Opinion

[Jean]

Muromachi or Gendaito?

 

Here are some pictures of a friend's Mino katana signed Michiaki (Doin). He has sent it for sayagaki to Japan. It has been frozen in Narita Airport for import duties till they determined the area of fabrication. He bought it from a French dealer years ago as a Muromachi blade late 14th century.

 

The verdict of Japanese Customs is Gendaïto

 

Here are the pictures he sent me. Sorry, we cannot see the nakago jiri, though just a part... We don't see the hamachi, neither the boshi.

 

In your opinion, when was it forged?

 

Sorry for the mei photos they are vertical in my files, but horizontal when attached

[cabowen]

From what I can see in the photos, it doesn't look to me to be Muromachi. I can see why they would say gendai. The nakago and mei are very crisp. Many Muromachi period mei are quite rustic- this one looks like modern calligraphy...The jigane looks almost too clean and orderly for a Seki Muromachi period blade.

 

There are several areas we can not see which would help in determining the age- is there ubu-ba? What does the hamachi look like? The mune-machi- has it been polish several times? Etc....

[Surfson]

I agree with Chris and would add that the yasurimei on the nakago looks like typical late Seki work to me.

[cabowen]

Higaki yasuri are seen in older Mino work so that doesn't necessarily say much....

[Jean]

Pictures are a not very good, the hada is a bit like these kanemoto

 

http://katananokura.jp/SHOP/1403-D01.html

 

Concerning the pictures, I have already told my friend that at least 4 pictures were missing: kissaki/boshi, nakago jiri, ha/mune machi, and mune machi from above ....

 

Too late

 

Can someone check the mei?

[cabowen]

According to the Meikan, the mei listed for Do'in is a two kanji mei. He is listed as a Mino Akasaka-Senjuin smith and also signed Kuninaga. Checking Kuninaga, there were at least 4-5 generations, several that apparently signed Do'in as well....A bit of a mess!

 

I can not find a Do'in signature reference....

[Jean]

Thanks Chris.

[Kai-Gunto]

Im sure I se a faint arsenal stamp? here on my ipad

[Jean]

No Thomas, no arsenal stamp erased.

[cabowen]

Regardless, it is a well made and well finished blade.

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I agree with Chris and Japanese Customs about it being a Gendaito.

[Jean]

What strikes me is that yasurime are scarcely visible for a Gendaito, poorly made compared to the mei and there is no smith by this name in gendai period. The blade is very healthy, it was polished by Zenon Van Dame who told my friend there was a shirake utsuri, he never talkes about it being gendaito...

[seattle1]

Hello:

I am amazed at how some folks can draw such firm inferences from rather poor images. I would guess that at a sword show one would not question so closely the mei of such a minor smith on what looks like a reasonable koto representation. I found him listed in Mino-to Taikan with two characters and a couple of variations with Noshu and Senguin it seems, but there is no illustration. I am also surprised that Postal Customs (if that is the right designation for the airport folks) would be looking so carefully at a blade coming in for a mere shirasaya.

We all know that otherwise unemployed and excellent smiths after the Haitorei did very very excellent koto utsushi bearing gimei, some of which went undected for years and some perhaps are still floating around under false colors, but of a smith of this level???

If the blade does actually have real utsuri of any type, I would like to wait for further on site determination.

Please keep us posted Jean.

Arnold F.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Images showing overall shape if you have any?

Please and thank you.

[Jean]

Unfortunately that is all I have. My friend collects tsuba but does not specialize in swords. It is the reason why he had no idea what were the kind of pictures to be taken before sending it to Japan. No overall pictures, no kissaki pictures, no hamachi pictures, no clear picture of the whole nakago, sigh....

[IanB]

Jean, I am certainly unqualified to comment on the blade itself, but the tagane makura looks rather too obvious for a blade purporting to be Muromachi.

Ian Bottomley

[Jean]

Ian,

 

Should I have taken pictures and see/held the blade, I'll be more confident. That the mei looks fresh, well I have seen not worn out mei from Muromachi. The nakago jiri and the yasurime which are crude could lead to Gendai. All pictures are biaised by the color. I am at a loss and the fact that my bl..y friend did not know that pictures of the blade without the habaki showing the hamachi was mandatory kills me....

Sooner or later, I'll discover the truth and let you all know. Agreed with Arnold, not much can be said from the pictures. I am worried between the poor quality of the remaining yasurime and the qality of the blade.

[cabowen]

Jean, it is not just the freshness of the mei, but how it is cut. Also, the hamon appears to have the "hard" spots at the peaks of the togari which is often seen in gendai work from Seki. I am not saying we can tell for certain from the photos, but to me, there appears to be enough to perhaps understand why they said it was gendai. Whether or not it is, we need more info....

[mdiddy]

Looks maybe shinto or shinshinto to me. How can we say for sure without seeing sugata, machi, etc.

 

I have never seen Higaki yasuri on a gendai Seki blade.