Jump to content

Touch Up Polish


Ichi

Recommended Posts

Hi All,

 

Wondering what this 'touch up polish' meant in this comment on Aoi's:

 

http://aoi-art.com/sword/katana/06217.html

 

Yasunuki sword turns out to be a Kamakura Rai? I know Tsuruta-san does polishing himself. Is partial polishing good for the blade. I thought nihonto polishers are proud to do full polishing. Or maybe this is enamel polishing to produce sharp outline and hamon with hadori stones.

Ichi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think he is saying this Yasukuni blade resembles a Kamakura Rai school blade in characteristics. I think he is also saying that a touch-up polish :?: will improve this sword to the point that you won't recognise it anymore.

 

Starting to sound more like an eBay listing description nowdays :?

 

Brian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi All,

 

Thanks all for your input. That made sense, a cosmetic polish.

 

Leroy, I think Takenori and Yasunori are the same guy. Takenori was the name he used before joining the Yasukuni Shrine. We will find out if it's worth that price. But no one has raised his hand yet.

 

Thanks again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yasunori and Takenori were the same person. When he made swords out of the shrine or swords for awards he used Takenori.

 

What I think is interetsting is that the nakago is not kijimono but a futsu (regular shape). Yasunori started to use the kijimono shape after his nephew of the same name (different kanji) joined the shrine in 1935 and after that date would only use the the regular shape on award swords etc like the one in question.

 

I went in today to have a look at the sword. It is quite big with a broad imposing sugata. The kissaki is very large too and there is lots of activity which the smiths were discouraged from including when producing swords in the shrine. The hamon is very lively and interesting. The hada is a very tight itame and typical of Yasukuni.

 

The nakago felt very dry and chalky and there was a good bit of active red rust there and in the signature. The sword (descrided as in polish) is not so in polish but nearly sort of 85 to 90 towards a full polish. The habaki is nice and the shirasaya is a bit special too. To sum it up it I think it is a Yasukuni sword that does not intially look like one.

 

On the whole I feel that it is very expensive and the money could be better placed. Saying that I am very tight with my money when it comes to old bits of metal and I shy away from shops as I am aware that price mark-ups can be quite steep. I feel that this sword has been marked-up quite a bit as it is nice and slightly unusual made by one of the top smiths from Yasukuni.

 

Just my two pennies worth. :roll:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
Guest Kendoman

Henry,

 

I've seen that sword and it orginally belonged to Hataya Daisuke around the corner. You are all misreading the signature. Its not TAKENORI Its

TAKETOKU. This is not Kotani Yasunori but his uncle, Kajiyama Yasutoku.

The reading was explained in Han Bing Siong's articles on this group a while back.

 

It a heavy big sword and made outside the shrine. The ADC to the Showa Emperor in 1938 Major General Nara Takeji took the kanji, Take and gave it to both Yasutoku and Yasunori to be used when swords were made outside the shrine for unofficial orders and such. For another example, look at sword made by Takenori, his nephew in the Yasukuni shrine on page 77. It copares favourably with his uncle's example in Tsuruta's shop.

 

JS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi JS

 

I was discussing the said sword with someone via board mail and the fact that it was made by Yasutoku and not his nephew (Yasunori) dawned on me. Quite an important fact really that should be pointed out......

 

Can you direct me to Han Bing Siong's articles that you refer to as I would like to read them if possible.

 

What do you think of the sword? I like it but I feel (dare I say) it is a bit over-priced.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yasunori and Takenori were the same person. When he made swords out of the shrine or swords for awards he used Takenori.

 

What I think is interetsting is that the nakago is not kijimono but a futsu (regular shape). Yasunori started to use the kijimono shape after his nephew of the same name (different kanji) joined the shrine in 1935 and after that date would only use the the regular shape on award swords etc like the one in question.

 

I went in today to have a look at the sword. It is quite big with a broad imposing sugata. The kissaki is very large too and there is lots of activity which the smiths were discouraged from including when producing swords in the shrine. The hamon is very lively and interesting. The hada is a very tight itame and typical of Yasukuni.

 

The nakago felt very dry and chalky and there was a good bit of active red rust there and in the signature. The sword (descrided as in polish) is not so in polish but nearly sort of 85 to 90 towards a full polish. The habaki is nice and the shirasaya is a bit special too. To sum it up it I think it is a Yasukuni sword that does not intially look like one.

 

On the whole I feel that it is very expensive and the money could be better placed. Saying that I am very tight with my money when it comes to old bits of metal and I shy away from shops as I am aware that price mark-ups can be quite steep. I feel that this sword has been marked-up quite a bit as it is nice and slightly unusual made by one of the top smiths from Yasukuni.

 

Just my two pennies worth. :roll:

 

Personally I think Yasukuni swords are overrated and prices exaggerrated, many of these swords are forged makura gitae suitable for mass production and not so precious. For $7-8k you can buy a special gendaito that is on a higher level by a big name smith.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...