Kanefusa help

Hi Everyone,

Below are two pictures of my 23rd Gen Kanefusa. I've had this sword for a while now and am still trying to work out if it's traditional or not.

Mei is: Seki no Ju Ni Ju san dai kanefusa saku kore with no stamps at all.

I believe I can see itame/masame mix in the hada, sunagashi, nie and a hakikake boshi.

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Mark C

looks good to me

Thanks Adam.

Hi Mark,

Let me preface this by saying I am one of the worst at seeing detail from images, but based on what I can see:

It looks to have a strong nioi guchi with some ko-nie running along it. There are lines of what could be described as suagashi but as they run in and out of the hamon I wonder if they might be better described as kinsjui or inazuma.

I do not see any masame in the hada just longitudinal scratches. The blade does appear to have very tight itame hada almost to the point of becoming muji.

The hamon looks to me to be traditonally quenched. I dont see any of the bright hard tooth like patches often seen in oil quenched blades. Certainly the nie and activity would support this view. Whether it is made using Tamahagane is I think more questionable as the hada appears very unifrom and lacking in activity.

As suggested at the beginning this opinion rather than known fact and based on what I think I can and cant see.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your in depth reply. I think I can see the masame but only when I get the sword in the right light and angle, something I've not managed to photograph yet. It took me a coupe of hours to get these pics :lol:

If I manage to get a decent pic, I will post.

I know you dont do the Birmingham arms fair but I will have the sword there in September.

Again, thanks

Regards

Mark

Can you post photos of the boshi and shinogi-ji?

I would say it looks muji and I don't see any real nie or sunagashi in the photos....

Hi Chris,

Pic of the boshi. Will take one of the shinogi-ji tomorrow.

Regards

Mark

Hakikake

Looks like a good bit of ko-nie to me...

At that magnification, nioi can look like nie...Nie can be seen by the naked eye without any magnification.

Hi Chris,

you are of course right and whether that might be classed as ko-nie or nioi cannot be determined (I would suggest) without the sword in hand. Is it an over simplification to say that assuming you start with the same material, to create nie you need to take the steel to a higher temperature hold it there for longer and quench it more quickly than you would to create a nioi based piece. this is why oil quenched blades are almost exclusively nioi based?

Taking note of your magnification point I am still tending to think I am seeing ko-nie, the particles look seperate rahter than forming a mist. If I do break the habits of a lifetime and get my backside down to Birmingham for the arms fair I will see if I can look at the sword in hand

Best Regards

Paul

Hi Everyone,

First can I say thanks for your thoughts.

I have posted two pics, one of an opening and one of the Shinogi-ji.

I have tried to take pictures of the nie that I think I'm seeing but as you say Chris, magnification could alter the picture and unusally the sun is shinning in the UK which seems to make taking pictures even more difficult

Paul - we could always meet up some time in the future, have a cuppa, look at the sword and talk swords, it's been a while the last time being the Shinsa several years ago.

Regards

Mark