Kantei Quiz, Up For The Challenge ?

[Nickupero]

what it looks like as a whole... fittings appear to be solid silver underneath the gold foil

 

[Jean]

Thanks for the fun, Nick. I prefer Koto world but I had already seen such kind of sword years ago made by A Gendai Gassan smith. Did not remember whose one -kazu or -katsu, question of memory and feeling, I don't know

[Nickupero]

Thank you Ray, Joe, and Jean!

Jean I'm certainly aware of your well trained eyes and superior taste in Koto work, I do agree with you no doubt when it comes to koto work but I can have an appreciation for all Era's and how history played an influence on them.

Generally I stay away from post Edo work, simply because it lacks the historical link to the Samurai, although they still had them during the beginning of Meiji Restoration if you want to get technical.

This smith is interesting to me because he is regarded as one of the last Shin-shinto masters and played a crucial role in keeping the art alive.  It might have been Sadakatsu that you saw in this style, Sadakazu's son. I've seen a few in this style made by Sadakatsu, always pricey though with reason.

[Okiiimo]

I really enjoyed this thread and learned from it. Thank you Nick!

[Jean]

Nick,

 

In fact, I am interested in Koto swords because I am lazy and find it easier to study through Darcy's website and others like Aoi Art which has splendid scans even if photoshopped. Shinto has too many schools, a lot of smiths but apart two of three schools (Hizen, tanba no kami Yoshimichi - (sudareba) -Echizen - Ishido school) it is too hard, I have not seen in France any Shinkai or Kotetsu.Shinshinto, I love especially the Satsuma smiths with their Imozuru, Kiyondo, Naotane and the Gassan school.

 

But my main problem is that in France, there are few swords available in the market, so I can study at the French token twice a year a score of blades where thanks to Zenon van Damme we have juyo and tokuju blades on hand, mainly koto. My other ressources were my three travels to Japan for DTI. I am mainly a learner on line and there are much more Koto swords visible in France than shinshinto or shinto.

 

For example, I doubt you will find in France more than two Tametsugu or Ryokai... .

[SwordGuyJoe]

Just to shed some light on my (incorrect) pick. It's clearly Bizen den. To my eye, the patination on the nakago appeared artificially induced, then paired with the appearance of the jigane - seeming newer. Then I looked at what the sword would look like if the mekugi ana furthest from the machi was the original, the sugata (IMO) would have been VERY weird if you'd continue the sori. This, to me, confirmed an utsushi replicating a suriage Koto sword. So this would mean it's either shinshinto or gendaito. I entered my guess after the gassans were named, which even before you know it is correct, was a good call, as this is a sugata they have used and they are excellent at reproducing Bizen den. So I wanted to pick another direction. Hiyama Enshin is a solid call too, but he wasn't (in my opinion) up to this level of quality - at least consistently (again just my opinion, not trying to knock him), though this shape was used. So that left me looking for shinshinto (I felt gendai was too new) and Bizen and the easiest call was the Yokoyama group and sukenaga was certainly up to this level of quality.

 

Again, all that and I was wrong. :-)

[Alex A]

I thought the same thing as regards the sori might look weird if the nakago had continued. When i said suriage, i was not talking about much taken off. It looks like the bo--hi as been cut through along the top, rather than it running its original path, but maybe just as intended. Difficult without the sword in hand, i thought there was a change in patina on the nakago, which again effected my thinking. I always find sori difficult to judge from photos.

 

Difficult exercise, spent some time scratching my head on this one, was supposed be stripping wallpaper......Cheers Nick

 

The man himself, http://www.nihonto.com/abtartgassan.html

[Jean]

First feeling/answer is almost always the best. The more you think over a sword features the more it will open to other answers and you will get it wrong. Gut answer is often the best and that was mine. I Checked the blade pictures for quality then I gut answered.

[seattle1]

Hello:

 So much skill and quality from blade to koshirae! If in fact it is by Sadakazu, what is the point? - his name alone, as one of the two pre-war Teishitsu Gigei-in, was and is highly esteemed. It does not masquerade as an old koto, so why would it be unsigned? I don't recall of another example like this. Any ideas?

 Arnold F.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Fun.

[Alex A]

Having put so much effort into making the blade look o-suriage, it was never going to be signed.

 

Perhaps just a request.

[Markus]

Wow, this is a beautiful koshirae and package!