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Hello everyone, I wanted to give a quick introduction to my new dealer section. Having been active in this wonderful community for quite a while now, and having sold Japanese swords for over three years, I thought I would obtain dealer status here on NMB. This allows me to support the forum and have a more direct way to communicate updates concerning stock and upcoming swords. My name is Lex van der Jagt. I started selling antiques when I was 14 years old and started my own company as soon as I turned 18, based in the Netherlands. I have focused my interest on Nihonto ever since I was legally allowed to own them here in the Netherlands. I specialize in Japanese swords from the Koto period (before 1596 AD), as this is the period that interests me most and is also the main focus of my own collection. Japanese swords are my passion, and I stand behind every sword I sell. Almost all swords I sell come with modern NBTHK Kanteisho, and some have been submitted to shinsa by me personally. I visit Japan every three months in search of high-quality Koto-period swords that I can offer to my buyers, which I personally export by plane. I plan to have a website up and running within six months. Until then, you can contact me directly here or send me an email at: lexvdjagt@gmail.com. Greetings, Lex van der Jagt The Netherlands

Yesterday the famous sword appreciation event in Tokyo co-sponsored by the Toyama Sword Research Group and the e-Sword Research Group took place. It took 5 months to make happen. The theme Soshu-den, showed off a luxurious selection including Bizen Saburo Kunimune, Shintogo, Masamune, Norishige, Go Yoshihiro, Sa, Rai Kunitsugu, Taikei Naotane, Dewa Daijo Kunimichi, and Kashu Kiyomitsu! And even had the sword fittings, including the famous Atsuto Shiro, the sword fittings and Kaga metalwork that came with the famous Satsuamee koshirae, and the Hirata school of cloisonné! More than half the participants were female! #Sword

I'm very confused by a couple of things. First is that I don't think there are any words about Hiromitsu or Akihiro making Kodachi in the entire 3 pages about them in Fujishiro Sensei's Nihon Tōkō Jiten, 1938 edition. Another point is that Kodachi (in this context) means Tachi that is around 60cm (say 50~65cm) in Hachou, so a 65~70cm one is just a full-size regular Tachi. This is just 101 for Nihonto learning. I also failed to find the Soshu Masters' Mei on the Sashiomote side part in The Connoisseur’s Book p. 202, or any talk about this topic in the whole book of its Japanese version 刀剣鑑定読本. (English version using https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12592939W/The_connoisseur's_book_of_Japanese_swords) On this issue, I don't think Soshu masters even are exceptions. Usually we say that in the Koto times, part of Aoe and Motoshige (who is considered under Aoe influence) are the exceptions, signing on the Sashiomote. Soshu works are mostly Mumei, but here are a few examples. (Juyo Bijutsuhin Hasebe from Nanbokuchou, Mei on Hakiomote) (Juyo Bunkazai Akihiro, specifically labeled as Kodachi at 63cm, Mei on its Hakiomote) (Many, many signed Soshu master Shizu Kaneuji's Tachi from Nanbokuchou, Juyo Bijutsuhin and Bunkazai, the go-to when praising a later-time Soshu style work, "Wow! this sword reminds people of Shizu!") Actually, I would love to see enough exceptions from the Soshu masters where their Mei on Sashiomote and being labeled as Tachi or Kodachi by the officials. So......May I ask where are you getting your information...? On an unrelated note, LLMs are extremely unreliable with Kantei Kanshou stuff, lack even the most basic resources, knowledge, and often hallucinate. Lastly, I'm going out on a limb here, asking, is there a little confusion about how the Suriage process works...? Because a sword like this could never reach 69cm in its original size. Suriage is a one-directional process, cutting a sword's Nakago and turning the bottom blade part to new Nakago part. (In this case, like this.) Many people would get this wrong, but one can not Suriage a Kissaki (unless an unlikely scenario of an Ichimai Boshi), they are shortened mostly due to damage. Because Boshi, like Hamon, are fixed, and a sword loses most of its value when the last of the hardened are on Kissaki is lost. (in extreme cases, a Boshi-less sword became what we call Satsuma-Age.) (And the Kissaki of your sword seems fine, I think. Perhaps 1 or at most 2cm lost?) So you can't "gain" extra original length from the Kissaki part, just the bottom, which is very limited because of the remaining Mei part, giving no more than 10cm of room in the most ideal circumstances, making your sword no longer than 60cm originally, like other has pointed out.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your expertise, references, and insights on this piece. I really appreciate the thorough analysis of the dimensions, signature styles, and the historical context. You've given me a great deal of genuine knowledge to consider. Thank you again for your time and for a very educational discussion!

