reinhard

Brian, "zanguri" is a term used to describe a particular type of Hada which appears coarse und loosely structured. It does not have a negative connotation but is used to describe the works of Horikawa KUNIHIRO and his followers exclusively. - BTW I don't insist in this particular case. It was just a notion that came to my mind. As mentionned before, it is difficult to tell by pictures alone. All I can tell for sure is that this particular blade is neither MASAMUNE's nor SADAMUNE's work. It is dating from later times and is of far less quality. reinhard

First of all, a knowledgeable dealer trying to sell a (potential) top-class Soshu blade for a few bucks on ebay DOES NOT EXIST. Second, Hada of the blade in question does not match MASAMUNE's nor SADAMUNE's. It looks somewhat loose and disorderly (>zanguri) and makes me think of a Kaji with Horikawa background. Size and measurement of the blade fit in there better too. Attachment shows zanguri Hada of KUNIHIRO. It may be good to know: If a blade looks like Soshu x 2 it is in all probability not the real thing. Spectacular Nie and Hataraki are refined and subtle in old Soshu swords. Later schools inspired by old Soshu style like Horikawa, Satsuma ShinTo and others tended to exaggerate. reinhard

Bereft of its original purpose in modern society ShinsakuTo is an endangered species. From an artistic point of view ShinsakuTo must find new ways to go. Copying old masterpieces is obsolete. Composing like Mozart or painting like Rembrandt doesn't make sense in a time when artists are just a click or a phone call away from knowledge unavailable to old masters. All art is bound to its time and its limits. Great artists break these limits by ingenuity, not by collecting informations. Considering NihonTo a weapon in the first place, even nowadays, it should be made of hitec material cutting through forged steel like butter. But then who cares. reinhard

Jon, If it takes 10'000 hours of practice to become a master criminal, you can probably achieve your goal in less time. Comparing Mozart to Bernie Madoff or Jack the Ripper seems to be an interesting approach though. Welcome to NMB's comedy corner. reinhard

There are and have been too many presuming "well rounded collectors" on this board already giving false impression of their skills and knowledge. "External authority" is not a save haven in every case, but it is preventing beginners from doing the worst mistakes at least. - Talking with experts, who spent most of their lifetime with swords and/or fittings made me feel modest towards my own attempts of authentification. We should not try to establish our own rules unless we are intending to undermine any credibility, provided that we ever had one. BTW it is quite easy to become an "ubermensch". Marry the girl with the small hands. reinhard

A teaser (tanto by Yosozaemon-no-Jo SUKESADA and O-SA) accidentally taken from this year's catalogue for those still hesitating. May the God of copyright have mercy on me. I was told he is related to the God of promotion. reinhard

Good oshigata are. Some oshigata are just a waste of time. reinhard

And the academy award for last say goes to......? reinhard

Sorry Peter, for hijacking your thread. It was just such a nice opportunity to start a discussion overdue. What I'm aiming at is the particular history of Japan. Secluded from the rest of the world until mid-19th century and never been colonized like the rest of east Asia, Japan maintained its unique "medieval" society longer than any other nation. This included a system of values different from their neighbours', not to speak of our "modern" one. Enforced opening of the country resulted in serious decline of quality in arts and crafts. Particularly swords and their fittings, all of a sudden obsolete and exposed to a much more primitive market than before, were strongly affected. From a present point of view, some people tend to mix ancient Japan with Edo-culture with Satsuma-rebellion with Meiji-period trade with ShowaTo with GunTo. They are trying to excuse lousy craftsmanship by times of emergencies in the past. This attitude is preventing people from understanding quality levels in the context of Japan's history. reinhard

Aftermath: During Meiji period Mr.Spoerry, a Swiss merchant in Yokohama, collected Japanese objects of everyday use: Tools for craftsmen, combs, ordinary baskets, weir-baskets, cages for birds and insects and a thousand other things. They are now under custody of the museum of history in Bern, Switzerland. All these simple objects, once made for ordinary people and craftsmen of low rank, were made with utmost care without exception. They were made by people striving for perfection beyond economic criteria, which is hard to believe from a vulgar-Darwinist point of view, called neo-liberalism. - If cages for cicada were made with utmost care, displaying a breathtaking sense for aesthetics and supreme craftsmanship, what can we expect from people fitting the supreme symbol of the warrior elite? reinhard

