Achieved Collection - Gokaden

[Jamie]

 

I am not far away from being done also.

I have an adequate theme.

Soshu.

I'm close. When I get closer I'll share some pics

[Jean]

Congrats Jamie, I am waiting with anticipation the result

[Jean]

Ryokai Juyo Zufu

Ryokai-juyo (1).pdf

Ryokai-juyo1 (2).pdf

[Jean]

Tametsugu - Juyo Token:

 

This blade was the first Kantei of AB NBTHK, you will find hereafter or attached the answer to the kantei. A comment from Darcy on this smith, the Juyo zufu translation, and an article extract from the Mino Bible "Mino To Taikan". In short this blade shows the characteristics of Norishige works but for the OO kissaki and the fact that it is weaker than Norishige's work ===>Tametsugu.

 

He was a very good smith read the different comments:

 

http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Kantei/kantei1_answer.htm

 

Darcy's comments (Extract from this link : http://www.nihonto.ca/saeki-norishige/)

 

There was a lot of smith movement in these times due to the struggles which would only get worse in the Muromachi period. There is another Echizen smith, Tametsugu, who is the son of Go Yoshihiro. After the death of his father, he is said to have been adopted by Norishige. We can see the emulation of both of his parents in his work, and his is the closest to their skill that came after the two. There are 68 Juyo Token blades attributed to Tametsugu (making him number 26 on the list all-time). He was apparently born in and later returned to Mino a bit later than Shizu Kaneuji in the Nanbokucho period. Since Go died very young (age of 27 to 30), possibly Tametsugu was an adopted son as well, as he seems to have been old enough to pick up some of the style and cues from Go, but not long enough to learn to eclipse his master.

TAMETSUGU-Mino To Taikan.doc

[cisco-san]

Great blade!!!!

I can just dream...

[Greg F]

Jean I bet it never gets old looking at that amazing Tametsugu. Xmas every day having that one. Cheers.

 

Greg

[dirk marshall]

[echizento]

Beautiful blades, congratulations. 

[SteveM]

I was just reminded of what a good collection this is, and what a good thread this is. Congratulations Jean. 

[george trotter]

Hi Jean,

Congratulations on achieving your goal. Such achievements are important milestones on the road of life.

I suppose that now you can sit quietly in your sword room, sipping a nice chablis and just float in the beauty of those gokaden.

A true achievement. You deserve to feel content.

I hope you will keep contact with the membership...maybe set a new goal for yourself?

 

Speaking for myself I find that achieving important life goals can bring true satisfaction, but in my case also a sort of emptiness.

I am now 70 and have recently finished a 30 year task of research and have published a book on the small arms of Western Australia. This involved 30 years of note taking, pictures and research (including 26 years at the WA Museum), and now the task is achieved. The book is of value to all those collectors, researchers and museums etc that have a local arms collection.

Now, apart from finishing a few small outstanding tasks related to my own small arms collection, I find a certain "hollowness" in my life.

Thank god I still have my interest in WWII gendaito...I still love them and I still have two that need research...I will continue with nihonto as long as I live.

As I type this I can see my most recent find beside me. It is mumei, and possibly gendaito, but could also be shinto/shinshinto. It is a O-wakizashi  that is VERY similar in style , kissaki, hamon to the Tametsugu shown above...only the katayama kengyo hakago jiri and shorter length 59cm is different. It is in Type 98 fittings of excellent quality (gilt plating and cut through tsuba). The owner's kiku ka-mon is on the kabuto. This sword also will need some research so, with my two gendaito, it will keep me busy for a while.

So, Jean, please be sure that I will fight the "hollow" feeling of completing a life-long task by continuing the researching of my swords....and I think I will open a nice chablis now. Cheers!

[BIG]

Congrats both, Jean for his extraordinary collection and George for a 30 year project and the result.

 

Best

[vajo]

George as a rookie collector i will say that i enjoy every sentence of information from you to keep me further in the gendaito universe. There is so much to know and so less written. I call a little collection of gendaito swords my own and i have fun every day with it. I hope to read further from you.

 

Jean your collection is high class and specialized and a lot of collectors (i think mostley of them) will never reach this point. You are a lucky man and you have now time to look for a new task to bring some light in history.

 

Well done both!

 

Cheers

 

Chris

[Mister Gunto]

Beautiful collection! I especially like the second one from the top. 

[chrstphr]

Tametsugu - Juyo Token:

 

He was a very good smith.

 

I first learned of him as a Mino Senjuin ( Akasaka) smith as he moved to that area sometime 1370-1374 ish as did a number of other smiths.

 

I can not say if any of the surviving Mino Senjuin swords display any of his influences. The extant example pool is very small.  It is nice to see one of his swords regardless the school. 

[george trotter]

Duhh...I didn't think my previous post got posted, so I re-wrote it and have just discovered that I did post above......so, I have deleted this post, just repetition, except I just used a couple of pics instead of the ka-mon illustration used above...I'll leave them here.

Regards,

[Japan2112]

Hi Jean,

Your collection is so cool. Wonderful to behold. I remember my first Chicago Sword show (1989) where a collector exhibited his Gokaden collection. At that time I was impressed by such a historic and artistic presentation and thought maybe some day I would achieve the same. Well, I did not but you did. Congratulations. I find it very instructional how different collections can enlighten one, and yours is a classic.

 

Mark