Kantei By Photo -January

[CSM101]

Dear members,

 

 

once again: Kantei by photo. And since it is a very easy one you only get one side. And only nagasa: 70,2 cm.

 

Two hints: there is a long signature (8 kanji) and it is an early work in his career.

 

 

Uwe G.

 

 

http://daten-transport.de/?id=4vphCh24sLkD

 

 

I forgot: I`ll give the answer on Friday and in the end I will make you an offer you can´t refuse.

Edited January 16, 2018 by CSM101

[Shugyosha]

I'll take a put at the first generation Kashu Kiyomitsu.

[Tokaido]

Hi,

little bit of cheating, I think:

I do not think this is a Kaga nakago-jiri, it is not square cut at the end of the shinogi-ji.

But it is typical shape of nakago-jiri for another smith.

 

Observing the yakidashi and the smooth boshi in combination with the wilder hamon, I vote for Shinto-Period.

Good curvature and deep sori, I guess it is past Kanbun, maybe Genroku-Era.

 

Long choji-ashi and nice long sunagashi gives the clue in my opionion.

Don't be fooled by the togari elements!

Taking into account the hint of a 8-kanji-signature and "early work" (another cheating!)

 

I vote for: 

 

Awataguchi Omi (no) Kami Tadatsuna (nidai)

 

 

Greetings

Andreas

 

PS: Thank you Uwe for showing this fantastic foto of a sword!!!

[Alex A]

Tadatsuna2

 

Ps, not a copycat 

[Jean]

Just saw the topic. Nakago is typical. A bit of browsing later:

[Shugyosha]

It’ll take far less than togariba to fool me!!

[Vermithrax16]

I was looking at this at work (easily sidetracked.....) and 1st blush was shinto sword, Kanbun to maybe later era. Choji looks Ishido-ish but not quite. I knew I had seen a blade like this, recently as well, with this hamon and yakidashi. It was still buried in some saved links (was on Nihonto France site) and I think it's a match for this sword. So, my Kantei skills are minimal, but my bookmarks help me

 

Agree with Andreas and Alex.

 

 

[PhoenixDude]

Ydfmassnori?

[Alex A]

Dear members,

 

 

once again: Kantei by photo. And since it is a very easy one 

 

 

Easy?, aye, if you have one   

 

Don't look here if your doing quiz.

I went from Masahide, to Naokatsu, to Sukekane, to Sukenaga back to Masahide then gave up, then had to use Aoi to find a matching nakago lol, which luckily I did AND luckily, had the suguha into choji hamon. Wonder if shinsa teams use Aoi when they are stuck ?

 

[PNSSHOGUN]

I think a Muromachi Kiyomitsu as well. That's all my Kantei skills can deliver.

[Andi B.]

...actually I don't have any katei skills or experience (ok, Shinto is clear...) so I had a look at Andreas' spoiler and tried to verify with my books:

According to the “Nihon shinto shi“ the long kinsuji and the yakidashi are characteristic for this smith and match with this blade...so my guess is the same.

Looking forward to the solution and the way how to find it!

[Shugyosha]

Sorry other John, my bid was for the one working after Kanbun - Markus Sessko lists him as being first generation. The one thing I am confident of is that this is a shinto blade...

[Marius]

I have heard that there are kantei games in Japan where the participants get just a description of the sword and have to make an attribution based on the described characteristics. 

 

I think we beat the Japanese with this kantei 

[Jussi Ekholm]

Thank you for posting this Uwe, your photography is just stunning.

[Shugyosha]

I have heard that there are kantei games in Japan where the participants get just a description of the sword and have to make an attribution based on the described characteristics. 

 

I think we beat the Japanese with this kantei 

 

Hi Marius,

 

I think we can take this up a level - how about you think of a sword and I have to guess what you're thinking?

 

Best,

John

[Alex A]

^

[Marius]

 

I think we can take this up a level - how about you think of a sword and I have to guess what you're thinking?

 

 

 

That makes as much sense as this kantei with one photograph, or the JP kantei by description, but at least it is fun. So let's do it.  

 

Uwe, this is not a critique of your effort. Your pics are great, the threads are fun, but let us not fool ourselves that this has something to do with studying swords. This is just fun and should be treated as such.

 

OK, I know, I am a pompous bore 

 

John, I just thought about a sword. Late Kamakura. Now you guess what it was.

[CSM101]

 

"This is just fun and should be treated as such."

 

 

 

What else is kantei than fun!

 

Uwe G.

[Shugyosha]

That makes as much sense as this kantei with one photograph, or the JP kantei by description, but at least it is fun. So let's do it.  

 

Uwe, this is not a critique of your effort. Your pics are great, the threads are fun, but let us not fool ourselves that this has something to do with studying swords. This is just fun and should be treated as such.

 

OK, I know, I am a pompous bore 

 

John, I just thought about a sword. Late Kamakura. Now you guess what it was.

