Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

There is a lovely kiyomara on ebay at the moment, could this be a student carved mei piece,as his work is likened to masamune in terms of quality when he got it right, i was shocked that it popped up here,the work looks good to my untrained eyes, nice o kissaki, lovely nie,horimono,the date is within range of his work period,i would like to buy it,what makes this sword worth less than the figures his swords bring,or can masters turn up on ebay and my last question would the Japanese allow it to leave,being such a valued piece of their history, i am sorry for posting if members are bidding but it's getting up there,is this a case of names don't always make the sword,as the workmanship still looks nice, where am I going wrong in judging swords does the lack of shinsa seal it's fate,the seller putting it on ebay and not going to a Tokyo shop,the fact that it's leaving Japan or can a masters sword still slip through the net, i would send it for shinsa and believe any dealer would but the fact the work looks so nice worries me as surely somebody who can forge this well wouldn't need gimei signatures, can anybody shed light on this.apologies in advance if this has been covered,and to any bidders,i would rather know if a sword has been ruined by deception, or its a poor sword and my eyes see it as nice,any input appreciated best regards to all.Ian bellis

Posted

(post edited - I have thought Ian is new to the board)

 

Ian,

 

 

1. When posting, could you please use paragraphs? And full stops? And capitalize first words? This makes reading so much easier... Or maybe you have used some new device like a smartwatch or something? In that case - sorry for the remark ;)

 

2. Why do you think would someone sell a blade worth $$,$$$ or $$$,$$$ for only $,$$$?

 

3. I see you stick around here since 2012 - you shouldn't believe in miracles on eBay by now :lol: If you haven't already, please read this: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15114

 

4. BTW, it is "Kiyomaro", not "Kiyomara".

Posted

If the blade was going for $$$,$$$ then it would be a shame/sham, but the price it is now, its a heck of a nice blade.

Where you going to get that kind of work for that price, some swords were made for sp order, hey make me a Kiyomara...deal. buy the blade not the mei.

Posted
  Stephen said:
buy the blade not the mei.

 

Random streaks of ara-nie, pretty sloppy horimono (not the worst, but not the quality that one would expect). What's there to buy? The o-kissaki? I have noticed that some people are crazy about this type of sugata (well, I am ;-)

 

But I think, I should refrain from comments, as long as the auction is up and running... :lipssealed:

 

We shall see where the price goes.

Posted

Ian- a head's up: everything from this seller should be suspect as he seems to be making a market in gimei blades. This one is a typical Kimura Akamatsu Taro Kanetsugu gendai. See below. While the sugata is similar to what one thinks of in a Kiyomaro, the hada and hamon are quite different.

 

Kanetsugu:

post-1462-14196895639848_thumb.jpg

Posted

Chris,

 

thanks for bringing up the potential maker of this blade :-) I wonder what you think of those ara-nie. I find them random and not particularly well controlled. Is this perhaps typical for Kimura Akamatsu Taro Kanetsugu? And what about that horimono - have they gotten so average these days?

 

Just asking...

Posted

I have owned a blade by this smith in the past that was actually quite nice. He has become fairly well known and there are now 5 smiths in the family. They make many of these Kiyomaro style blades.

 

This section seems rather unattractive to me and I would agree that it appears things weren't well controlled:

post-1462-14196895641325_thumb.jpg

Posted

Sorry about sloppy paragraphing, i am on a phone, and was in a rush,apologies.

The question has been answered it looked attractive to my untrained eyes,i have been predominantly looking at ww2 swords, so have not had chance to know about this smith, and Googled the name,when I read further and saw the comparison to soshu masamune, i was shocked and foolishly posted without thought,i must confess to liking the blade,and strangely it is a sword i could bid on.

I am still a relative newbie, i am still getting my head around ww2,and have little time at home, due to commitments, thanks for putting me straight,it is a complex hobby,and I am learning, thanks for all comments.

Best regards

Ian bellis

Posted

It isn't a Kiyomaro, but it isn't junk either. The Kimura family makes many of these, they are also known for making their own steel. If you like their work, you might consider buying a signed example, rather than a gimei. They are prolific and their work is for sale on many sites...

 

You are in the right place...Study all you can and take advantage of this resource. Look before you leap...

Posted

Thanks chris,your knowledge is enviable,to know the smith and school,i was sceptical of the deal,just put my foot in it again on here,ha,ha. :lipssealed:

Thanks for not hammering me,it did look nice on my phone,and I could bid.

Take care, and regards.

Ian bellis

Posted

Chris got in before I did. I use to own a Akamatsu Taro Kanetsugu and was going to say this is most likely the same smith who made this sword. I also saw Kimura san's swords signed Sumitani Masamine sold by the same seller in the past.

 

Wah

Posted
  takakage said:
http://www.e-sword.jp/sale/2014/1410_1045syousai.htm

 

First picture of the kimura family may be a mistake with a name.

It is kane tsugu and not kanehide morever real name of kanetsugu is kimura kanesada. Kaneshige is the father of Kanetsugu. Chris, do you agree ?

 

Here is the correct info on this family:

http://www.higotsuru.com/Japanese-sword-gendaitou-akamatsu-taro

Posted

Having owned one and seen many for sale, I think it might be the case that 600,000 yen is a cheap and 800,000 is on the high side.

 

Sometimes swords on the cheaper end are cheaper for a reason not visible in pictures. Sometimes an expensive one is expensive for reasons not visible in pictures.

 

In any case, it's a gimei sword, with bona fide swords by the real maker available for roughly the same, or less....Someone got poked...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...