nashiji hada on a Showato?

[djcollection]

Hi guys,

With a partial Sho stamp and nashiji hada on this blade, could this be made of non-tamahagane using traditional forging methods or other methods ? Can it be classified as a han-tanrento? What are the possibilities?

[Brian]

I doubt it, and I don't think that is nashiji. Just regular steel grain showing through due to the polish method

[16k]

Who knows? Mantetsu show nashiji hada....

[paulb]

I am at risk of proving myself to be extremely boring about this subject but descriptions of hada are not absolute. Even between such standard references as Nihonto koza and Nagayama there are differences. However Nashiji hada is used almost exclusively to describe the extremely tight ko-itame hada seen on blades of the Awataguchi school. The visual effect is created by the tight hada, a great deal of ko-nie and chickei combining to give the appearance described. 

What you are showing on the images is, as Brian says not nashiji hada, it appears to be the typical "grainless" (not to be confused with true muji hada) seen on non traditionally made blades of the showa period.

With hada such as nashiji and chirimen seen in Aoe blades it is very difficult to describe and understand until you actually see examples in hand. I spent many years believing that a ko-Enju blade I had had something close to nashiji hada, then I studied an Awataguchi work and realised it was nowhere near. 

[djcollection]

I doubt it, and I don't think that is nashiji. Just regular steel grain showing through due to the polish method

Hi Brian,

It's stated as nashiji hada (circled in red )on the website and the owner of the website is Isao Machii. Do you think it is just sales tactic?

 

Here's the website:

 

https://nihontou.jp/choice03/toukenkobugu/katana/977/00.html

 

[djcollection]

I am at risk of proving myself to be extremely boring about this subject but descritions of hada are not absolute. Even between such standard references as Nihonto koza and Nagayama there are differences. However Nashiji hada is used almost exclusively to describe the extremely tight ko-itame hada seen on blades of the Awataguchi school. The visual effect is created by the tight hada, a great deal of ko-nie and chickei combining to give the appearance described. 

What you are showing on the images is, as Brian says not nashiji hada, it appears to be the typical "grainless" (not to be confused with true muji hada) seen on non traditionally made blades of the showa period.

With hada such as nashiji and chirimen seen in Aoe blades it is very difficult to describe and understand until you actually see examples in hand. I spent many years believing that a ko-Enju blade I had had something close to nashiji hada, then I studied an Awataguchi work and realised it was nowhere near.

 

Great elaboration Paul. If it has a real nashiji hada, you wouldn't think it can be had for 230k yen, would you?

https://nihontou.jp/choice03/toukenkobugu/katana/977/00.html

[paulb]

Hi Mason,

No I think that is a reasonable assumption

[Brian]

You would expect a Japanese dealer to describe any Showato as having nashiji. It is the go-to word since they can't really say muji/Showato.
These sort of swords are slipping through the cracks more and more, and I bet no-one wants to make waves and point it out. But having wartime arsenal swords papered is now a possibility, probably due to a lack of knowledge inside the authorities I bet.

[djcollection]

You would expect a Japanese dealer to describe any Showato as having nashiji. It is the go-to word since they can't really say muji/Showato.

These sort of swords are slipping through the cracks more and more, and I bet no-one wants to make waves and point it out. But having wartime arsenal swords papered is now a possibility, probably due to a lack of knowledge inside the authorities I bet.

Indeed, as long it sells and making advantage of information asymmetry.

 

Here's another one 梨地肌 without a stamp :

https://nihontou.jp/choice03/toukenkobugu/katana/976/00.html

 

Do you think the price fairly reflects such newly-polished Showato?

[Brian]

The price reflects availability. Just like NCO swords here are going for more than Gendaito, because they are in fashion with the militaria collectors....so are Showato fetching high prices in Japan because they were just not available to collectors previously and there are few available.