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Showing content with the highest reputation since 03/22/2024 in Posts

  1. This sword could live just as happily live in the Nihonto section as well as the Military. A May 1941 (Takahashi) YOSHIMUNE, in the less common aluminium saya, All the fittings are matching numbered "1538", indicating an original complete sword. His lineage as a swordsmith is without question, his brother SADATSUGU was a "Living National Treasure". This BIZEN tradition sword has a nice hamon and hada, the photos do it no justice. The MEI translates to "The God of war, Minamoto YOSHIMUNE made this". I share this sword because I spent years trying to find a top example of his work as I think he was one of the top Gendai sword makers. I acknowledge using pages from Slough.
    18 points
  2. Hi folks, after the regular semi-annual oiling session (of my nihonto), i decided to invest some time on my day off and revisit every piece of my collection. After observing them using different lightsources (sunlight, LED) i also tried to shoot some good pictures. Which went okay with the tsuba... and horrible with the blades. Especially the photographing part was interesting, because i was able to see a lot of activities in the blades and texture details of the tsuba. I learned a lot of new things about my own collection, even from pieces i owned for over 10 years and my passion for the hobby got quite a boost again. So the morale of the story is, take your time appreciating what interests you, even when life gets in the way a lot. Here are some of the pictures that came out okay:
    11 points
  3. Hi! I found some nice tigers that I think work well together. The F/K is signed Yanagawa Naokatsu. Do anyone have an idea what school the tsuba could belong to? Anthony
    8 points
  4. OK, got some advice from a sword buddy, a quick setup and progress being made.
    8 points
  5. I am a fairly longtime member of NBTHK and I am supporting the organization as I believe they are doing many good things. However I have never sent anything to shinsa and for the forseeable future I wont at least in few upcoming years. This is bit astray from the original topic but as I feel the discussion is quite interesting. While I do believe the system that Japanese shinsa provide, however I believe for all of the organizations it is business. And while various organizations of course work as well as they can, there are several factors that affect their full capability. Here it should be noted that I have never been even close to a shinsa session and do not really know how they work. For NBTHK time seems to be a limiting factor. As some may know NBTHK has now put a maximum number of 1,600 blades for Hozon / Tokubetsu Hozon tōken shinsa. I do think the submission numbers were higher than that recently so they had to put a limit in order to manage deadlines. I am not priviledged enough to know how they process the swords and evaluate them but when you process 1,600 swords within a limited time, you cannot actually spend huge amount of time per one blade. I remember few years ago I discussed this a bit with Darcy and perhaps we tried to crank some numbers. I am not mathematically that good but I know that big number of items with limited time equals little time per each item. Here are some numbers for recent Jūyō shinsa that are of course previously already passed Tokubetsu Hozon, so items are already verified. Session 69 - Application period 2.10. - 4.10. and 828 blades were sent in. Final judging for swords 1.11. and 56 blades passed. Session 68 - Application period 3.10. - 5.10. and 817 blades were sent in. Final judging for swords 2.11. and 66 blades passed. Session 67 - Application period 4.10. - 6.10. and 852 blades were sent in. Final judging for swords 29.10. and 111 blades passed. I do believe NBTHK probably might have one of the largest reference collections. Plus I believe they do keep a record of all issued certificates but I believe they would classify them by number as that will make it easiest to search specific certificate numbers. As that is the most logical way to keep them. I would also believe that access to NBTHK certificate data is to staff only. However with the reference materials I can focus on the second issue time vs. reference materials. As we all know there are some common references where we usually check the signatures. However in order to make a reference book effective you can only feature X number of items per specific smith. When working with time restraints there is a limit how much research you can do. When you have to go through hundreds of signatures within one month it gets bit limited compared to researching one specific signature for multiple months. I take Bizen Nagamitsu (長光) here as an example. Fujishiro - 8 reference mei Sesko Meikan - 11 reference mei In my personal references I have 207 different (verified by experts) signed items by Nagamitsu The reference books will create a good general base for signatures but there are possibilities not featured in common references. Of course in general you don't have to dig up all the possible reference signatures of the smith but sometimes few in common references might not be enough. And the final thought on my mind that must be considered is expert knowledge. I have never attended NBTHK meeting in Japan but the times in Europe I have been around senior NBTHK-EB members I have been astonished by their kantei skill and knowledge when quickly viewing items. The kantei sessions in both years at Utrecht were really nice to see how much details people pick up in extremely short viewing. I will always remember taking my own tachi to NBTHK Scandinavia meeting where a senior member told me fine details after a minute or so viewing the sword that I did not know about my own sword I had owned for quite a while... I think that my point is to encourage doing research and having fun doing it but at the same time there is a reason why NTHK or NBTHK shinsa team would have certain members, they are experts.
