Please Translate II

[NewB]

Greetings, 

 

 

Could you please help with translation?

 

 

Thank you in advance 

 

 

John

[george trotter]

Hi John,

it says HOSHU JU FUJIWARA MASAYUKI

Regards,

[NewB]

I appreciate it very much. Could it be 'Noshu'? Or 'Bunshu'? 

 

 

John

[Bugyotsuji]

Hōshū in north Kyūshū, north part of 豊国Toyo no Kuni, see also Buzen and Bungo.

[Geraint]

Dear John.

 

This is a common mei for a Bungo Takada sword, usually called Fujiwara Takada in Shinto swords.  

For reference, https://nihonto.dilanhosting.com/archive/g80.htm

 

All the best.

[NewB]

This is pretty much everything I could find on the web.. might have to dig in the books. It is an amazing work and I am surprised there isn't much to be found about it .. yet

 

 

Thank you all for your help!

 

 

John

[Jacques]

19 hours ago, Darkcon said:

This is pretty much everything I could find on the web.. might have to dig in the books. It is an amazing work and I am surprised there isn't much to be found about it .. yet

 

 

Thank you all for your help!

 

 

John

 

Chu-saku...

[NewB]

6 hours ago, Jacques D. said:

 

Chu-saku...

 

I don't know.. sometimes these classifications do not correspond to what I see.. And that I say without any personal attachments towards the blade and zero criticism. .. or maybe the polish is so good that makes it appear better than chu saku..

 

 

John

[Jacques]

1 hour ago, Darkcon said:

 

I don't know.. sometimes these classifications do not correspond to what I see.. And that I say without any personal attachments towards the blade and zero criticism. .. or maybe the polish is so good that makes it appear better than chu saku..

 

 

John

 

The guy who established this classification was nothing less than one of the greatest polishers Japan has ever known and a living national treasure. However, I have very big doubts about your ability to judge a blade

[NewB]

1 hour ago, Jacques D. said:

 

The guy who established this classification was nothing less than one of the greatest polishers Japan has ever known and a living national treasure. However, I have very big doubts about your ability to judge a blade

 

 

I think you need to reread what I wrote. I am sure you were a noob some years back and based on how you talk to people that you don't know makes me think you were a jerk well before that!

 

John

[Bruce Pennington]

Ha Ha!  Reminds me of a time quite a while back when I was commenting on a topic I really didn’t know, and one of the guys bluntly, should I say rudely, asked me why I was even commenting and I should stay out. I let him know that was pretty rude, and he linked to a earlier conversation where I had said exactly the same thing to him! He was quoting me! Ha!  

[NewB]

I am not looking for a feud with a keyboard warrior! It is sad to see such behavior from a 'superior' member of this forum though.. some 'god-like' just can't get over themselves..

 

 

John

[Bruce Pennington]

And just a follow up, I am not saying anyone was rude here, it simply reminded me of a time when I was in the past

[Mark]

my thought is =====   lower ranked smiths sometimes had a great day and made a great sword, and sometimes a high ranked smith made something that with a few polishes showed some issues.  Personally i prefer a well made sword by a lower ranked smith, some of my favorites are Chu-Saku or ChuJo- Saku, but from a marketing standpoint the higher ranked smiths will always bring higher prices. Fujishiro-sensei had the opportunity to see  many swords by a maker so he is ranking the whole of a smiths work, not an individual sword. Also being Japanese there are other factors that go into a ranking, like how the smith was thought of in the past, how famous he was or how well known, also some smiths benefited from sponsorship of powerful people and that helps.   Sort of like the NBTHK today, you can have a masterpiece but if the maker has never had a sword pass Juyo that sword won't, at least it won't if i own it, if you are an important person you might have a chance of setting a precedent but not me. 

 

John, did you see the display in Chicago?  The tachi with the horimono is one of my favorites and about perfect in every way but it won't pass Juyo (it is YuShu-saku)

 

Darcy puts it better than i can, check https://yuhindo.com/ratings.html

[NewB]

I appreciate the view point and That is what I was hinting at... and If voicing my opinion isn't appealing enough than that's too bad and I dare say I couldn't care less where it stands in space.

 

Of course nobody knows better than a togi from what I have read so far and for well known reasons..

