Possible good one

[Jon MB]

Many thanks in advance!
 
Sincerely,
 
Jon

[Jon MB]

"X X shu Shitahara Hachiro Fujiwara Masa X saku" (?)

 

From a learned advisor..

[Jon MB]

Found in Gunto mounts, good fittings

[SteveM]

川部儀八郎正秀作

Kawabe Gihachirō Masahide saku

 

 

Are you selling? 

[Jon MB]

Thank you Steve. It's Sat AM, pre-coffee, grasping the situation. 

[Jon MB]

I bought unseen, based on pic of sugata and ok tsuba.

[uwe]

川部儀八郎正秀作

Kawabe Gihachirō Masahide saku

 

 

Are you selling?

Have you tried the kanji above, Steve?

[Jon MB]

Uwe, what do you think?

[uwe]

“秋元臣”?

[Jon MB]

Thank you Uwe, can you tell me more?

[uwe]

Jon,

 

It reads “Akimoto-shin” (if I’m not wrong) and means, “retainer of Akimoto”. Akimoto Tsunetomo was the Daimyō, who hired Masahide at the age of 25.....etc.

[Peter Bleed]

interesting problem - and discussion. Thanks to you all

Peter

[Jon MB]

Some pics

 

 

[Jon MB]

Pics come up at different angles to what I want..oh well

[Jon MB]

then

[Jon MB]

Uwe, many thanks for info.

[Jon MB]

Thread kindly moved by Brian from translation section to nihonto section.

 

Am I right in thinking this piece has good potential? I am not a Shin-shinto collector, but it seems this may be good.

[Jon MB]

Another mei pic with a comparison

[Vermithrax16]

Jon MB,

Checked a bunch of references and as you show above, it's not really even close to the signature. Still may be a good sword though.

[SteveM]

Here is another one with the "Akimoto-jin" title. This one is quite different from both of the examples above. All I would say is that the style in the oshigata on Jon's post #18 is a deliberate cursive style, so it is not surprising that signature is drastically different from the authenticated signature below. So there are two very different signatures, both presumably authentic, and that gives me a glimmer of hope for other variations of signatures.

 

But, as we all say, its better to look at the sword itself to see if it looks like a Masahide (in his younger days). I can't tell from the pictures, and I'm not enough of an aficionado to judge these things with any confidence. Anyway, maybe a Suishinshi Masahide owner can chime in.  

 

https://www.e-sword.jp/sale/2011/1110_2060syousai.htm

[Jon MB]

Thanks guys. The hamon is an un-exiting gunome, glimpses of which can be seen in pics. I can't see details of hada. Steel is quite uniform, 'blueish' hue.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Can we see the mounts too?

[Jon MB]

Here we go

[Jon MB]

Note large sarute, and ok sized same nodules.

 

Gold wash to habaki.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Nice early pattern mounts, saya looks oddly weathered, is it steel or lacquered wood?

[Jon MB]

Saya very rusted in middle section. I oiled it then scrubbed it, by hand, to make it slightly more presentable. It looked like it had come out of a Burmese swamp.

[PNSSHOGUN]

If the bottom of the saya drag hasn't been worn down I suspect it originally had one of the fitted leather covers which are put on wet so they formfit, usually causes that pattern of rust and wear.

[Jon MB]

Yes, the lowest section had rotted leather on it.

[Jon MB]

 A few blade pics. I dislike photographing blade details, so difficult..as you all know,,esp when out of polish..