Kunimori Samurai Sword?

[gpieper]

Yesterday, I ran across another Japanese sword chat boardroom where it was explained what the inscriptions on the tang meant for a high ranking officer's samurai sword. It was determined that the sword was made by (Yasuhiro - Miyaguchi Shigeru - Kunimori) dating back somewhere between 1933 and 1942. I have learned that Yasuhiro was a chief swordsmith and instructor at the Yasukuni shrine until 1936.

 

I have a sword with the very same inscription on the tang made by the same swordsmith. The sword is in good condition and I am wanting to learn about it's value.

 

On that same chat board, one person said that there are as few as 20 good swords in existence made by this person. Another person said there are thousands. Can anyone tell me about this swordsmith and the value of his swords.

 

Message Board ID - gpieper

Email address - gpieper@htc.net

[Brian]

Read through the following posts for a guideline:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4232

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=66

Assuming it isn't gimei (and there are certainly gimei Yasukunito out there) then I would expect it go be going around $5K-7K, but the last good Yasukuni sword battled to sell at $5K.

Apparently there were about 500 Yasuhiro swords made.

Condition is everything on these. If it needs a polish, expect less.

 

Brian

[gpieper]

Brian,

 

Thanks for your reply. What do you mean when you say - 'gimie'?

 

Gary

[mdiddy]

Gary,

 

Is this the correct forum/thread you are referring to?

 

http://forum.japantoday.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=762691

 

Without even considering condition, there is a large amount of variance with respect to production method/quality of WWII-era made Japanese swords. Factoring in condition of the blade and of the market for these items additionally complicates valuation. That said, if your sword features a signature by the same swordsmith as mentioned in the thread above, then it certainly ranks at the higher end of the spectrum for WWII-era swords and would be particularly desirable for many collectors.

 

The links Brian provided and estimates would be very helpful in further understanding. I would recommend spending some time reading/researching to better understand exactly what you have. Also, numbers like 5k-7k at least make me giddy so I'd also recommend trying to stay objective as you learn more and being a little pessimistic toward individual opinions while stressing an aggregated collective opinion from several different individuals.

 

For what its worth, would you mind sharing some photos of your sword? Helps others here make an educated guess while critiquing/drooling over what they don't have.

 

Also - 'Gimei' means that the signature/inscription is not by the swordsmith it indicates. Essentially faking. That would be bad for value and why you should research in depth to prove/disprove.

 

Matt

[Grey Doffin]

Gary,

Gimei means fake signature.

Guys, I've had some correspondence with Gary about his blade. Just to make clear what he's asking about: his sword is signed "Toto Ju Nin Ikkansai Kunimori Kin Saku". My understanding is that Kunimori is a signature Yasukuni Yasuhiro used when he wasn't working at the shrine and also after the war. Gary is trying to learn the value of his sword. Anyone know what they go for without the Yasukuni mei?

Grey

[Clive Sinclaire]

Gary

Yasuhiro used the name of Kunimori after he left Yasukuni Jinja and became the instructor of the Okura Tanrenjo in 1937. He was a talented pupil of Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu, arguably the best early Showa period (wartime) swordsmith. I think those price estimates are just a tiny bit ambitious in today's market.

Clive

[Brian]

Thanks Clive and Gary,

Yes, that's why I mentioned that the last one battled to even reach the $5K mark, and didn't IIRC. What things are worth, and what they would sell for are 2 different things. If I was insuring it, I would go for the $5-7K mark. However selling it is a different matter, and maybe in the region of $4K at a very rough guess. This all depends on the workmanship of your particular blade and how much the buyer likes it. 2 Swords by the same smith can fetch varying prices, and hence why we don't discuss pricing too much on this forum.

However you asked for a guide, and I am sure there is some info to guide you here.

Now let's see the blade

 

Brian

[gpieper]

Thanks again fellas for your replys.

 

Matt - Yes, that is the chatroom link and inscriptions I am referring to.

 

Grey - Thanks again for your excellent input!

 

Clive - Thank you as well! It's great having such responsive input from knowledgable people like yourselves.

 

If these messages aren't getting posted, please excuse me for this is the first time I've tried participating in this kind of media/forum.

 

Gary

[Rich S]

For what it's worth, I copied and saved this from another message board

several years ago. May or may not be correct or relevant. Don't recall

who posted it.

 

_____________

As I have reported here before (actually, quite a long time ago...), the

Kunimori blades were not made by Miyaguchi, only signed by him. According to his son, who helped hold the blades while his father cut the signatures, they were made in bulk by a smith in Shizuoka prefecture named Mitsukoshi Hiromasa, using western steel. Apparently they were forge welded, but the exact nature of their construction is not known. They were known to have been made of western steel, this is not in dispute....

----------------

 

Rich S

[Mark]

I had a dead mint Kunimori in high end army mounts that i sold at the Chicago sword last year (or maybe the year before), i think it sold for around $3000. The buyer and i thought that was a fair price, maybe i sold it too cheaply, but it sat on the table for at least a day with the price tag so i did not think it was way underpriced.

[Stephen]

Don't recall

who posted it.

 

think it was Chris Bowen...remember he did alot of research along thoese lines back when he liven in Japan.

[bdgrange]

Owned a Kunimori a while back and sold it for under $2,000, muji hada. These were not made

at the Yasukuni forge and therefore are not considered Yasukunito. A Yasukuni blade

will fetch a much higher price than one made and signed "Kunimori". He was making and selling blades on his own as well as working at the Yasukuni forge.

To get $3,000. these days would be an accomplishment, demand being what it is.

regards

Bill de

[Bazza]

Don't recall

who posted it.

 

think it was Chris Bowen...remember he did alot of research along thoese lines back when he liven in Japan.

 

Yes, Chris Bowen. I have just searched my archives and I have an 8-page document with all the emails around that time concerning much information on Kunimori. No good news, I'm afraid, but the information is there. I'll email the document to Brian to see if if it is worth putting up somewhere. Gary, if you care to pm (personal mail) me I'll send you the document direct. I have other information I'll check out too.

 

Regards,

Barry Thomas

(Australia)

[Brian]

Thanks Barry, please do. I'll try and edit it into an article for the archives.

 

Brian