match the blade to the period and school....

[stevel48]

If you're up for a little research and giving an opinion have at it.

 

Mei Is Nagahiro 2 character signature.

Suriage blade and the original nagasa was appx 28.5 inches and is now 25 inches.

Slightly more koshi sori than torii.

Boshi-midare kome

Mune-Iori

hada--not in great polish so hard to tell...nie and nioi arent photographing well.

Hamon looks to be midare gunome

 

 

 

To me it looks like middle to late muromachi which would fit with a Bizen Kozori Nagahiro smith.

http://wiki.samurai-archives.com/images ... story2.gif

 

The Mei and Info found here http://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths?page=109

 

I matched up my blade in the image below with blade shapes throughout time. Does shape always dictate period or are there exceptions to the rule?

 

 

 

 

 

[stevel48]

 

 

 

[Bazza]

How about a closeup of your Nagahiro tang and a closer-closerup image of the Nagahiro mei, please??? At first blush I have to say that the photo of your kissaki is very reminiscent of a gendaito...

 

Regards,

Barry Thomas.

[David Flynn]

There are always exception to the rules. However I agree with Barry, better/mor pics. required.

 

David

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello, I would have to guess that you have a Shinto sword there based on what I'm seeing so far in these images.

[stevel48]

Here is the mei on an old nakago. The Mei matches older smiths signatues.

 

 

 

[John A Stuart]

When you posted this sword in November you thought it might be a Bizen sword, sue-Bizen you said. I agree that that is a good attribution. Muromachi era. 永弘 limits the choices. Kozorimono seems likely, mainly because of the use of 弘 appears throughout the school. i guess you could call this waki-Bizen. John

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Maybe i'm wrong but that blade seems having a high shinogi, if it turns to be correct it doesn't lead to Bizen mono.

[nagamaki - Franco]

The Mei matches older smiths signatues.

 

Is that smiths and signatures with an 's', hmm, it sounds to me like you've convinced yourself of what this sword is and isn't already, so, why bother asking. I will be the first to agree that participating in these online picture kantei is somewhat foolish and probably doubly so when the owner of the blade in question is working backwards by attempting to match the sword to the mei. In kantei the sword confirms the mei and not the other way around!!!! If you learn nothing else about kantei, at least try to remember that if you get the first step wrong, time period, you will become completely lost in trying to solve the puzzle. The best thing you could do at this point is to forget that it has a mei and start over.

[stevel48]

When you posted this sword in November you thought it might be a Bizen sword, sue-Bizen you said. I agree that that is a good attribution. Muromachi era. 永弘 limits the choices. Kozorimono seems likely, mainly because of the use of 弘 appears throughout the school. i guess you could call this waki-Bizen. John

 

 

I did but i would wager that im wrong since i'm so new to nihonto. It was my best guess but there are many more people here that know much more than I do.

Hi,

 

The Mei matches older smiths signatues.

 

it sounds to me like you've convinced yourself of what this sword is and isn't already, so, why bother asking. I will be the first to agree that participating in these online picture kantei is somewhat foolish and probably doubly so when the owner of the blade in question is working backwards by attempting to match the sword to the mei. In kantei the sword confirms the mei and not the other way around!!!! If you learn nothing else about kantei, at least try to remember that if you get the first step wrong, time period, you will become completely lost in trying to solve the puzzle. The best thing you could do at this point is to forget that it has a mei and start over.

 

 

Comments like that kind of discourage me from posting here. I'm posting here to start over, learn and see if members can try and help me work this out and get it right. Advice and help is what i'm looking for. How else can i learn? We have a shape, a name, and some blade charachteristics to go on.

 

my thought process:

 

I have a suriage blade...so i ask myself why would it be that way?...what period in Japanese hoistory did blades shorten? The nakago looks pretty black, pitted and old. Would a sword from the 17-1800's look like that... maybe. yes. But why would a sword from that period be shortened? So is it older?...how do the smiths with that name sign their mei...a handful..some in the 1300's...some into the 15,1600s. So where does the shape of the blade fit...? What school does a gunome midare hamom with tight grain? Is it in fact gunome midare..

 

Well let me ask the guys on the boards becasue they;re the esperts.

[John A Stuart]

That is why I think you're on the right track. By the features you describe in your preamble. A nice mokume jihada? John

[David Flynn]

Steve148, do you have the Coniosseur's Guide to Japanese swords? If you do, it will help you match all the attributes.

 

David

[John A Stuart]

Which is always a good start, but, other than having Bizen traits will not help you distinguish Kozorimono which is why, in this case, investigating the mei could be definitive. After assessing the blade itself. John

[David Flynn]

Considering the Boshi to the Hamon would help define whether Bizen or Waki. Add the shape and jihada would certainly help narrow it down.

 

David

[stevel48]

Steve148, do you have the Coniosseur's Guide to Japanese swords? If you do, it will help you match all the attributes.

 

David

 

I should on Dec 25th. It was on my xmas list. I'm on a 20 month waiting list for polish as well.

[Stephen]

I'm on a 20 month waiting list for polish as well.

 

Uh? what are we missing in the pix that needs a polish? just wondering.

[stevel48]

I'm on a 20 month waiting list for polish as well.

 

Uh? what are we missing in the pix that needs a polish? just wondering.

 

Clearing up the details in the hamon and hada ----nie and nioi.

[pcfarrar]

20 months waiting list seems a bit excessive are you using a mukansa or something?

[stevel48]

20 months waiting list seems a bit excessive are you using a mukansa or something?

 

No, just a good polisher with a long list of customers in line. I spoke to a few well known reputable polishers and felt comfortable withe the one I chose.

[Stephen]

just to clear my head, its often foggy, your wanting a finish polish to bring out the nei hamon ect. Not a full polish is that correct?

[stevel48]

just to clear my head, its often foggy, your wanting a finish polish to bring out the nei hamon ect. Not a full polish is that correct?

 

 

I contacted the poloshers with an open mind and willing to follow their advice. The 4 polishers I spoke to gave me the option of a full polish to remove some of the deeper scratches ( I sent them all photos of the blade) but if i just wanted to bring out the details in the hamon and hada that a finish polish would suffice. So I chose to keep the remaining metal on the sword and just do a finish polish. I'm not sure the sword is worth investing the $ in a full polish just yet.

[stevel48]

well its off to Bob Benson for an evaluation and attribution.

[b.hennick]

I waited 9 years to get to the top of a polisher's list. He has had my sword for over 4 years. I know that he does excellent work and so the wait, but sometimes things get to be ridiculous. I will keep his name private...

[Jean]

Barry,

 

The only question : did the polish meet your expectation and was worth the wait?

 

I have no doubt that this sword deserved it ...

[b.hennick]

He still has the sword . The blade is a tachi by Shodai Hizen Masahiro with a dragon horimono by Yoshinaga. The tachi koshirae is covered in Nabeshima mons. I am having a tsunagi made for the koshirae using the original habaki and the new habaki will be the same design as the original. Patience ... patience ... good thing I am a teacher (We have to have a lot of patience.).

[drbvac]

I am sure it will be worth the wait, and when they are away like that you almost forget about it till reminded by posts like this

[stevel48]

here is the note from Bob.

 

Yes, the blade is signed Nagahiro. The temper looks like many Mino and has a feel of Yamato so I would think it is late Senjuin sword. It is from the Murormachi era and probably from the Kakichi period 1440. The hamon is a gunome with a little midare. The boshi is not jizo.

[stevel48]

so all this matches with a nagahiro with the same kanji from yamato 1440ish as well as a yamato senjuin 1330