katana Sō Tsutomu

[YOSE]

I have been lurking in this forum for some time, but rarely post anything. I apologize for that.

Please also move this thread to the appropriate sub-forum, should it not be.

 

 

I have been trying to "authentify" a gendaitō/shinsakutō that is supposed to be made by the honorable swordsmith Sō Tsutomu (宗勉), who unfortunately passed away in 2015.

It seems that he specialized in replicating Kiyomaro clan's style, but this blade does not seem to match this description. It appears to be rather a wise and disciplined suguha and a rather short blade length, among others.

I had the unfounded impression that NMB is rather old blade-orientated (?), therefore hesitated to ask here. The sword is no longer in Japan and is not in my possession. It is not for commercial gain nor for item sales as it already has been sold.

 

I am rather new to nihontō and still need guidance from experienced people. May I ask the collective wisdom here for some expertise on that particular blade?

Sincere thanks in advance.

 

Yoshi

Edited August 12, 2023 by YOSE

[YOSE]

NOTE: I have also attempted to compare the mei with what is available on the internet, but could not determine if resemblance is close enough. As it is a collaboration masterpiece, it confuses me even more.

Thank you.

[SteveM]

I'm not familiar with this smith, but the post on Token World indicates he was proficient in a number of styles (Sōshū, Bizen, Yamashiro), so I wouldn't judge the sword attribution based on one particular style. Given that its a gendai-tō gassaku, and that the other smith (Sō Hikaru) is still alive, I think the chances of this being gimei are almost zero. Also, since it was a custom-made blade (the mei has the name of the person who ordered it), perhaps the customer specified that particular style and length. Here's another gassaku by these same two smiths. Totally different style. 

https://www.kusanagi...ya.com/SHOP/218.html

 

In any event, I think its fine.

 

[YOSE]

You might indeed be right, and I well too skeptical.

 

Thank you for sharing your expert opinion. Greatly appreciated.