reinhard

Well, "everyone around" does not necessarily include knowledge. Especially not when confusing "Ichimonji" with "Bungo". BTW "Bungo" what? Ko-Bungo Yukihira, Sadahide, or Bungo Takada school? None of them can be seriously confused with Ichimonji. reinhard

Thank you, Michael, This is exactly what the NBTHK shinsa is all about. The NBTHK might not be infallible in every case, but in general they are doing pretty well. Of course there are some dealers whining about the "good old days" when they were able to tell their customers whatever they wanted to hear, uncontradicted. I see some of them here too, on NMB, eagerly trying to undermine NBTHKs's credibility for a simple reason. They are just not good enough for this kind of trade. reinhard

Hi Tony, In this case the answer is particularly simple. The mei is on the sashi omote, i.e. the blade is signed as a katana. Famous Kagemitsu in Osafune never did that. His DaiTo are always signed as tachi, i.e. on the haki omote. There were many minor smiths signing "Kagemitsu" during later periods though. The torokusho wrapped around the saya does not give detailed information, for it doesn't have to. It is just a paper legalizing the ownership as long as the blade is in Japan. It should never have left Japan. reinhard

It seems to me that you have a limited understanding of the term "masame". Masame is clearly defined as undisturbed layers of steel as in the work of Yamato Hosho, Sendai Kunikane and some ShinShinTo smith emulating the style. Hada with a tendency to straightness is called "masake" or masa-gokoro. This is utter nonsense. No, it's not, Straight, or masame-like structures appear only near the ha or the mune. You've got a long way to go.

Hi Kirill. Are you refering to Kamakura as place or a time-period? Whatever you are refering to: Could you please explain what "atypical hamon" and "atypical boshi" mean in this particular case? Help us understand with pictures and precise informations of the blade. Thank you reinhard

"I thought I would make a new thread for the subject for not to derail that one from it's original topic." You really thought this was going to work as simple as that? Signed Yamato blades > Shizu > Tametsugu > Soshu style in no time. Wake up, Yussi, this is NMB! reinhard

Hi Barry, The mei eventually reads: MORI ( 守 ) SADA saku. There was a Bungo Takada Katana with a similar mei in the Compton collection. It was papered "koshu tokubetsu kicho token" in 1975, so the mei can be considered genuine. It was sold at auction by Christies as lot Nr.306 (Part I) on March 31, 1992. The two mei are not precisely identical, but pretty close.

I'm with you.

Brian, I really do appreciate your efforts to keep this site alive. I'm just wondering if this is going to work in a long run by celebrating links to unchecked information. I'm aware of growing popularity of "youtube-learning" in these days, but this is not how you should approach Japanese swords and fittings. A few of these links might be guidances to better understanding, but finally you have to see objects yourself, have to understand basics. What I wanted to make sure is: Do not confuse easy entertainment and breaking news for a way to understand the real thing. It will not work. Anyway, I'm watching your project from a distance and wish you well. I really do. best regards - reinhard

Do you really think approaching Japanese culture is possible by sitting at home and studying bits and bytes and pixels?

Really? Is that all it takes? Feeding you with links to unchecked information?

"Nuns, no sense of humour!" (Clancy Brown as Kurgan in "Highlander") reinhard

Just checking how predictable NMB still is. Thank you mods. I could have chosen this pic as well. No bare bottom, but the message's still the same. Sorry for the confusion, Joey. reinhard P.S. Great source for pics and wallpapers: http://www.fotomonitor.ru

Joey, You are trying a silly stunt. Don't. Keep on learning. Buy later. reinhard

Simple questions can be answered. Stupid questions can't. reinhard

How many of Masamune's famous blades did you see in hand? Let me guess. None? Well, I did. Quite a few of them. They are neither "outlandish" nor "rugged" or just "bold". They are simply the best a lover of NihonTo can imagine. Reinhard

Leave your armchairs and check reality. reinhard

Well, it will definitely not be the NTHK for obvious reasons. reinhard

Subscribe. Reinhard

That's correct. It looks like Koson's mei and Kao around 1955....Unfortunately his attributions are of less to no importance nowadays. reinhard

Don't worry. You've got it all right. Like Guido said: Most of us are here just to confuse you. What you need to know, however, is that Guido's evil twin, held prisoner in a cage and taken off public, eventually breaks loose. Fortunately for those with a sense humour, he breaks free every now and then and is posting under the name of his decent brother. reinhard

Since New Zealand and its locals are the place to go when you want to the know the real truth about NihonTo I suggest: You better stay there. reinhard

Jason, let me comment three of your statements: "have I done myself a dis-service with this sword? Is it a shocker best sent to the scrap heap?? It is certainly an improvement for me.... And if I keep improving with each new aquisition I'll keep learning....." Yes, you did yourself a "dis-service" as far as your learning is concerned. As was suggested before, this is most probably a kazuuchi-mono wakizashi from later Muromachi times when styles and characteristica of schools and traditions were hardly discernible anymore. The blade is full of forging defects showing as open grain. This could be the result of retempering too, but the outcome is the same: The blade has no value at all. If this kind of blade is an improvement (of whatever) for you, you will have to start at point zero again, meaning you have to learn elementary basics. Improving by buying junk will never let you make any progress. Never. And yes, it is scrap iron belonging to the heap, which brings me to your next statement: "If and when I sell it I will double if not triple my money" It seems you have made up your mind already. Your plan seems to be quite simple: Buy low-end junk from whatever sources; let the benevolent nuts from NMB do all the work; then find a victim who knows even less than you do and make a little profit until enlightening will eventually strike you. - Well, this is not the way it works. Understanding NihonTo won't come like this. "There are things other than money which I have to consider" I remember you complaining about the shipping costs of a (very good) book in another thread. - If you really don't have to consider about money, you better start with books and don't bother the board on all channels with your newly acquired junk until you have read and understood them. reinhard

Well, I am. It is just a piece of junk and not worth discussing. BTW No reputable polisher will sign his work like this: reinhard