Kannon tsuba by Kano Natsuo Halo figures, recent additions to older tsuba? A cross over from Kannon to the Christian Madonna - "Maria-Kannon" This syncretic icon was developed in the 17th century by the Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians)

I want to add that the overall signature style does not seem to coincide with known signatures of Hiromitsu, take this signed Juyo Wakizashi below: (It is signed Sagamikuni Jyunin Hiromitsu not Sagami Koku Junin, but you can clearly see the differing execution and position of Mei.) source: https://iidakoendo.com/4225/ My two cents are that this Wakizashi was never a Tachi or Katana. But simply a Wakizashi. In my opinion a Keicho period work, or around that period. Greetings, Lex

Andrew: Please re-read Moriyama-san's response. The kanji used to identify the town and city names were not used during WW2. When translating WW2 artifacts, it's important to know that the entire kanji system was revised in 1946. 385 kanji were redesigned (mostly simplified), the base requirements of kanji that one needed to learn changed, and the types of kanji used in Names was established. This was actually a law. So when Moriyama-san says that incorrect kanji were used, it's important. It means the tag could not have been written prior to 1946 (after the war). And indeed, one of the town names did not change until 1950. So while the tag may be "old" it is most likely NOT from WW2. Just food for thought. John C.

Welcome and best of luck Lex!

Can only be the same issue, and I read some analysis of the methods being used for these attacks and they are extremely difficult for ISP's to mitigate. Just have to wait it out until the issue is over I'm afraid.

Exactly. And this isn't really about any expertise or studying nihonto. A tachi would need 60 cm Nagasa, kissaki to hamachi. This is purely about logic and numbers. Your numbers: 63.5 total length - 5 cm current cut down mei - 3 cm habaki = 55.5 cm nagase at MAX. so even if the mei startet right under the habaki. Which is 99.9% not the case: that thing never was a long enough.

FYI, the Toyama Study group has now grown to 238 members! This is an increase of 18 new members since my last post less than 2 weeks ago!

Not sure what the symbology is, or maybe it's a mon. Posted by @Toki HERE

Still, a tachi from Nambokucho would've been significantly longer. The sugata of that time was mostly impressive in size. Tachi were regularly exceeding 90cm. Even if a tachi was on the very lower end of 70cm nagase: you Waki has 63.5 cm total length now. You have to deduct I guess 5 or 6 cm for mei, another 3 or 4 cm for the habaki. So there is no chance that even in theory, your sword ever was a tachi or katana. Well, only if the smith signed his work as horimono, way before the munemachi. Just kidding. So if you want to learn about swords; you maybe want to change your direction on this particular piece a little bit. And I agree, it's a beautiful and interesting piece. Best, Alex

I am currently on train so I cannot write too long post. However as the sword seems to be 49 cm in current form and would seem to have long portion of the mei intact, I would guess it would have been under 60 cm blade originally.

