Kunimune tanto. Thoughts?

[slavia631]

Hi all,

 

I recently acquired this tanto signed Kunimune, and would like some opinions on it from anybody who wouldn't mind.

 

I understand that the most famous smith named 'Kunimune' was of the Uda school, but that there were others including a Bizen, etc.

 

Can anybody tell which smith this is?

 

 

I can't identify the hada, but the blade seems to have quite a thin hamon. The blade is in decent (out of polish) overall condition and doesn't seem to be tired. It does, however, have a few kizu almost exclusively on the omote side (see photos). Are any of these kizu serious demerits to its value and/or fatal. I am not as familiar with kizu types and grading as I would like to eventually be.

 

I suppose the inevitable final question is: Does this blade's merits, quality, and condition render it worthy of a new polish?

 

Thanks in advance for all the help.

 

Photos:

 

 

 

 

 

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Andrew,

Actually, the top Kunimune would be Bizen Saburo Kunimune, but Uda Kunimune was no slouch either. I don't think either of these smiths lived long enough to have made this tanto, they being of Kamakura and Nambokucho and the tanto looking like it was made in the 20th century.

Look at the sugata: the blade is either too short for its width or too wide for its length to be early. The nakago isn't finished very well, a bit sloppily done. You never see this on the good stuff. Also, the nakago is too new; the yasurime and patina are too fresh to have great age.

Any case, that's what I think. I'm not an authority; maybe others can tell you more or even the opposite.

Grey

[Marius]

Hi Andrew,

The nakago isn't finished very well, a bit sloppily done.

 

Yup. And the signature is sloppy, too.

[Ted Tenold]

I think Grey and Mariuszk are on track. This is not an old tanto in my opinion. Probably 19th century at the earliest for the aforementioned reasons, plus the nakago ana is very crisp and looks like a burr is raised at the rim from machine drilling. In addition, from what we can see in the images in what looks to be a newer piece, the forging is weak and unskilled. Though sometimes issues like that can be remedied, there's little that shows the ends will justify the means and thus it's probably not a good candidate for polish.

 

Uda nakago are very distinctive (very straight with little taper, and a well rounded jiri) and the "kuni" in their mei is also uniquely written (with three verticle strokes in the lower left quadrant), neither of which are present in this piece.

[Brian]

When I glanced at this quickly at work, I also had the same issues as mentioned here. Glad to see my instincts still work

However I was wondering if maybe this isn't the front of a wakizashi that has been shortened? If the entire nakago was lost, and a new ana drilled and the nakago badly patinated, you might get a sugata like this. Either way, it is off.

 

Brian