Shinkai gimei?

[pcfarrar]

I recently picked up an interesting wakizashi signed Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kunisada. I bought it for the koshirae and don't hold out much hope of the mei being real.

 

I wondered if it had some possiblity of being a daimei?

 

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Hi-res pics of the whole pages sent via e-mail. Hope it helps.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Quote Nihonto koza (shinto volume)

 

In the mei of around Tensho (1573-1592), there are some which are a gojimei of IZUMI NO KAMI KUNISADA done in shoshotai (grass writing). At any rate, as those for with the sôsho mei, there is a theory that the son Shinkai, in others words, nidai KUNISADA made daisaku and daimei for the father. However, as for daisaku, there may be some, but as to whether or not there are daimei, there is room for investigation.

 

 

Edit,

 

After some research

 

Extract from Shinto taikan by Limura

 

 

Shodai Kunisada mei.

 

 

 

Daisaku mei by the nidai.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

http://www.nihontocraft.com/Izumi_no_Ka ... a_mei.html

[pcfarrar]

Is this wak worthy of shinsa, the mei is pretty well done but it does have some differences. I could potentially submit it at the UK shinsa later in the year, but don't want to waste a slot if gimei is a foregone conclusion.

 

The shape, thick kasane, wide mihaba, extended chu kissaki and hamon all seem right...

[Brian]

Peter,

 

In my very humble opinion, and if it were mine, I would take the chance.

Yes, there are differences, but I see differences in the shoshin mei too, and some of the hooks look very close indeed. There are a few small things that I would have expected to have been overlooked, but are present.

At least try and get a few other opinions in hand before deciding against submitting. Can you get it to Clive Sinclair for an opinion maybe?

 

Brian

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

A gimei can be well done and sometimes difficult to discern (kajihei by sample). However, inside a mei there are, all along a career (except some scarce exceptions), unchanging features. The second kanji of Izumi and the kanji Kuni show well those permanent features.

 

On the blade shown by Peter the kanji 泉 is too square and too regular; the tagane inside the kanji 国 are really different in location and lenght.

 

It is only my thought.

[Guest reinhard]

There is something that should make you suspicious. Focussing on the second kanji of "Izumi" and on "wara" of "Fujiwara", you'll notice, that the "arrowheads" of the horizontal marks within the squarish frames are pointing to the right. Both styles do exist (though not in KUNISADA's mei), no smith does change from one version to the other just like that. It is a constant and unique feature.

It seems as if the man who wrote the mei remembered when writing "sada" at the very end. Nevertheless, you will hardly find one single (genuine) example by KUNISADA (first or second generation) with those kanji chiselled like that.

 

reinhard

 

Edit: There's extensive research on KUNISADA's mei and dai-mei by the second generation (later:SHINKAI) to be found in Fujishiro's "MeiTo Tsukan" vol. 8

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Although both styles do exist, no smith does change from one version to the other just like that. It is a constant and unique feature.

 

Reinhard is right.

IMHO this close the matter as, even if Daimei by shinkai existed, as per the link I provided,

seems this is not the case.

[pcfarrar]

Yes I agree its definitely a gimei now. I guess a 19th century copy.

 

The blade itself is quite nice, has lots of activity ji-nie, inazuma/kinsuji. Maybe in the future I will get the mei removed...

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Well, in that case I would ask the togishi an opinion when sending the blade, just to be sure.

As said, this board is not Shinsa