Kamakura Period Kodachi with Sayagaki by Hon'ami Nishu

[Gakusee]

3 minutes ago, Zoglet said:

 

The file on the Nihontoclub website features a Norimune during the Bunmei period with both an Osafune signature and a nijimei signature which was recorded on page 753 of the Nihonto Meikan.

 

Well, please compare those mei and let us know what you think. That is part of the learning curve and pleasure of investigation and improving one’s knowledge. 
Bear in mind that in the period you reference, the hamon looked different, wakizashi were already in place and signatures on short swords were on the other side, general geometry had shifted/changed from the kodachi (Kamakura) times etc 

[Zoglet]

4 minutes ago, Gakusee said:

 

Well, please compare those mei and let us know what you think. That is part of the learning curve and pleasure of investigation and improving one’s knowledge. 
Bear in mind that in the period you reference, the hamon looked different, wakizashi were already in place and signatures on short swords were on the other side, general geometry had shifted/changed from the kodachi (Kamakura) times etc 

 

I'll give it a look. I'm at this point shared in the major belief that it is a gimei kodachi from Bizen, but it's still good in my opinion to cross-reference whatever possible (not just trying to grasp at straws). The blade is beautiful still, and I'm almost 100% sure my father chose it for the blade, and not the mei.

(Edit: checked the signatures: He signed wakizashi signature, not kodachi)
 

[Gakusee]

54 minutes ago, Zoglet said:

 

(Edit: checked the signatures: He signed wakizashi signature, not kodachi)
 

We are getting somewhere …. You are learning…. That is the whole point of this exercise 

[Zoglet]

10 minutes ago, Gakusee said:

We are getting somewhere …. You are learning…. That is the whole point of this exercise 

 

Thank you, Michael. Will continue to do said research, and continue to read the books on nihonto I got my hands on, alongside Markusz Sesko's blog. The sword is still a beautiful Bizen kodachi and an excellent graduation gift (and still old, could have done much worse) to start a serious collection of nihonto. Thanks for teaching me new knowledge and encouraging me to continue my own research.

Best regards,
Zoglet

[Jacques]

4 hours ago, Zoglet said:

The file on the Nihontoclub website features a Norimune during the Bunmei period with both an Osafune signature and a nijimei signature which was recorded on page 753 of the Nihonto Meikan.

 

[Zoglet]

Hello everyone, I am so sorry to get back to this so late. I was finally able to take better photographs of the blade and study a bit more about the Ichimonji school. I now lack the belief that the blade is Ichimonji, however, I am still a bit questioning on what exactly this blade is. I was able to take better photographs of the utsuri, hamon, and jihada. Thanks to anyone still willing to hear me out here. Forgive the imperfections in the photos, as my camera is not great, and the clutter. I keep my nihonto in a better environment, but that room is the only one with an incandescent lamp.

[Zoglet]

More Photos:

 

[Zoglet]

More Photos:

 

[Zoglet]

[Zoglet]

[Rivkin]

That's actually looks like a nice blade which I would prefer to look in hand and see what's there. Might have a potential, though the signature is still... ambitious.

[Zoglet]

14 minutes ago, Rivkin said:

That's actually looks like a nice blade which I would prefer to look in hand and see what's there. Might have a potential, though the signature is still... ambitious.

Thanks for the quick evaluation. I'm trying as best I can to send quality pictures.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Utsuri and Inazuma visible, clearly a sword worth further appraisal. 

[Zoglet]

3 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

Utsuri and Inazuma visible, clearly a sword worth further appraisal. 

The traces of inazuma caught my eye too, and the utsuri has this bright, midare-style pattern. Interested to learn more.

[Zoglet]

John, those are typical early Bizen traits, no?

[Jacques]

Kissaki seems reshaped

[Lewis B]

4 minutes ago, Jacques said:

Kissaki seems reshaped

That was my thought too looking at the hamon and the angle it approaches the yokote. 

 

Can we get some clearer images of the kissaki and boshi? 

[Zoglet]

Photos of the kissaki and boshi.

[ROKUJURO]

In my opinion, these really bad photos do not allow a precise KANTEI. What I think I can see is that the blade is quite tired.

Nicholas, blurry or foggy images do not help. You need a dark, non-reflecting background, nicely focused photos made directly from above if possible. Play with the lighting and cut the photos out so very little background is seen.

[Jacques]

Kissaki is reshaped

[Zoglet]

34 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

In my opinion, these really bad photos do not allow a precise KANTEI. What I think I can see is that the blade is quite tired.

Nicholas, blurry or foggy images do not help. You need a dark, non-reflecting background, nicely focused photos made directly from above if possible. Play with the lighting and cut the photos out so very little background is seen.

I'm sorry, Jean. I'm trying as best I can.

[Zoglet]

[Zoglet]

[Rivkin]

This is a complex blade and getting better images might realistically not happen. There is little seen. It needs to be handled in hands.

But to give it some prospective:

[1] strong multi-layered midare utsuri which reaches high towards shinogi.

[2] More or less periodic choji with not much height or width variation in nioi/ko nie

[3] The choji is composed from layers of ko nie as if drawn by pencil - very well formed, accented, separate and distinct with inazuma/kinsuji in ko nie.

 

[1] and [2] are very good. This is ko ichimonji style.

It really looks like Sadazane where you see kinsuji/inazuma in ko nie. In oshigata this blade would be ko Ichimonji.

But...

[3] is how first tier imitators of ko Ichimonji worked, for example, in shinshinto. Kiyomaro, Kajihei. The blades they made have much sharper and well outlined hamon structure, compared to more natural, soft and flowing ko-Ichimonji work. Also their utsuri why reaching out to jifu utsuri and reaching to shinogi has very uniform, strong tint, compared to richer appearance of the original.

 

How much money you are in it?

Generally I would send this blade to NBTHK for papers. It will fail. Remove the signature. Resubmit. There is a chance you will get a good name.

[Zoglet]

18 minutes ago, Rivkin said:

This is a complex blade and getting better images might realistically not happen. There is little seen. It needs to be handled in hands.

But to give it some prospective:

[1] strong multi-layered midare utsuri which reaches high towards shinogi.

[2] More or less periodic choji with not much height or width variation in nioi/ko nie

[3] The choji is composed from layers of ko nie as if drawn by pencil - very well formed, accented, separate and distinct with inazuma/kinsuji in ko nie.

 

[1] and [2] are very good. This is ko ichimonji style.

It really looks like Sadazane where you see kinsuji/inazuma in ko nie. In oshigata this blade would be ko Ichimonji.

But...

[3] is how first tier imitators of ko Ichimonji worked, for example, in shinshinto. Kiyomaro, Kajihei. The blades they made have much sharper and well outlined hamon structure, compared to more natural, soft and flowing ko-Ichimonji work. Also their utsuri why reaching out to jifu utsuri and reaching to shinogi has very uniform, strong tint, compared to richer appearance of the original.

 

How much money you are in it?

Generally I would send this blade to NBTHK for papers. It will fail. Remove the signature. Resubmit. There is a chance you will get a good name.

I'm down $1100 on the blade. Going to send better photos now if I can.

 

[Zoglet]

[Zoglet]

[Zoglet]

[Rivkin]

At 1100 you should be good, at least I would buy it if you are selling. It looks like an interesting blade and in 1970s it was simply judged optimistically. There is something weird going on with kissaki, as if it was shortened and there is a question what's happened with hamon there.

[Zoglet]