 

unfortunately didn't see the tachi but saw some outstanding examples at the show! It sort of makes me want to reserve a boat load of tables but then I wouldn't be able to explain what I have so I'll just keep them in the shadows another 20 years 🤣

 

While NTHK isn't comparable to NBTHK I felt like Yushu papers are 'equivalent' to Juyo Token, as described online.. apparently not..

 

 

Cheers

 

 

P.S. love the Yuhindo works.. except when they take the prices down so I don't know what mine are worth LOL 

 

John

 

 

[NewB]

Love 🖤

 

 

 

John

[Jacques]

From what man can see on these pictures,  man can say we are far from an amazing work. This sword is either a very average job or tired

[NewB]

7.3 mm gasane.. very tired 🤦‍♂️

21 1/2 nagasa 

Ubu

And near mint 

 

Maybe you should show me your Saijo rating blades that you own for comparison. Because I have a considerable amount of them and looking at this chu Saku just brings me joy. There isn't even a scratch on it, that mint, not to mention I bought it for chump change.

 

So be it as it may it will pass Hozon no problem that I am sure of. I don't need more out of it before it hits the market and brings about a pretty favorable return. 

 

Now to you my friend - if you don't have anything positive to say why bother? I don't see constructive criticism and I find that Pretty pathetic don't you think? I do.

 

Wish you well, feel free to disregard my posts and comments as I shall do the same. Wasting time bickering is for idiots , not my cup of tea.

 

 

 

John

[Jacques]

Quote

So be it as it may it will pass Hozon no problem that I am sure of.

 

 

Hozon is not a guarantee of quality, it states that the signature is authentic, that's all.

 

Do you know what are open grains ?

[NewB]

24 minutes ago, Jacques D. said:

 

 

Hozon is not a guarantee of quality, it states that the signature is authentic, that's all.

 

Do you know what are open grains ?

 

 

I don't need more for a chu Saku blade right? And no they are not open grains , no kizu, no kitae ware, no fukure nada! The reflection of the ji nie makes you feel that however in real life there are no such issues. End of story

 

 

John

[Jacques]

Humm... 

 

Over for me, you will be the first on my black list.

[NewB]

13 hours ago, Jacques D. said:

 

 

 

Not surprised. I have shown 3 if my 120 collection and you - nothing.  So totally ok with being in your blacklist 

 

 

JOHN

 

 

 

[Brian]

Guys, just put each other on ignore and carry on. Jacques, just give it a damn rest. FFS.

[NewB]

I am good Brian. Your friend needs manners course though..

 

 

 

John

[Brian]

13 hours ago, Darkcon said:

I am good Brian. Your friend needs manners course though..

 

The French often have a reputation for being blunt and rude.
Because ALL of our other French members here are such amazingly nice guys and the complete opposite of this, Jacques feels the need to over compensate to make up for this. 

[Jacques]

18 minutes ago, Brian said:

The French often have a reputation for being blunt and rude.
Because ALL of our other French members here are such amazingly nice guys and the complete opposite of this, Jacques feels the need to over compensate to make up for this. 

 

 

Thanks to confirm that the words of Einstein about infinity are définitively right. 

 

 

Off topic but talketive : still climate denialist ? 

[Brian]

Very much so. But can't stay and chitchat. Have to go put on a jersey....it's flipping freezing here today. Then off to go throw some darts at my Greta Thunberg dartboard.

 

[DoTanuki yokai]

John, why do you think this blade is better then chu saku ? 
Jacques told us his opinion and why he thinks so in some points.

Its a joy to look at and beautiful are not points to measure a blades quality in my opinion.
Also their are many flawless chu saku blades i think. 

I just want to get this back to an educational discussion.

 

 

[NewB]

Well, the hamon (which you can't see in those photos), the ji-nie, the 'oily' , blue steel. To me coarse appearing hada isn't necessarily a bad thing. I have numerous 12th century tachi and they all have similar areas where it looks like loose hada but it isn't and No, they aren't tired either (lucky me). I am sure a national treasure togishi knows a lot more than me about what issues such blade could present if a polish is needed and the criteria of labeling it chu Saku comprises of many more angles than mine but - it was only an opinion on my part also. 

I have always welcomed everyone's comments but never personal insults especially when my message clearly states that I am not looking to critique, argue or denounce someone that had all the knowledge to be a National treasure. Plus the argument went waaaay too far outside the topic and general forumite ethics. 

 

John