Best Books to check signature/oshigata??

[EricM]

Hi all

I am wondering where i can find a book filled with oshigata (from koto to now) ??

i have a nice book for shinto blade with many oshigata but only for the top smith of the period with their school.

 

The thing is that i have a sword signed from a lower shinto smith (but not a bad one!!!) and i would like to check if it looks like genuine

first step for identification

 

I guess a lot of books exist on the subject but perhaps only for the best ones, so would really be interested to find other books

thx a lot

eric

(on the long path of knowledge!!!)

 

 

 

This one could be my smith!

Kanenori (III)

Shinto, Echizen no kuni (Teikyo:1684)

Jo saku

KAN257 (25pts) TTp61, ¥3M

1661-84,Later in Edo.

Yamato Daijo Fujiwara Kanenori

大和大掾藤原包則

 

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/2858/pict1157ug3.jpg

[dkirkpatrick]

Eric,

 

Actually, I believe your nakago reads MASANORI (MAS738). The gist of your question I presume is...is it authentic? My opinion is no, although it is very close in many respects and I could certainly be wrong. Looking in Fujishiros and Shinto Zuikan I just find a few too many small differences for my comfort.

Which books do you need? All of them :D. Seriously though, multiple books with as many nakago oshigata as you can afford. In this way, by seeing different examples by the same smith you can see their variations in signing and more importantly, what things stayed the same (e.g. in none of my examples did I see the outer stroke of the FUJI kanji flair out so dramatically as it does in yours).

Their is probably a thread on this topic so a search would probably help you alot but my references consist primarily of: NIHONTO KOZA, FUJISHIROS (2 vol.), and NIHONTO ZUIKAN (2 vol.) I am hoping to purchase the taikans but I am also looking forward to what the other board members think the "must-haves" are. From a non-oshigata standpoint the book that is never out of arm's reach (seriously) is "The Conniseurs Guide to Japanese Swords". If I am not working or watching TV, I am in that book.

Of course studying swords is the most important thing because ultimately it's quality will ultimately be the standard by which it's judged. Great smiths had bad days and some mid-range guys hit it out of the park once in awhile. Again, though the books are key here because often the condition of the polish we find on swords out of the woodwork often can make it very difficult to judge their quality. Therefore, knowing whether the sword you want to spend 3000.00 on to have saya-ed, habaki-ed, polished, and papered is gimei or not is a good idea.

Only the Japanese experts however are truly qualified to make this call but the books and knowledge can give you the courage to submit your sword to shinsa and find out. I own a Hankei wakizashi (can be seen on nihonto.us) that many knowledgeable people believed to be gimei. I studied my books, read, read some more and submitted it and it subsequently passed Toku-hozon.

Eric, this turned into more of a screed than I cared to make it but my point is simply that books are absolutely key. Not just to avoid fiscal pitfall, but to further your understanding of this art. Listen to what the board has to say on this subject. I was lucky in that early on in my studies, Andy Quirt would gently chide me (as in "you cheap-ass, buy the d**n book!) every time he would reference some book I didn't have in my library. It was the best thing that could've happened to me.

[Justin]

I also have Kanzan Sato's 'Shinto Oshigata Dictionary', which I find very useful. About 8,000 JPY from the NBTHK museum.

 

Kanzan Sato's Token Koza series (6 volumes) is also excellent - although expensive and difficult to find - especially volume 5 and 6.

 

Regards

Justin

[Grey Doffin]

Eric,

Other than what's been mentioned so far I would suggest, if funds are available, the following for your library.

The 59 issues of "Token Bijutsu" in English from the NBTHK is as good as it gets in English; nothing else tells you as much.

The new 2 volume set, Sue Koto, put out by the JSS/US is in English, is attractively priced at $50, and covers some of the lesser known smiths from late Koto.

Harry Watson's translations of Nihonto Koza are well worth the expense.

I own Yumei Koto Taikan, Nihonto Zuikan, and Shinto Taikan, all of which are very useful.

I can also recommend joining all the clubs that publish in English: JSS/US, NBTHK American Branch, Northern California, Florida Token Kai, does one or both of the NTHK groups still put out in English?, and sorry if I've forgotten some.

Hope this helps.

Grey

[Ken-Hawaii]

Eric, I would make a beeline to http://www.satcho.com & check out Michael Harris' vast listing of sword books. He is very easy to deal with, & had ready answers to all my questions.

 

I'm fairly certain that all of the books referenced above can be found on his Web-site. Happy hunting! :D

[EricM]

thx all

lots of book to read !!