ebay sword, placing of hi

[Tokaido]

Hello,

if anyone can endure looking at this sword: ebay item 220533735635

and please commend on

- placing of the horimono (ending of the hi = very uncommon?)

- hamon (as far as visible in the pics)

 

Greetings

Andreas

 

in case you cant get access by searching the items number, search

Seller: vonderzung

items listing as: Japanese Sword Shinto-KATANA in Mountings in new polish

 

Maybe access is limited because the seller states:

Shipping to: Worldwide

Excludes: United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom

[Jean]

Blocked by e-bay policy

[Grey Doffin]

Andreas,

Looks fishy to me; that isn't how hi are supposed to end. Terrible polish also. Wonder what the nakago looks like. Not sure this is real Nihonto.

Grey

[uwe]

Andreas,

...............this reminds me of some European blades, there the hi (Hohlkehle, "blood groove") is placed similar.

Uwe

[outlier48]

Andreas - I don't have anywhere near the experience or expetise as Grey and the others but my first impression was that the hi looked "wrong". The shape at the end near the habaki seems asymetrical to my untrained eye. Maybe it's just the way the sword was photographed. Also, it looked like this sword needs to be polished. Just my observations/thoughts.

 

Charlie Brashear

[Grey Doffin]

Also, I have seen Chinese made Japanese swords (fakes) on ebay with similar early ending hi.

Grey

[Mark Green]

I'm pretty sure this is the real thing. The Bo-hi may have been a later addition.

Price seems a bit high, for a cut down with no papers?

Mark G

[Brian]

Yeah..I also think it is real, with an added hi sometime in its life..and a Western "polish" that does it no justice. Mishina school from the look of a possible sudareba.

Price is pretty optimistic for eBay, but then I suppose sellers are free to ask what they want. If it will sell...that is another matter entirely.

 

Brian

[watsonmil]

Dear Sir,

As a collector of Mishina school, ... it is possible but not enough detail to be sure. The boshi is to my eyes completely missing ( perhaps the result of a terrible polish on the kissaki. It is also possible the hamon runs straight off the kissaki which would mean it has been shortened from both ends. I have never seen such a horimono previously. It may well have been an alteration to hide a defect. It almost certainly not a Chinese fake. I have yet to see such a complicated hamon on a Chinese fake. One should never criticize another's prices. If one is not comfortable with the price, ... simply walk away. One man's treasure is another man's junk. Personally buying off Ebay should be a RED FLAG of what not to buy in this field. Honest items do show up, ... but rarely !

..... Ron Watson

[Tokaido]

Hi to all,

thank you for your comments. I was never in danger to buy this one, just curious.

So we probably see a shinto with an atobori bohi (carved by someone who did not

know how a propper bohi is to place and carve on a katana).

The polish on the kissaki is horrible, I do agree!

I have seen and handled some Mishina School blades, but none with this type of hamon, yet.

I have seen a photo by Fujishiro of a Rai Kinmichi with a similar *disorderly* hamon.

But the habuchi of the ebay sword looks awkward, maybe its the result of the *surface-treatment*.

 

Greetings

Andreas

[Henry Stewart]

Andreas

 

$7 US ? Surely you jest or someone does?

 

Henry

[Tokaido]

Andreas

$7 US ? Surely you jest or someone does?

Henry

 

Dear Henry,

I'm not the seller of this item, I do not know him and I have no sort of relationssip to him.

This tread was not about price, but about autenticy and technical terms of the blade.

I fully agree with Ron and Brian: the asking price is a matter of the seller and needs no discussion.

(No matter if it is an unreasonable high or low figure.)

 

Greetings

Andreas

[Bazza]

I think the hi has been put in with a milling machine. The symmetry and length of the hi end is typical of such a machine process. The lack of knowledge of the person putting the hi in shows with certainty an amateur has been "playing" with the blade. This is not a fatal injury, because if the blade is worth saving an artisan can extend the hi and make it a "proper" hi and a togishi can blend it in with his skill.

 

Regards,

Barry Thomas.