Tanto, 14th century

[MrTT]

Hello Guys

 

Can i have your opinions on this Tanto.

Blade is 30 cm, from 14th century.

 

Thank you

 

 

[Ray Singer]

It would be helpful to see the nakago. How was it verified as being from the 1300s and does the sword have a kanteisho? 

 

Best regards, 

Ray 

[Okan]

It's a sunnobi tanto(ko-wakizashi)..Looks Bizen-ish..Is it signed? Papered? 

 

[MrTT]

3 hours ago, Okan said:

It's a sunnobi tanto(ko-wakizashi)..Looks Bizen-ish..Is it signed? Papered? 

 

Signed : Bizen Kuni Ju Unjū

 

[Okan]

I might be wrong but this looks gimei to me. If you have the sword in hand please compare these two signatures. A bit hard for me to see from the picture.

 

@Ray Singer would know better.

 

[MrTT]

1 hour ago, Okan said:

I might be wrong but this looks gimei to me. If you have the sword in hand please compare these two signatures. A bit hard for me to see from the picture.

 

@Ray Singer would know better.

 

Another picture.

I was thinking of buying it.

Hmm 🤔

If gimei, not good.

[John C]

Dave:

Depending on what the blade costs, I would not immediately discount it because it is gimei. Gimei blades are very common, and as I am sure you have read on various threads, assume ALL blades without origami are gimei until proven otherwise. That said, I would be more concerned by the hamachi/mune-machi line. It does not appear to line up in the pictures, which can be a common sign of Chinese manufacture.

Just my humble 2 cents.

John C. 

[ROKUJURO]

Dave,

buy the blade, not the signature!

[MrTT]

28 minutes ago, John C said:

Dave:

Depending on what the blade costs, I would not immediately discount it because it is gimei. Gimei blades are very common, and as I am sure you have read on various threads, assume ALL blades without origami are gimei until proven otherwise. That said, I would be more concerned by the hamachi/mune-machi line. It does not appear to line up in the pictures, which can be a common sign of Chinese manufacture.

Just my humble 2 cents.

John C. 

Some more pictures.

 

[Okan]

35 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

Dave,

buy the blade, not the signature!

 

Agreed, but there would be roughly 3k euros difference between gimei and real Unjū  

[Ray Singer]

It is helpful to see the entire sugata, rather than in small sections. As an example, this is a Nanbokucho hirazukuri tanto I just sent out for shinsa (which has already been evaluated by Tanobe-sensei). 

 

[Ray Singer]

And a tokubetsu Hozon Unju I own. 

 

[MrTT]

41 minutes ago, Ray Singer said:

It is helpful to see the entire sugata, rather than in small sections. As an example, this is a Nanbokucho hirazukuri wakizashi I just sent out for shinsa (which has already been evaluated by Tanobe-sensei). 

Some more pictures 🙂

[Jussi Ekholm]

Here are 4 legitimate Unjū signatures on tanto & short wakizashi I have found so far. You can see some variation in the 4 reference signatures but I would be quite skeptical of the signature of the blade posted in OP.

 

 

[MrTT]

Ok, then we know its mumei.

 

Thank you