Echigo Sadaroku

[Lindus]

Hi Folks

 

 

I have a superb {I think} Gendaito by Sadaroku, can find little on the man but from my point of view it seems excellent although dated 1944.

 

Was going to sell but think I will withdraw this as in four decades have not seen better....your thoughts on the man would be appreciated.

 

Mounted in Gunto mounts with Mon'.

Thanks Roy

[cabowen]

He was a student of Amada Sadayoshi, father of the Ningen Kokuho Amada Akitsugu. Was a rikigun jumei tosho. Middle of the road smith....Mei is nicely cut; possibly a special order blade as I see no star stamp and there appears to be a kokuin, not seen on his usual work. Polish looks buffed and/or acid treated....

[Lindus]

Thank you Chris, as is, as far as the polish is concerned,"Middle of the road", why not show examples of the top of the road....would be interesting I think. For many of us the difference may by major or subtle, Hamon wise...Kokioun...Kakahan?. this is inlaid with what appears to be gold leaf.

The sword came from Burma, and is untouched.

Roy

[cabowen]

Kakihan is usually carved, koku'in is stamped....

 

Polish maybe has that look due to the lighting/photo technique????

 

Notice the dense, uniform hada, the thick nie lining the habuchi in these

"top of the road" examples...(pardon the poor photos).

 

A blade by Kato Sukekuni :

 

Here is another by Kasama Shigetsugu (his work, not student work):

 

And another by Kato Masayoshi:

[Lee Bray]

I have an Echigo Sadaroku - Echigo No Kuni Ju Imai Sadaroku Saku - and dated February 1940.

Nagasa is 27 1/4".

Gunto mounts with mon on the tsuka.

 

The mei is well cut and the overall quality, to me, is very good.

Hamon is suguha but I can't make out the hada. Habuchi seems very clear and consistent.

From the few(3 or 4 max) swords of his I've seen on the web and my own, suguha seems to be the norm.

Like Chris, I've not seen kokuin on his work before.

 

I found a few bits of info on him via the web/google search but was disappointed that the section on him in Slough's seems to be missing the write up section as it only shows two oshigata but no background.

 

He won the second seat, 1st going to the Yasukuni shrine, in the 1941 Shinsaku Nihon To Tenranki.

[Stone]

I have a nice Sadaroku also as a lovely Mie, Jihada & Hamon nice quality, came to me

as my first sword from a X soldier father of a lad who was practising Karate at the same club as me, a old shira-saya hilt was all it had & was in very poor condition, about 30 or more years ago. I beleive I sent Chis a Oshigata some years back. Sorry no photo's as I am to a camera about as much or less use than a rusty bowie knife is to a eye surgeon.

Regards,

Tony, N.

[george trotter]

I have seen his work too...gunto mounts, no kokuin and hamon a mixtire of large choji with almost toran sections (from memory)...I thought his work very good.

George.

[cabowen]

Hamon is suguha but I can't make out the hada.

 

I have seen a dozen or more of his blades and most of them have been in suguba, which was also what his teacher favored....

[Lindus]

Thanks gentlemen, very interesting and appreciate your point re hada Chris.

 

I like it very much and perhaps if the Hada was as Chris shows it would not have quite the same appeal for me, still do not see the reason for the gold leaf or lacquer, any idea why this would have been done on such a late blade?

 

Thanks folks

Roy

[cabowen]

If you could post a closeup of the kokuin, perhaps I could tell you more....

 

Also, to clarify my earlier comments regarding jigane and hamon, I should add that extremely tight (締まる) nioi guchi are, in general, not considered "top of the road".

[Lindus]

Hallo Chris

 

 

Best I can do on the flatbed.

 

Roy

[cabowen]

Hallo Chris

 

 

Best I can do on the flatbed.

 

Roy

 

It says Sadaroku....nothing new there...

 

As I said, it was probably made as a special order as this kokuin is unusual in his work....

 

Thanks for taking the time to post this...

[w.y.chan]

Sorry for another resurrection.

Here is another Sadaroku with kokuin and mint gunto koshirae

[cabowen]

That one looks to be at least one level up from the first one posted.