In your dreams!

[Darcy]

When I was just starting out, all I wanted was a Kanbun shinto katana, I thought koto swords looked funny what with all that curvature and the funny looking nakago, and don't get me started about those squirrely scabbards. No, all I wanted was a nice straightish katana the way they looked to me from anime and film.

 

So that all has changed.

 

The question I'm asking is, out of curiosity, if you could be gifted one sword by a smith or a school out of all of them, what would you choose (out of love not value).

 

Two picks, a realistic one that you hope to have one day, and an unrealistic one that you'd want and probably can't have... realistically I've wanted a nice Ko-Bizen sword, and unrealistically it is very hard to beat Awataguchi Hisakuni in my heart. I think I have left my Kanbun Kashu Shinto dreams behind now.

[Nihontocollector19]

Muramasa from samurai deeper kyo. And senbonzaukura from bleach

[Lingonberry]

Realistically (or perhaps not) an ubu Hojoji naginata. Not-so realistically, a tachi by Etchu Norishige.

[John A Stuart]

In Darcy's ballpark, wishful, ubu tachi, first class Mitsutada, Nagamitsu or Kagemitsu. Possible, ubu katana Nosada. John

[DirkO]

Realistically in 5-10 years a nice Norishige

In my dreams a Shintogo Kunimitsu tanto...

[paulb]

Not sure if either are realistic but:

Top level Osafune school work

Awataguchi Yoshmitsu or Kunimitsu Tanto

[Brian]

Something beautifully made in the kogarasu maru shape with naginata hi. Age not the main criteria. I think this one is do-able oneday.

Something like the Sadakatsu on your site, Darcy *hint hint* :D

http://nihonto.ca/gassan-sadakatsu/

Realistically unobtainable is something I haven't given too much thought about. I'm partial to Fukuoka Ichimonji in full mukansa polish.

Do-able I guess...but not realistic financially.

 

Brian

[Jean]

Difficult question Darcy, a lot of swords draw my attention.

 

Taking into account that I am in the Gokkaden, and that you provided me already two of my beloved swords, I would love as gift a flawless signed Awataguchi daito, like Paul.:D

 

Nevertheless, like Brian, a Fukuoka Ichimonji blade

[ROKUJURO]

Good question!

 

If money fell from the sky, I would perhaps buy an OEI BIZEN TACHI with CHOJI HAMON, KOSHI ZORI and a nice BOHI for the sound. The out-of-reach dream blade would be a SOSHU TANTO in the style of the MASAMUNE HOCHO. Both in SASHIKOMI TOGI.

[runagmc]

This could be a long thread... I have a feeling there are a lot of dreamers on this board :D

For me... Hmmm- I don't have high hopes for affordable swords, so maybe a decent Shinto... If I could get a good Satsuma katana from mid 1700s to early 1800s... or maybe a Kashu Kanewaka tanto, or Sendai Kunikane (see I already can't stop). For the unattainable, I would like to at least hold a Go Yoshihiro, Etchu Norishige, or pretty much any Awataguchi sword. I wouldn't mind having Jean's suriage Hosho katana, too (as long as I'm dreaming) :D I also love Akihiro and Hiromitsu O'tanto- OK, I'll stop now...

 

What I want to know is, what do you (Darcy) think of as unattainable?

[Peter Bleed]

Well gee!

I'd love a shodai Kunikane - at once both very "straight" and a nice sori.

But as a fantasy, how about a mumei daito with a couple of serious kanteisho - one to "Sendai Kunikane" and the other to Yamato Hosho. Who could get tired of that?

Peter

[Pete Klein]

Ubu Awataguchi Daito gifted, and Tanto to acquire. There is a feline sense to them that I appreciate greatly.

 

PS: as I always seem to lean toward fittings I doubt it will ever happen but then miracles do occur.

[kusunokimasahige]

I would one day like to own a great 15th or 14th century sword, like some of the swords Darcy has on his site.

 

Dream swords :

 

A nice bizen-to with provenance, named to a known Daimyo.

 

Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi

 

Usu-Midori

 

Higekiri

 

 

 

KM

[b.hennick]

It is hard for me to think of any blade as unattainable. I now own swords that I once thought were unattainable.

I think that the signed Shinto Kunimitsu tachi that I got to study in Tokyo is as good as it gets. Or was it the Go Yoshihiro that I had to study for a week?

