mukansa smith sword

[Yves]

A question: is it always worth to buy an older (30+ years) sword of a mukansa rated smith versus a new made sword? 

[Ray Singer]

A special-ordered sword from a mukansa will always cost more than an example by the same smith on the second-hand market. However not all mukansa are equal in terms of price, and some command substantially more than others.

[Shugyosha]

Hi Yves, sorry if I’m stating the obvious but it’s better to buy a sword by a Mukansa level smith after they were awarded that rank. Their pre-Mukansa swords may be just as good but not carry the same cachet. 
 

You may want to clarify what you’re thinking to get some better answers- maybe give smith names? 

[Yves]

1 hour ago, Shugyosha said:

Hi Yves, sorry if I’m stating the obvious but it’s better to buy a sword buy a sword by a Mukansa level smith after they were awarded that rank. Their pre-Mukansa swords may be just as good but not carry the same cachet. 
 

You may want to clarify what you’re thinking to get some better answers- maybe give smith names? 

So Tsutomu of Fukuoka pref. Sword made in 1993

[AlexiG]

Hi Yves,

 

I may be stating the obvious, but So Tsutomu passed in 2015 so commissioning new sword from him would be a bit tricky. If you like the blade, go for it. Should be able to get Hozon papers (if it does not already have them, like the one currently listed on AoiArt).

 

I also feel that commissioning new swords keeps the art alive. If we collectively ONLY bought old swords, which are much cheaper on average, the current smiths will go broke, and the art will be lost. This is a recurring worry, if one reads the interviews in "Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths From 1868 to the Present". Wish I had the $$$ to commission from Hokke Saburo Nobufusa.

 

Alexi

[Yves]

12 hours ago, AlexiG said:

Hi Yves,

 

I may be stating the obvious, but So Tsutomu passed in 2015 so commissioning new sword from him would be a bit tricky. If you like the blade, go for it. Should be able to get Hozon papers (if it does not already have them, like the one currently listed on AoiArt).

 

I also feel that commissioning new swords keeps the art alive. If we collectively ONLY bought old swords, which are much cheaper on average, the current smiths will go broke, and the art will be lost. This is a recurring worry, if one reads the interviews in "Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths From 1868 to the Present". Wish I had the $$$ to commission from Hokke Saburo Nobufusa.

 

Alexi

My primary concern is a good sword that from time to time I can use in iai. The sword has no hi so is quite heavy. It also makes me wonder why older swords would be much cheaper, but I get the point on keeping the art alive. 

[Mark S.]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:18 AM, Shugyosha said:

…it’s better to buy a sword by a Mukansa level smith after they were awarded that rank. Their pre-Mukansa swords may be just as good but not carry the same cachet. 
 

Not to disagree or be disagreeable… just for discussion.  Wouldn’t earlier (pre-title) blades by a Mukansa level smith be at a level that ‘proved’ they were worthy of their title?  I know it is splitting hairs, and it is something collector’s love to do , but wouldn’t the blade be Mukansa level before the smith is?

[Ray Singer]

By that logic and just for discussion sake, I would think the answer is some yes and some no. There would be a progression in skill leading up to the point where he was designated and some of those pre-title swords maybe at the early stages of that progression.

[Ray Singer]

I think it's also worth considering that some of the late examples from a swordsmith career may be lacking in power and quality compared with earlier works. Achieving mukansa is not end all be all plateau as far as quality, and I can think of one mukansa smith who received the designation late in life, and where some of his earlier pre-title swords are what I would consider his best work ( or at least where my personal favorites from the examples that I studied).