Aoi Art Kantei

[DanielLee]

Hi all,

 

Aoi Art just uploaded a new kantei quiz.

 

https://www.aoi-art.com/kantei/kantei.html

 

Regards,

 

Daniel

[Jean]

I have got a fair idea :

 

 

 

Nosy boy - this is a booby trap

 

 

That's the first time I use the spoiler thing and I swera it will be the last time

[Jean]

I could not help it : Perhaps Tsunahiro

[Brian]

How about we do an analysis of it here, give it a few days, discuss and see if we can all come down to a single smith..and then ask Jean or someone to email in the answer as a combined submission by the NMB? Just a thought

 

Brian

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

My guess:

 

 

Horikawa Kunihiro

 

[Curran]

I think we are all thinking along the same time period, but is the jigane not a little weak for Kunihiro? I haven't even hit the books yet to look up typical hada.

[takakage]

due to the horimono on the cartouche, saki sori and mitsu mune, i think that is a worK of FUSAMUNE

[Jean]

yes, my first reflex was to say Kunihiro but he works in nioi deki - description says nie deki - yasurime seem to be kiri (difficult to see).

 

Can we define the hada as hadadachi gokoro from the picture (kantei point to Kunihiro)

 

http://www.sho-shin.com/sai19.htm

 

You have 2 period Kunihiro blades, look at the kaeri

 

http://www.nihonto.com/abtartkunihiro.html

 

As stated we are all looking to Soshu style end koto/beginning shinto

 

I don't see the famous bonji Kunihiro is reknown for

[Brian]

Well...here is a decent write up on Kunihiro: http://www.nihonto.com/abtartkunihiro.html

Not sure I can see many of the standard features that he supposedly used?

I'll have to have a look at the books and see what I can come up with.

 

Brian

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

yes, my first reflex was to say Kunihiro but he works in nioi deki - description says nie deki

 

I've not yet checked books but i know he worked in both styles.

[Jean]

Can anyone see the yasurime, they seem to be kiri

[Ted Tenold]

Does anyone else get the impression that the horimono may be atobori?

 

I get the feeling this tanto is by, shall we say, famous emulators...

 

 

Shimada Yoshisuke (Gisuke)

 

 

Jean, your spoiler was excellent. I am lucky this was not on the battlefield. I will treat French spoilers with much more respect in the future!!

[Brian]

My first impression, like Ted, was that the horimono is a later addition. It has a fresh feel to it. Does the nakago really look like a Koto nakago? I got the impression that it looked fresher than that, but it might just be well preserved. The machi are still fairly healthy, and the horimono hasn't seen too many polishes. It does look like it has a bit of a shinto yakidashi. What is that muneyaki/tobiyaki telling me? hmm. Hada looks a bit hard and coarse too.

 

Brian

 

Edit to add; If the horimono is original, the nioi, nakago, hada and horimono do lead me closer to Jean's answer of Tsunahiro. If I had to call it right now, that would be my guess.

[Jean]

Thanks Ted for the compliment, It is my childish twin (everybody has a twin, eh Guido )

 

For Shimada Gisuke I would have had expected a longer kaeri and perhaps some muneyaki (I have just seen them on the oshigata),

 

I am still insisting, could the answer be in the yasurime (that I see kiri)

 

Is it really hadatachi? The Nihon To koza is unclear, it does not even mention the mizukage.

[John A Stuart]

Everything to me felt like Kanefusa until I read the hint about nie-deki. I know these smiths worked in nioi-deki though. The Horikawa Kunihiro is a very nice kantei, though. John

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

Hint : Shape : This blade is long sized Hirauchi Mitsumune Wakizashi with Saki-zori.

Jitetsu : Itame hada well grained with Jinie attach.

Hamon : Niedeki Suguha and Notare and Gunome are mixed with deep Nioikuchi.

In Ha, there are Tobiyaki.

 

None measurement How can we determine a jidai? this kind of kantei looks like poker.

[pcfarrar]

My guess would be Heianjo Nagayoshi.

