Ludolf Richter

Hi Ed,Your Sadanobu (SAD 582) lived at the wrong time at the wrong town (Osaka) with more than a dozen of the best Shinto swordsmith around him.Only (very) poor samurai would have bought a sword made by him.One advantage:nobody would have faked his Mei!Ludolf PS.There is no Mei-pic in all my index books or the Shinto Taikan (or REI-magazine or auction catalogues or other publications)

Hi Konstantin, I have some doubt about Your story with the "old stuff" but new papers from 2006!Ludolf

http://www.hi-net.zaq.ne.jp/osaru/e_midokoro.htm

Hi Quang, according to Nihonto Meikan,it is Hawley's HIS 180.There is no Mei with "Bungo Takada" or "Hoshu Takada" mentioned,but he (died in 1862) was a member of the Bungo Takada school.Ludolf

Hi,there are at least 4 generations in the books (Nihonto Meikan & Hawley's),from the end of Koto till about 1700:Hawley MUN 779 -MUN 782. Ludolf

Hi Ruslan, the Mei reads in fact-there is no doubt about it-Otsuryuken Hamano Kaneyuki.He was a student and later the adopted son of the first Hamano master Masayuki.He lived from 1740 till 1776 and worked at Kanda/Edo.When he became the second hereditary Hamano master in 1769 he added a kao behind his Mei.Your Mei is similar but I believe,it's not Kaneyuki's one.The Tsuba is not his style.Maybe it was made in mid 19th Century:Gimei.I don't understand,why the dealer spoke from Mito style when there is a Hamano signature.Those guys from Mito are known as the greatest fakers of all the fitting artists. Sorry and cheers Ludolf

A nice Katana!?

Hi David, there is only one swordsmith possible:Hawley's HID 114 from Bungo.Nihonto Meikan,Hawley and Shinshinto Meikan make him work in the Taisho era,which began in 1912.There are no further data about him,besides the fact that he was a son of Sandai Nagahide (NAG 174),who worked from about 1850 (see Compton part I-Nr.369 with a dated sword from that time) till the Meiji era.Let me say,if he was probably born around 1850 to 1855,be would have been 50 years or older when he made Your sword (Meiji 37= 1904).The statement of having worked (only) in the Taisho era (when he was 60 or older),is definitely wrong!I believe,he started much earlier. Cheers Ludolf

Hi Nigel, I just forgot to mention that IMHO Your Mei is no Gimei!Who would fake him?! Cheers Ludolf

Hi Nigel, because my first reply wasn't shown,I had already send You a private message.Today I add a reference Mei and shall repeat my remarks to the other readers. The Mei reads Hatekeyama Yamato (no) Suke Masamitsu. Haynes M516,pre Meiji era,woking/living in Settsu and Aki provinces. The reference Mei is showing some different characters. First:he doesn't use the Kikumon Secondly:he uses the 2nd character of the normal writing for Yamato (see both characters at the ref.)only Third:there are no vertical strokes below the "roof" of Suke.I have never seen slant ones besides Yur Waki Fourth:either was the Shodai drunken when he chiseled the Mei or his son,the Nidai Masamitsu (no Suke title mentioned in the books,Hawley MAS 517),made the Mei for his father (no reference Mei to be found from the Nidai!). Cheers Ludolf