Jaron

Hello NMB, Has anyone ever seen a signature for a Sukesada where it is just “Bizen ju Sukesada” or would this be a classic Gimei? I have looked over many the various signatures listed out there, like the nihontoclub.com site with all the smith listings and signatures, and it seems the longer and more personalized/dated the better. The sword I am looking at only shows the Mei on the certificate of “Bizen ju Sukesada” and I can’t see the signature well enough yet on the blade. I think this is a big red flag, unless there is something there worthwhile someone has some input on. The blade and hamon look decent with the hamon in the straight suguha pattern similar to other Sukesadas. Sorry I do not have pictures to provide at this time. Thanks for your input in advance. Jeff

And here is your random guy 5 years later. I am at the NCJSC annual sword show and there is a 2022 Shinsa as well. I submitted my Wakizashi and it passed. It is a Mumei but they attributed it to late generation Nobataka, pointing to 8th generation, 1789-1801. A big surprise from what I thought it was. There was also mention here of there not being any existing work done by 7th generation out there. That's what I have been told up until now. Now the research begins. If Davidarmy happens to see this all this time later, let me know if I can help with anything.

PM Sent on Connoisseur’s Guide to Japanese Swords.

Juan, Thanks for the insight. I did see a large price differential there between pricey to very pricey. I’ll keep checking. Thanks so much!

Thank you Dan, that was the first place I started and they are backordered too. Thanks.

Hey Luca, yes they are at roughly $150 for a used copy and $351 new. A bit spicy for my budget. It must be out of print and anyone who has it must know. Amazon is $228+ same thing. I was hoping to find it for the $75 amount I saw at Penguin Random House before they were out of it. It was listed above in January for $75 at Amazon. Thanks.

Hello all, I have checked everywhere for Kokan Nagayama’s Connoisseurs Guide to no avail. All the previous channels are out of stock so far Amazon, Penguin Random House, mainstream book sellers, even eBay, Etsy, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I might find it without paying a fortune and more in line with the $75 or so I had seen listed? Google shopping brought up some exorbitant locations. I did get Sesko’s Koto Kantei Zenshu and Encyclopedia as well as a few other more specific books but this seems to be a must for my early education. Thanks, J

I just joined NMB and new, first time owner of a Katana. I’ve been looking for something local here too in Dallas. I joined the NCJSC just to get started and they had some decent topics, like OMI province, Hikone, and the Soten school(the Tsuba on the sword). Please keep me in mind if you find anything. Thanks, Jeff

Thanks John, yes agreed. I passed it up.

Thanks John. Sure thing.

Great thanks Steve and yes I am aware 😊. I got the first Mitsu character on the left but that was it. Jeff

Can someone identify this signature? Apparently Edo period.

And thank you for your invaluable input.

Yes that is indeed true, but if you compare to other Kaneishi Naimura Kanenori examples I have found on the web, the artistry is very close, certainly not the same quality as Sosheishi Soten, but that of Kanenori, his pupil or his older brother/ father’s pupil. Much brighter gold and the monks with odd long faces ( I have no idea what they are with crowns on their heads). The Soheishi Soten is much greater detail. A photo I found of a very similar Kaneishi Nomura Kanenor in a museum that has similar faces…and same signature. Again, I am not as concerned about the validity of the Soten student Kanenori, but what stories are they telling. Especially the Soten tsuba. What is that depicting?

Thank you kindly Rokujuro (Jean). I am looking forward to my journey on the history of this sword and Tososgu. Also, after disassembling the sword, I discovered the fuchi is signed Kaneishi Nomura Kanenori. Certainly the authenticity is questionable as I have no paper on them and with such a famous student of Soten's, but the fittings are beautiful anyway. I will post a few just FYI.

Hello members, I am new to this site and also new to owning a Nobuyoshi blade (Tokebetsu Hozon) that came with this Hozon Soten Tsuba. I am not concerned as to the Soten authenticity as I am aware of the Gimei out there and I also have read from hundreds of pages of Soten school information(like Haynes) as well as comparison photos that look close of this kind of Soten , but I am more interested in the story this is telling. I have included some close ups of the faces, robes, and some of the landscape. It wasn't until I was brave enough to take the sword apart, that I could really see better and the figures came alive. I know there was much Chinese and Japanese folklore that this younger Soten did, as apposed to the older Soten that did more warriors. The figures appear to be monks/sages in various different robe markings. The one figure with the brush/knife has what appears to be skulls on the cloak but I can't tell even with a jewelers loop. The big mystery is the figure sitting at a table with a silver face? I can almost see the face of a racoon dog face, one of the key animal protectors, but maybe it was just damaged at some point. I have blown up the detail on the one robe that is a dragon, and the others have the tortoise longevity markings. What is also a mystery are the gold multi-circular items that could be the wind? I hope someone that knows Soten well might be able to solve the riddle of the Tsuba. Thank you in advance for your input.