Ian, Inferior to what? Additional to Martin's points, one could mention: Diamond shapes are asymmetrical. Damaged same contains an ugly gaping spot never repaired. Protruding mekugi doesn't fit the hilt properly. Ito was damaged during the attempt of replacing menuki. (New) Menuki are too small and were inserted carelessly. - All in all, this tsuka contains most elements of a "home-made" handle, made with some stuff at hand, but without any ambition whatsoever. The "two coloured"-wrapping looks accidental, artificial and is far from Japanese aesthetics and perfectionism. The whole tsuka looks like so many attempts of reassembling old stuff without understanding basics. reinhard

The "two-coloured" ito starts to be two-coloured about three crossings above fuchi. Not good. reinhard

Ford, I agree with Mr.Torigoye not because of his reputation. You should know me better by now. My conviction was established a long time before I read his book. Nevertheless it is quite stunning to see a man dedicated to art in the true sense of the word, a lover of Natsuo and his sophisticated ways, breaking a lance for neat and meaningless "Shingen tsuba". Go ahead, I'm still willing to learn. reinhard

Ludolf, Returning to your question for a second: The signature reads: "Ko-FU no ju Nobuharu". "FU" representing a newer system of prefectures established at the very end of Edo times. Therefore this particular mei cannot predate late Edo period. Takeda Shingen lived in Kai province and if there were any surviving examples from those times, they would have been signed in another way. Since Takeda Shingen's personality was a myth from the start and was later associated with mukade tsuba for some reasons, many of the mukade tsuba were tried to bring into relation with him later, mostly by dealers. As for Mr.Torigoye's estimate: I agree with him. None of the so-called "Shingen-tsuba" display any artistic qualities. They are just neat at the most and not really worth collecting. reinhard

That's what it is all about and not "Puritans vs Modernists". BTW every hadori-finish will disappear after decades/centuries of sword care anyway. reinhard

Hello Moriyama-san, I see your point. The paper says "nami kuruma sukashi tsuba", but your assumption sounds perfectly reasonable to me as well. reinhard

Guido, NBTHK's paper is describing this Yagyu tsuba as "nami-guruma"-design. No rising sun nor any (cart)wheel are visible. It is just depicting a circle of waves. Nami-Kuruma is refering to waves in the first place. reinhard

Hi Eric, KUNISHIGE was not consistent as far as his mei are concerned. If you want to make sure, you better submit the blade to Shinsa. Among the three mei you've posted, one is quite close to the one example in Fujishiro's ShinTo Hen (considered to be a very reliable source of information). It is the one on the left in my attachment. From here we could go on speculating, but it won't make much sense, I'm afraid. reinhard

The mei reads: Ikeda Kishinmaru...(cut). This signature is usually associated with Ikeda Kishinmaru KUNISHIGE, working in Bitchu and Osaka during Kambun era. This is just a translation. I haven't checked its possible genuineness. reinhard

Hi Ted, The mei reads "JOCHIKU" and Kao. Since it's a very VERY big name I would love to see more of this fuchi. Little is known about Murakami JOCHIKU, but you find some infos in "swords of the samurai" by Harris & Ogasawara on pages 109 and 153. Any fish there? reinhard

What a shame. It looked quite nice before it was "cleaned". reinhard

I agree with Jacques. Transition from KoTo to ShinTo did not take place from one day to another. Transitional period was Tensho to Keicho era. Development of swordmaking cannot be linked to history alone. Division between KoTo and ShinTo cannot be settled at a particular year. reinhard

This one might help. reinhard

It's HIDENOBU for sure. - Some people know what they are talking about and others are just teasing for their ego's sake. Wasting our time and board's bandwith. reinhard

Don't go for the signature alone. Try to compare design and workmanship with some of the established, genuine examples. Afterwards you will probably not be so optimistic anymore, I'm afraid, but this is part of a learning experience and will do you some good in the long run. reinhard