On a very few occassions I have gone into debt to buy swords. I have never regretted those decisions.

Set a goal, make a long term plan, work to achieve the goal - keep your focus.

[Drago]

Interesting...

 

Realistic (top 3):

a dated and signed pre-1543 Wakizashi/Chisakatana in healthy condition, a shrine offering sword, a dated Ichihara Nagamitsu

 

Unrealistic (top 3):

Doujigiri Yasutsuna, Hijikata Toshizo's Izumi no Kami Kanesada, Kusanagi no tsurugi

 

@Andrew: Yeah, Senbonzakura would be nice... :D

[Lance]

For something on an emotional level I'd choose a sword from the Koto Bizen Yosazaemon Sukesada line of smiths. Aside from being good swords and appreciating their work, the first sword I ever had (and still do) was a simple Sukesada wakizashi given to me by my father; decent quality with only a 2 character mei but after using John Yumoto's handbook (another gift) to read the signature it was a revelation of sorts to be holding a sword hundreds of years old, and the Nihonto bug was firmly bit.

 

A true dream sword, likely unobtainable for me would be something like Kamakura-Nambokucho Yamato school tachi, beautiful sedate workmanship. From a historical perspective the idea of warrior monks has always been interesting to me even though they were sometimes portrayed as mountain bandits (or maybe that is the appeal )

 

 

Regards,

Lance

[BIG]

Hi

 

No Dreams, but when the CinC gives OK,

 

A Mino Nosada katana !

[mdiddy]

Unrealistically, O-Kanehira would look great in my collection! Realistically, a Kotetsu would be a worthy goal to achieve some day.

[J Reid]

Unrealistically- A Go Yoshihiro in leather handachi koshirae. Realistically- a Reisen Sadamori tachi.

[Jiro49]

Not going to happen... An ubu Magoroku Kanemoto daito in issaku handachi koshirae.

 

In the realm of maybe, there is an echizen shigetaka daito begging for me to own it.

[takakage]

I'm a lover of shin shinto swords .......Just a sa yukihide, motohira, and a kiyomaro, no more

[Jussi Ekholm]

Hard to pick only 1 from each category, but I'll go with these.

 

Unrealistic:

 

 

Realistic:

 

I'll go bit against the flow here by not choosing specific smith or school. Instead I choose Koto Odachi with nagasa c. 100-120 cm, no requirement for school or smith, just the age and the shape & physical size. For long I thought this dream was totally unrealistic, but after seeing one go for a price that surprised me, it's realistic if everything lines up right. Of course not now, but in 10+ years who knows...

[Derek]

Great question!

Attainable: Ubu, signed Muramasa.

 

Unattainable: Kanze Masamune in the Tokyo Museum. (Handed to me by Chiaki Kuriyama, as long as I'm dreaming) :D

 

 

Derek

[raven2]

In my dreams: Darcy's Osafune Kanemitsu

 

Attainable: A nice papered Ko-Mihara

[Jamie]

Gifted:

One never sees a ghost or a Go

 

Realistic. High level soshu- maybe Masahiro I or Hiromitsu

Must be hitatsura

 

Unrealistic

Masamune, or Kunimitsu

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

It would be more interesting to know why this is your dream rather than just what is your dream.

[runagmc]

I think that should be pretty obvious if you look at the work of the smiths named, and their reputations...

[Tcat]

I think it is always interesting to hear the personal reasons people have for wanting work by a specific smith. They are not always obvious, there are often nuances and the topic often strays into the very personal and subjective opinions of the collector. For me that's rather fascinating.

[Jean]

Easy: my choices are totally in opposition and express the extremes of nihonto in Kamakura. One being so masculine the other so feminine

 

Fukuoka Ichimonji: so strong with a fantastic midare utsuri, a proeminent hada, a flambloyant turmoiled hamon

Awataguchi: the peak of refined hada with elegant sugata and a splendid based suguha hamon

 

BTW, three years ago at the DTI, in the Display room, there was among other swords (a Kiyomaro daisho) a Rai Kuniyuki Daito. I think that over thirty years of interest in Nihonto, that was the first time I was willing to give an arm to get it.

[Surfson]

Dream sword: Ubu Nagamitsu with lots of utsuri.

Realistic but a stretch: Fukuoka Ichimonji