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  1. 應藤原▢邦求作之 – Responding to the order from Fujiwara something-kuni, made this. 萬延元年八月日 道俊 – Man’en 1st year (1860), 8th month, Michitoshi (<ー smith name)
    7 points
  2. Hi, Not Masayuki but Masamichi. Date: 甲申六月吉日 (June,1944) Mei: 山城国(Yamashiro no kuni = Kyoto)  正道作 (Masamichi saku). His family name is Morita.
    7 points
  3. Koto Tachi - O suriage 75 cm 3.8 cm at Hamachi Signed Sa Sadayoshi in Kinzogan mei on both sides of the Nakago Nambokucho about 1346 Sa Sadayoshi was a student of O Sa , one of the 10 best students of Masamune There is a Horiomono of a dragon matching on both sides added during the Edo period. Sayagaki by Mr. Tanobe It is very robust and must have been typical of the Nanbokucho sword style before O suriage
    4 points
  4. This may have been here before, but I like it a lot so here goes- top is a 1941 Yasushige, in “high class” T98 mounts. Lower is an unsigned late koto blade used for the war in good mounts and leather cover. don’t tell my typical nanbochuko group they’ve been replaced on the kake.
    4 points
  5. Daimyo aikuchi I would like to share with you an interesting discovery that i tryed to place into its historical context….any comments is welcome. It is a Daimyo aikuchi koshirae, with a simple black laquer saya decorated in gold laquer with cherry flower and a phenix bird all with fine details. The tsuka with samé without lacing and 2 round menuki with a central dragon and six Kirimon. And a sober Futakoromono with Kozuka and Kogai Kyo Goto school Suisen no zu (Daffodil design) The real interest concern the Kashira, the Fuchi/Koiguchi, the Kogiri and the Kurigata, in simple black horn but decorated in gold laquer with 2 Mon on each ..the « Kuro Mochi Tate Mokko » and the « Tanoji » they are the primary and secondary Mon of the Clan « Hotta from Sakura ». I suppose that the union of these 2 Mon is due to a special event..as a marriage or an anniversary or an important birth….as normaly for the day to day wear only the primary mon is in use. The Hotta from Sakura is not a very old clan, founded by Hotta Masamori in around 1626 thanks to his relation with the nurse of the Shogun Iemitsu (Lady Kasuga) It is also not a great clan with high revenue but as this is a mid to end Edo period koshirae it has most probably belongued to Hotta Masayoshi (1810-1864) or his son. This is the 5th Daimyo of Sakura and an important political person He was one of the principal of the « Rangaku » it is an organisation in charge of the study the knowledges of the Holland people residing in Deshima – more specificaly the medicine, the astronomy and the military equipment (let us remember that the Holland people are the only foreigners authorized to commerce with Japan from 1641 to 1853) He is a supporter of the opening of Japan (in 1853-1854 Commodore Perry and the black ships...try to force contact with Japan) 1855 Masayoshi is at the head of the « Roju » replacing Abe Masahiro. He is now the principal adviser for the Shogun, control the relations between Nobles and the different Daimyos.) He is also in charge of the diplomatic contact with the american Townsend Harris and will be a co-signer of the Harris Treaty (without obtaining the agreament of the Emperor Komei (in favour of the joi faction – wanted to expell the foreigners by force if necessary….) At that period the shogun is Iesada, he is very ill and its succession give rise to a struggle between 2 factions… With these issues unresolved Hotta was replaced by Ii Naosuke Hotta Masayoshi resigned his posts in favour of his son but continued to support the Hitotsubashi partisans for the succession of the Shogun, which was opposed to Ii Naosuke and during the Ansei, purge of Hitotsubashi partisans, Hotta was placed under house arrest...where he died in 1864. Hotta Masatomo 6th Daimyo of Sakura, a son of Masayoshi had also some problems as during the Boshin war he was partisan for the Shogun...and as we know it is the Emperor faction that win the battle… So we can understand that Hotta Masayoshi and his son where after a rather glorious period not very happy at the end...and probably in financial difficulties...and having priviledged contact with Holland people...they could have sold this (or given) this aikuchi to one of these barbarian...i know it is speculation but as a coincidence ? this aikuchi was discovered in an old Holland province ….where it was possibly kept in a Holland family for several generations….but ...maybe the reality is totaly different...who knows….thanks for reading.
