cabowen

Members: We are planning a show and shinsa next year and I am currently doing the groundwork for some exhibits we are planning. With that in mind, one exhibit I am hoping to put together focuses on a very obscure group of smiths who worked from the late Taisho period to the present day. This group is unique in that all 10 or so smiths are related, that is, all are from the Kato family. I do not believe there is another group of family related smiths of this size in all of Japanese sword making history. They lived in the Meguro area of Tokyo. Today, there is at least one of them still forging blades. Another unique feature of this group is the fact that they were all very good smiths. The first generation group of three brothers all trained along side of Horii Toshihide under Horii Taneaki. They work mostly in the Bizen den. Most of their work was made to order and is on par with the work of the big name smiths of the period. Thus, to complement the exhibit, I am planning a small publication with the family and individual smith histories, photos, and oshigata. I have many oshigata, though not all are high quality. I am hoping some members of this board may have blades by this group and would possibly be willing to share an oshigata or pictures for the publication. I have included a listing of the smiths below. I spent many hours with two of the third generation smiths and was able to gather quite a bit of info which will hopefully bring this talented group of smiths out into the light where they belong.... Smiths in the Kato family include: First generation: Kato Masakuni (加藤真国) Kato Sukekuni (祐国) Kato Kanekuni (兼国) Second generation: Kato Masayoshi (真義) Kato Suketsune (祐恒) Kato Tsuneyasu (恒康) Kato Masahira (真平) Tomida Sukehiro (nephew of the shodai smiths) (富田祐弘) Third generation: Kato Sukekuni (祐国) Kato Kanekuni (兼国) Some of the smiths used a different mei from time to time but these are the most likely to be seen mei. If anyone would like to contribute, please email me privately. Thanks for your consideration....

Chikugo ju Suehiro I believe.... There was a group around Fukuoka led by Suetsugu Shigemitsu (末次繁光). Perhaps related....

yes, it is a gendaito. Tsukushi is probably his family name. There was a Tsukushi Masachika. Possibly related. Mei is well cut....No info on a Tsukushi Masakiyo. Sometimes smiths used a different mei when making blades privately vs for the military....might be a private work...

Banshu Himeji ju Morita Kiyo ? Can't see the last kanji well enough.... Morita is the family name. Kiyo ? the smith's working name....

The writing is not correct Japanese. The quality, shape, and finish of the blade is not Japanese. The mounting is gaudy and incorrect and not Japanese.... I am sorry you were misled. Many people have been taken by these Chinese fakes....

Chinese fake....

(sho stamp) Noshu ju Ido Hidetoshi saku kore

Fireplace poker might be the best use for this blade. It has been abused beyond repair I am afraid.....

Shinsa'in need to be able to see the ji-tetsu, boshi, hamon, and any activity within the ji-ba to make any sort of meaningful judgment. To reduce frustration and expense it is best for new collectors to stick to polished blades and leave the gambling to those with more experience.....

He was an inspector in the Tokyo environs. He visited the home/forge several times of one RJT I spoke with and even did a yaki-ire demo there once on a blade the smith made....He inspected the blades, stamped the star, and took them back to Tokyo.

Says fuchi-gashira, mumei, shakudo..take....kebori...owner's name....nothing about a kodzuka or it being a daisho set.....

This smith is listed in the Meikan as Hirokuni, working in Hizen around Kanbun. 広邦 (郡） 郡 can be read kuni in names.....

I know of at least one RLT who worked at his home forge where the inspector from the army would come, inspect and stamp blades, and transport them back to the arsenal on a regular basis.... Also, I don't believe these blades were tested. It was only the two blades submitted by a smith when applying for RLT status that were tested as I understand it....Hope that clarifies things....

寶暦 - Horeki Ah, ok, thank you. Meikan writes this 宝暦 so I was looking for 宝....

宝暦？？？ I could be wrong but I don't see "ho" 宝....more like "kan" 寛 but there is no Kanreki nengo as far as I know...

This was covered in another thread on this board....I don't remember exactly but think it was in 1942 or 1943...Someone with a better memory will most likely chime in....

You are most welcome.... There is no doubt that certain WWII smiths fetch ridiculous prices in light of their mediocre workmanship while others, of really high quality, go for fractions. Of course there are also talented smiths whose work has a hefty premium because they are "famous" that isn't justified when one compares their work to other talented smiths. It all comes down to recognizing quality and buying blades not names.....

The value of one million yen being tossed around comes from a Japanese swordsmith reference (Tokuno) wherein a value in yen for a perfect sword of ideal length, in fresh polish, etc., is given. Generally, for modern smiths, this is for post war production. Speaking in gross generalizations, current market pricing might be something along the following lines: Blades made during the war by top ranked smiths, average length blades in polish, signed and dated, ubu, and without flaws, can fetch between $6000 and $12,000. The upper figure is for special order, dedications, with great length, and in perfect condition. The lower figure for average work. Bear in mind that I have seen a few WWII era blades by certain smiths sell for more than $20K and as much as $35K! Shorter blades are worth, in general, less. Middle of the road smiths, such as this one, in good polish and without flaws, seem to average $2500 to $5000 subject to the above conditions. Again, the upper figure is for special work. Low ranked smiths, again, in decent polish and without flaws, might bring $2000-$4000 subject to the above conditions.. Again, the upper figure is for special work. Machine made, mass produced, showa-to, in good condition, maybe $800-$1800. The upper figure would be for something with blade and koshirae in pristine condition. Also be aware that certain smiths seem to fetch an unjustified premium in the West based more on familiarity than quality of workmanship. This works the other way as well with many high quality blades selling at a discount due to lack of a known name in the West. Without knowing the length and condition of your blade (are there any flaws, deep rust, bends, is it dated? etc.), it is hard to say with any accuracy what it might be worth. A ballpark figure might be $2500 assuming it is without flaws, dated, and 26-27" long.... Hope that helps...

Not sure I would go so far as to call this smith a "big name"....He is pretty middle of the road actually...

They make mistakes from time to time. I received tokubetsu hozon papers for a shinshinto blade with a long mei and cutting test that had a kanji missing on the kanteisho. I took it back along with the blade and they issued a new, correct one...

Sayagaki has the mei that is on the blade and the name and address of the owner. Looks like the usual oil quenched Kanefusa. Probably not therefore a gendai-to. Hard to tell from the photos but that is how it looks....

this is a kitae-ware or "forging flaw". It is an incomplete weld between two layers of steel.

Noda Hankei is a famous smith who started his career as a gunsmith. His hada is unique and some think that he may have used some of the twist forging more commonly seen in gun barrel making.

genki...ha ha.... 元　記

if it isn't perfect it isn't goto, as Brian has said....