Help with identifying this sword

[JoshB]

Hello All,

 

I really appreciated any help you can provide to understand what this sword is.  My intent is to sell it.  My Grandparents bought it either at an estate sale or on a trip to Japan (not sure which).  There was paper work included that says they used 8 karat gold plating.  

 

Thank you,

 

Josh B

[SteveM]

The paper is a certificate of authentication by Inami Hakusui, who was the owner of a sword shop in Tokyo, and (as the paper indicates) chairman of the "Hakusui Sword Research Society of Japan". His grandson still operates the shop. Inami Hakusui's papers are well known, as he produced a lot of papers for GIs and other people visiting Japan after the war. Consider it a nice souvenir. 

 

The paper indicates the sword was made by the swordsmith "Kanezane", sometime in the late 1400s. It doesn't mention anything about gold-plating, and I don't think 8k gold-plating would add any value to any of the fittings. Most of the value will be in the sword, and its hard to say what the value of yours would be. 

[Rivkin]

That is a rare certificate from an early year! Unfortunately, its appraisal is not too trusted nowadays, however it does not come out as crazy. It is a Muromachi tanto; being mumei it can different attributions. I don't think Kanezane is a common attribution today - assuming it does have Yamato traits, maybe it will be attributed to Tegai Kane... (i.e. Kaneyoshi), with a thick kasane and sugata like this Tosa Yoshimitsu is a possibility.

Unfortunately, the polish state is not great so its all guesses.

Nevertheless out of polish, Muromachi Yamato or related ubu blade is a strong possibility.

I can't see how large are condition issues re mounts, but definitely it is the mounts that will impact the valuation considerably. Its an honest late work. 

[lonely panet]

looks likes junk to me,  rust is off putting.  shape of nakago is off,  mekugi's look off and the habaki fit looks crudly fitted. if this was on ebay no one would evan look twice. .

 

 

[SteveM]

17 hours ago, Rivkin said:

maybe it will be attributed to Tegai Kane...

 

That was Inami Hakusui's attribution: Tegai Kanezane （包真）.

But yes, as you mentioned, sometimes the attributions were very generous. 

 

[Rivkin]

6 hours ago, SteveM said:

 

That was Inami Hakusui's attribution: Tegai Kanezane （包真）.

But yes, as you mentioned, sometimes the attributions were very generous. 

 

Thank you very much! I don't think I see modern NBTHK papers being generous with the name Kanezane assigned to mumei swords. 

I found online a few NTHK examples, but otherwise it feels like Kaneyoshi, Kanekiyo, even Kanetoshi are the names of choice.