sabiji

It has been quite a while since I held a Yasuyo in my hands. That was a Nie-monster! This is also a Nie-Monster! For my taste a little too much Ara-Nie - but stylistically the Deki already comes damn close to Yasuyo...

I'm with Brian on this one. The Ha-Machi is a very sensitive place. A sloppily made and not correctly fitting habaki can quickly cause damage here.

Hi Paul, so first, I totally love your treasure hunt at the flea markets in real time! The only pity is the time difference between Germany and Japan. When my daughter was still in Japan, I found it convenient to Skype with her during my lunch break, while she had already finished work. But of course, since you're hunting early.... Last time I gave up at 1:45 a.m. because I was too tired to follow your treasure hunt. But if it's possible for me, I'd like to join your upcoming treasure hunts online (at least partially). Maybe there is something for me...

The import VAT is determined by means of a tax assessment notice. As with any tax assessment notice, an appeal can be lodged. Here in Germany, the deadline is 1 month after notification. Justify your objection well, and argue especially with the existing Hozon, with which the NBTHK as a non-profit organization classifies the sword as authentic and worth preserving.

Well, I'm not surprised. I don't know the French VAT law, but as far as import is concerned, the laws on this in the EU are quite similar. In Germany, for example, there is no reduced tax rate on antiques, only customs duties are waived for items older than 100 years. In order to get the reduced tax rate, the item must be of ethnological or collection significance. A circumstance that in reality is hardly justifiable at the customs, if you are not a curator of a museum...

dhammer, I have a question: what do you think makes the above DEN Kaneshige a masterpiece? The name? The juyo? I think this is Kinju, one of the founding fathers of Mino-Den, along with Shizu Saburo Kaneuji. If you take a closer look at Kinju, you will quickly notice how much works attributed to him can differ in style - quite contrary to what you read about him in books. There are very few signed tanto and only one surviving tachi with a ni ji mei from him, the vast majority is o-suriage and mumei, so the attributions to Kinju are only opinions. As mentioned above, the characteristics of his blades can vary greatly. Some are in line with the mid-Nanbokucho style influenced by Soshu-Den, while others are much closer to Ur-Soshu, especially Soshu Yukimitsu. So there is the possibility of several generations, but at least 2 generations. But the NBTHK does not differentiate, because too little is known so far. And what about his disciples? Kinju is considered to be the founder of the Mino-Seki school, but unlike Kaneuji, there is no "student drawer" like Naoe-Shizu. The subject of Kinju/Kaneshige is still relatively unexplored. So why, in this context, are you so interested in the Den-Kaneshige you mentioned? What do I want to achieve with my babbling? What difference does it make to buy a sword for 2.5K on Ebay or 30K with Juyo from a dealer? Both are primarily metal swords, and only what others say about them makes the difference in price. Of course, the Kinju will be of better quality than a Gimei Shinshinto sword, but is just knowing that worth the money to you? Everyone collects for different reasons. But if you want to enjoy an excellent sword, you must first learn to see it, read it, and understand it. This way, this is our hobby. Where this path takes you, how this path develops and how you develop is up to you. It is better and smarter to study masterpieces with collectors who are happy to share their knowledge. You don't have to buy just for the sake of owning to belong. It is hard to understand it now, but eventually you will realize. And when you understand it, there is nothing better than purposefully searching for, buying and appreciating your sword. Not everyone has to share your taste, but you can justify your choice and the quality will be beyond question.

Hi Darkcon, I can't say anything about a reliable service provider from the USA. Otherwise try to describe the content as good as possible, ideally also with German translation and attach an invoice. As a rule, since the middle of last year, Deutsche Post has taken over customs clearance. They need clear information about the content and value of the shipment. It is also good if a telephone number and/or e-mail address of the recipient is given, then the process runs faster in case of inquiries. By the way, customs clearance via Deutsche Post seems to work only with an import VAT rate of 19%, no matter how old or collectible you describe the sword. I currently have appeals against my notices to run for the import VAT charged. There are also lawsuits already pending in this regard. But as I said, this is not your problem.

This at least explains why the same polish quirks can be seen over and over again on some Aoi blades.

Hi Pietro, Den-Kirin it is . One of the most important sayings I learned from Micha Hagenbusch is: "there is nothing that does not exist! Even Joly writes in the "Legend" that the Chinese sources were often interpreted quite freely by Japanese artists. This, of course, makes an "academic" reappraisal quite difficult. But in fact the Hakutaku and the Kaichi are the most similar, even if they all come under the heading "Kirin" in Joly's work.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qilin.jpg

I think this is simply a Kirin....

Most of the Yari mounts we know are from the Edo period, and then often from a late phase. Especially the somewhat representative pieces with coats of arms and conspicuous lacquering were mainly worn by the traveling entourage of the Sankin-Kotei system. Or even at all other public appearances of a clan, an authority or Daimyo family. When I think of some yari saya in various forms, it is impossible to stuff them into the obi. I suspect that the average yari of the Sengoku Jidai had either no saya at all as an arsenal weapon, or very simple covers made of wood, lacquered leather or lacquered papier-mâché. Of course, the better yari will have had corresponding mounts in the form of the saya, on which the style of the mounts of the Edo period will ultimately have been based. But as others have written here: in anticipation of battle, the saya will have been omitted from the beginning.