Granules of silver melted onto the base metal - just hot enough to pool the silver without it running off. Rare because getting the temperature correct is extremely difficult. Technique found here in:: https://ia801304.us.archive.org/2/items/arsorientalisar111979univ/arsorientalisar111979univ.pdf ARS ORIENTALIS THE TECHNIQUES OF THE Japanese TSUBA-MAKER By ELAINE I. SAVAGE* and CYRIL STANLEY SMITH** VOL . 11 FREER GALLERY OF ART, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION DEPARTMENT OF THE HISTORY OF ART, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Copyright © 1979 " An interesting variation is the use of silver in the effect called gama-hada , “toad-skin” surface. In this, convex drops of silver are attached to an iron surface to yield interesting contrasts of shape, texture and color (fig. 35). For rather subtle reasons dependent on the balance of inter-atomic forces at the interfaces between the iron, the silver, and the air, the molten metal does not spread out over the surface, but remains as drops with a well-defined angle of contact (fig. 36)." The technique does sometimes [mostly?] fail, I have an example of such.

Brian, Just wondering what happened yesterday afternoon (USA Mountain Time). Tried a couple times, "Server Not Found" message kept popping up.

Hello everyone, I am currently working on a full koshirae project around a katana signed: Bizen Kuni jū Osafune Kiyomitsu saku kore 備前国住長船清光作之 The blade is dated: Eiroku 5 nen 8 gatsu hi 永禄五年八月日 August 1562. It has NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers. The blade length is noted as 2 shaku 2 sun 8 bu han, approximately 69.2 cm. There is also an oshigata / sayagaki by Hon’ami Nisshu, dated a lucky day in February 1991, Heisei 3. The sayagaki describes the smith as: Bizen Kuni jū Osafune Gorōzaemon no Jō Kiyomitsu. I am trying to understand the blade and the project as a whole, not just the mei. I would be grateful for any opinions on the following points: How should I understand this blade within late Muromachi / Sue-Bizen production? I understand that many Sue-Bizen blades were made during a period of heavy demand, but this example is signed, dated, Tokubetsu Hozon, and appears to have been considered worthy of a Hon’ami Nisshu oshigata. Does this place it above ordinary wartime production, or is that still too broad an assumption? Why does the sayagaki use the fuller attribution “Gorōzaemon no Jō Kiyomitsu”, while the mei itself reads “Bizen Kuni jū Osafune Kiyomitsu saku kore”? Am I correct in thinking that the sayagaki is identifying the specific Kiyomitsu generation/title, rather than contradicting the mei? I am also commissioning a new koshirae in Japan using selected antique fittings. The planned fittings include an Aizu Shōami iron tsuba, shakudō fuchi-kashira, antique menuki, black samegawa, dark brown silk tsuka-ito, black lacquer saya, and a custom satin silver habaki. I will attach some pictures below. As a general sanity check, does this seem like a coherent project for this type of blade? I am aiming for something understated, historically respectful, and not overly decorative. Finally, I would appreciate a market perspective on the total cost. The whole project, including the blade, koshirae work, fittings, habaki, import and transport to Europe, will likely be around 1.750.000/2.000.000JPY all-in. I am not asking because I intend to sell it; I see it as a long-term collection piece. I simply want to understand whether this total cost seems reasonable for a complete, papered, signed and dated Kiyomitsu project in the current market. I know that value depends heavily on condition, polish, workmanship, papers, fittings and overall quality, so I am not looking for a precise valuation. I would just appreciate informed opinions on whether the project and budget make sense. Thank you very much for any guidance, corrections or references.

This is the kind of thing that makes me wish I lived in Japan... A famous sword appreciation event co-sponsored by the Toyama Sword Research Association and the branch e-Sword Research Association will be held on the 30th May. At the sword fittings exhibition, you will be able to see the sword fittings that came with the mountings of Satsuki Amee and Atsuto Shiro. This time, the sword lineup is also luxurious, including Bizen Saburo Kunimune, Shindo Go, Masamune, Norishige, Go, Hidari, Kunitsugu Rai, Naotane Daikei, Dewa Daijo Kunimichi, and Kashu Kiyomitsu, and it's already packed to capacity. Getting to hold and examine this calibre of sword is the stuff of legend. No wonder it is already fully subscribed. Sounds like the kind of meetup that Honma writes about in his memoirs. The next one is in July - for those interested and able to get to Toyama.

