Christmas Kantei

[CSM101]

Dear Members,

 

for the last time this year a Kantei.

 

Katana, nagasa 68,5 cm, a dense koitame hada with a suguha hamon, signed. But don´t believe the photo.

 

Enjoy and I will give the answer on Monday. Or Tuesday.

 

https://www.nihontophoto.com/christmaskantei

 

 

Uwe G.

[Gunome]

Hello,
 
Cannot enlarge the photo, but I would go on shodai Tadayoshi

[Jean]

Just a cut picture of a blade horimono is just what I have....

[Gunome]

Jean,

Just need to clic on the pics and you will have the full sword picture

[Jean]

Thanks Sebastien,

 

Elongated kissaki, konuka hada (though I cannot enlarge the picture as I would like), perfect suguha with a splendid constant nioiguchi, a tachi mei on a shinto katana nakago. I wonder were it can lead

 

Edit to add: forgot to talk about the cutting test....

[ROKUJURO]

If KONUKA HADA, then possibly HIZEN TADAYOSHI.

[mywei]

I guess Tadatsuna

[PNSSHOGUN]

Hizen Tadahiro.

[kissakai]

I would prefer some more images

Need to see various aspects of the blade which I can't do from the single image

[ROKUJURO]

......a tachi mei on a shinto katana nakago.......

Jean,

 

to me it looks more like a KATANA MEI, if you carry it on the left. I think I even see a KAO in gold. Do I see that wrong?

[Gunome]

I think the gold is for the cutting test and the tachi mei is hidden by the "Rai Kunitsugu"

[Alex A]

Was thinking Tadayoshi, but would expect mei and horimono on same side, this appears to have a cutting test in the way.

 

Is there possibly a more elaborate horimono on the other side?

[Guest Rayhan]

I would like to say 3rd Gen Tadayoshi but that Horimono is horrible.....

[Jean]

Right Sebastien, cutting test result + kao,

 

First generation Tadayoshi was rated saijo wazamono

[Tom Darling]

It is not Tadayoshi, Tadahiro or Tadatsuna, not from the ones I've had. Going by the Horimono is too poor quality.  Tadayoshi and Tadahiro both signed tachi mei. The Tadatsuna 2nd gen.was katana mei.. "That's All Folks!" Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

 

Tom D.

[Alex A]

I read somewhere, cant remember where and I may be wrong, Tadayoshi did sign tachi mei, but when horimono is only present on one side of the blade, he signed that side.

[CSM101]

Horimono on both sides.

 

Uwe G.

[Alex A]

Hard to say for sure, perhaps Tadayoshi, Tadakuni (see quite a few with cutting tests)

 

As for the horimono, who knows, may be original or added by a later owner (ato bori), I cant say judging from the photo

[Guest Rayhan]

Answer today or tomorrow Uwe?

[Bugyotsuji]

Good question, Rayhan, but today, tomorrow, it's all relative.

[CSM101]

Dear members,

 

let´s come to an end. And the answer is: Hizen Kuni Tadayoshi, first generation (TH).

 

What are the points to come to this answer? A dense koitame hada is in other words konuka hada. And in combination with a suguha hamon and Shinto sugata

the answer should be Hizen Kuni Tadayoshi. First generation is an extra point. So, congratulations for those with the right answer.

 

But let´s come to the answers: Tadatsuna has a different hamon.

 

Usually I would write something about Hizen Tadayoshi, but Darcy Brockbank already did that and why invent the wheel again? https://yuhindo.com/hizen-tadayoshi/

 

But let´s talk about the blade. I always thought: Shinto + koitame hada + suguha = BORING!

 

I`ve never been so wrong. To understand why a Hizen Tadayoshi is highly regarded you have to hold a sword in your hands. And when you turn the blade

and suddenly the nie start to sprinkle... That´s just amazing. Like morning mist. And not just in parts.

 

If you ever have the chance to own a Hizen Tadayoshi: don´t hesitate.

 

A few words about photos: please forgive me when I do not show more of these. I just make the photos. And if I want to use them I always ask if I could do so.

Right of use. I have an archive of tsuba pics, maybe 1.300 different tsuba. And I am allowed to show maybe 100. From the Samurai Art Museum I have

the right to use only one tsuba. So, whatever I can show you, I will show you.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Uwe G.

 

 

[Gunome]

Hello Uwe,

Thanks for the answere.

Another point is nakago: nakago jiri between Tadayoshi and Tadahiro is not the same, and for Tadatsuna, both nakago jiri and yasurime are differents.

Very desirable tsuba... !

[Tom Darling]

Very nice Tadahiro, I've seen this one before, maybe a book?   Your kantei shows horimono, mentioned both sides.  Where is the horimono on your tadayoshi. Tadayoshi & Tadahiro and most of the Hizen school, signed tachi mei on Katana length swords, and signed katana mei on wakizashi and tanto 99% of time .Rule of thumb deciding good or bad 101.

 

 

Tom D.

[Alex A]

 Tadayoshi & Tadahiro and most of the Hizen school, signed tachi mei on Katana length swords, and signed katana mei on wakizashi and tanto 99% of time .Rule of thumb deciding good or bad 101.

 

 

Tom D.

 

Hi Tom,  the "rule of thumb" regarding good or bad. I ask because I would expect horimono from these guys only on good blades. If I understand whats written below correctly, the mei can on occasion be the other side.

 

From Nihonto.com site.HORIMONO:           Umetada Myoju, Munenaga, or Yoshinaga made all the horimono for the Shodai Tadayoshi.  Bo-hi and futatsu-hi are rare.  The name of the horimonoshi often appears in a soe-mei.  It should be noted that when the Shodai Tadayoshi added horimono to his blades he customarily put the more elaborate horimono on the side that he signed.  In the case of his katana, this is the ura or tachi-mei side of the blade.  Of course, when the horimono is present on only one side of the blade, the mei is put on that same side.  This is an important kantei point for Hizen blades.

[CSM101]

I am really not an expert on this one, but gut felling is: the horimonos were added later.

And you should get the felling the blade were already polished a few times.

 

Uwe G.