Naginata

[Prewar70]

If you guys aren't cursing me for my other 3 posts and lack of knowledge (but no shortage of eagerness!), you will certainly disparage your monitor after this post.  The last piece he had was the following.  Unfortunately, a large chip at the tip.

 

[Stephen]

OK YA NEED TO STOP....LOL Just kidding, seems you have a nose for this, tip might be saved. 

[b.hennick]

Tadakuni!

[Prewar70]

Nothing like some Nihonto porn for a Friday night.  I keep running from watching the state hockey tourney on TV to the computer to check for new posts.

[Mark]

as Barry said Tadakuni, and from Hizen province, if you use that as a place to start i bet you can work out the rest

[Prewar70]

I can promise you the more I look at the characters and especially the quantity on this piece, the bourbon is going to kick in first

[Brian]

That kissaki is a major flaw though. Maybe not fatal, but it would cost a bucketful of cash to fix. The mune isn't like a katana to reshape.
You would have to pick it up for a very good price to make it worthwhile. It does have a nice shape though....and well cut hi. Something I would probably take a chance at for a fair price.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello,

 

A polisher would be able to confirm if there is enough boshi to reshape the tip. Speaking of which, when a blade, especially one with complex curvature such as this naginata needs to be reshaped, it is critical that it is restored by a polisher who does excellent or better foundation work. There are two fully trained polishers in North America (Jimmy Hayashi, Takeo Seki), that are both well qualified. Generally both these polishers will be in attendance at the San Francisco show, or you can call to speak with them. Otherwise, after careful evaluation and doing your homework on polishers, suggest sending it to Japan.

Being reshaped will place limits on this piece in terms of papering and value compared to having been completely original.

[Prewar70]

So what would be a very fair price in your estimation to make it worth the venture?

[Brian]

Depends if you are willing to put the $2000 plus/minus to have it fixed? (plus habaki/shirasaya if needed)

I'm not sure it warrants a large sum of money if you are going to keep it with a large chunk missing from the tip. It will drive you nuts eventually.

I expect it should go for around $1200 and guessing he wants more than double that?

[nagamaki - Franco]

So what would be a very fair price in your estimation to make it worth the venture?

 

Homework. Who is this smith? How does this work compare to others? Is the mei correct? State of the nakago? How much correction is needed? What will the tip look like compared to what it once was? What do similar works sell for? What level paper would be expected? Habaki? Shirasaya? Are there any other flaws?

Would begin by contacting the polishers, determining if it can be restored. Get a quote.

[Prewar70]

All good points Franco, but I'm guessing when you look at this potential project you have a number in mind as to what you would spend.  I would also think it would be difficult for a polisher to venture a quote without having it hand.  So it would be a roll of the dice either way, restore or enjoy as is.  SO what would be the right price for you?

[nagamaki - Franco]

James, you guessed wrong, honestly haven't given it any thought. Once upon a time I would have, but I'm no longer at that point at this time. I am not even up to date on current prices. Brian has already tossed out some numbers, and so too may others. 

To restore a sword is a long learning process, take your time, do your homework, do one step at a time, first things first. Is this piece restorable? Cost? 

 

Welcome to nihonto collecting, so many desire to play, but then quickly discover that they are not prepared, nor ready. 

[Kronos]

Naginata are from my understanding more expensive to restore due to the shape and from what I've seen lower in terms of value than katana. It's not a combination that makes this a good investment without serious knowledge on your part to take away uncertainty.

 

You need to first be able to answer some questions in no particular order:

Which smith is this allegedly signed by?

Does the signature match oshigata to an acceptable degree?

Is this restorable?

If restorable, what will the end result be on shape and therefore value?

What discernable characteristics can be observed in shape/activities etc?

Do these match the smith?

From what can be seen how would you judge the quality?

 

After you have answers for all of the above to the best of your ability you can move on to:

 

What is the cost of restoration if restorable?

What is the likely market value once restored given all of the above?

How much is it worth to you to wait a year or more to have this polished and perhaps papered?

 

Then you can do the calculation of what is the right price (if it is not a negative number) and whether it is right to buy this or perhaps look for something with better prospects/buy something already polished and papered. It's all about eliminating risk and each question you can answer is a little less risk. Not forgetting that it's important to buy what you like first and foremost.

 

Buying books would be the place to start to begin to answer these questions for yourself but to get you started you already know it's signed Hizen Tadakuni and the foremost expert on Hizen-to in the west is Roger Robertshaw who I believe is quite happy to help with questions on the validity of mei although I'm not sure how much he specializes in Tadayoshi mainline. You will also want to consult a polisher about the kissaki who with a picture that includes the boshi as well should actually be able to give a good idea from just photo's. It does need to be a proper togishi though, Bob Benson, Jimmy Hayashi or Japan most likely.

 

Brian Has alluded to the well cut hi and shape but the photo's do not show activities so outside that we cannot help with quality which is #1.

 

After that you'll be in a much better place to make an informed decision. This is all provided that you want to restore it, if on the other hand you may keep it as is if the tip is a fatal flaw then the value will be next to nothing otherwise maybe $1000 or the $1200 Brian suggested although I'm a little more pessimistic.

 

 

n.b. I have had quite a few glasses of wine this evening so ignore everything I say.

[Grey Doffin]

This can always be made naginata naoshi if the boshi is too compromised so the broken tip won't be fatal.  I'm nearby in Duluth if you need someone to show this to; feel free to get in touch.  And now back to the tourney.  Tied 3 - 3 going into the 3rd period of the championship game.

Grey

[Jim P]

Hi James, Before you think about working on this Naginata you need to check  Is the mei correct ?