I managed to screw up the quote feature… in response to: “Probably again the aliens....” Maybe we are asking too many questions!

Same in Canada - world wide it seems but also resolves fairly quickly. These sort of attacks against servers and other web agencies are going to continue and get worse as these folks have nothing better to do than cause others grief just because they can.

I have one wakizashi with the same material, only a black lacquer ground. My bet is fish bone.

Hey all! As written in another post (Here) I recently recieved a new Tanto. The fittings it came with remind me a bit of Aikuchi style Koshirae, but they look different to previous pieces I have seen. I would be grateful for any kind of insight. For once, the Kurigata is a simple metal ring, decorated with what looks to be a chrysanthemum motive. The Fuchi is plain metal, while the Kashira has a hole with a leather strap. The Habaki has some kind of Mon engraved on both sides, maybe a Mitsuboshi Mon (three star crest) ? The same Mon can be found on the opposite side of the Kurigata, below the Kozuka "pocket", engraved on some kind of metal fitting on the Saya. Sadly it did not have a Kozuka come with it :/ Please see the pictures below for reference! Does anyone have an idea what this could be? All the best Erik

Thank you for these updates Brett. It is a joy to see so healthy and growing collecting group.

Had some issues too lately, but with a VPN to South Africa, all works fine

Great attitude Hengu, vital for true learners, but so hard for most people to handle.

Lex, Nice to hear that You turn into full fledged specialist.

Hello @tosogu_eu, Thank you. I will be attending the JAF every day in Utrecht. But won’t have a personal stand this year. I will however be there to represent our local Dutch Token Society. But I would love to have a chat!

Always good to have people close by in Europe. Do we see you in Utrecht, Lex? Best wishes from Frankfurt. Alex

Lex, wishing you the very best of luck…but really luck doesn’t come into it. Build and retain a solid reputation and you will do well.

Sounds like it went well. Good assembly of some heady Soshu-den names too. If they can consistently pull off events of this quality I wouldn't be surprised to see membership continue to grow at the current rate, if not more.

Dear forum, Moses did my first restoration on a sword several years back. I was in my late 20s at the time. I am now 31 years old. Age wise almost the entire forum and Moses knew and still know more than me. This was the sword that I picked to restore (see link bellow). The sword was a beginners level sword and the restoration was commensurate to that. I believe that Moses is capable of substantial work through his experience more so than by formal training. I wouldn't send him anything capable of papering as juyo or above because what he charges does not reflect the same level of skill as that can be found in Japan. He's a gentleman to deal with and is straight forward in his work. Would I use him again, yes, but not for the caliber of swords in my crosshairs. https://nihontoantiques.com/project/bizen-sword-fss-896/ Be well, Khalid

Same here. Gave up trying to access the site, figuring it was better just to leave a block of time for it to resolve itself. Came back strongly, though.

Nice work Lukas Any plans for stands for tsuba or other fittings (especially kozuka)?

To put it in more kantei type language: 相州伝風の働き盛んなる出来にして、沸強く付き、葉よく入り、金筋・砂流し頻りに現る。 It is a workmanship displaying vigorous Sōshū-style activity, with strong nie, abundant yo, and frequent appearances of kinsuji and sunagashi. or 荒々しい出来 (araarashii deki) Bold, turbulent workmanship. It’s that odd mei………..

Yes I have searched and thus far never seen a CONVEX LENS shaped guard - it is not oval or egg shaped - perhaps it represents a grain of rice?

