Looking for an odd in a good way katana

[waljamada]

My definition of "odd" in this case: different from what is usual or expected in a traditionally made tamagahane blade in koshirae or shirasaya.

 

Greetings all, have something that doesn't quite fit in your collection but has some odd class?  An odd bohi design?  An interesting unique aspect?  A non traditional horimono theme?  (Horimono and bonji etc..can be ato-bori) Some interesting lacquer work?  A lesser used bonji?  Something with the hamon?  An outlier of a school or maker?  Looking for something with an odd aspect (in a good way) and much prefer katana length.  

 

Also, in a more traditional search sense, I would like to purchase one more "ancestral" blade type 94/98.  Extreme bonus points for having some unique aspect.

[waljamada]

Example of "odd" bohi.

[waljamada]

Almost bid on this sword and it went for an affordable price but has some condition issues.  Didn't bid because the seller was in Ukraine (which is most likely fine) but that blanket and sword description is exactly what Showa22 does.  Just made me think someone put up false/duplicates of old listings, which scared me away, but could be the seller bought from Showa22 at some point and saved the description/pics and I missed out.  Either way another example of a sword I would purchase.

Edited May 22, 2021 by waljamada

[Sunny]

Hello 

I bid on this one and won.

I didn't pay him though because it was on Ebay a few weeks ago and he only wanted a wire transfer.

It's still sitting in my check out even though I told him to cancel.

He asked that I pay half then and he'll send it.

I said no and that I will only pay for shipping and he gets the rest when I get it.

Never heard back and it still sits in my cart.

Other winners of other swords that were up too gave him bad feedback.

Ebay told me his account is now frozen due to his shady game.

He had no activity for a year on both his accounts till now so I'm feeling he got hacked.

The description has perfect English yet his messages are lacking that same well spoken vocabulary and knowledge.  

I have an Edo era Kanemoto with the same bohi but shorter and squared at the end.

It is a wakizashi though.

Very nice hamon.

Blade has a deep steel blue pigment due to the type of polishing and eye candy play off the red. 

I have to say I love these red resin urushi lacquer bohis.

Cheers

[waljamada]

Steven,

 

My ebay spidey sense was correct.  That description was the exact style, terminology and an exact showa22 listing description copy.  Glad to hear it didn't go far enough for you to be out any money or further complications. 

 

I'm also a huge fan of lacquered bohis.  Have one already and it's easily my favorite blade even as my collection has grown after buying it.  Still hoping this post may have the chance to buy one enter my messages/life.

[Sunny]

I'm thinking of selling the one I have this week because another sword came up that I've been wanting for a while and its a great price even though it will need a month of my time to restore.

I use one finger the traditional way.

I told myself I would never sell my red bohi.

I haven't been able to get fittings for it yet because I can be cheap at times lol.

Are you interested ?

The hamon is very nice and the bohi has a little discolour where the habaki rests but other than that the resin is next to mint and is the deep fire engine red instead of the faded poppy red seen in that katana buddy tried to take me for.

[Sunny]

Please shoot me a PM if you're interested 

Yours truly

Steven 

[waljamada]

On 6/5/2021 at 2:26 PM, Steven Edmund said:

Please shoot me a PM if you're interested 

Yours truly

Steven 

 

Was a cool blade and did tempt me but ideally looking for something katana length.  So still searching!

[Sunny]

Thanks 

Yes it's very nice.

I'm actually relieved for now because I sold a different sword and i get to keep it.

Cheers 

 

[waljamada]

Saw this one with the term votive sword as one used by a shrine for religious purposes.  No idea if that's accurate for this sword but a votive sword is an example of "odd in a good way".  Any votive blades for sale out there?

 

Adam

[Bugyotsuji]

Votive is an English word chosen recently by someone probably attempting to translate 奉納刀, ho-no-to, a blade offered in dedication to a shrine. It's usually an honest example of the work of a smith, but I doubt that the shrine would actually use it in their ceremonies, other than for static display perhaps. (?)

Is it signed?

[waljamada]

Piers, that blade was a mumei and not in the best of shape.  Still a blade with some character but doesn't seem any kind of specific high quality note.  It's mounts are also pretty basic.   That blade ended up selling for $645 plus $100 shipping so $745ish.  

 

Here's the YouTube video of it and I'll post its description below if you're interested.

 

The honoto or "votive" concept is pretty interesting to me and sounds like beyond some kind of clear documentation there would be no way to identify such a blade.  Perhaps blade decoration could signal such a blade?

 

 

 

[Shugyosha]

It might be the seller's interpretation of the manji and other characters on the tsuba. Some people get romantic notions about this stuff or simply use it as puff to sell the blade.

[waljamada]

John,

 

The classic faux attribution into fawning sale pitch.  Yeah, I would agree, they rolled with the laquer bohi and religious symbol on tsuba.  The concept and existence of religious swords or swords decorated with purpose are definitely "odd in a good way" so if anyone has one for sale....

 

This reminded me of this other example of "odd in a good way" wakizashi I saw sell like 6 month back.  I just found I took screenshot of it and it's one that I think back to sometimes as a missed opportunity.  Some may find it gaudy....

[waljamada]

Started going through my sword photos and screenshots folder.  Here's some more "odd in a good way" examples.

