Bakumatsu(?) Sword evaluation

[GSXRman]

Good day all,

 

This is the sword I purchased while retuning from Japan.  It is unsigned, but it has Tokugawa koshirae that I find very interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tsuba weighs 154 grams.  The blade thickness at the habaki is 5.96mm and 3.69mm at the yokote. The mekugi hole appears to be repaired.

 

Any opinions on the quality and provenance (possible school and/or age) of the blade and mountings would be greatly appreciated.

 

Best Regards

 

Sean S

[DTM72]

Other more educated guys will be along to help with pinpointing the possible school. What I can tell you is due to the light color of the nakago (tang) and the clarity of the yasurime (file marks on the nakago) the blade probably dates to the shin-shinto era. (1780's-1860's) One area of concern that I have is the diagonal grayish line near the hamachi, running towards the munemachi. (notches where the habaki stops) Please provide some good pictures of this area, on both sides. Since this line appears on both sides, in a similar manner, I suspect sai-ba. Need better pics of this area to know for sure.

As to helping you with school, it would help to provide good pics of the boshi (tip) and the area I mentioned above, along with some detailed close-ups of the hamon. Beautiful koshirae, but I'm a sucker for tachi mounts.

[GSXRman]

52 minutes ago, DTM72 said:

Other more educated guys will be along to help with pinpointing the possible school. What I can tell you is due to the light color of the nakago (tang) and the clarity of the yasurime (file marks on the nakago) the blade probably dates to the shin-shinto era. (1780's-1860's) One area of concern that I have is the diagonal grayish line near the hamachi, running towards the munemachi. (notches where the habaki stops) Please provide some good pictures of this area, on both sides. Since this line appears on both sides, in a similar manner, I suspect sai-ba. Need better pics of this area to know for sure.

As to helping you with school, it would help to provide good pics of the boshi (tip) and the area I mentioned above, along with some detailed close-ups of the hamon. Beautiful koshirae, but I'm a sucker for tachi mounts.

 

Dan

 

Thank you for your reply.  Below are some closer pix of the areas you asked about.

 

Ha-Machi area:  I think it is corrosion or imbedded contaminates and lines up very neatly with the profile of the habaki on both sides.

 

 

Closer shots of the nekago:

 

 

Boshi and Hamon to follow

 

Kindest Regards

 

Sean S

 

[DTM72]

6 minutes ago, GSXRman said:

Ha-Machi area:  I think it is corrosion or imbedded contaminates and lines up very neatly with the profile of the habaki on both sides.

 

 

 

Now that you show the habaki, that 100% clears up my thoughts on sai-bo. It is just staining following the contours of the habaki profile.

[GSXRman]

The boshi for this katana.

 

 

 

[GSXRman]

Different views of the hamon

 

[GSXRman]

Digital microscope pictures of the hamon

 

 

 

 

 

These were taken with a Dino-Lite Premier which magnifies up to 230x.  The only thing i don't like is that I cannot change the brightness of the LEDs.

 

Regards

 

Sean S.

 

 

 

[DTM72]

I still cannot help you on something such as what school or Smith would have made this. I still believe it is late Shinto or early Shinshinto.

[Toryu2020]

Kesho-yasuri means it is definitely Shinshinto...

 

-t