What Would Your Collection Look Like If....

[Prewar70]

You were never able to remove the tsuka!  How would it look different, or would it? 

 

This is the question I ask myself as I struggle to read kanji and find a reliable method to solve the puzzles (but I'm working on it).  A confident stroke of the chisel and patina seem easier for me to recognize even though the kanji look like a game of pick up sticks at the moment.  And that's with a computer, books, and books on their way at my disposal.  As I've seen reiterated here evaluate the sword, then look at the mei.  But we are all human, and a nice looking signature creates a lot of influence.  A good blade though is always a good blade, difficult to fake, regardless of what is under the handle. 

 

 

[ggil]

How would your collection look?  The same, if you believe the swords came to you be cause they belong to you (in your care is their home for now).  A romantic notion but who knows...

 

since no future blade purchases are planned, no big rush to learn kanji (till I retire in 20 years I guess).  I do feel like a noob all the time because I don't translate.  For me: I just want to experiment in saya-maki, tsuka-maki, and lacquer crafting.  To me the whole package {blade, shirisaya, and koshirae(s)} is really desirable, but ill never have the money for the real deal.  A blade without its outdoors clothes is just missing something.  so not being adept at kanji is no big deal really. 

 

Maybe one reason you are attracted to signatures is the fact that with shoshin blades, you have a (positively known as possible) known piece of history, whereas for a mumei blade it takes a leap of faith or more learning than myself and most collectors may have, to know for sure who made the piece.  Maybe its a desire to  have a good grip on things and no guesswork or doubt that you find enjoyable.  The thing that is probably bothering you is the plethora of mumei juyo.  My best piece is unsigned.  What if the smith had some noble tendencies for modesty or something, and rarely signed?  Another reason to look at the blade first then the nakago, I guess.

 

Cool topic!

[paulb]

James

I am not sure I fully understand your question so excuse me if I am going off on a tangent. Your mail focuses on the signature. Why? I have now been collecting for 33 years. I have gone through many iterations. I have reduced the number and improved the quality to the point where I now have a few swords that are of the best quality I can achieve. the majority date from the mid to late Kamakura. I believe them to be beautiful and in some cases representative of the best examples of the craft. None of them are signed. 

All of them were bought based on the quality of the workmanship (or my perception of that quality) and there is not one of them I would exchange for a signed work from a lesser smith. 

With great respect you are focussing on the wrong end. ignore the mei and look at the sword. Once you are happy with what the jigane and hamon are telling you look at the nakago and any mei to confirm what you have already seen in the workmanship.

So to answer your original question my collection would look pretty much the same whether I could see the nakago or not. I would always prefer to see the tang and any mei but the decision as to whether I want  buy it and add it to my collection is based on shape, jihada and hamon with nakago coming a long way  down the list after these three attributes.

[nagamaki - Franco]

 

 

What Would Your Collection Look Like If....

 

Exactly like it does now.

[drbvac]

Even without being really adept at figuring age of blades from the shape or picking particular hamon patterns - I do know what I like the appearance and feel of a sword and appreciate the art of the mounts. I can tell if it is nihonto or not so that is a biggy but then = if it is what I appreciate and like the look of = then the mei is either a bonus or something that isnt missed.

[SwordGuyJoe]

Mine would likely be similar to what it is today. The group(s) I collect were selected because they make the swords I love. That said, I've passed on swords that I like because they don't "fit" and perhaps bought ones I don't love because they do. I prefer tight jigane so without completely dedicating myself to a single or couple swords, it would likely be accidentally focused on Gendai and Shinshinto work.

 

So overall more recent soden bizen, bizen, and soshu tradition swords.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Simple answer: if I couldn't see the bare blade, including nakago, I wouldn't own it!

 

Ken

 

[Jussi Ekholm]

It's a fun question to think about. I think my small collection of couple swords might be slightly different if I couldn't take off tsuka on either one.

 

First of all my both blades are signed and in shirasaya. So it's easy to figure out that signature is important to me. I think in my collecting mindset sugata the shape of the sword "overrides" everything else. When I see a sword that has shape and features I like, after that I check if it is signed, and then comes the all important condition. This is generally ass backwards thinking when you consider the usual advice to collecting and for everyone I would definately say that they should focus on good condition. I just think I kinda know what I want to focus my collecting, and currently the condition is the part where I have to be accepting with my focus. I think if I couldn't remove the tsuka I would be much more focused on quality and condition. Now I am more willing to own a signed sword by lesser smith but if I never could see the nakago it would be all about the quality and condition.

 

My swords would still be quite curved as it's the curved tachi sugata that I desire but I think their quality might be a notch higher. Of course I would have to give up on my desire to collect signed swords.