Traditional blade with fittings pick up

[tokashikibob]

Gents,

Picked up this sword today, as I collect gunto blades it was quite interesting to look at quality fittings up close. The tsuba is quite a nice work of art as far as the craftsmanship. Is the kanji trying to tell me something about it's place in Nihonto?

Another interesting part I'm not familiar with was with the drag on the scabbard. The metal has much detailed artwork involved. Also, are the various diamond patterns on the fuchi family mons? I'm told the menki were gold and that's why they are gone. Such a shame. Blade is robust with a tight itame pattern and large hamon, somebody snapped the tip but looks to not be a fatal flaw as the hamon is quite wide, unsigned, 3 ana.

 

Being a novice any feedback is most appreciated!

Semper Fi,

Bob

P.S. anybody have some extra cording?

http://www.okinawarelics.com

[John A Stuart]

The tsuba is signed Choshu Hagi ju Yukitsune 常幸 John

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hi Bob,

 

Thanks for posting. For the sake of discussion and feedback would enjoy seeing additional images including kissaki, hamachi region, nakago, along with an overall profile view. Also, in the fuchi image dsc 00677, the blemish running perpendicular to the ha just in front of the fuchi draws attention?

[Marius]

The tsuba looks like a Meiji shiiremono, a mass produced piece, in other words.

 

As for the kanji - here is a great resource from the JSSUS, which will help you the read them:

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/index.html

 

BTW, are the kanji really so bad that they look like they have been stamped, or is it just just your out of focus photograph?

[Brian]

YUKITSUNE 幸 常

H 12479.0

W: Buzen Nakatsu ju, Buzen Province

NTS: it is very rare to have any artist sign as

living in Buzen Province. Wakayama feels this

is the same artist that signed Choshu Hagi ju

H 12481, but there is no proof.

SCE. S.p. - 175- L- 5

 

YUKITSUNE 幸 常

H 12481.0

YUKITSUNE

W: Choshu Hagi ju, Nagato Province

D: ca. 1800

NTS: Wakayama feels this is the same artist

who signed Buzen Nakatsuju H 12479, but it is

not sure.

SCE. W- 191 - U- 10

 

I don't think this is shiiremono...but condition leads to that impression. Maybe once cleaned up it will look a lot better. Or I could be totally wrong

 

Brian

[Gunome]

Hi,

 

Nice blade fitting. I like the kurikata with the crab !

[zatoichi]

On image 4 what is the line running perpendicular to the hasaki

Justin E

[tokashikibob]

Hi Bob,

 

Thanks for posting. For the sake of discussion and feedback would enjoy seeing additional images including kissaki, hamachi region, nakago, along with an overall profile view. Also, in the fuchi image dsc 00677, the blemish running perpendicular to the ha just in front of the fuchi draws attention?

 

Everybody, Thank you very much for the quality information and comments. Sorry in advance for the crummy photo's I've asked Santa for a new camera!

I pulled out Yumoto and Sinclaire to refresh myself with the terms and characteristics. The Nakago's yasuri-me has ichi-monji on one side and kiri-suji-chigai on the other. Stange? Very faint I might add. The cutting edge is approx 25 inches and 31 overall. No ha-giri, the pic has some debris from the saya. Cleaned off the blade and oiled it, hamon has a few patches of suna giri on each side and is quite wide. Also, The Mune is quite high at the nakago which I take to mean a healthy blade. No openings or flaws in the Jihada, unlike most of the others I see.

I'll have to take it to a show for one of you guys or a Togishi to take a look at the tip, but it looks like there is hamon left for a retip, but I'm no expert.

 

The Tsuba's kanji strokes are perfect. I have a sloppy signed Kuni Hiro that you can tell was signed by hand, but this one if it was done by hand was done perfectly and with care.

 

Thanks again for the interest and information!

Semper Fi,

Bob

http://www.okinawarelics.com

[Dr Fox]

Looking at the kissaki, to me it seems to be a sizeable piece of tip missing. I am trying to imagine the finished look of this blade, and also these points.

When the kissaki is re-shaped, should the ko-shinogi also be re-worked?

How much of the blade itself would also need to be re-polished?

The cost of this work to any standard would be significant.

To me, the damaged blade would have to have a high monetary and historical value, before considering such a project.

I am not considering this from a commercial view, but as a practical problem.

Would I be wrong, to reject such a prospect if it came my way?

Regards Denis.

[Brian]

Yes, it is repairable, and yes..the ko-shinogi would have to be reshaped. No..commerically it isn't very viable, but then very little in this hobby is. Polishing is seldom recovered when selling. It is all about appreciation and preservation. So many times people will spend money fixing something that they will not recover.

 

It all depends on how deep your pockets are.

 

Brian

[John A Stuart]

Oh so true!!!

[Dr Fox]

Thank you Brian

 

I will sit back and wait for discussions on the blade, as it seems its the tsuba, that has the fame at present. It is of great interest to me, to see what makes this blade a candidate for restoration! Because I know the location of a signed nihonto, that has a similar tip damage.

 

Thanks

Denis.

[tokashikibob]

Brian,

Again, that's for the insight and knowledge. Maybe someday I will be able to afford a resto, but it will probably fall to somebody else in the future. I'll keep my eyes open for some edo kani menuki and have the handle repaired and enjoy it for awhile. All said, the parts and pieces were worth the price paid. Reading the board for awhile now, I have learned early on, the price of a polish is a luxury for personal enjoyment not to be recouped financially in this economic period.

 

Semper Fi,

Bob

[Marius]

Because I know the location of a signed nihonto, that has a similar tip damage.

 

Denis,

 

do not expect a National Treasure sitting there, forlorn... There are thousands of ruined swords, bought wholesale for a couple of dollars and sold to newbies in the West. The chance to find one is akin to winning the lottery. Most of neglected blades that hit the market in the west are swords that the Japanese dealers and collectors do not want to restore and that some naive gaijin jump at, driven by romantic notions of samurai history or/and the unfounded hope to find the next Kokuho.

[Dr Fox]

My sentiments exactly! I was shown the blade concerned, it having been almost fully drawn out of its saya, to me it looked the real deal. But when the kissaki was exposed, the damage then became apparent. The owner had dropped the sword which had landed tip down on a marble floor, the tsuba had also suffered as a result.

The sword was not an offer of sale, but I was asked for an opinion as to restoration. I seem to remember being negative in my comments at the time, a. not knowing the value of the sword, b. imagining the cost, and the added difficulty of commissioning such work from the UK.

Seeing the blade on this post, jogged the memory bank, and I needed to be advised on my own thoughts of that time. It might even lead to me seeking out that gentleman, and giving a better informed opinion. (God willing he is still with us).

 

Regards

Denis.

[runagmc]

A broken kissaki can be fairly easily repaired by a professional polisher as long as there is enough boshi left to do the reshaping.

[tokashikibob]

Can't imagine how many strokes across the stones it would take to put a tip on.

 

A question I have but have not run across the answer too is:

Who did the sword shortening? A forger or a polisher? And how was this done?