In Germany, 10117 Berlin(Mitte), Auguststraße 68 on May 8, 2022: https://samuraimuseum.de/

What Jussi, you do not own a tsuba? But you are missing an extremely interesting area! Actually just the thing for you, because there is still so much to research in this area and so little is actually set in stone. I am not at all surprised by so many different attributions, not even - I say - careful attributions. Often it only helps to research intensively yourself, to compare, to go into detail, to get opinions of other experienced to classify a piece for yourself. Perhaps it is also related to the fact that the trend of recent years to provide as many swords as possible with papers transferred more and more to Tosogu, although the findings in this area are correspondingly less certain than with swords. But this is only my theory. Also, I think that tokubetsu hozon is still somewhat special in tosogu, although many tsuba would have the potential for it. But the market is simply much more sensitive here than with swords. It is much easier to spend 3,5K for a fairly mediocre quality for a sword (just because it is a sword) than the same amount for a very good quality tsuba. Of course, the chance to sell the sword for 3.5K is much higher than to find a collector who is looking for exactly this tsuba, appreciates the quality and pays the price without hesitation. But everyone has his reasons for what he does. Let's see where the journey at Tosogu goes in the future....

I'm not really a Kinko fan, but these flew to me in the spring of 2021 and have taken up residence.

George, your photos show at least Ko-Hada as well as Ji-Nie and together with your description of the Hamon it points to Yamashiro-Den - no matter from which time the Tanto actually originates. The actual Nioguchi of the Hamon is not recognizable in your photos, nor the shape and position of the Boshi, length of the Kaeri, all important Kantei characteristics. Therefore, opinions here are simply speculations. But maybe you look at the Ryokai school, which can look very similar to old Rai blades, often only with much less Hataraki. This would also fit into the time, which I have written before. But I wouldn't rule out Mihara either.... It would be ideal if you could personally show the blade to other experienced people around you.

Björn, I didn't mean any harm. With some people I had seen restored blades again after some time - and was horrified how much hike they had. Unfortunately, I currently know no sources with reasonable Uchiko here in Europe.

Because of the unfortunately poor pictures can not say much. The only thing that remains is the shape. As for fumbari, this is rather rarely pronounced in tanto. To judge fumbari, you should rather look at the mune in the ha-machi area (munefumbari). Munefumbari remains much longer than the fumbari in the cutting edge area through various repairs and polishes. The "fumbari" in your tanto is simply the result of considerable material loss through various polishes. However, such worn forms and polished horimono were copied in the late Shinshinto quite deliberately. If the shape is changed by various polishes, the assessment is even more difficult. Mid-Kamakura is very often Josun, so around 25 cm. But there are also longer or shorter blades. In most cases, however, they show a discreet uchizori in the area of the tip. Caution, this can also be caused by kissaki repair, so pay attention to the boshi. Normally, Kamakura tanto have a very elegant shape due to discreet uchizori, a rather flat fukura and a discreet but even tapering. This tapering should also be considered with the Kasane. Later blades tend to be uniformly wide, uniformly strong in the kasane, and then quickly taper towards the kissaki, which is why the fukura appears rounder. Anyway, I can't see classic Kamakura at first glance. At best, late Nanbokucho/early Muromachi. But I can be wrong.

Please excuse me, but why do you need Uchiko powder?

The discussion reminds me a bit of a good acquaintance of mine. He wanted to sell a used car here in Berlin on a well-known used car market as quickly as possible and therefore cheap. But to his astonishment, there were hardly any interested parties. They got into conversation with other sellers and asked where the catch was, because the car was so cheap. They assured that the car was perfectly fine. The answer was that at that price, many potential buyers would doubt it. So they doubled the price on the sign and it didn't take long for the car to find a buyer. What if the Tanto had no paper, only Tsuruta-san's opinion at the same price? His opinion would be doubted. It could possibly be a late Koto, early Shinto, or a Shinshinto. But now it has TH, and what if the Tantol cost 9K? Would some be more comfortable then? I admit I don't see enough of the Hada, that may be due to the polish. It would just be better to be able to look at the tanto in your own hands. But that's the way it is with the www. Bottom line, it's a very nice dagger with TH on Tametsugu (nicer in any case than an attribution to Ko-Uda or Etchu Mitsuyuki - but that wouldn't change the beauty of the tanto). No more and no less. @Rivkin, I don't think Kinju, with Kanenobu I would expect prominent Masanagare. Basically I have no problem with Tametsugu....

Hi Paul, hahaha, I'm afraid by this time Sunday I'll be in my cozy, warm bed! But here already a picture from Kawagoe to tune in for Sunday.... Good luck!!!