    8 points
  6. Here is an early one I think, I have submitted for NBTHK shinsa this year. The surface has a nice layer of black lacquer applied to it. The design is a plain textured surface with copper and lead inlays. The plate construction is made up of three layers with rim clover holding everything together very tightly.
    8 points
  7. Thanks Brian, I post the occasional sword to share my enjoyment whilst I have it in my care, until the next generation can acquire and preserve it. I know iPhone photos are not always the best way to show off a sword's attributes, but I do my best. If I have ever had a question about a sword, I do it by PM, in a polite way. There are many folk out there that have an interest in Japanese military swords and GENDAI, and not a day passes that I am not on the phone, email or SMS to one. And thanks to "whatsapp" many overseas (hi Bruce!). For many collectors on this forum, the Military section is their first go-to area. Keep it positive, polite and constructive.
    7 points
  8. The Fuchi signature says: right: Yoshiaki(嘉章) left: Masanaga (雅永) 
    6 points
  9. My first Nihonto. It’s nothing special but I’m proud to be its custodian. I purchased it from Aoi Art in Japan. Im just a baby in the world of Nihonto and thought I’d jump in and buy early in my journey to learn from a blade in hand. Open to comments and opinions.
    6 points
  10. Don't think there is any need for that, bit harsh? Looks like a lovely sword to me, with excellent fittings from a very good smith that is highly rated. I'd be happy to own it.
    6 points
  11. Trip down memory lane ……this tiny little book was the first book that I managed to discover way back in the dark ages. A local book dealer tracked it down for me. There was no internet back then (1978) and I can still remember feeling that I had discovered the answer to all my prayers. Knowledge from Japan! A couple of years later I found Robinson. The excitement was immense🙂 (I was living in the middle of nowhere back then as well) Compare that to what we have at our fingertips today Anyone else got this one in their library? Or interesting recollections of early enlightenment?
    6 points
  12. Well, he said he makes all his own lacquer tools so he didn't need the spatulae. (My other friend who was also there however, did want them.) As he handed the 'finished' article back to me, he added a final word. "I still do not like this. You should strip it all back and start again." "The cannon is probably just an old casting reject," I said, "so I am not too bothered about getting everything 100% correct. Besides, I do not have your patience." Footnote. While I was preparing the guns for Sunday's live event, I gave the barrel of the little cannon a quick clean-out. Imagine my surprise to see how much blackpowder came wafting out of it. I wrapped up the pile in a tissue and burnt it outside. Gunpowder indeed! The pungent smoke gave off that familiar burning blackpowder smell which we get at every event. The inner walls must have been caked with it. Perhaps it had once functioned as a powder tester after all.
    5 points
  13. Bizen no kuni Osafune ju Sukesada saku Looks shinshinto. If an authentic mei, then perhaps late (Yokoyama work).
    5 points
  14. It looks like a nice iron tsuba with an appealing design. A nice addition to any Japanese sword in your collection thanks for sharing. I would estimate the age ranging from mid to late Edo Period circa the 18th to mid 19th Century. From my own experience and study, it is likely an unsigned work of the prolific Shōami Ryū-ha (正阿弥流派) school after they had branched out from Kyōto (京都) into the different provinces after the Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama Periods. I have seen similar signed examples made by artist of Aizu Shōami Ryū-ha (会津正阿弥流派).