[Paul Martin]

I think Jacques made a good call straight off. I think that Aoi are trying to show us zanguri-hada. I have seen some quite open examples by Kunihiro. However, I think the answer also lay in the horimono. My first instinct was Kunihiro (and most of the time you should go on these gut feelings, but then the reasoning side of your brain takes over). Looking at the expression of the dragons face, I began leaning to Etchu no Kami Masatoshi (also because of the nakago-jiri), but the pieces above the dragons head are carved in a similar way to how Dewa daijo Kunimichi carved his, and I knew it wasn't him, so that brought me back to Kunihiro. Also the feet and the spine of the dragon are very Kunihiro. Masatoshi and Kunimichi usually carve the typical gripping feet, whereas Kunihiro's dragons have the spread feet.

 

Just my thought processing out loud as it is 4 in the morning here and I needed a quick break from translating.

 

Best

[roninjje]

I first thought Kunihiro, but how about Horikawa Kunitake?

[Eric H]

FUSAMUNE

The sakizori indicates the late Muromachi period. The hint ist the most skillfully executed horimono, the kurikara in uchibori and the dokkoken on the other side.

 

Eric

[Nobody]

What do you think about this attached wakizashi? I think that it resembles the blade of Aoi in its shape and Horimono style.

[Eric H]

I think this one is by HORIKAWA KUNIHIRO

 

Eric

[Brian]

I have had a hint by a kind member that this blade might be published somewhere, so wouldn't be surprised if someone stumbles upon it

 

Regards,

Brian

[Jean]

http://tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/f00017.html

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

the blade shown by Moriyama san is Kunihiro's, this one incorporates the famous mizukage, special feature of this smith.

[Ted Tenold]

Tsuruta-san posted the answer to the kantei, and it can be yours! It is now officially for sale...

 

http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/wakizashi/08207.html

 

Interestingly enough I considered Tsunahiro for quite a while, but didn't see a kaeri long enought to make me comfortable with that call. Jean on the other hand didn't see a kaeri long enough to agree with my call to Gisuke. In looking at the jigane, I couldn't agree with Kunihiro because it didn't appear strong enough and seemed to fade in pattern and visability in the area above the machis and above the yakiba in the kissaki. It didn't quite look like the zangurihada I'd expect and there also was no mizukage apparent or mentioned (though the solitary lack of this feature wouldn't disqualify a Kunihiro work either). Also judging from the pictures (which we all know the dangers of...) the steel has a dark hue and lacks the luster I'd expect from Kunihiro. This weakness and coloration as well as the style of yakiba that is suguha between the individual gunome lead me down the path of Shimada.

[Lorenzo]

I have just spended 15 minutes to write them an email in Japanese as best as i could, and, after have sent it, i notice the sword was online.

 

 

The use of that Horimono , pages 81 and 111 of The Connoisseurs Book of Japanese sword, crossed with the users of Jizo boshi, could lead the the solution..

 

Tsunahiro

 

 

I mistook anyway, i guessed Kunihiro too.

[Brian]

Well done all Some really good points.

Congrats to Jean for getting it spot on so early All the other points made were very educational too, I enjoyed this one a lot.

 

Brian

[Jean]

It was a gut feeling. As stated, jigane did not seem right for Kunihiro. Kaeri not long enough (in my opinion) for Shimada (there are always exceptions). There were very close links between Odawara and Shimada.

 

Tsunahiro was well reknown for his carvings but this one is uncommon and not representative of this smith.

 

Now, this kantei was sheer luck, because I did it on gut feeling. though I have seen/hold some swords by him.

 

Remember Darcy's sanji Kunitoshi kantei, it was my gut feeling but I changed for Kanenaga after studying pictures for long minutes because of Masame.

 

In fact, it seems that first straight answer can lead to a good kantei. Too much analysis can lead to wrong kantei

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

Jitetsu : Itame hada well grained with Jinie attach.

Hamon : Niedeki Suguha and Notare and Gunome are mixed with deep Nioikuchi.

 

 

I thought Tsunahiro was known for the sparsity of his nie