FUJIWARA TADAKUNI?? Please help.

[supergwit]

First, my name is Brandon. Thank you so much for allowing me to join your forum. I'm a resident of New Hampshire and I couldn't be happier to have the problems that I am asking you for help with. I inherited a sword from my god father recently that his father brought back from WWII. It didn't look very special to my untrained eye, the blade was in ok condition but the rest of the fittings and parts seemed cheaply made. As I have no intention of ever selling this sword, I was just going to hang it on a wall as a display piece and pass it on to my children - THAT is when I started searching for sword refinishing and preservation and I realized that I needed to do some more research before I ruined the value/history of this blade.

 

I'm going to post a whole bunch of pictures - I apologize if that annoys you, but I know very little about this potentially very valuable piece of art so I don't know what photos are good and which are not.

 

Any information will be greatly appreciated. Furthermore, I would really like to know your opinions about whether or not I should pay to get the blade restored, have the individual pieces replaced before mounting it, or if I should just leave it as is.

 

I am aware there is a legitimate chance this is a copy or a fake. If anybody sees any indication of that and would like to point it out I will be grateful for that, as well.

 

Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to learning more from you.

[supergwit]

Well this is embarrassing - I need to retake the photos with less resolution - the files are too big. I'll be back in about an hour and I'll redo this post. Sorry.

[Jean]

[supergwit]

 

 

Sorry about that - problem fixed.

[supergwit]

I'm not very savvy with resizing pictures, so I'll just include a link to my photobucket folder containing the photos. Sorry for the inconvenience. This was a real sloppy introduction. It can only get better from here!

 

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[Jean]

Brandon,

 

Indeed the signature read Fujiwara Tadakuni, if you google the name you should be able to find a few examples of this smith signature and compare them with yours.

[supergwit]

Thank you Jean, I appreciate it. Do you know anything about the signature? For instance - is it one that is often faked? My google searches suggest that this sword is some 350+ years old if it is authentic. That is just amazing to me. And one more question: do you think the sword is valuable enough to justify spending the $1000+ on getting it restored, or would you just leave it as is?

 

Thanks again.

 

I see you're in France, by the way - beautiful country. I spent a few days in Paris and a few in Nice two years ago. Even the train ride between the two cities was amazing. I can't wait to go back.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Brandon,

Go to FAQ up top and read the one about beginners and their rush to buy, polish, remount, and paper everything they get their hands on and why it usually doesn't make sense.

Grey

[supergwit]

Hi Brandon,

Go to FAQ up top and read the one about beginners and their rush to buy, polish, remount, and paper everything they get their hands on and why it usually doesn't make sense.

Grey

 

 

Doing that now - thanks for the tip.

[supergwit]

Grey - I couldn't find the post you're referencing. I've been collecting other things (mostly firearms) for years, though, so I can appreciate that newbie excitement. I understand this is a whole different ball game, and that's why I came here looking for your opinions. Quite frankly, the saya, tsuka, and tsuba are so worn (the saya is actually split down the blade-side seam) that at the very least I would be inclined to replace those parts before I put it on display. Getting the blade polished isn't incredibly important to me - it isn't like I'm going to be using it to kill zombies - however if isn't a foolish thing to spend my money on I wouldn't mind doing it at all. Especially because I would love to see how this blade was intended to look.

 

Anyway, I appreciate your attempt to point me in the right direction. Hopefully I'm not embarrassing myself too much. Thank you.

[Alex A]

Im wondering why the signature is katana mei?, not tachi mei.

[supergwit]

I took a better picture of the signature - hopefully this helps:

 

http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r53 ... 51cd31.jpg

[Alex A]

Hi Mr Laws, difficult to tell with the photos, might be easier for you to compare with examples on the internet. I have just read that some short Tadakuni katana where signed katana mei (on the same side of sword as yours). Hizen blades where known for their high quality hada (grain). From the photos, it does appear to be a well made blade, maybe a clear shot of the hada might help. Im no expert, but one thing that concerns me is the amount of life left in the blade at the hamachi?

[cabowen]

It would be helpful if you gave us some details, most importantly the length.

 

A proper restoration is going to cost more like $4000. If the signature is good, this sword would be worth twice that and thus having it restored by a professional, rather than an amateur, is very important. There are only 2 professionals in North America: one in California and one in British Columbia. If you use a cheap amateur, most likely the sword will be ruined. Choose well.

[Grey Doffin]

Brandon,

Under FAQ, Restoration, I'm new to Japanese swords and I want to get my 1st sword polished and/or have koshirae made for it.

Grey

[Jim P]

Hmm, We have had a few Tadakuni up lately. Brandon, if you look on the board you will find examples of his mei you are looking for differences compared to a shoshin mei. look for the ones from Fujishiro's book (the first mei p134) also look at the Yasurime (file marks) and compare the way they are slanting. IMHO, Yours looks like it deserves a chance at Shinsa

PS If you have a problem finding the closest match to yours PM me I will send it to you

[supergwit]

It would be helpful if you gave us some details, most importantly the length.

 

A proper restoration is going to cost more like $4000. If the signature is good, this sword would be worth twice that and thus having it restored by a professional, rather than an amateur, is very important. There are only 2 professionals in North America: one in California and one in British Columbia. If you use a cheap amateur, most likely the sword will be ruined. Choose well.