    5 points
  15. Check out the tsuba and Tanto prices! https://www.bonhams....-art-part-ii/?page=6
    5 points
  16. G'day Guys, Here are some shots of a Gassan Sadakazu tanto dated 1867, which is very similar to the 1863 dated Sadayoshi tanto I posted earlier. It has very similar masame hada with the grain completely folded around on itself in the boshi, just like in the Sadayoshi signed example. Does anyone know the term for this? Cheers, Bryce
    5 points
  17. Token (Eastern Construction 東建コーポレーション Corporation)in Nagoya have created a museum using world-play on To-ken, for blades = 刀剣, called Touken World. 刀剣・日本刀の専門サイト「刀剣ワールド」 (touken-world.jp) This website seems to have been designed to come up with searches from almost any angle. Originally they bought up Nihonto blades from everywhere, and then suits of armo(u)r, with seemingly very deep pockets, for a pretty comprehensive collection, but after some time they decided to devote an extra floor to the history of Japanese guns. A little birdie whispers that it will be the largest number on display in Japan, featuring around 350 old Japanese guns of all types. After several postponements, the museum is now supposed to open officially on 1st May 2024. Anyway, just a heads-up. PS I suspect, but have no proof yet, that a couple of my own guns may have eventually ended up there... something to look out for!
    4 points
  18. Hi, 夏雄鏨 (chiseled by Natsuo)
    4 points
  19. Rather than "bickering" as Hamfish says, I will accept the challenge from Franco D and try and take better photos. As "oli" suggested, I will rig up better lighting. My original post was photographed as I was doing its regular clean and oil, and not set up for photography. So how about we take a rain check on the discussion, and I will post (hopefully) better photos.
    4 points
  20. As far as I'm aware, Takahashi Yoshimune, never made showato.
    4 points
  21. Kyu-gunto in good condition koshirae with an old So-den Bizen style blade. Osuriage mumei. There is an NTHK kanteisho to Hirotaka, but the blade looks very much koto and has a complete nie-deki choji-midare hamon (with a resemblance to the style of Kencho/Chogi). The Shinto attribution given on the papers is very surprising, and although the blade is tired in a few areas the quality of workmanship is excellent. $1,995 + shipping & PayPal
    4 points
  22. Hi Thomas, not angry, just frustrated, with the hobby in general. Actually taking a break from the hobby but will come back just to clarify a little. I'm not pulling theories out of thin air by the way. We all look at things differently, some of us may have seen stuff out of the norm with blades we own and swords we see for sale online. Ive seen, own, blades by WELL KNOWN smiths (with HOZEN) where the mei has a discrepancy, an obvious discrepancy. You look in the books, usual Fujishiro or whatever and noted discrepancy is NOT in there, no record of it. Over the years, that FACT as got me wondering about NBTHK data. If said blades where the mei has a discrepancy (yes, using that word again) have HOZEN, then that means the NBTHK MUST have ACCESS to much more data than any of us here. Either that or they have no choice to give hozen as the rest of the blade speaks for itself and the mei is as they might think, close enough. I cant imagine the NBTHK not compiling info in the hope of pushing this hobby further. Anyone here can look at online stores, look at mei from well known smiths. At times it can be quite surprising and enlightening. When folks here state stuff like "I believe using the same references that the shinsa teams" then to me its not entirely true. As stated above, its a mistake to think any library we own can compete with the data/knowledge of NBTHK, folks that do this for a living. So when i see folks here debating a mei and coming to conclusions they think are FACT, without looking at the blade first, in polish, then it starts to niggle a little. As said, nothing wrong with opinions if they if's and maybe, see someone that knows better etc. Our opinions are formed by what we see and they are always changing as we see more, often contradicting what we think we know. We here toy with the hobby, we just don't see enough or know enough. In that respect, we are way behind and its wrong to state opinions as FACTS In me eyes a lot of it is still a mystery, the hobby is surrounded by BS and think we are still somewhat in the dark ages. For me, that's the issue with Japanese swords. It needs to advance, its too easy for us just to sit here and talk about stuff we think we know. Have been impressed with Jussi over recent years, its folks like him that are pushing this hobby further with compiling useful information and very kindly sharing it. I guess there is some light in that respect. Anyways, just making a point and thats all i want to say again on this subject, goodbye for now. Best Perplexed Al
