Genroku period (1688-1704). Iyo Province (伊予国 Iyo-no-kuni) was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku.Iyo bordered on Awa, Sanuki, and Tosa Provinces. It was sometimes called Yoshū (予州) . Genroku (元禄) was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō,, literally “year name”) after Jōkyō and before Hōei. This period spanned the years from ninth month of 1688 through third month of 1704. The reigning emperor was Higashiyama-tennō (東山天皇). The years of Genroku are generally considered to be the Golden Age of the Edo period. The previous hundred years of peace and seclusion in Japan had created relative economic stability. The arts and architecture flourished

Yes very lovely I just didn't see the thread until now. I do love a good sayagaki. I also like to see a sword in mounts is that your intention long term or do you prefer the shirasaya alone?

And of course it looks like a very poor quality inro few would covet. It's not at this level you would get caught out though is it. I would imagine there are some far better examples out there of higher quality copies?

I'd need better images of the mei to try for you. It's not detailed enough. Send a high Res images to me if just the mei side? Even if you cut the mei in half so they are big pictures

£34,500. Not cheap and the hamon does get close to the ha.

Strangely it's far more valuable than the closing bid seems to indicate. Over here that would be in an antique shop for $1200.

Have we seen the entire mei ? I think it elaborate for Gimei.

Mike is there a signature on the Fuchi Tenjo? It's in need of a polish so closer to the $2000. If polished it's unlikely to be a $5k sword in it's current fittings. However values are very subjective and based on current market climates. I've seen better swords go for less because the seller needed the money and there were very few buyers with deep enough pockets. It's very much a buyer's market in this covid environment.

Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. I agree that forums are a very special place for people of similar mindsets. I spoke to many of the old boys from around 15 years ago, no longer on here now and they mostly reiterated that they hated the mindset of the forum community and poor Rich T sold everything he had to get away from the hobby for just this reason. There's some truly amazing people on here but there's also a lot of people who offer no real benefits to study and probably need to go get a life. I certainly do, but I thank you all for your tolerance. You are too fixed in your ways to ever learn anything new and that means you cannot adapt to changes in the way people collect. Anyone challenging convention is ostracised, ridiculed, cast out or ignored. This is exactly what many of you exhibit as your characters. I've met some really good people on here and a few I'd rather forget. I'm sure many feel the same way about me. That's fine. Forums are not for me I'm too free thinking and logical. Thank you

Quite, its possible the saya is a later addition. But we will never know.

So what your saying is that if I come running up to you shouting "your house is on fire get out quick" you will ignore me until the fire service arrive and tell you to get out. Forgive me but that's a very silly statement. Every one of you told me I was full of crap and even now not one of you has the strength of character to admit I was right. You really do need to take a long hard look in the mirror gentlemen. I am embarrassed for you.

Uh.... I think ford just agreed with me.