    4 points
  6. I don't believe this is a hagire. It looks like a kitae-ware intersecting the ha.
    3 points
  7. Off topic a little bit - The Shinsengumi were active for less than ten years - their first leader was Serizawa Kamo, a samurai, he was fragged by his own men. Kondo was a farmer, he had more than one sword because Matsudaira Katamori gifted him one, it was gimei. The ultimate goal of most of the members was to recieve samurai status in recognition for their service. Because of their incompetence they literally became cannon fodder at the battle of Fushimi. In regards to early Edo wakizashi numbers, I would look at Nihonto Zenshi "The complete History of the Japanese sword" it has many interesting essays that often address questions like this... -t
    3 points
  8. I am very happy to see people participating. Having fun in researching & guessing is the most important thing. I will post the answer on Tuesday and small write up that I have made.
    3 points
  9. What would you like to know about it? The butt is cut flat which could be an indication of Kunitomo manufacture, and possibly Tazuké-Ryū school of gunnery. I suspect the barrel and stock have been cut short at some time. The No.3 underneath suggests it was the third gun in a batch/order. The bisen breech screw looks good. Some of the fitments have been altered or are missing. A nice project ahead!?!? From Sawada Taira’s book Nihon no Furujū
    3 points
  10. Do not clean the Nakago. Im not good with this but i think the Date is "bunkyu (1861-1863) year of the dog 8 month". Give me some more time but i just want to say dont clean the nakago. EDIT: The signature seem to be "Omi no Kuni TaneYoshi" For example https://www.Japanese-sword-katana.jp/katana/1910-1086.htm I cant tell you if the signature is genuine, but for me it looks good. Some more useful Information https://yuhindo.com/taneyoshi/ From Markus Sesko Page https://markussesko.com/ It is a katana by swordsmith Horii Taneyoshi (堀井胤吉, 1821-1903) which is signed and dated: “Ōmi no Kuni Taneyoshi – Bunkyū ni inudoshi gogatsu” (近江國胤吉・文久二戌年五月) – “Taneyoshi from Ōmi province, in the fifth month of Bunkyū two (1862), year of the dog.”
    2 points
  11. And it is not copper but brass inlay.
    2 points
  12. I agree with Ray here, hagire tend to be perpendicular to the ha.
    2 points
  13. Absolutely Will. I'd say most. During the late 18th century the shinsengumi were quite active. I learned that kondo isami had more than one blade in his collection, which meant that some of the well off samurai were purchasing more than two swords at leisure. I also viewed numerous photos one poster linked to samurai photos from the 18th century, and you can see both normal size wakizashi and o wakizashi. But the part that got me was about the population of edo and how many samurai were present in the city. The only thing I don't have a clear answer on is weather the earlier Edo period such as 1600-1690, saw more wakizashi in the hands of samurai than merchants. As I'm sure the merchant class wouldn't pick up steam until the 1700s , 100 years after the start of the new regime. I was researching this period and economics for my PhD. Kind regards Paz
    2 points
  14. 2 points
  15. I think the first letter in horimono is 南 making the beginning Namu 南無. Sorry for bit limited reply as I am typing on phone.
    2 points
  16. This was a great read, some great points by Darcy and others Thanks
    2 points
  17. Thanks John, that helps a lot. I'm working on it all the time. Trying to get a different caching system working, otherwise I may try a CDN service (More $'s per month, sigh) or even change host if I need to. I can't have this affecting performance of the site, and hence also support/donations. I'm not ignoring it, just doing a lot in the background to try and faultfind.
    2 points
  18. Hi Darrel, well what a priveledge to work with Ford. Ive worked in metal for nearly 50 years- made my first billet of mokume gane in 1975 way before the internet and I was very disapointed - solder method. Wasnt until Steve Midgett's book came out ( bit over 20 years ago) I was able to make a kiln and fuse the billet. After that I used it in many pieces I sold thru my gallery / jewellery shop. Nearly retired now so looking forward to more mokume and inlays and learning more about my nihonto and tosogu- only been seriously collecting for around 30 years but still consider I know nothing,so much to learn and little time and resources. Yeah for the internet - to use one of Fords lines "stealing with your eyes" !Thats why I am on Fords Patreon. If I get out of Australia I maybe able to visit Ford! I too cant wait for his books. Cheers
    2 points
  19. Great Menuki Ron, I quite like them. In relation to categorisation and period. It does not fit stylistically with Ezo work, they would likely paper to Ko-kinko. As for period I think they likely date to the late Muromachi-Momoyama period.