    4 points
  23. Sorry to say that the blade is a Chinese fake. I am 99% sure.
    4 points
  24. Great topic and for me quite timely. Yesterday after the NBTHK meeting, I visited the excellent tsuba exhibition now on at the Osafune Sword Museum, and our sword sensei showed us around, commenting on almost everything. I took the chance to ask a raft of questions. Later over lunch I showed him a tsuba and asked where he thought it was from. Owari? Kyoto? Akasaka? He turned it over and over in his hands and I saw his facial muscles twitching as he narrowed it down under his analytical mind... Finally he handed it back to me and said with a smile, "Let's just take the Shoami escape route!" 「正阿弥」へ逃げるか? On the box I had written a note in pencil: ‘Owari?’. Later I erased that and wrote ‘Shōami?’ 'Shoami' is like a sponge to mop up the rest.
    4 points
  25. I could be wrong, but looks ok to me. A legit old piece. I don't think tsuba like this were made to be perfectly flat, the imperfections add to the character.
    4 points
  26. More on the Takahashi brothers to support Neil's post
    4 points
  27. NBTHK publishes the financial report yearly, so it is easy to see where the money comes in. It is featured every year in Tōken Bijutsu magazine. I won't post exact numbers here but I can list few things to give some insight. Reiwa 5 - 2023 report Jūyō shinsa makes little bit more money than full year of NBTHK Sword museum admissions. Yearly Hozon/Tokubetsu Hozon shinsa generate roughly 8x the money yearly NBTHK Sword museum admissions. (This seemed to be very good financial year for museum admissions vs. previous ones) Reiwa 4 - 2022 report Jūyō shinsa makes bit over 4x money vs. full year of NBTHK Sword museum admissions. (I believe this financial year had TJ shinsa too) Yearly Hozon/Tokubetsu Hozon shinsa generate roughly 15x the money yearly NBTHK Sword museum admissions. Reiwa 3 - 2021 report Jūyō shinsa makes c. 2,8x money vs. full year of NBTHK Sword museum admissions. Yearly Hozon/Tokubetsu Hozon shinsa generate roughly 15x the money yearly NBTHK Sword museum admissions. I am not interested in economics or money stuff in general but it is easy to see that shinsa sessions are huge source of revenue for NBTHK. Those interested in financial stuff can pick up the May issues of the magazines as they have the full information with exact numbers. However the money brought in by shinsa sessions actually provide the means to NBTHK to carry out their purpose as listed above. You need enough money to cover the expenses of the organization (which are also listed in the report) in order to keep it running.
    3 points
  28. Two tigers one leopard - in ancient times the Japanese believed that leopards were female tigers. I don't imagine any mating between the two was very successful! https://www.smithson...anese-art-180941036/ "A few tigers had visited Japan before its cultural isolation ended in the late nineteenth century, full-grown cats and mewling kittens given as gifts to warlords and shoguns. But most artists seem to have depicted tigers using imported pelts as reference. Many artists also liked to depict leopards in the mistaken belief they were female tigers, a family of spots and stripes." Tiger and Leopard menuki
    3 points
  29. A progress report. I bought a small (probably too small) LED light, and took some more photos. Whilst the sword looks great in the light, capturing it on iPhone camera is challenging, my daughter held the light and I tried to take photos. As I said, I will get the right gear probably after Easter and try again, so some photographic progress is being made, but I will do better. These 3 photos were taken at different areas of the sword, with different light angles. Hada and Habuchi are better pronounced, but I want to do better.
