Origami attribution confirmation please.

[Icepic]

Hello, I could use some help with confirmation of two origami (attributions) and maybe a stab at time periods.

Wakizashi: Sue-Mihara / Edo ? Nagamaki: Jumyo / Early Muromachi ?

 

I am waiting on Mr. Paul Martin's new book I have on order then maybe I can do this for myself and hopefully help others.

Here are some pictures.

[Icepic]

Here is a picture of the wakizashi I forgot to post.

Buy the way, You can see a rust spot just behind the kissaki, I do not plan to have the sword polished becouse it would cost me more than I paid for the sword, but what is the best way to keep the rust from spreading? Thank You and Good Luck. Mark Pederson.

[Toryu2020]

Mark -

Sue-Mihara is likely around Tenbun/Tensho. Toshinaga (Jumyo) on the other hand is all across the board, the shape will be the best clue to the time-period. I believe your sayagaki is by Fukunaga Suiken - if you have the time I would to love see close-ups of that sayagaki...

-t

[Icepic]

Hello Thomas, I will try and post some pictures tomorrow.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Greetings,

 

Wakizashi: Sue-Mihara / Edo ?

 

The Koto Bingo Mihara School

 

By Allan H. Pressley http://www.nihontocraft.com/Mihara_Nihonto.html

 

Sue Mihara

 

Yamanaka gives the characteristics of Sue Mihara blades as follows:

 

Shape - Style and shape of Sengoku period (approx 1460 to 1600) with the sori made a little shallow and more graceful than other works of this period.

 

..............

 

Hawley shows Mokume, gunome, open midare, medium suguba - ko midare, as characteristics of Sue Mihara, and lists them as lasting from 1350 to 1500.

 

Robinson says that later Mihara (he only divides them into 2 groups, not 3) was from 1350 to 1450. He says they made mostly wakizashi and tanto, with itame, and suguha or crumbling suguha.

 

I do not plan to have the sword polished becouse it would cost me more than I paid for the sword

 

Imagine, somehow I thought after 18 years that perhaps I had heard all the reasons for not having a sword polished by now.

[Icepic]

Hello Franco, You are correct that is a lame excuse, However I am happy with the polish it has now and I think to much metal would have to be removed to get under the rust. It would probably ruin the blade. Somebody neglected this sword I just want to keep it from any futher deterioration.

[Icepic]

Hello Thomas, Here are some pictures of the sayagaki. I hope it helps. By the way, who is Fukunaga Suiken?

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello Mark,

 

Hello Franco, You are correct that is a lame excuse, However I am happy with the polish it has now and I think to much metal would have to be removed to get under the rust. It would probably ruin the blade. Somebody neglected this sword I just want to keep it from any futher deterioration.

 

No worries, no excuses, no explanation needed. The only reason for the tease was the awkwardness of the cost/polish reasoning, when realizing that a new polish could easily raise the value of a good sword well above all of these initial expenses.

Rust, there are times when rust is severe enough to discourage having a sword polished. On the other hand, it should be noted that it is really quite amazing what "good polishers" can do in addressing areas of heavier rust on a sword. For the time being sword oil is the short answer for rust, especially for "red active" rust. I would do a search on NMB for previous threads on this topic.

[Toryu2020]

Mark -

Thanks for those. This is what I think I see, though I have to say I am not sure about some of this;

 

三原住貝定守　　無銘　　　直調小鉦深き出来良工　　　長　壹尺七寸有之　　　昭和壬子年春日

 

Mihara ju Kai Sadamori Sugu-cho ko-gane Fukaki-deki Ryo-ko nagasa 1 shaku 7 sun kore ari Showa Mizunoe Ne toshi Shunjitsu

 

Kai Sadamori of Mihara (mumei) suguha - tight jigane - deeply tempered - a skilled maker

Length 1 shaku 7 sun

(this attribution given) on a spring day in Showa (sorry I don't have the right book handy) a year of the rat

Suiken (Kao)

 

Fukunaga Suiken is perhaps the most prolific writer of books on Nihonto - a man who came up in the sword world before the war - a student of Takase Uko, (among others), founder of the NTHK, a doctor and a friend to any student of the Japanese sword - He was for many years part of the NTHK under Yoshikawa Koen, where he was an integral part of their shinsa team.

 

Thanks for the chance to check this out,

-t

[Nobody]

......................

三原住貝定守　　無銘　　　直調小鉦深き出来良工　　　長　壹尺七寸有之　　　昭和壬子年春日

 

Mihara ju Kai Sadamori Sugu-cho ko-gane Fukaki-deki Ryo-ko nagasa 1 shaku 7 sun kore ari Showa Mizunoe Ne toshi Shunjitsu

...............

I am not so sure but the “ko-gane (小鉦)” part may be ko-nie (小錵).

[Stephen]

I like the first sword and would like to know more about the sword and meaning of the paper if anyone is up to it.

[Toryu2020]

Thank you Mr. Moriyama,

That makes way more sense "thickly tempered in ko-nie"...

-t