    2 points
  20. I have been asked by a fellow member (not Dave) who has an interest in 'civilian' tsuba, to post some clearer pics.
    2 points
  21. I think what is being mistaken for a fish, could actually just be whiskers, these are Edo examples but you get the idea.
    2 points
  22. Hello Grev, Here are some English descriptions of these two prints https://www.myjapanesehanga.com/home/artists/kiyochika-kobayashi-1847-1915-/ono-no-tofu.html https://www.artelino.com/show/japanese_single_print.asp?mbk=20780
    2 points
  23. The honest answer is you cant tell. But it is also important to remember where the wealth was during the Edo period. Merchants were able to afford better blades and far better koshirae than impoverished samurai. They also had a more flamboyant taste. Many of the finest wakizashi seen in beautiful mounts were made for merchants. At the top end Senior retainers would have blades and fittings made by the best smiths. lower ranking samurai would have what they could afford. Merchants would buy what they liked and what demonstrated their wealth and sophistication. The reason that many modern collectors look down on wakizashi is they cannot be sure they were carried by samurai and for some this lessens their historical value. It has also been suggested in the past that Smiths put less effort in to making wakizashi for non samurai. I think this is demonstrably incorrect. Why would a smith risk their repuion and alienate their most lucrative customer base by making a substandard piece?
    2 points
  24. A fine sword by Hayama Enshin dated Taisho 15, in excellent Type 94 Koshirae.
    2 points
  25. Hi Bruno, I was looking at some Kanzan hakogaki, and I came across this thread from a few years ago. I just wanted to say I don't think that final signature of Kanzan is "Jittoku". I think it just says "Kanzan shirusu" (寒山誌) as he normally signs. The 誌 is a bit stylized but looking at it with fresh eyes I think it is the same signature as he always uses. It may not be of interest to you anymore, but Its something I noticed and I wanted to correct my answer.
    1 point
  26. I have seen a Yasukuni Shrine blade by Yasumitsu, dated May 1939 that was ubu with a blade length of 22.8 inches or 57.9 cm fully mounted in original WWII mounts. So yes, wakizashi length blades were made for military use. There were officers of shorter height who no doubt either didn't need or want a blade longer than 24 inches or 2 shaku. The blade mounts on that Yasumitsu were of high quality and perhaps the blade and mounts were custom ordered to meet the buyer's demands. Since it was an ubu, Yasukuni blade shorter than a katana, I think we can safely say wakizashi length blades, while perhaps rare, were produced during the war.
    1 point
  27. The fascinating part for me was at the end, where Darcy asked the question from dealers in Japan. One opinion was that it was the junky blades that samurai owned, and the fancy-pants expensive wakizashi were owned by the merchant class. Makes me look again at my cheap, rusty wakizashi as potentially having been owned by the warrior* class. *During the mid and late Edo period, most samurai had never seen battle and would have been canon fodder in skill compared to the earlier warring periods.
    1 point
  28. Fabulous! Thank you Morita-san!
    1 point
  29. No, you are not pedantic, i made a mistake. Thanks i have corrected this in my post.
    1 point
  30. Here below some examples of vertical nanako tsuba. No.1 papered as tachi-kanagushi, the others as ko-kinkō. No.2 has a sanmai construction. Unfortunately no ko-Mino example to show.
    1 point
  31. Christian S/DoTanuki yokai said: > You should try to get the menuki out, but be carfully there is only one direction it will come ou That's mekugi... mekugi.. the peg in the handle. BaZZa. (I'm really not trying to be pedantic!!)