Hi Paul, this is really a great idea! I would love to walk through a Japanese flea market again. The last time I went to the Kawagoe Antique Market was in April 2019 and I actually found a nice tsuba quite cheap. Good luck and most of all have fun on Sunday! Maybe you post some photos for all who can't be there "live". With a few nice photos of the flea market, you can dream of Japan again at home...

Adam, there I feel also addressed, since I criticized the sword quite. But there is nothing to regret! Even if my best friend would have been extremely interested in this sword, I could not have recommended it with a clear conscience if he had asked me for my opinion. You can find the reasoning in my response at the time above. Ken is right, think about what you really want. After all, an o-kissaki still includes the rest of the sword. The development of the nanbokucho sugata in katana parallels the development of the soshu den. The Sugata change can be seen very well in Masamune blades. His disciples not only spread the Soshu characteristics in Japan, but concomitantly spread the typical Sugata, which peaked between 1340 to 1370. Other traditions also adopted the Sugata independently to at least some extent. Besides this origin, the most important renaissances of this style occurred during Tensho/Keicho, in Shinshinto, and in Gendai with a focus on Soden-Bizen and Kiyomaro-Utsushi. But also in between the style appears again and again. If I see a blade with typical Nanbokucho sugata that is not original to the period, I consider the extent to which the swordsmith is addressing the utsushi of a particular school in addition to the utsushi of the form. Can I see characteristics of Shizu, or Kinju, Hasebe, Sa, Soden-Bizen? Here is an example: https://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords7/NT331311.htm A rather short katana. Although some mune-fumbari can be seen, the shape fits to imitate O-Suriage Nanbokucho. But according to the dimensions of the Moto and Sakihaba, it remains an impressive and proud appearance. The strong kasane is typical of the time and would be too strong for an O-Suriage at this point of the blade. Sadakiyo is not among the top of Hojoji swordsmiths, but from personal experience I can say that many Hojoji smiths have worked to a very uniformly high standard of quality. This can be seen here. Hada is really typical of Edo-Hojoji. The quality of the deki is right for hojoji. Perhaps the interspersed ko-gunome is a bit too "excited" for this school, but it is also not unusual, and it fits the overall concept of a Nanbokucho utsushi, if Sadakiyo wanted to imitate Naoe Shizu. The nioiguchi is even and controlled, and the blade appears quite healthy. A nanbokucho utsushi would not really be typical of the period around Enpo. If the trend of sugata is not really in line with the taste of the time, it is very likely that the sword was purposefully requested that way by the customer. Possibly as a direct copy of an old sword owned by the client. No, the blade has no paper and the signature would have to be checked, but from the features of the blade I would not doubt Edo-Hojoji. It's a nice and solid blade. This is what I mean: proceed like a pilot before taking off his plane. check if everything is coherent and fits. The more you learn, the more your view widens and at the same time focuses on very essential and important aspects. This also includes recognizing, appreciating and enjoying the quality of swords that you do not own, or (also financially) can never own. If you go this way, you are more likely to regret buying a sword that at first glance is an impressive weapon, but on closer inspection does not fulfill you. Your budget is very tight, you will probably have to expand it. But it is not impossible to find something suitable that will give you lasting pleasure. Excuse my bad english!

Adam, I can understand you completely. I was no different. There are always a lot of emotions involved in purchasing decisions. But emotions must not cloud the view. Even today, after more than 30 years, I am not free of them. If I am extremely enthusiastic about something, I leave myself a few days until I have cooled down a bit. Often one sees then things, for which one was blind in the first enthusiasm. I like the shape of the sword. The blade has a proud, confident shape. And if the shape is good, that's always a good sign for the rest of the blade's qualities. That's why I was surprised myself that the Nioiguchi presents itself so weakly on the reflection pictures. It just doesn't fit. Sue-Seki smiths in particular usually have a dense, strong nioguchi hardened - even if not always in luminous appearance. But with this blade, I can't shake the suspicion that the strong hadori is meant to cover up the weakening hamon. Why this is so, I do not know. Possibly due to external influences, such as heat. But this is speculative and can not be judged only from the photos. And as I said, I think that this blade, especially with the existing Koshirae was used by a Iaidoka and I fear that this sword is essentially aimed at clientele in this area. Finally, a word of advice, especially when it comes to the high cost of appropriate quality! Why necessarily Katana? With a little patience you can find for the price of this presented Katana quite a very good Wakizashi from a possibly quite well-known smith or school.

Honest opinion? Yes, the Toushin and the dimensions look impressive. The Hada very soshuesk, but also fits for Sue-Seki. The strong Hadori makes the blade very showy. But the reflection photos make me think and do not fit the first, exuberant impression. The nioguchi seems very thin and powerless and has no luminosity. Also, the Ji seems quite dry, as if hardly Ji-Nie is present. I may be wrong based on the photos, but I fear the blade looks more than it really is. Also the mount seems typical to me that it was last used in iaido....