    3 points
  30. First, let me be perfectly clear, I'M NOT SAYING THIS SWORD IS NOT TRADITIONALLY MADE! What I am saying is that based on the images I see no evidence that it is traditionally made. Now, Neil has said that poor photography is the problem. That's plausible and acceptable if that is the case. It may also be the case that the polish does this sword no favors. It may in fact be a combination of both poor photography and poor polish, each being understandable. A war time polish is not an art polish and anyone having tried taking pics of a Japanese sword understands the difficulty. Back to the sword. Neil says clear hamon. Sorry, but the images do not show a clear hamon. In fact, there are sections in the images that do reflect and are not that bright. Yes, it could still be nioi, but of what quality? Even more than that there are sections in the images of the hamon that look very shadowy without any indication of reflection. What is that about? Yes, it could be camera angle and or a light problem. Still, it raises questions. "Show me the beef." Show me the nioi? Ok, now to hada? What I'm seeing in the images might be, could be, machined steel rather than tamahagane. Again, "where's the beef?" Or at the very least let's hear a verbal description. The nioi/nie is .... , the hada is .... , there's this activity .... . You know, "show and tell." Tell us what makes this sword a Yoshimune besides the mei? Collect what you like but know what you collect. Regards
    3 points
  31. Stop hijacking my thread with pointless bickering. Post sweet minty gunto or go to the iz
    3 points
  32. I cannot see any boundless enthusiasm nor any complacency in Neil’s comments or description. I can however see some ill-considered and bizarrely unjustified comments elsewhere.
    3 points
  33. Because I am not the God, I never say 100% or 0%.
    3 points
  34. John, I just posted one pic showing sugata. There were over 30 pics I reviewed. Nagasa 78cm ubu. I saw enough in pics to pull the trigger on this one. I have made quite a few brave (dumb) purchases in the past. I am currently working on trying to unmaster the art of Brave purchases lol cheers
    3 points
  35. Maybe the photos are not as perfect as I indicated in the description. BUT it is traditionally made with very clear hamon, hada and importantly habuchi. If you want evidence, get on a plane and come and see it for yourself, otherwise.........
    3 points
  36. 10 tsuba just added for sale Available on: www.tsubashi.com
    3 points
  37. On your sword you have 越前守源 Echizen-no-kami Minamoto 越前守源 Echizen-no-kami Minamoto Minamoto is a clan name. It is common to put a clan name on swords, and Minamoto is the most common clan name. It wouldn't be too hard to give a final verdict, I think, but often it is hard to do so just by looking at photographs. Actually the sword tends to be more important than the inscription. What I mean is, the appraisers will look at the sword, the shape, the tip, the steel, the grain, any crystal structures in the steel, etc... and base their determination largely on those things, rather than on the signature. Well, of course they look at both, but if the sword is a perfect match for what a Nobuyoshi sword should look like, they will accept some slight variations in the signature. On the other hand, if the signature is a perfect match, but the sword shows a lot of deviations from a typical Nobuyoshi sword, they may deem the sword to be a fake. Swords were shortened for a variety of reasons. It is very, very common in the sword world to find a shortened sword. Maybe the sword was damaged and was shortened to remove the damaged bit. Maybe the original size was too long for the person who acquired it, and so they wanted it shortened for ease of use. Or maybe the sword was acquired by a non-samurai, who wasn't allowed to have a long sword, so it was shortened to comply with the rules for swords for commoners.
    3 points
  38. Maybe 備州住友久 - Bishū ju Tomohisa
    3 points
  39. I have seen this design described as bundles of Noshi but an entry in the Ashmolean museum would seem to fit much better. Catalogue number. EA1956.2138 Oval tsuba with Shō (pan-pipes). I did notice in https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/files/file/106-kinai-tsuba/ by Malcom Cox has an example by Kinai. https://www.metmuseu...ection/search/503052 The sectional "nodal rings" found on bamboo and some reeds show up clearly on the bundles. Also there is a 'mouth piece' at the base of the nakago-ana - seen clearly in the top image highlighted in gold left and right. So which description fits the best?
