Research before buying

[Jussi Ekholm]

Well I just saw an item today that I've seen recently pop up for sale. Well as I do browse online sales every week that is not too weird. However I do not necessarily mean to put this dealer at bad light here as it happens quite often but I am just listing this as an example of what is quite common by dealers.

 

Here is a signed Mino Senjuin sword that went for 200k yen at Yahoo JP in January

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/r1078348459

 

Here is the same sword offered by a dealer (that I personally consider geared towards western market) with koshirae added on for 1M yen.

https://www.samuraimuseum.jp/shop/product/antique-Japanese-sword-katana-signed-by-mino-senjuin-nbthk-hozon-certificate/?currency=JPY

 

Adding koshirae to make a "package" that would be more desirable is not a rare thing. However like always I would advice people approach things with research first. There are even Jūyō swords that have had multiple koshirae over somewhat recent (20 years) history. Unfortunately many Japanese dealers delete the pages after an item is sold, so at this moment I cannot link a Jūyō item that has had koshirae addon with working links now.

 

I know that many collectors seek "the package" as in sword with koshirae that belongs to it. Just posting this that people would be aware that koshirae can often be refitted.

[Rivkin]

Saya, sageo and ito appear to be modern, fuchi-kashira, same and tsuba are old, menuki uncertain but I suspect modern.

 

 

[DoTanuki yokai]

They show clearly that the Koshirae was not made for the sword.  
 

[Guest Simon R]

I suppose he needed the extra ¥800,000 to pay for the koshirae, bless him.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Sure looks like Mukansa level work....

[Matsunoki]

If you enlarge the tsuka you can clearly see where a previous mekugi ana has been “plugged” immediately adjacent to the new one. Nothing particularly new in that though…..been done in Japan for centuries as koshirae were adapted and “borrowed”.

[Baba Yaga]

What's common is most probable, or is it profitable. 

[DTM72]

11 hours ago, SRDRowson said:

I suppose he needed the extra ¥800,000 to pay for the koshirae, bless him.

That is a very common thing to say here in the southern USA. "Bless your heart" can mean exactly what it says...in a nice way. OR, it can be a polite way of saying you are an asshole, or that you are a complete idiot. <-- All in how it is said.

[Guest Simon R]

7 hours ago, DTM72 said:

That is a very common thing to say here in the southern USA. "Bless your heart" can mean exactly what it says...in a nice way. OR, it can be a polite way of saying you are an asshole, or that you are a complete idiot. <-- All in how it is said.

Exactly the same in the UK.

I'm sure you can guess the way I was saying it in my head!

[Bugyotsuji]

Or to be even more sarco, "Bless his little cotton socks."

[Jussi Ekholm]

I might be pain in the ass for dealers as I wont buy anything, just search the items :D On a more serious note I have great respect for western dealers that will be featured in below linked items. I met Giuseppe briefly at SAE, he does have top notch items. I have purchased the best item I own from John and he too has amazing items. And Fred has a great reputation and knowledge with special items. Likewise Ginza Choshuya & Iida Koendo are amazing dealers and they were very welcoming on my unexpected visits. There is nothing fundamentally wrong in making a package in my opinion. While I personally would focus in a sword in shirasaya, or if I want koshirae it would be extremely plain one. There is still wow factor with very nice sword combined with very nice koshirae.

 

I dug up some interesting ones to here.

 

A quite nice tanto by Kanemitsu was sold by Iida

https://web.archive.org/web/20111009065513/http:/www.iidakoendo.com:80/info/item/a206.htm

Then it very recently came up with very nice koshirae at Ginza Choshuya

https://ginza.choshuya.co.jp/sale/gj/r5/002/02_kanemitsu.htm

 

Iida had Aoe from Jūyō 29 with koshirae

https://web.archive.org/web/20160401180609/http://iidakoendo.com/3281/

Later when it appeared at Aoi Art the koshirae was gone (unfortunately I cant access the page anymore)

https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mumei-aoe29th-nbthk-juyo-paper/

 

Iida had signed tachi by Morihisa with Koshirae

https://web.archive.org/web/20170607200305/http:/iidakoendo.com:80/4632/

Then later date it was at Ginza Choshuya without a koshirae

https://ginza.choshuya.co.jp/sale/gj/30h/07/04.htm

 

Shōzando had mumei Iemori with tachi koshirae

https://web.archive.org/web/20150417030611/http:/www.shouzando.com/k-iemori150207.html

Chigai has the same item without koshirae

http://chigaitakanoha.com/touken/cat01_item091.html

 

Samurai Nippon had Shizu from Jūyō 51 in shirasaya (unfortunately I cant access the page anymore)

https://www.samurai-nippon.net/SHOP/V-1678.html

It came to Eirakudo recently with koshirae

https://eirakudo.shop/token/tachikatana/detail/806809

 

This Kokubunji Sukekuni Jūyō 61 was in Japan in shirasaya

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/p832546074

John had it as a nice package

https://nihonto.com.au/product/juyo-token-kokubunji-sukekuni-katana/

 

Shōbudō had Nagamori from Jūyō 59 in shirasaya

https://web.archive.org/web/20151124234919/http:/www.shoubudou.co.jp:80/nagamori100.html

Giuseppe had very good Higo koshirae for it

https://www.giuseppepiva.com/en/works/soden-bizen-katana

 

Taiseido had this mumei tachi attributed for Nobukuni in shirasaya

https://web.archive.org/web/20170211051415/http://taiseido.biz/cn11/cn22/pg561.html

When Fred had it listed it had quite nice tachi koshirae with it

https://web.archive.org/web/20210621101457/https://nihonto.com/tachi-by-genzaemon-no-jo-nobukuni-源左衛門尉信国-020518/

 

Eirakudo had Nariie from Jūyō 66 in shirasaya

https://eirakudo.shop/token/tachikatana/detail/776407

Samurai Museum now has it with koshirae

https://www.samuraimuseum.jp/shop/product/antique-Japanese-sword-katana-attributed-to-osafune-nariie-nbthk-juyo-token-certificate/

 

And this is an interesting mumei Enju wakizashi

First time I saw it at Seiyudo in shirasaya

https://web.archive.org/web/20090419155827/http:/seiyudo.com:80/WA-08123.htm

Then it popped at Aoi in koshirae

https://www.aoijapan.net/wakizashi-mumei-unsignedenju-school-discounted/

Then Shōzando had it in koshirae

https://web.archive.org/web/20150426222248/http:/www.shouzando.com/w-enju01.html

And when it was at Chigai it has been polished and is in shirasaya

http://chigaitakanoha.com/touken/cat02_item073.html

 

All this really means nothing just some fun stuff look at and nice items to view. I just personally love tracking down items, I think it is among the things I most enjoy in this sword hobby. There are some items that seem to switch hands quite often and some that never will...