Sword Kantei

[Marius]

For all those last participants:

 

I respectfully disagree with Hoanh's statement that the hamon is nioi-deki. Please take some time to look at the third picture (_MG_0723.JPG) - I see nie crystals and I would tend to say that on the whole, the hamon is of a nie structure.

 

My original bid stands (and is based mostly on the sugata), but I would not rule out dropping the "ko" prefix because of what appears as a coarse hada with a mix of masame and mokume. On the other hand, the sugata has a Nambokucho flavour, and those spots of mokume (o-hada) might be the result of the sword being tired (after all kasane is only 0.53 cm - no offence meant, Hoanh, I also have tired swords).

 

Just my two cents at the end of this game.

[hxv]

Hi Mariusz and All,

 

I would like to thank all who have contributed to this thread. It was very educational for me.

 

Marius: No offense is taken at all! My objective in this kantei game is to learn what others think and how they arrive at their conclusions, and as such, all comments are appreciated. First, on your comment that the hamon is nie deki. I would probably go along with ko-nie deki, as the nie particles are very, very fine. Second, on the o-mokume hada, I believe that's the hada the sword was forged with, as this hada is prominent throughout the length of the sword on both sides. The motokasane is still a healthy 7.5mm, although the motokasane is only 5.3mm as you noted.

 

Regarding the kantei guesses posted, we have: Ko Uda, Etchu Tametsugu (Ko Uda), Uda, Shitahara, Mino Senjuin, and Hoju. It seems to me that the commonality between these attributions is the Soshu-like flavors, specifically in relation to Norishige (Ko Uda, Etchu Tametsugu). In particular, the matsukawa hada stands out. I did not use the term "matsukawa hada" in the description since I did not want to influence/bias people's thinking in anyway.

 

Prior to polishing the sword, Bob Benson thought Ko Uda, Sanekage or Tametsugu. After polishing, he thought Ko Hoki. Again, I can see the commonality in Bob's attributions as the Soshu-like flavors.

 

In any event, the sword clearly exhibits some Soshu-like flavors. As for the NBTHK attribution, "Kodai Hoju." So, a big cheer for Veli and Mariusz (he did give Hoju as his second choice).

 

I found on the web a couple of swords attributed to Hoju, and would be interested in your thoughts.

 

http://www.nihontocraft.com/Hoju_Nagina ... atana.html

 

http://www.nihontoantiques.com/fss551.htm

 

Regards,

Hoanh

[Brian]

Veli and Mariusz

Nice one!

I think everyone did a superb job, especially since most came to the same conclusion that Bob Benson did, and that is high praise.

An enjoyable exercise, and an educational one now that we go and research the school to understand the answer.

 

Brian

[Veli]

One more example:

http://sanmei.com/contents/media/O111235_S1300_PUP_E.html

 

Hoanh, this blade has some strong and distinct features, a very nice addition to your collection! Thanks for the exercise!

 

BR, Veli

[hxv]

Thank you for the additional example, Veli. The sword from sanmei has a much closer resemblance (hada, hamon, and boshi) to my sword than the two examples I found.

 

Regards,

Hoanh

[runagmc]

Hi Hoahn, Thanks for posting your sword... these always teach me something, even if they are just pictures and descriptions

 

Also, here is an example I found of Sanekage to support why he was my guess. What do you think?

 

One thing I meant to ask before, is the soe-hi visible on the other side of the nakago as well?

[hxv]

Hi Adam,

 

Yes, the soe hi is visible on both sides of the nakago.

 

There are a lot of similarities between the Sanekage you posted and my sword. In fact, this had been one of Benson's initial guesses. It was a very good attribution on your part. I suppose the trouble with mumei swords is that there can be more than one plausible attribution. I think one can make an equally strong case (compared to Hoju) for Tametsugu, Sanekage, Ko Uda in general, or even Ko Hoki, as all of my reading of these schools/smiths point to Soshu-like characteristics of their works. In fact, I remember reading the theory that Norishige and Masamune tried to emulate Ko Hoki works in their creation of the Soshu tradition. I can try to dig up the reference if you are interested.

 

In any event, it is a nice sword that I am glad to have restored. It's quite a pleasure to hold and study and admire in general. The elegant and graceful shape is quite pleasing as well.

 

Regards,

Hoanh

[cabowen]

I think it bears mentioning that identifying the relative quality of the blade is perhaps even more important than identifying the provenance.

[Marius]

Hoanh,

 

Thanks for this nice thread, it was very enjoyable.

 

Chris,

 

You are right that quality should be assessed first and that it leads to the maker and makes an attribution meaningful.

Today a junior collector friend (no, this does not means that I regard myself a senior collector) has asked me how to assess the quality of a sword.

I could offer him only something pretty banal - that it is the steel that matters, and that a good (not necessary flashy or flamboyant) hamon is possible to produce only with good steel. Then I came to the conclusion that I don't quite understand what good steel really is... Perhaps we should start a thread with people offering their view on the quality of steel?

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Mariusz,

Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords by Nobuo Nakahara and translated by Paul Martin discusses the topic: what makes a sword good. Highly recommended reading, in my opinion.

Grey

[Marius]

Grey, thank you for the advice, it is a very good one :-)

 

I have had this book since it came out, I often revisit it, great source of knowledge with a string common sense. I have even written a review on my now defunct blog, two years ago:

http://gomabashi.blogspot.com/2011/01/r ... s-and.html

[cabowen]

Hoanh,

 

Thanks for this nice thread, it was very enjoyable.

 

Chris,

 

You are right that quality should be assessed first and that it leads to the maker and makes an attribution meaningful.

Today a junior collector friend (no, this does not means that I regard myself a senior collector) has asked me how to assess the quality of a sword.

I could offer him only something pretty banal - that it is the steel that matters, and that a good (not necessary flashy or flamboyant) hamon is possible to produce only with good steel. Then I came to the conclusion that I don't quite understand what good steel really is... Perhaps we should start a thread with people offering their view on the quality of steel?

 

The quality of the steel is indeed of fundamental importance- most smiths will tell you that you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear. It also takes excellence on the part of the smith or that great steel goes to waste. You need both, working together, to produce something of high quality. Then you need a high quality polish or it all goes to waste. This is why a skilled togi is so important- the best of them can make a blade appear better than it really is, while a poor one can "kill" a sword. Any one factor, or a combination- poor materials, poor workmanship, poor polish- can tank a sword. Poor polishes and poor workmanship are easier to identify than poor materials; a poor polish can be repaired.

 

The traditional Japanese approach to quality requires the identity of the maker to be quite obvious- it should shout the maker to those familiar with swords. If it doesn't or is ambiguous, it doesn't make it. Name brands are everything in Japan, so with this in mind, I think we might say that there are likely very good swords/smiths that have slipped under the radar. Beginning collectors (and many old timers too) often rely on smith rankings, lists, or the like when collecting as they provide a life vest of sorts that enables one to get into the water without fear of drowning. At some point one needs to learn to swim or one will miss a lot of excellent opportunities that are not always close to shore...

 

And, without a doubt, condition is something, in my opinion, that can have a huge effect in the judgment of a sword. Even a sword by a famous maker, to me, if it isn't in good condition, is of little interest. Perhaps that is why I collect gendai-to, rather than koto and lean towards art rather than artifact.