 

 

The nagasa is 19" and change. Who are these two professionals? I LOVE the idea that only two people on the continent are qualified to restore this blade. I'd love to see them work.

[supergwit]

I was searching around the forum and I found this link - I've honestly never tried to read Japanese before, but to my untrained eye the signature on my blade looks nearly identical to the one on this blade: http://www.samuraishokai.jp/sword/08118.html

 

Does that help to solve the mystery?

[Alex A]

Look closer, there was more than the one Tadakuni. Is it my eyes or does your mei not look more like the example I put on yesterday?.

[supergwit]

Look closer, there was more than the one Tadakuni.

 

I've been staring at the Tadakuni signatures in the swordsmith database for an hour and I still can't make sense of it. I'm not sure which characters in the signature on my blade correspond to the ones in the database. Does Japanese read in the same left - right / up - down manner that English does? And in that case would the last characters in the signature be the smith that I am searching for?

[Alex A]

Look at the strokes, how the characters are made. Is yours anything like the example I put on yesterday?. The "Kuni" character on your mei as curved strokes, unlike the example you put on.

[supergwit]

Is it my eyes or does your mei not look more like the example I put on yesterday?.

 

 

It does, but there are more characters in the mei you posted yesterday and it is on the opposite side of the blade. Would these blades be crafted by the same smith?

[Alex A]

Im at work, from memory he signed different. Some just say Harima Daijo Fujiwara Tadakuni, i think there are 3 variants on his signature.... Tadakuni (1640,s), will check tomorrow.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Who are these two professionals? I LOVE the idea that only two people on the continent are qualified to restore this blade. I'd love to see them work.

 

I believe the two Chris is writing about are Shigekatsu 'Jimmy' Hayashi in San Francisco and Takeo Seki out of BC Canada. It would be much simpler for you to search youtube and view videos there of Japanese polishers at work. Both these polishers are readily accessible by telephone should you seek their services. They are also sometimes available to meet in person at the sword shows, especially the San Francisco show.

 

I was searching around the forum and I found this link - I've honestly never tried to read Japanese before, but to my untrained eye the signature on my blade looks nearly identical to the one on this blade:

 

When it comes to verifying signatures there is a great deal to learn and consider very carefully, including making certain you have the right generation of swordsmith. There are also variations that need to be considered. And while one should be encouraged to investigate and learn about mei, beyond making preliminary judgments, it would be best left up to the experts at shinsa to verify before plunging into restoration, especially when it comes to the better swordsmiths as their are many forgeries made to fool. In addition, collectors, especially beginning collectors, would be wise to begin learning exactly what makes their sword a "Tadakuni" or any other named sword smith, which is the approach the shinsa experts will take in determining whether the mei is 'good' or 'false. There is much to learn, take your time.

[supergwit]

There is much to learn, take your time.

 

That was an awesome post. Thank you so much for all of that information. I've never even considered youtube as a source to learn about swords until now. If you need me I'll be watching videos about my new obsession.

 

Thanks again for being so helpful. I really appreciate all of the kindness and patience you and the other members have shown me so far.

[Stephen]

75% of youtube vids are non informed...to put it nicely...hacks...have fun in that mine field.

tons of good hard skinny here. IMHO NMB IS a wealth of knowledge to be explored.

[Alex A]

Hi, yes there where a few signatures. "JO" in your mei does not match to the examples in Fujishiros. Not sure why?, hopefully someone with more experience will be able to help. See below, could be a good reason for it, maybe just a variation.

[supergwit]

Hi, yes there where a few signatures. "JO" in your mei does not match to the examples in Fujishiros. Not sure why?, hopefully someone with more experience will be able to help. See below, could be a good reason for it, maybe just a variation.

 

I found this description of the smith that eludes to him using different styles. Man, I wish I was able to read Japanese. I STILL can't figure out which of the smith's made this sword by using the swordsmith database (any help would be appreciated).

[Jean]

Brandon,

 

Franco is right but it is almost impossible to achieve.

 

Why? because shinsa people have studied (I say "studied" and not"seen") thousand of blades and probably more than a score of Tadakuni. What are the chance for you to study 3/4 Tadakuni swords in the year to come.

 

You must first find the generation. Invaluable: Markus Sesko book "e-Index of Japanese swordsmiths", it will give you the different smiths' signatures for a given generation, in Romanji and Kanji. You can also lîked to "Kanji pages" (link at the top of the page).

 

You can equally buy books and focus on the work of a given swordsmith and try to find the features on your blade, but this supposed you are already a seasoned nihontophile. It is so easy to find features on a blade when one wants to (above all when there are not there )...

[supergwit]

Ok ok ok. So after about 78 hours of obsessing over my newly acquired wakizashi I have determined one very important thing: I don't know anything about this wakizashi.

 

I need to bring this to an expert, but I don't know where to go to do that. Are there any forum members who are from New England (I'm in New Hampshire, but I will gladly drive to nearby states) or have any experience with Shinsa in this area? Please help - my girlfriend told me that if I don't put the computer down she's leaving me. I guess I'll have to drive to the appraisal by myself...

 

Also, anybody with any more information (or perhaps with swords made by the same smith) please don't hesitate to reply here, PM me, or email me at BrandonMLaws@gmail.com.

 

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