I am sorry for the bad news, but this is not authentic nor Japanese. https://www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html

The one Dale posted @Spartancrest is a very rare example. It looks like deliberate inlays of metal blobs to me. Here's a nice variant of the etched toadskin effect that is actually in the for sale section on NMB. I keep looking at it lol. I have a similar one in yamagane copper. It has the sort of splotchy fractal-esque pattern that you get when some solutions are subjected to conditions that cause them to clump and separate like that, using something called a "reaction-diffusion mechanism". Maybe misting on drops of something hydrophobic to cause the initial resist solution (maybe urushi lacquer?) to recede into clustered pools? That kind of process makes sense to me because it already exists in various "irregularly spotted" patterning effects seen in nature like in tabby cats and cheetahs. Varying the degree of the effect gets different patterning results, from something more stripe-like to something splotchy. I did my M.Sc. degree on pattern development in plants so it's something I am familiar with On a similar note, but different, misting water is also used in Western-style Raku firing of ceramics to get a linear fractal-like crackling effect. But, that's more because of rapid cooling and heat differential when the spray of cool water hits the red hot glaze, rather than hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions. Hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions will get irregular spotty blobs. I have also done this in person so have first hand experience with this too. Lots of fun.

Dear Rob, I can chime in. How should I understand this blade within late Muromachi / Sue-Bizen production? It is a blade of the late Osafune school, in its fourth phase of activity, the so-called "Sue-Bizen" phase that last until the flood of the river Yoshii. Bizen was the largest production center of swords, and produced both domestic and foreign exports to the mainland. If you want to really take a deep dive into the school to contextualize the work within the broader school period, check here: https://nihontowatch.com/lineages/osafune (note that it is a very early project, and will contains errors). I understand that many Sue-Bizen blades were made during a period of heavy demand, but this example is signed, dated, Tokubetsu Hozon, and appears to have been considered worthy of a Hon’ami Nisshu oshigata. Does this place it above ordinary wartime production, or is that still too broad an assumption? Because it is a finely crafted blade, in a period where quality varied dramatically based on the client demands. Contrary to an old belief, even in blades without the full artisan name spelled out, there are some high-quality pieces intended as top of the line products. Note that Hon'ami Nisshu was not a exceedingly good at kantei, some of his sayagaki call for enhanced scrutiny (i.e. are inflated or simply off), and one should have ideally the kiwame (appraisal) confirmed by Tanobe sensei. Why does the sayagaki use the fuller attribution “Gorōzaemon no Jō Kiyomitsu”, while the mei itself reads “Bizen Kuni jū Osafune Kiyomitsu saku kore”? The traits indicative of master Gorōzaemon's hand are apparent in the blade to the eyes of Hon'ami Nisshu, allowing for the narrowing of the attribution. Alternatively, In certain cases, it is a statement on the quality rather than a narrowing of the attribution range, a way to praise the sword above those bearing this signature type. You can learn about “Gorōzaemon no Jō Kiyomitsu” here: https://nihontowatch.com/artists/kiyomitsu-KIY173 Am I correct in thinking that the sayagaki is identifying the specific Kiyomitsu generation/title, rather than contradicting the mei? It is narrowing down to the author, there is no contradiction. Kiyomitsu is a lineage within Sue-Bizen, and many smiths operated under this name. Similar with the Sukesada line. I am also commissioning a new koshirae in Japan using selected antique fittings. The planned fittings include an Aizu Shōami iron tsuba, shakudō fuchi-kashira, antique menuki, black samegawa, dark brown silk tsuka-ito, black lacquer saya, and a custom satin silver habaki. I will attach some pictures below. As a general sanity check, does this seem like a coherent project for this type of blade? I am aiming for something understated, historically respectful, and not overly decorative. I think this is the right approach and you don't need the usual warning of avoiding the "koshirae americana" style. In my experience, it is useful to study books on Koshirae with historical photos, check Markus's Sesko website - there is, as I recall, a lovely illustrated book on Koshirae that he has translated. Do keep in mind that you are unlikely to recoup your investment, it is a labor of love and a to leave behind a testament of care to the sword for the next owner. Also, be aware that Tosogu are not 'modular' in their ability to fit blades, there is no standard rail measurements. Fuchi, Kashira, Tsuba, all need to be appropriately sized to the blade's proportion, and reworked in some cases. Avoiding excessive rework on precious tosogu is important, as it may lead to the proportions being off on top of it. For instance, Fuchi and Tsuba Seppa Dai need to be close in measurements, and the overall pieces need to be appropriate for the motohaba and kasane of the blade. Finally, I would appreciate a market perspective on the total cost. The whole project, including the blade, koshirae work, fittings, habaki, import and transport to Europe, will likely be around 1.750.000/2.000.000JPY all-in. I am not asking because I intend to sell it; I see it as a long-term collection piece. I simply want to understand whether this total cost seems reasonable for a complete, papered, signed and dated Kiyomitsu project in the current market. I think you may be underestimating the total cost or going for lower-level labor. It's also possible to achieve decent results this way, but keep in mind It is not easy work to get right, and you should make sure you have the right person to handle it in Japan. Koshirae outcomes widely differ in results. The best way to handle it is full art patron style: elect a promising craftsman who wants to compete in the fittings competition of NBHTK, give them artistic freedom. If the Koshirae is made for submission at the contest, it is the best way to communicate your intention of historical accuracy and high-quality work. Perhaps, best for the next sword. I hope this helps, good luck with your project, and we are looking forward to seeing the results. Hoshi

