Preserving Yoshindo Yoshihara's signature

[Bushido01]

Dear All,

As many of you know Yoshindo Yoshihara is an strong candidate for receiving the Japanese designation of “Important Intangible Cultural Propertiesâ€, more commonly known as Living National Treasures of Japan (he has already received that title for Tokyo). Nowadays his goal is to make perfect swords with potential of becoming a National Treasure, therefore he only signs the ones that he believes are in that level. I’m fortunate to have a sword made by him but he has only signed it with a marker- I believe at the last minute he decided not to engrave his signature. I known as time goes by his signature on my sword will fade out and I’m wondering whether anyone knows a way to preserve it or have any recommendation/suggestions.

Thank you in advance,

[Stephen]

a clear lacqure on something else to see if that works then on the nakago if it does....any chance of contacting him to ask for a sig?

[Bushido01]

Thanks Stephen,

There is a chance to contact him but I doubt if he would engrave it. He must have seen some imperfection in it otherwise would have signed it at the first place and then probably I couldn't afford to buy it. I added some pics of the blade and nakago.

Rod

[Mark]

It may be he did not engrave a signature as there is a limit on how many swords he can make. he travels to the US quite often. Your best chance may be to get him to sign it while he is here, that way he avoids the trouble with regulations in Japan (presuming you are in the US)

[Henry Wilson]

 

Why not DIY a signature? Forgers dream that is!!!!!!

 

:lol:

[Ken-Hawaii]

Rod, I think I would at least communicate with him to find out WHY he left off his signature. Mark does have a good point that Japanese swordsmiths still have a limit of three Nihonto per month, so that may be a limiting factor on whether he can/will sign his mei.

[w.y.chan]

Rod, any idea when this sword was made?

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Get it papered. Paper should report the signature.

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Hi Carlo,

 

I don't think you can get a blade papered if it is by a living smith.

(I might be wrong)

 

Simon

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Hi Carlo,

 

I don't think you can get a blade papered if it is by a living smith.

(I might be wrong)

 

Simon

 

No, you should be right and I was a moron in posting that.

I just didn't find out how differently act to preserve the signature...

[huntershooter]

Sir; I would clean the oil from blade (try rubbing alcohol, be sure the mei isn't affected first), then use spray urethane- couple of coats. I prefer the "satin" finish. _____________ Todd

[USMC-LCPL]

Could you perhaps obtain certification from the smith himself?

 

Even if he refuses to sign the blade, I'm sure he'd give you an "I made this blade" Origami... You know, do a rubbing of the tang and such for authenticities sake. That should settle the issue of "who made this?" several decades in the future, and will make a future shinsa (when it's allowed to occur) much easier.

[Brian]

What are the chances of having a professional sayagaki done, and what is the procedure to follow?

Would it need papers to receive a sayagaki?

 

Brian

[USMC-LCPL]

Out of curiosity...

 

You said that a signed blade was out of your price range... what would an unsigned wakizashi go for, do you think?

[Guest Simon Rowson]

I wouldn't mess with this baby at all.

 

Can you imagine if you accidentally erase Yoshindo's marker pen then present it to him (after his LNT status has been confirmed) and he says "Mmmmm, doesn't look like one of mine" or "I can't remember making this!".

 

You'd be completely buggered.

[Bushido01]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

 

Mark, you're right, I'm sure another reason for him not to sign all of his sword is the limitation on number of swords he can make per year. But, also it's his own expection and high standard. You made a good suggestion to try to get it signed by him on one of his trips to USA. I live in USA and will start looking to find out about his future trips to USA.

 

Ken, the problem is that as far as I'm concern he does not have a website (unlike his younger brother) and it's very hard for me to contact him but I'll work on that.

[Pete Klein]

If I might make a suggestion, why not see if you can ask him through his brother's web site? His brother might be able to answer your question anyway and it will prevent a possibly difficult situation if you wait to ask him in person.

[w.y.chan]

I have contacted Shoji Yoshihara in the past, also an LNT candidate,

his English is very limited but pretty sure he can help. There are several people who have direct contacts with Yoshindo including some on this board if you ask and might be more convenient that way.

[Mark]

I have seen him doing sayagaki at the sword shows, i sat next to him in Tampa i think. If the blade has shirasaya the easy thing to do would be ask in advance and bring it to a sword show where he will be, he could do a sayagaki and sign that and you would be all set.

[Bushido01]

Rod, any idea when this sword was made?

 

I've been told that it was made just a few years ago.

[Bushido01]

If I might make a suggestion, why not see if you can ask him through his brother's web site? His brother might be able to answer your question anyway and it will prevent a possibly difficult situation if you wait to ask him in person.

 

Pete, you are right, that would be a start point at least. I wish I knew Japanese; the language is also another barrier in the communications.

Thanks,

[Bushido01]

There are several people who have direct contacts with Yoshindo including some on this board if you ask and might be more convenient that way.

 

It would be great and, I hope, they offer me to help. I don't know which members have connection with him and that's why I posted this message.

So, please if anyone is in contact with him, post a message or send me a PM.

