Kaigunto230

Noticed that too. But depending on how the bidding goes, not a bad deal for a late-war saya and star stamped gendaito and the buyer could recoup some of the money by selling the tassel. Got overly excited by 300, but then I studied a bunch of oshigata side by side with the mei, and I think it’s gimei. Regarding the auction house’s goofs, they do have over 600 lots and just 30ish swords in not wonderful shape, so priorities probably went elsewhere.

@Jussi Ekholm Others had the same read: its currently at $600: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/111347277_vintage-Japanese-katana-sword It’ll be interesting to see where it goes.

I also saw 286 and thought the same thing! Glad my eyes are catching sugata others too thought were worth catching. I tossed some modest bids on a couple hoping the smaller auction house would fly under the radar (I’m from IA and was hoping I could sneak a win). I did lots of research and narrowed down my selection and placed my bids….But then I also learned they’d partnered with both LiveAuctioneer and Invaluable…. And I’d already been outbid before I’d even placed my own bids directly on the site 🤦‍♂️🙄 Did anyone else have a suspicious eyebrow raise on this one? Something about the tsuba, mei and kanji spacing, and horimono have me nervous for a potential buyer: https://jacksonsauction.com/catalogs/2021/SEP/detail/default.aspx?ID=286

Looks sharp! Did your wakizashi fit the koshirae, or will it just be for display? Always seems like a tricky proposition, marching a blade with a non-custom-made mounting.

Thank you, Steve!

Could someone please help me with this two character mei? I've stared at the new kanji charts on the forum for awhile and am struggling. And my amateur transcription attempt:

Thank you so much, Mike! Looking forward to perusing these

Love it! We’ll look forward to the photos @Tanto54 incredibly interesting! Thank you for the very thorough and thoughtful reply. I really appreciate the insights.

@Steven Edmundooh, so tell! Do you have the link to which one you got? There were a number of them I was tempted by but have run out of real spending money for a time.

Thanks for commenting! Not knowing this school at all, I didn't want to guess, but the things I mentioned just looked off. On the other hand, the NTHK NPO kantei worksheet gives it some credence. Could you please say more about why you thought the mei was genuine?

That's what I thought too! I'm an absolute novice at reading mei/determining gimei, but between the kiku which I thought looked amateurish (which struck me as odd given its importance) and that brightness, I was worried.

Yeah, that's what I figured. When it was $300, I thought it'd be neat to have a late Edo piece with some interesting lineage history, but after it started jumping, and without papers, and in that rough polish, etc. etc. Shifting the topic a little bit, how do folks approach auctions? I feel like it's very easy to find a large antiques/militaria auction and instantly want to buy everything. When you're not holding the pieces in hand to study, I worry you can go overboard quickly. I'm glad I didn't here.

I stared at this one for awhile today, trying to do some research on the fly. Had a shinsa worksheet but no origami, and I worried that the middle of the kiku's circle was off, being too uneven and larger than others I've seen (i.e. potentially a later-added gimei). Then the bidding went north of my $500 mental limit, and I let it go. Thoughts? Did all but one of us miss out on a good one? https://bid.sofedesignauctions.com/lots/view/4-39AP3I/late-edo-Japanese-samurai-wakizahi-sword-in-old-shira-saya

@Gakusee Just closed a few minutes ago for $7500 (plus shipping and 23% buyer premium, so north of $9200). *low whistle* https://bid.sofedesignauctions.com/lots/view/4-39AP2I/rare-koto-era-Japanese-samurai-tanto-dagger-signed-rai-kunitoshi-circa-1300s EDIT: Sorry, this was the one @NihontoCollector was looking at, not the original one that led to this thread.

@JohnTo Incredibly interesting to me to see essentially the same design on multiple tsuba. Makes you wonder if there was a particular workshop who perfected the design, or if it was relatively common motifs incorporated widely.

I was in the neighborhood so I stopped by to look at it again. Having checked Dawson’s in between, it’s definitely an Army sword. That said, the wear on the blade was a lot worse even than my photos showed, so I passed. I’m learning a good rule: there will always be another sword.

Thank you, all!

I recently purchased a couple Nihonto and also own a kaigunto, and I want to care for them in the best possible way to preserve their longevity. I attended Mr. Grey Doffin's wonderful care and etiquette lecture at the Token Kai, and the JSS/US packet he handed out has also been useful. However, I had a few quick questions. 1. Grey mentioned using microfiber cloths for removing oil instead of uchiko. Can one also use a microfiber cloth to apply the oil to the swords? Or should that be a clean tissue for application, switch to microfiber when removing the excess, and finally using a microfiber when cleaning everything off for study/appreciation? 2. Gunto - Is the oiling of a gunto the same as a Nihonto? Thank you for the help!

This is a great thread! I have a Kai-gunto made by Inaba and haven't done my homework well enough, so I appreciate the kickstarter, @Kolekt-To!

@Spartancrest That’s so interesting to see basically the same tsuba with a couple small variations. Thank you! Looks like I’ve got some reading to do.

Ha ha, I was even there (obviously 😉) and I want more.

@Kurikata It was fun searching and searching and then finding it and thinking, "Wow, that's so beautiful, and it has to have so much history. I would be honored to own that." I'm so glad I got the chance. Oh, wow, I would love if it was connected to Hizen. I lived there for six months and think Kyushu is incredible. What makes you think it might be? Thanks so much for the reply!

@Tanto54 Thank you so much! The more you know. I figured they weren't mon because there were so many of them; that makes a lot of sense. My other guess is that the triangular shape between the dragons in Mt Fuji. Even though it's faded a bit, I love the inlay work.

@PNSSHOGUN Thank you! It does look a little worn, doesn't it? Do you think the price goes up a bunch for less worn versions? I'm interested in the Type 19s, but given the dull blade, etched hamon etc., I'm not willing to probably spend over $300. As to Army v. Police, do you have an opinion?

As we were finishing our time living in Japan, I didn't have enough money (or knowledge, frankly) to purchase a Nihonto from one of the shops, so I decided to look for a tsuba. There's a massive, monthly shrine-sale near Atsugi, Kanagawa right outside a train station (perhaps Ebina Station?). Allegedly some of the proceeds go towards the local shrine, but I don't actually have a lot of faith that this happens; I think that is likely a thing of the past. Regardless, it's a great place to go to look for Japanese antiques at good prices. I picked up this tsuba in January 2019 and have treasured it since. It seems smaller, so I'm guessing it's for a wakizashi. It measures 2.75 inches tall and 2.5 inches wide. On one side, it has water dragons, and on the other it has five shapes. Perhaps they are mon, but they seem too artistic. Can anyone please tell me anything further about this tsuba? I'd love to know what the shapes represent or guesses on region of origin or age. I do enjoy tsuba but don't have any reference books in my library, so I really appreciate the assist.