 

Rai Kunimitsu or a banana. You're not coming through very clearly. 

[Marius]

 Rai Kunimitsu it was! I have eaten the banana, though. Congratulations

[CSM101]

Dear members,

Let´s come to an end.

 

 

And the answer is Awataguchi Omi no Kami Tadatsuna (II) 粟田口近江守忠綱.

 

That was easy because a part of the blade you can find here: https://www.nihontophoto.com/ikkanshi-awataguchi-tadatsuna

But what, if you didn´t see it? Well, you have to observe the details. Sugata? Not Koto. And a Osaka yakidashi. Who are the big three in Osaka? Shinkai, Sukehiro and Tadatsuna.

Just speaking in general: Shinkai´s hamon is getting broader towards the tip, Sukehiro is toranba or suguha so it comes to Tadatsuna. A slightly longer chukissaki, chojimidare

hamon and sunagashi, 8 kanji: Tadatsuna. Very easy! And an early work? Well, that´s what one of the former owners said: Michael Hagenbusch.

But maybe it was just his explanation why there is no date and a dragon horimono.

 

An even better explanation you can find in #3 by Andreas - a.k.a. Tokaido.

But let us come to the answers: Yamato Daijo Fujiwara Masanori and Kashu Kiyomitsu. For Masanori I give you 2 photos so you can see the difference in the hamon.

And Kiyomitsu you can exclude by observing the tang. And the yakidashi!

 

For the last time a few words about nihonto and photography: Forget about technique, about equipment or polishing. These are all minor problems, if at all.

The biggest problem is: If you want a good photo you need a good sword. And the better the sword, the better the photo.

Let me give you an example: Semi-Erotic Session. You can have Christy Turlington (clearly Kokuho level) in the desert with a LOMO camera for one hour.

On the other hand, as a contrary you can get on lowest Hozon level possible in a fully equipped studio with Annie Leibowitz as a supporter for a whole day: ME.

And believe me: next to Christy Turlington I look like Quasimodo´s uglier brother. So, whom would you pick? Kokuho or Hozon?

And that´s the reason why I think that Okisato Fujishiro was - is - and will always be the best photographer ever. I remember his exhibition in Solingen in 1999.

One photo: Sanchomo/Yamadorige - Kokuho and one of the five best swords under heaven. And a Shintogo tanto: juyo bunkazai.

I don´t know who made all the photos in the Meito Zukan. But I think it was mostly Okisato Fujishiro.

So, how do you want to be better? Right, you can`t. Or only when you are reborn as one of the best Japanese polishers with photographic skills. Very easy, indeed!

 

But back to the offer I mentioned: As you know, a picture like that takes time. A long time (more than 2.000 shots and 3 whole days on the PC).

 

And a lot of trouble with she-who-must-not-be-named. Usually I give those photos away for free. But not this time. This time I want to get paid for all the trouble.

 

Here is the deal: you already have the ura.

 

If you want both sides together it costs you 10 $. But instead of making me a very, very rich man the money should go as a donation to Brian and the NihontoMessageBoard.

You can find the Donate-button right on the home-page. As soon as you made your donation, please inform me via PM and I send you the download-link.

Brian can buy a lot of bitcoins then.

 

And you can kill three birds with one stone: you get a poster, you support the NMB and you will get some Karma-points so you are one step closer to your rebirth

as a Japanese polisher.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed it. I´ll have a Lagavulin by now. Or two.

 

 

Uwe Grabowski

 

[Brian]

Thanks for the offer Uwe. And looking at that photo of the ura...wow.
Consider me impressed

[Bazza]

Well, as a man whose middle names aren't 'Darcy' or 'rkg' I'm in Uwe's camp.  I have to take dozens of photos to get one I'm happy with.  Its an exhaustive, iterative process between camera and computer, especially if one doesn't have a studio of sorts.  My studio is sometimes outdoors lit by Heaven, sometimes with a cloud filter, sometimes indoors with flash assistance, and sometimes just the light that filters in the window.  Sometimes I use my macro, but mostly I don't, the normal 18-55mm EF-S zoom being 'good enough'.

 

Oh, PM sent to Uwe.

 

Bestests,

BaZZa.

[Alex A]

Cheers Uwe, these are always good fun and educational.

 

This is the example I saw. https://www.aoijapan.com/katanaawataguchi-oumi-kami-tadatsuna2nd-generation

 

The choji/suguha, nakago condition had me looking at late Bizen, but unfortunately, not Tadatsuna (learning curve), id noticed the Suguha start on Yokoyama before now.

 

Thanks.

[Bazza]

Brethren, I see no reports of Uwe's excellent photo skills.  I sent the required $$ and received the image, all 20MB of it.  WOW!!  Honestly, its worth the small donation to see it.  Not quite as good as "in the hand", but a mighty fine approximation to it.  Wonderful work Uwe, danke.

 

Best regards,

BaZZa.