    1 point
  32. Thanks! I also assume this may related to Tazuke-Ryu. But could it be an indication of Hino manufacture? It looks like this one
    1 point
  33. More semi-relief rather than high relief. If I keep trying I might get something right to-day. Roger j
    1 point
  34. I will also add a pic of the small metal (brass?) build-up that has been 'fixed' to the nakago. I suspect this was done in order to take-up slack between the blade and seppa because it is too far back to be an adjustment for a tsuba....but I would be happy to receive any thoughts on that
    1 point
  35. Here's the kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/japanartexpo/Japan-art-expo-2022?mc_cid=0da49b1820&mc_eid=fbd8a201a3
    1 point
  36. It may be emphasized that there is no reason to wait If you participate in the project, the amount will only be reserved on your credit card If a sufficient number of applicants is found by May 13, then a payment will be charged and it will be confirmed Japan Art Expo 2022 In case of insufficient interest, the exhibition will realize and no fees will be charged
    1 point
  37. Nice shape, the nie and utsuri and hamon sort of point me to Unju/Unji.
    1 point
  38. Dave and Rob, I had in my hand a so called seki stamped and signed Wakizashi that the owner ( a knowledgeable sword person ) said was original. Although I am not as knowledgeable as him it did appear to me that it had indeed been shortened from the kassiki end and reshaped. The blade was in just OK shape so to really see Boshi , especially at a show, with show lighting, was nearly impossible. Dave it was just my opinion at that time that this blade was indeed once a Katana and damaged and repaired in the field. With better lighting and a blade in a little better condition maybe it would have been a nobrainer but under the conditions at the time it was a tough call. Never say never as everything happened. In time of War I think that I would rather retain my reshaped and shortened katana than be swordless because the tip was broken. Just my two cents, as I have been collecting military stuff for over 50 years I have learned never say never and just when you think you have seem it all something pops up that defies all logic MikeR
    1 point
  39. I think you might be right here - for some reason I was hasty with Hizen guess, it does look koto. Damn, should not kantei on a smartphone. I would through a bit tangential thought though - Ryokai-Muromachi. But suspect Bizen is the correct answer. unfortunately that is one of the things where I can't distinguish well between Uda, Bizen, Fuyuhiro, Bungo and Ryokai.
    1 point
  40. Yo (譽) is included in the first part of the posthumous names of people following the Jōdō sect of Buddhism, which is the sect/branch that is represented by this Zendōji temple. Actually these first two kanji are kind of "priestly name" that the dead person is given for the afterlife, which goes in front of the actual "posthumous name". Your hypothesis is correct: the priest will take some kanji from the person's name, and they will combine it with 譽 to form this "priestly name" of the dead person, hence 信譽 (Shinyo). The next part is the actual "posthumous name". Here too some kanji from the person's name, or some kanji that represents the person's personality or the person's interests or profession is used. So the 四 would have been taken again from his real name, and we'd have to ask the priest why he chose 修 for the second kanji. The third part, which is the dead person's "title" is almost uniform across all Buddhist sects: 居士 (Kōji) is used for men, and 大姉 (Daishi) is used for women. 清大姉 is also used for women. I'm not completely sure that 清居士 is used for men, but I have seen something on the net that says it is OK. So yes, the priest will take characters from the deceased person's real name, and his/her real occupation or interests, and will combine it with various bits representing his/her particular sect of Buddhism, to come up with the final complete posthumous name. Very arcane and many younger Japanese feel quite cynical about this whole "posthumous name" thing, because the priests charge money based on the number of characters in the name - and the priests give subtle pressure to the bereaved families to give the deceased as long and as illustrious name as possible.
    1 point
  41. yep. Vertical nanako often seen on ko-Mino, but NBTHK would probably say yours is ko-kinko. Half way to being ko-Mino.
    1 point
  42. Interesting. I think it important to also remember that the average height of the Japanese has increased markedly over the past 100 years. Many swords just under 2 shaku were just as likely to be used by samurai who were smaller in stature as a practical matter. Even in WWII we see many gunto made right around 2 shaku. I would think a good place to get some actual data on this would be to look into the records of sword production said to still survive. Perhaps in the records of the Tadayoshi/Hizen Daimyo or some shinshinto smiths there exists details about who the swords were ordered for, specifically. We do know the economic fortunes of the ruling class deteriorated as the Edo era ran its course, with samurai became more and more indebted. As a result, we also know that swords were sold, pawned, etc. No doubt wakizashi formerly ordered by samurai ended up in merchant hands as time advanced. We also know that Daimyo and the upper levels of the samurai class were indeed able to afford wakizashi and kodogu by the top artists of the Edo period. Thus, it is quite uncertain when it comes to many wakizashi to determine exactly who owned and wore them through time. This is what the price differential addresses- the uncertainty. WIth daito, there isn't this uncertainty- daito were exclusive to the ruling class. There is no conjecture, no theory, no doubt.