 

*Both the o-kissaki and nagamaki naoshi katana had this naginata style bohi. Not sure of the correct term for it. (The naginata-hi, thanks Francois!)

[francois2605]

[Sunny]

I have a Samurai pirate long wakizashi if you are interested 

Made by a known pirate sword maker Ujiyoshi.

[waljamada]

1 minute ago, Steven Edmund said:

I have a Samurai pirate long wakizashi if you are interested 

Made by a known pirate sword maker Ujiyoshi.

Well...this I would like to see.  Feel free to post pics here or DM me.  Just googled Ujiyoshi and will read up on him.

[Sunny]

Real-Life kantei-of swords , part 10: A real challenge : kantei Wakimono Swords

W.B. Tanner and F.A.B. Coutinho

1) Introduction

Kokan Nakayama in his book “The Connoisseurs Book of Japanese Swords” describes wakimono swords (also called Majiwarimono ) as "swords made by schools that do not belong to the gokaden, as well other that mixed two or three gokaden". His book lists a large number of schools as wakimono, some of these schools more famous than others.

Wakimono schools, such as Mihara, Enju, Uda and Fujishima are well known and appear in specialized publications that provide the reader the opportunity to learn about their smiths and the characteristics of their swords. However, others are rarely seen and may be underrated. In this article we will focus on one of the rarely seen and often maligned school from the province of Awa on the Island of Shikoku. The Kaifu School is often associated with Pirates, unique koshirae, kitchen knives and rustic swords. All of these associations are true, but they do not do justice to the school.

Kaifu (sometimes said Kaibu) is a relatively new school in the realm of Nihonto. Kaifu smiths started appearing in records during the Oei era (1394). Many with names beginning with UJI or YASU such as Ujiyoshi, Ujiyasu, Ujihisa, Yasuyoshi, Yasuyoshi and Yasuuji , etc, are recorded. However, there is record of the school as far back as Korayku era (1379), where the schools legendary founder Taro Ujiyoshi is said to have worked in Kaifu. There is also a theory that the school was founded around the Oei era as two branches, one following a smith named Fuji from the Kyushu area and other following a smith named Yasuyoshi from the Kyoto area (who is also said to be the son of Taro Ujiyoshi). Little is formally written about the school, but in the AFU Quarterly from 1995, an article from the Token Shunju by Okada Ichiro in August 1994 was translated and published. This is the most comprehensive article we have seen on the school. Okada gives his reason for writing the article as, “the sword books commonly available seem to look with disfavor on swords made in Awa no Kuni, which is now Tokushima-ken on the island of Shikoku, and provide very little information about the smiths from there. It is for this reason that I have selected this article.” Normally all you find are references and anecdotal stories involving Kaifu swords, so thankfully Okada has provided a little more material.

 

These include the often seen “kitchen knives” or swords made in the kata kiriba zukuri style, (they have a bevel on only one side like in a kogatana), various long hira zukuri wakizashi sometimes referred to as pirate swords, (Shikoku Island did a good business supplying Japanese pirates) and many Shinshinto swords made in the late Edo era. When attributing a sword to Kaifu, the NBTHK normally assigns a Shinto or Shinshinto designation to the attribution to help distinguish the category. What is rarely seen are Koto works, particularly signed ones. We will explore some theories on why we think this is so.

[Sunny]

This is one of the cleanest cutting blades I have ever used for Tameshigiri 
 

[Sunny]

Hit me in the DMs if you're serious about buying.

It has complete koshirae and kozuka knife.

the blade is pretty thick and it's signed.

[waljamada]

Bump.  Still able to purchase one more blade currently so maybe this old thread can spark something?  Still questing for odd in a good way, can be horimono, bohi, sori, naganata-hi and even better with an o-kissaki.  Katana length, shinshinto and earlier.

[waljamada]

Bump, peeking my head out in the buyers market again.

[DTM72]

On 7/7/2021 at 5:05 PM, waljamada said:

Started going through my sword photos and screenshots folder.  Here's some more "odd in a good way" examples.

 

Love the Mt. Fuji with the moon!

[waljamada]

On 8/1/2022 at 7:43 AM, DTM72 said:

Love the Mt. Fuji with the moon!

 

Same, have only seen one Fuji hamon in real life and it was on a short wakizashi but didn't have the moon.  I think the moon really makes it.  Could be a sun too, the art leaves it for interpretation!

[waljamada]

Popping my head out again as a buyer.  Have an interesting antique katana you'd be willing to sell?

 

Perhaps one with an interesting horimono, a poem, a naginata-hi, an odd hi design in general...something interesting in the hamon...an experimental blade of sorts...a blade with a "strange" name, a strange provable provenance, o-kissaki with a cool bohi/sohi combo...a bald with so e kind of artistic flair...calling any odd ducks....in a good way!

 

 

Also as a refresh:

 

My definition of "odd" in this case: different from what is usual or expected in a traditionally made tamagahane blade in koshirae or shirasaya.

 

Greetings all, have something that doesn't quite fit in your collection but has some odd class?  An odd bohi design?  An interesting unique aspect?  A non traditional horimono theme?  (Horimono and bonji etc..can be ato-bori) Some interesting lacquer work?  A lesser used bonji?  Something with the hamon?  An outlier of a school or maker?  Looking for something with an odd aspect (in a good way) and much prefer katana length.