Thanks,

[Ed]

Personally, I would refrain from putting anything on the nakago.

 

Whether or not he would sign it is anyones guess. But you can't be any worse off by asking. A sayagaki may be your best bet. I had him do a sayagaki in Tampa last year on a wakizashi he made in Texas in the 80's.

 

While talking with him at my table, I pulled the wak out leaving the tsuka on, and asked if he had any idea who made the sword. After some thought he said, "I am not sure". Then I removed the tsuka and handed it back. He looked at the mei then at me with a chuckle and said "You funny". He was more than happy to put the sayagaki on it for me.

 

One thing I found amazing is while he was writing he stopped, clearly in deep thought. When asked he stated he could not remember what year he had made this sword. His wife reached into her bag and pulled out a small journal, opened it and told him the exact day he made it. I was amazed that she kept such detailed records from over twenty years ago right at hand.

[James]

What is Shoji's web site addess?

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Having thought about this a little more, I realised that, if you coat the nakago with any kind of lacquer or cellulose you will also inhibit the natural formation of rust, thus breaking the cardinal rule of don't interfere with the age-indicating patination of the nakago.

 

Even if Yoshindo san refuses to engrave his signature due to some perceived flaw, he may still be willing to re-apply it in urushi lacquer (as did the Honami and other appraisers) which lasts for centuries.

 

All the best

Simon

 

PS It's a gorgeous blade, with or without a mei.

[USMC-LCPL]

If I might make a suggestion, why not see if you can ask him through his brother's web site? His brother might be able to answer your question anyway and it will prevent a possibly difficult situation if you wait to ask him in person.

 

Pete, you are right, that would be a start point at least. I wish I knew Japanese; the language is also another barrier in the communications.

Thanks,

 

Babel Fish is your friend. I use it to translate Japanese websites all the time. It doesn't fix the grammar differences, but it will do wonders towards helping you communicate.

[benkyoka]

Babel Fish is your friend. I use it to translate Japanese websites all the time. It doesn't fix the grammar differences, but it will do wonders towards helping you communicate.

 

This site is also very good, though more so for english to Japanese.

http://honyaku.yahoo.co.jp/transtext

[w.y.chan]

I had him do a sayagaki in Tampa last year on a wakizashi he made in Texas in the 80's.

 

While talking with him at my table, I pulled the wak out leaving the tsuka on, and asked if he had any idea who made the sword. After some thought he said, "I am not sure". Then I removed the tsuka and handed it back. He looked at the mei then at me with a chuckle and said "You funny". He was more than happy to put the sayagaki on it for me.

 

One thing I found amazing is while he was writing he stopped, clearly in deep thought. When asked he stated he could not remember what year he had made this sword. His wife reached into her bag and pulled out a small journal, opened it and told him the exact day he made it. I was amazed that she kept such detailed records from over twenty years ago right at hand.

 

Hi Ed,

This is interesting and for him not to remember his own work would suggest Yoshindo has most likely changed his style of workmanship so much so he is now a complete departure from what he did back in the early 80s. I heard elderly Yasukuni smiths remember swords they made during the war some 50 years earlier and they made many hundreds even over a thousand in a short period.

[Bushido01]

I have seen him doing sayagaki at the sword shows, i sat next to him in Tampa i think. If the blade has shirasaya the easy thing to do would be ask in advance and bring it to a sword show where he will be, he could do a sayagaki and sign that and you would be all set.

 

Hi Mark,

Thank you for your great recommendation, it makes a lot of sense. The sword came in full koshirae but no shirasaya. I will order a shirasaya for it and try to find out about Yoshihara's next trip to USA.

[Darcy]

I think I will just round up various pieces of advice already presented and say:

 

1. do nothing to the mei to begin with

2. write him a letter, include a photograph and ask if the signature was not made due to a flaw

3. ask him when he's coming to the USA next, and if he would perform a sayagaki for the sword at that time

 

When you get the response about why it is not signed, and you know when he is coming, then if the sword was not signed just out of Japanese regulations, you might ask at that point if he will sign it on his next trip to the USA.

 

I would be prepared to give him a gift if he signs the sword for you. Something nice like an XO cognac plus an envelope with some money. Considering that if your mumei Yoshindo becomes a signed one it will have dramatically appreciated *plus* normally the smith would be seeing that money because he didn't sign it, he sold it cheap.

 

Alternatively, you may ask if you could pay to have it signed... I don't know if that is bad etiquette though. I would not ask anything about getting a signature until you know why it was not signed. If it is due to it being below standard, then I'd ask him for advice on preserving the marker.

 

For me I would probably use shellac or lacquer. Test a small part first to see if it will dissolve, either of those could possibly dissolve the marker. Any of these wood finishes are primarily composed of solvents to keep them liquid, and it is the boiling off of the solvent that causes them to dry and then harden.

 

I like shellac as it is very easy to remove if in the future you don't want it, lacquer will not come off as easily. Shellac you just dip in alcohol and it will dissolve.

 

I'd test first on some marker on a paper before considering touching the sword...