Frank, Your sword is in what is called "shirasaya" or resting case/fittings. The intact white rings are there for looks mostly, and would look like this one: The peg, or mekugi, might be bamboo that's been lacquered. Sometimes they are made of horn. You can replace the mekugi by cutting the end off a chopstick to fit. All standard mekugi are made of bamboo, but upgraded, more expensive mekugi can be made of other things.

I was told there was an issue but by the time I logged in, all was working fine. The whole of SA has had some serious internet disruptions the past few days. Apparently massive DDOS attacks launched against all the ISP's, and most have had some serious problems, so I'm guessing that was part of it. No-one knows why or by whom, but it's a large one, and taken down most of the providers for a bit. I expect there may be some lingering issues over the next few days.

Wow! Talk about an amazing event to attend. I have been happy to see in many of my searches for famous swords, links and references to Touken Ranbu. There are a lot of sword "characters" representing many of the famous meito and other kokuho blades.

Glad to find out about this! As I live in Japan, I might try to subscribe to a future event. Best, Hector

The topic of how to take pictures of blades is repeated here regularly Above all, it requires the right equipment for photography and PATIENCE Maybe some will not agree with me, but forget about the camera in your mobile phone You shoot in "bad" lighting conditions (longer shutter speed), you need to capture very fine details (low ISO) I recommend a dark room to minimize reflexion from the surroundings What you need: a tripod, a camera with full manual control (focusing, ISO setting, aperture, shutter speed, white balance ...), ideally a high-quality macro lens of at least 70mm (I use 180mm), a remote shutter release is a good aid against camera shake For photographing from the top, I use two flat LED light sources (left and right) if I want to photograph the blade without reflection ( I couldn't find a way to insert photos between the text, so the photos will be at the end ) However, you can also use a spot light and even by slightly changing the position of the light (its reflection from the surface of the blade) you will achieve different photo results Different light sources (LED, halogen, classic light bulb, warm LED, cold LED...) achieve different results Likewise, the distance of the light source from the blade changes the result of the photo So experiment and what suits you best Several spotlights for shooting at an angle The same applies to choosing a light source as I wrote above (type of light, light temperature, distance from the blade...) And then achieving the "correct position" of the blade is sometimes a difficult task You have two options: move the lights and camera, or the blade Sometimes a change of position of only a few millimeters is necessary to achieve the correct reflection of the martensitic structures The hardest part is taking the first few good photos Then you will only get better But it requires PATIENCE

same here, makes me actually concentrate in class though..

Same issues here in Germany. Sometimes slow loading, but website not available most of the day. Probably again the aliens....

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/cloud-hosting/651047-south-african-internet-company-hit-by-large-scale-ddos-attack.html This is our hosts.

Site trouble today too. I haven't been able to look in for some six hours this afternoon.

Note that I did say that these were the photos I had to work from i.e. they were provided by the auction house,sorry if you misunderstood,is English your 1st language? charles.