Katana by 1st Generation Tadayoshi?

[tbonesullivan]

Well, we just picked up this somewhat uncared for Katana from a private purchase estate sale type of deal. It's supposed to be a Bring Back from Japan, post war.  Blade has some rust issues, and the Koshirae are really banged up.  However, the MEI threw me for a loop.

 

肥前國住人忠吉作 -  Hizen no kuni Junin Tadayoshi Saku

 

Just like on this sword: https://nihontoclub.com/sword-images/15734/16394

 

It looks like a real signature to me, but if there are experts out there, it's possible they could recreate it.

 

The kissaki is kinda sad, with that amount of oxidation. I did wipe it down and oil it, but we're not doing anything else to it. The main concern I always have is whether it's Gimei or not. 

[paulb]

There are a lot of gimei Tadayoshi blades. He was a very good smith and has been continuously popular. The mei on your blade looks close to other examples seen but to be more confident it would really need to be submitted for attribution and before doing that it would need to be polished. The kissaki is a concern although it doesnt look too bad Hizen jihada was always thin so polishing to remove any deep pitting could expose core steel. Personally I am a little concerned about the shape and more particularly the hi which does not look particularly well cut.

Overall it could be worth a punt. 

[Ray Singer]

Hi David, I was aware of this blade earlier. There is a lot of variation among shodai Tadayoshi, but personally I thought this was a good candidate for shinsa. My understanding though was that there was a large kitae-ware or fukure in the sword which, along with Paul's comment above regarding the thin kawagane, made me concerned about it's restorability. Please let us know if you do move forward with shinsa.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[Tom Darling]

I've noticed some differences in the (kanji) mei, that could be a problem in making shodai. You'll need to submit in shinsa for their expert opinion. Good luck.

 

 

Tom D. 

[tbonesullivan]

Hi David, I was aware of this blade earlier. There is a lot of variation among shodai Tadayoshi, but personally I thought this was a good candidate for shinsa. My understanding though was that there was a large kitae-ware or fukure in the sword which, along with Paul's comment above regarding the thin kawagane, made me concerned about it's restorability. Please let us know if you do move forward with shinsa.

 

Best regards,

Ray

 

I am not seeing much in the terms of ware. There definitely are some but nothing horrible. What it has are actual scratches in the surface of the blade, as well as the fact that it has a lot of horizontal striations on the blade. I don't know if this from a lot of cutting through GOZA, or whether someone polished it on a wheel  .

 

The marks that look like FUKURE seem to be rust stains and pits, which have a bit of rust scale in them. There are little squiggly lines of corrosion, which I've seen on non-Japanese blades, as well as on aluminum. It's almost like the corrosion moves in a little line, pushing a piece of debris around that is making water contact the blade. I attached close ups of two different parts of the blade.

 

Either way, my concern also is whether there is in fact enough left to actually send in for a polish.

[16k]

I had noticed this blade earlier too, but that ware (striation) is almost all the way down to the nakago knowing how thin the skin steel is on Hizen blade, it was a no no for me. Plus this striation might not be a ware but a structural defect.

[tbonesullivan]

I had noticed this blade earlier too, but that ware (striation) is almost all the way down to the nakago knowing how thin the skin steel is on Hizen blade, it was a no no for me. Plus this striation might not be a ware but a structural defect.

 

It stops just before the HABAKI and is not present under it, like it was left on when whoever polished it did this. The lines are perfectly parallel, like on a German WWII Dagger, which for me, usually means machine polishing.

 

Just curious, but where was this blade seen before? I spend most of my day buried under bayonets and antique guns so I don't get out much.

[16k]

I honestly don’t remember. I was looking for info on the Dōtanuki school and since the shodai studied with them for some time, it was one of the links. I didn’t have the money to buy it but I thought it was very, very affordable for a Tadayoshi. Then I read the description and saw the pictures and understood why. Good side of it? It probably is genuine, but I don’t know if it can be saved.

[tbonesullivan]

I honestly don’t remember. I was looking for info on the Dōtanuki school and since the shodai studied with them for some time, it was one of the links. I didn’t have the money to buy it but I thought it was very, very affordable for a Tadayoshi. Then I read the description and saw the pictures and understood why. Good side of it? It probably is genuine, but I don’t know if it can be saved.

 

Yes, that's the real question. Of the Nihonto I've dealt with, all were kept and sold as is. This would be the first time looking into having a blade polished, and possibly sent in for a Shinsa. Do either the NTHK or NBTHK still do any Shinsa examinations in the U.S., or is it all in Japan now?

 

I'm in NJ, so I'm going to try to make the next NYTK meeting and will see if I can bring it along.

[Ray Singer]

https://www.nihonto.com/30th-tokenkai/