Mutsu Tadayoshi Or Bad Decision?

[Surfson]

So I had noticed a blade in a local auction that had bad photos but looked vaguely like Mutsu Tadayoshi, a jojo saku smith.  I asked them on friday to send me better photos so I could read the tang but they never sent them. I was meaning to drive out to see it yesterday but got busy.  Yadayadayada...

 

Anyway, late in the afternoon I went to check how much it had sold for and it hadn't sold yet, but rather it was about to go off in the next ten minutes.  To my surprise, they had added a few photos, including the ones I attach here, showing a better view of the mei.  I am also attaching the original bad mei photo - the one on white background.  I immediately registered for the auction but literally had no time to study the mei, other than doing a one minute search online.  I already have a wakizashi from this smith that I had bought on ebay years ago (and which is for sale by the way), and have stared at his signature in the past, but that is a far cry from doing a stroke by stroke study of a mei.  I still haven't studied it but my gut tells me that it might be good.  I ended up getting it for a decent price and probably will submit it to the Chicago shinsa - I don't yet have it in hand.  It appears to be in suguha and is an average length wakizashi.  I will admit that I am not a big fan of Tadayoshi/Tadahiro blades, especially when they are in suguha and mujihada or very tight nashiji.  

 

I am just throwing it up here to go through the NMB appraisal and evaluation process (a fun thing, I think, for better or worse).  It also has an interesting tsuba on it, so I am including a photo of that to.  Any thoughts, positive, negative or neutral are quite welcome.  

 

 

[TheGermanBastard]

hello bob ... to be honest I am not with you on this one ... I had asked them for additional images and there were a lot of Kizu in the blade from what i could tell, You can see one in the 3rd image that you posted. Hence I did not bid. As for the Mei my 1st feeling was good ... but I am just an idiot. The last Tadayoshi I had submitted for Shinsa looked just great and both Roger and Bob Benson were confident it being good. The blade quality was marvelous. In the end it got dumped both by the NBTHK and NTHK.

 

but who knows, maybe it looks much nicer in person. good luck and please keep us posted!

[BIG]

May be hidden treasures, both the blade and tsuba...

 

here is the Darcy blade...

 

https://yuhindo.com/mutsu-no-kami-tadayoshi/

 

Best

[Ray Singer]

The mei didn't look bad to my eyes. There appear to be severe kizu in that sword, including large kitae-ware and an open fukure.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[Surfson]

Well, it looks like the voting stands at 2 to 3 in the favor of bad decision!      I have to admit not noticing the opening in the shinogi ji, but I was focused 100% in the brief time I had on the mei.  We shall see when I have it in hand this week.  It actually looks like it might have some nice menuki, but the photos again are pretty bad.  Thanks for the link Peter - any thoughts about the tsuba?  I have seen ones like it, but have no idea about school.  The blade Darcy has it quite stunning, but then all of his blades are.  

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello Bob,

 

I am sorry that I can not help on the tsuba. I am even a bigger idot on those than I am on swords. Well, you coudl show me a really precious Tsuba and I might recognize it as long as it is not iron. It is easier to tell an expensive Kinko thing ...

 

When I had seen the severe Kizu in the blade it became kind of no matter wheter it is legit work or not as a flaw remains a flaw. In the end we all want to own good workmanship, preferably by reputable smithes. A bad blade by a good smith will remain a blade. Of course throw a cracked Masamune at me and I will be happy to pick it up and run ...

 

But seeing severe Kizu my reasoning was that it was likrly not legit as a good artist ought to produce good work. If I do a painting you can likely tell it would be a fake Monet even if the real one had signed it ... So for me it was a bummer blade. But let's see what you will get in the mail!

[Geraint]

Wow Luis!  That's really built up the sense of anticipation when Robert opens the parcel.

 

All the best.

[Surfson]

I guess I won't be selling to you, huh Luis?!

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello Bob,

 

probably not on this occasion but I bet you will keep on outbidding me another one

[TheGermanBastard]

Hello Bob, have you received the sword yet? If yes what does it look like?

[Surfson]

Good chance to paper, in which case I will be fine financially.  Mounts are decent.

[TheGermanBastard]

Do you have more images of the blade at this time?

[Surfson]

No photos or time to take them soon.  Will bring it to Chicago show if you will be there.  

[TheGermanBastard]

Won't be there but keep my fingers crossed for you that it will paper.

[Jacques D.]

Red flag 

 

[Surfson]

Well, I have been constantly working or on the road for the last month, so sorry for the radio silence.  Here is a composite of mei examples taken from NBTHK papers on line as well as the test example.  I still think it is worth submitting next month!  Cheers, Bob

 

[TheGermanBastard]

Hm, I am sceptical as I see some differences but then I am no Shinsa team. However I wonder why such a praised smith would produce such heavy Kizu?

 

In the end the blade quality has to confirm the mei and not the other way round. If you have Kotetsu put his Mei on a Mumei Muramasa what do you get then? Yes a Gimei Kotetsu that is a Muramasa after Mei removal. Even if the signature would be no doubt legitimate it would still be Gimei.

 

So aside from looking at the signature - where I see some differences - shouldn't we look at the blade first? That is why I asked about more images of the blades. Because if the balde does not look like Tadayoshi school then it is academic to look at the Mei anyway ... which is again where I am coming from: Why would such a famous highly rated smith produce severe Kizu AND sign it. Sure he everybody could produce bad Kizu. Even I could! Probably better than anybody else ... but if I produce flaws I am not to eager to put my name under them ... and I am not a famous guy but just a common man in the street. But strangely I still have an ego ...

 

I no longer have saved the additional images which I had gotten from the auction house. Since what I saw in the images looked pretty bad I didn't bother to bid nor to keep the email / images on my system. So let's look at the blade and see if there is good workmanship which is inline with Tadayoshi.

[Surfson]

Point already taken.  The blade has been polished a lot and is tired.  I believe that the openings are from polishing.  I'm done with this thread.  

[TheGermanBastard]

Hey Bob, please don't have hard feelings. Please take my comments to serious. I am not a Shinsa team and I keep my fingers crossed that your blade will paper. I just try to give my honest oppinion to the best of my knowledge which isn't much at all ... I couldn't give you enough praise and compliments on that very fine Nobukuni blade that you got from the floor auction and you have been outbidding me for years on things I  thought to be good - where I may have been right or wrong. In this case I am sorry that I can not give you positive remarks. I have gotten good and bad remarks here on my own stuff for what it is worth. My oppinion is cheap so take it for that and please don't be put down by it. I don't mean that.