Strange Horimono Placement

[Jiro49]

Just wanted to get some opinions as this is the first I have seen with this placement. Looks like there is one more under the habaki moto, so original or ato-bori? Blade has shumei attribution.

 

Thanks in advance!

[vajo]

Could it be covering a forging flaw?

Btw the horimono looks nice ????

[PNSSHOGUN]

I think Chris may be on the right track, any unusual or oddly placed Horimono like that some tend to think are to mask openings and other flaws. This one is well cut and a good scene.

[Brian]

Why the heck all the pitting? Surely can't be deliberate?

[ROKUJURO]

Brian,

the 'pitting' is probably caused by the fog in his room....

[Dave R]

Perhaps the pitting came first, and the horimono done to cut out and obscure the worst of it.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Right, & far too much of it for my liking.

[Jiro49]

Foggy, funny.

 

Not my pics it’s about a mile away but havnt viewed in person. No interest in buying it just was curious.

 

It’s not putting, it’s punch marks, like the sun rays additional carvings..? Again strange.

 

There are a few shinae so I wondered if it was to make up for those or distract from them?

[Bazza]

I'm not sure if I should put time into this...  and I don't mean to offend anyone, but...

 

IMHO the carving is a horror-mono.  Look, I beseech you, at the chisel chatter in the cloud sworls.  The balance of the design is "off" and, again IMHO, there is too much -mono for such a small sword.  Also, the shumei is definitely suss, being on the "tachi" side of a wakizashi!!??  The lacquer looks to have the shade and viscosity of a vermilion shade of nail polish...

 

Better photos may tell a different story, but that's my take on the offering.

 

Bestests,

BaZZa.

[Brian]

Agreed, and the "pitting" is absolutely horrid.

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello Jiro,

 

I tend to think that there was pissibly some bad pitting. Especially pin hle bidding can be near impossible to be removed. Hence the casrver may have come up with a creative way  to deal with it. Praise for his creativity since I can not remember having seen such a "solution" on top of my head. Is it a good fix? Well, for bad pitting there is probably never a good fix it ... it is up to everybody to judge of hsi her / taste. In my umble oppinion it does not look good - which is also implied yb your topic calling it "strange" - which it is. As far as the quality of the horimono goes it is not really decent.

 

I am sorry if my remarks sound too negative.

[TheGermanBastard]

PS: As for the Shinae: Many people don't like them and they are KIzu. Personally I am not that strict on them but of course one has to consider  them in the evaluation of a sword.

 

Overall this sword has more problems ... I can not tell for sure but it looks both buffed with gone / rounded uo Shinogi Gi & Yokot as well as sharpened. Then given it is a Muromachi or later piece, Wakizashi and Mumei this blade is just a bummer. Also look at the polished Habaki. The blade was abused. Getting this fixed would be Harakiri  to anybodys walet

 

It hurts to see decent Wkizashis in polish and both with Koshirase & Shirasaya not selling at 1000 Euros ... but then it is jsut the market. Get this blade for free, get it restored then and you will onyl be able to sell it with a great loss though in the end. It is akward but way to many blades are not worthy of messing around with them anymore these days ...

 

Oh and did I say that there is probably no scabbard and a new one to be made will cost atleast USD 400.00?

 

Prices of most antiques have decreased. Labour however has gone up - and that is right because everybody needs to make ends meet. But there is currently a mismatch amiong value and cost of restoration ...

[TheGermanBastard]

PPS: I may get kicked in my teeth for writing this BUT I see no other way than an exploding antiques market (which I don't see ... it is rather imploding) ... or to wait for some cheap Chinese Togishis entering the scene and offering cheap polishes for cheap blades. Otherwise you can just keep cheaop old rusty blades for what they are: Old rusty iron or let them sit as such, considering them a worn relic.

[Jiro49]

Agreed!

 

Just was curious.

 

I dont remember how much he was asking but I believe it’s over $1200

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello Matt, in my humble oppinion 1200 is totally out of line. Anything above USD 400.00 - 500.00 is too expensive and I would not even consider buyig it at that amount since there is just so much better stuff out there. If this blade was fully polished and having a new Saya made you would be looking at around 2000.00 even when picked up at 500 bucks ... woudl it be woth that? Nope. Alexiss and Ray are selling way better blades right now here at good prices and still they don't move. Just because the markt is slow while the offerings are great! I would have bought them in the past without hesitation but these days everything is just so slow and for blades like the above I see no demand at all but for someone who makes the bad decission to pay only 400 rather than 800 bucks while that would get him a very nice Mumei Wakizashi.

[Geraint]

Dear Matt.

 

My first reaction was that this was a class of horimono known as, "temptthegaijin", added to make the sword more saleable in late Meiji.

 

Whatever the origin, as Luis says, not something that most collectors would want to own.

 

All the best.