Yasuhiro?

[SwordGuyJoe]

Can someone take a look at these pics? I am looking to buy a Yasukuni blade and I love the "naganata style" (forgive me, I do not have my book) blade, but I have questions and maybe you guys could help. Does this look gimei? On a site I found, it shows a gimei Yasuhiro and it is DAMN close to looking right. I don't want to drop a few grand without knowing for sure - or as close to it as possible. Secondly, do you know of any Yasu's that forged this style while at Yasukuni? This would be the first I found.

 

Thanks.

 

Mei:

Full Blade:

[huntershooter]

Being one of the two founding instructors and producing only 500 blades +- would make a YasuHiro a desireable blade (if you get my drift). The mei, it's location on nakago and Yasuri mei look OK in your photos. You don't provide key information like nagasa, sori, hada. Yasukuni-to usually followed a "blueprint" re this, unless blade was a special order. I don't have books with me so can't comment on hamon on this blade.

As has been said before, I would want to be able to trust the seller-with assurance blade could be returned if proven gimei.

I would not hazard a guess from photos and info provided.

Good luck.

[SwordGuyJoe]

Nagasa: 63.4 cm

Sori: 1.5 cm

Moto-haba: 31 mm

Saki-haba: 22 mm

Moto-gasane: 7.5 mm

Saki gasane: 5.5 mm

Nagako: 19.3 cm

Weight 709 g

 

Does this fit?

[Stephen]

really cant see from your pix, heres a scan out of the book

[huntershooter]

Those diminsions are in the ball park Joe.

Do you know the seller, has he/she references?

[James]

I don't want to drop a few grand without knowing for sure

 

This statement concerns me a bit as I believe Yasuhiro's go for much much more than a few grand...

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

Showato are far to be my taste and i know few about them but, i notice a lack of confidence in the way of engraving the mei and a difference of nakago jiri (which should be kuri-jiri).

[Bugyotsuji]

A few grand what?

[Grey Doffin]

Grand is US English for thousand: a few thousand dollars.

Grey

[Bugyotsuji]

Grand is US English for thousand: a few thousand dollars.

Grey

 

Thanks, Grey. I couldn't see where Joe was from and figured it could be either a few thousand $A or $US or GBP or Canadian dollars, which would change the sums a little. Granted it doesn't change the meaning much as either way not a lot.

[Brian]

I'm with Jacques in that although I haven't yet compared it with a shoshin mei, it seems to me to lack confidence and fluidity. Anyone else think it looks hesitant?

Yasurime appear to maybe be newer too..as though someone went over the whole nakago before adding the mei.

Dunno...not saying it is gimei at all..just that I would check it carefully.

 

Brian

[Lee Bray]

Perhaps the hesitancy comes from it being his first year at the shrine's forge.

 

Difficult to say for sure. Looks shoshin when compared to the book but something looks amiss.

 

This is a current auction; should it be in this forum?

[mdiddy]

How about yakidashi and width of the nioi guchi. Zooming in on the 1st photo reveal both. Do they match with a shoshin example?

[SwordGuyJoe]

Also is this Kaku-mune? Is that something atypical as well? Tough to tell from the photos. I have some questions in to the seller, I'll add that to the list. Did any Yasukuni forge Kaku-mune?

[Kapin]

Hi all

 

I was hoping for a little bit more in the way of discussion on this topic before I made comment myself but here goes!!

Apart from the glaring differences in Yasuhiro's style whilst at Yasukuni, let's look at the signature.

 

For those who are interested, below is a link to the sword recently sold on eBay and a link to a page showing my own Yasahiro, which includes additional links to various references for Yasuhiro for comparison. Please compare the signatures and feel free to comment.

 

My own opinion is that this sword is more than likely not by Yasuhiro and this has been reflected in the price achieved. However, I've only ever physically studied two swords by Yasuhiro so it's possible I could be wrong. However, I would like to draw everybody attention to the area just above the Yasuri-me and just below the Mune-machi. The nakago-jiri in my experience is completely out of character too.

 

http://www.kapin.com/yhirooshigata.htm

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0345211259

 

Feel free to shoot me down if you like; I've posted this in the attempt to prompt further discussion.

 

Kapin

[SwordGuyJoe]

It sure wasn't me that took the leap, but the reason being is that I am not seeing the difference in the mei. That let's me know that I am not ready to buy this sword. Thanks for the help everyone.