Bizen koku...?

[Lukrez]

Hello everyone

allow the blade characteristics (mokume-hada, itame hada, hiraji surfeace, notare mixing in gunome and clove choji, frequent feet ashi) an attribution to a specific smith?

[Lewis B]

I'll save Jean the post

 

 

- well focused, not foggy or blurry
- made with a dark, non reflective background for good contrast
- made with light from the side (may not apply for HAMON photos)
- made directly from above (not at an angle)
- made with correct orientation (vertically tip-upwards, especially NAKAGO photos and TSUBA) 
- without HABAKI but showing the MACHI and NAKAGO JIRI 
- made in high resolution to see details
- showing details (in magnification) like BOSHI, HAMACHI, HAMON, HADA, NAKAGO JIRI etc. or the fine work on TSUBA
- presented as cut-outs so very little background is shown
 

If you cannot supply good photos (..."these photos are all I have from the dealer...."/..."I do not have a good camera but only an old mobile phone...." ), DO NOT POST BAD ONES. They will not be helpful.

[Michaelr]

Beautiful. 

[Lukrez]

 

[Lukrez]

1 hour ago, Lewis B said:

I'll save Jean the post

 

 

- well focused, not foggy or blurry
- made with a dark, non reflective background for good contrast
- made with light from the side (may not apply for HAMON photos)
- made directly from above (not at an angle)
- made with correct orientation (vertically tip-upwards, especially NAKAGO photos and TSUBA) 
- without HABAKI but showing the MACHI and NAKAGO JIRI 
- made in high resolution to see details
- showing details (in magnification) like BOSHI, HAMACHI, HAMON, HADA, NAKAGO JIRI etc. or the fine work on TSUBA
- presented as cut-outs so very little background is shown
 

If you cannot supply good photos (..."these photos are all I have from the dealer...."/..."I do not have a good camera but only an old mobile phone...." ), DO NOT POST BAD ONES. They will not be helpful.

 

oh, sorry and thanks for the tip. I thought the photos weren't that bad, what exactly makes the quality of these photos so bad?

[Tohagi]

With these samples we can't appreciate sugata for example. Funbari and sori are important in Bizen osafune...

 

Best,

Éric 

[Lukrez]

[Lewis B]

1 hour ago, Lukrez said:

 

Well there is Mei. Hopefully not gimei, so that should tell you who made it.

[Shugyosha]

Definitely Sukesada.

[Alex A]

What John said, i was just wondering what the odds are.

[Lukrez]

42 minutes ago, Lewis B said:

Well there is Mei. Hopefully not gimei, so that should tell you who made it.

Bizen koku, rest ist suriage

[Lukrez]

19 minutes ago, Shugyosha said:

Definitely Sukesada.

What ist typicsl sukesade? Especially because there are a Lot of Smiths unser the sukesada Name? Why Not kiyomitsu?

[Alex A]

Why not Norimitsu?

 

 

[Lukrez]

Any oshigata or Blade examples to Check the similarities?

 

 

https://world.seiyud...m/product/ka-110423/

 

 

[Alex A]

Your perfectly demonstrating the issue with a blade with no name.

 

You can obviously match a blade to a smith by studying comparisons but there is still a but.

 

One of the issues is that if you look hard enough you will find very similar blades by an whole bunch of different smiths

 

Especially Sue-Bizen and names mentioned above.

[Rivkin]

Hard to say, they can have a distinctive boshi but I can't see which one it is here...

In any case the work is "sort of" Bizen, but not really. Its a bit rough and choji are a bit not too clearly defined (are they really choji?), while on late Bizen work we tend to have them grouped, crab clawed etc., which is not clear here. Jigane is typical Muromachi, of lower quality - rough, probably blakish. can be Kaga or Fyuyhiro....

The signature is ... uncommon for Bizen. The strokes are wide, with a clearly uneven depth... Its not typical. Their signatures generally all strokes are about the same, same depth, relatively narrow width., very fine, comfortable yet simple writing.

Also this signature is a bit condensed, which is even with very long Bizen writing you don't get a feeling kanji are unevenly crowd into each other. 

I don't like it. Which taking in mind how little of it remains is not nesserily means anything. Late Bizen can go in different directions...

[Jacques D.]

Better time looking for a needle in a haystack!

[Lukrez]

Thanks to everyone, stimulating observations and aspects.

 I don't completely agree with the mei interpretatuon, but I will definitely continue to research this interesting point, so thank you. 

According to hozon it is attributed to the kiyomitsu.

Makes me curious about how shinsa works in this extremely fine area and the reliability with which attributions are made. Are there any reports on this without stepping on anyone's toes?

[Lukrez]

4 minutes ago, Jacques D. said:

Better time looking for a needle in a haystack!

[Rivkin]

6 hours ago, Lukrez said:

Thanks to everyone, stimulating observations and aspects.

 I don't completely agree with the mei interpretatuon, but I will definitely continue to research this interesting point, so thank you. 

According to hozon it is attributed to the kiyomitsu.

Makes me curious about how shinsa works in this extremely fine area and the reliability with which attributions are made. Are there any reports on this without stepping on anyone's toes?

Well, Kiyomitsu is a very precise and relatively "good" attribution for a Muromachi blade, so I would take it over any guesses which are made based on not the most informative photographs and barely surviving signature.

Maybe its an impressive work in hand. Would I personally consider it Kiyomitsu? From what is seen - more likely no than yes. Maybe I simply don't know his/their work that well and its a book worthy typical example of one of the styles - and I obviously experienced such shaming many times in the past.