My Newest Addition To A Beginners Collection - My Oldest New Blade

[Daso]

Once gain, I thank all the minds on the board and the NY token Kai for the wonderful guidance in buidling my collection.  I feel like I have learned so much yet barely scratched the surface of this addiction.  In my desire for the Old I am proud to present for your consideration and review my first Tokubetsu Hozon piece a Likely early Muromachi Mumei O-suriage Shikkake Katana.  Also, and although this likely only benefits me as a learning tool, I decided to add photos of the sword itself and direct comparisons to my Koto Kiyomitsu and Shinto Kanemichi. What stikes me about the Yamato Shikkake is the thinness of the blade and the tapering lines up to the kissaki when compared to the much meatier Koto and Shinto blades.  I see how the hada also changes along the blade as you move to the nakago. I hope I have done well with this but I am very pleased to be able to look at such an old blade in such nice condition and imagine where it has been. For reference the photos with three blades starts with the Shikkake furthest to the back of the photo, then the Koto and closest is the shinto wakizashi. In the photos where there are two blades it is the Shikkake furthest and the Koto Kiyomitsu closest.  I can also say that the 2 piece habaki is beautiful for such a simple part.  Just wish I had mounts for this. No swords with mounts yet.  To all the more informed, I do realize that I am comparing a very old Tokubetsu Hozon piece to a more run of the mill Hozon Koto and nice Hozon shinto blade.  This was a pleasurable learning experience.  Thanks, Darius

[Ryan]

Congrats! Great looking collection you've got there. 

[seattle1]

Hello:

 Congratulations Darius. Yamato is such a nice group and by one way of thinking about the chronology it has the pride of place as the earliest of the gokadan. Because of the importance of Nara prior to the capital being moved to Kyoto many of the swords made there products of sectarian manufacture and never signed so the expectation of signature is less than with for example Yamashiro den. From the date or your paper it probably was issued when Tanobe sensei still had active participation at the Museum and he may have played a role in its designation as to group. All things considered, nice going.

 Arnold F.

[Daso]

Thank you for the comments, this only increases my desire to study this blade closely, but overall seems very conservative in its design.