    1 point
  43. Alan: "Wow that post is way too long!" Then goes and quotes entire post and adds 2 lines under it.... hehe. Barry and anyone else who liked it found value in it. If you don't, that's up to you, but it doesn't mean that all those other members are stupid or insincere. Also, the post was wordy. It was not pedantic. But sometimes if the situation is deep and in my case I wanted to address several other posts at the same time, a lot of writing is required. For people with short attention spans there is a scrollbar and it lets them bypass the message. But if you copy and paste it right back in, you're not improving the thing you're complaining about Edit: at least you got a smaller font going!
    1 point
  44. We do not focus on pricing here. Simple as that. Sometimes pricing may come into a discussion..but it is not our focus and never will be. We are not here to tell people what is expensive and what isn't. I am not prepared to take on that liability here. I am tentatively ok with people sometimes pointing out an obviously good deal (which can be disputed if people disagree) but that is about the limit of liability I am prepared to accept. Brian
    1 point
  45. Brian, maybe you are right. No use to compare prices without holding the blade in hand. Besides the very different taxation in the various countries make a big diference(Germany 19%). Jean, this actually means the price of the sword in question contains about 5.000,-€ VAT, which can be refunded for export, apart from additional discount by the proprietor . For German collectors and dealers I would like to add one interesting thing: I mentioned 2% Customs fee. Now I am well aware that there is no customs fee on antiques. Still, my invoices explicitly do not bear the remark "Antiques". The reason is the handling procedure of German customs. If they see "Antiques" on the attached invoice of an expensive item, they automatically suspect that somebody is trying to cheat. Now the merchandise resides for quite a while in the crude hands of sometimes very ignorant people, who try to find out if this is really an antique item. Sometimes, on my expense, an "expert" of the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce has to certify its age. All this might take weeks and if you ever received a TH blade with etched in fingerprints or a JT blade with a broken tip, you rather pay the "penalty tax" and the merchandise is directly delivered to your hometown customs office without delay and damage. It is sad, but a summary of 40 years of import experience! Chris, by the way, this lecture about sword length valuation was very interesting, thank you. Best, Martin
    1 point
  46. Hardly think it fair comparing any sword prices outside of Japan with those of a place like Aoi. It all depends on where you are, the number of available swords and the market. Swords in SA fetch more than in the US, as do those in the UK by quite a bit. There are less available, and more expenses such as shipping and duties. There are literally tons of swords available in Japan, and with dealer auctions, some are dirt cheap. Swords in Europe have a far smaller market and need more markup to sustain a business. I don't think comparing is fair at all, and we should not focus on pricing when discussing these. Brian
    1 point
  47. Briefly, Tokuno sensei states that he places a value of 100% on katana which are ubu, zaimei, with a genuine signature, of excellent quality and condition, and of length 2 shaku 3 sun to 2 shaku 5 sun. 1. Katana around 2 shaku 1 sun, plus or minus, are worth 70% unless they are sue Bizen katate-uchigatana, which are normally about 2 shaku 2 sun. 2. Long wakizashi (1 shaku 8 sun to 2 shaku) are valued at 40% to 70%. 3. Medium wakizashi (1 shaku 5 sun to 1 shaku 7 sun) are valued at 30% to 50%. 4. Hira-zukuri ko-wakizashi (1 shaku to 1 shaku 4 sun) are valued at 40% to 60%. 5. Tanto (less than 1 shaku) are valued at 30% to 60%. 6. Yari and Naginata are valued at 20% to 50%. 7. Blades with non-typical sugata are valued at 50% to 80%. Further, he states that before the war, swords longer than 2 shaku 6 sun were valued at wakizashi levels because they were impractical for use, expensive and difficult to polish, etc. Presently, since swords are now appreciated rather than used, this no longer holds true. He also mentions that each sword must be appraised individually and that his prices are just a general guide. As Jean has touched on, I think it is clear that more value is placed on blades that were most likely actually carried and/or used by samurai, not the merchant class.
    1 point
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