    3 points
  40. It’s definitely the above shown music instrument. The misinterpretation may be caused by the adaption to the circle. Noshi strips are arranged more freely like this: (world.seiyudo.com/product/tu-010517/) Best, Florian
    3 points
  41. I surely don't want to have to comment again in this thread but feel i would be doing anyone new to the hobby a real INJUSTICE if i don't make this point. On that basis I'm just going to state it and bail out of this nonsense for a while. ALWAYS assume gimei, especially when a lot of what we can see of this sword is an unpolished bar of steel.. Especially when there is a lack of detailed information such as dimensions and pictures of a certain standard. Cant judge blades in any way when the images look like they were taken in a dark broom cupboard with a camera phone from 2001. DO NOT make the mistake of judging a blade by what little can be seen here and DO NOT let your own bias get in the way. WITHOUT all the necessary information then i think its arrogant and ignorant to state whether a blade is factually gimei. That is up to someone that knows better with the blade in hand.. Folks here can have opinions and you know what, they could be right but that's not up to us as as we don't have all the relevant information at hand. Basing an opinion just on the mei, well, that's FUNDEMENTALLY WRONG. There's a THOUSAND reasons a mei might be off. We here do not have the database of seeing many many examples in hand and documenting them. Studying what you do see and maybe coming up with matches that are far beyond what went into old books many years ago, Modern tech is way past that. Its ignorant to think any library we have now is worthy of making such decisions. Bias can be a strong element in making decisions. Lets say i think the horimono is not up to the standard of the smith. If that's the case then i may posibly ignore the painfully obvious fact of the lack of information available. Again, we can look at the horimono and think it is not of the standard of the smith but should we base our decision on that fact?. As we don't have a time machine available then we do not know for sure who may have done the horimono. For all we know, it may have been an apprentice at the forge or even someone far later down the line, maybe even done during WW2. Who knows, we certainly don't The point to this ramble. Its ok to have opinions, just don't claim them as FACT without having all relevant information. Not commented on this sword for that reason Would be like watching experts on tv discussing a picture by Constable, only with a blanket thrown over it and just showing a signature and some of the painting. That's what i see happening here.
    3 points
  42. Good afternoon NMB from a snowy Saturday in New Hampshire. On offer today is a fantastic sake cup that was part of an exhibition in 2023 where various artists contributed vessels in the spirit of the great Hon'ami Koetsu. This particular example done in the Kiseto style is a beautiful and unique interpretation by the quickly rising Matsumura Sen. Regarded as one of the trickiest styles of Japanese pottery to master, the proficiency here cannot be missed. The aburage-de glaze, named after fried tofu, has all of the right nuance with a crinkly, matte finish and natural scorch marks, or koge, that are a highly prized result. Measuring a just right size of 6.5 x 5cm that is lovely to sip from or simply admire on display. Comes with its original signed box, cloth and paperwork that I will get a pic of soon. $140 shipped to the USA, international buyers please contact me for a quote. Payment is to be made by PayPal F&F only. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional pics. Thanks for looking!
    3 points
  43. Hi Piers I take it that he is a famous archer? Here’s a shot of his back
    3 points
  44. Hi This Tsuban comes from Aoi Art I Japan and is attributed to Kyo-Sukashi. It has a Hozon paper. The reason I ask about its origin is because I have seen several similar Tsuba from collectors, auction houses and others where they refer from different schools. I can see that they are similar to the Tsuba I have but it is different if you look at Kozuka hitsuana and one has papers from NBTHK Shoami, mine has NBTHK Kyoto. I also found a similar one that has been sold at Christie's auction house with description CHRISTIES AUCTIONS 2007, A Higo Tsuba, Edo period (18th century), inscribed Shigemitsu Circular iron sukashi tsuba carved as a six-lobed flower blossom, the interior with stylized bracken ferns. https://www.christie...m=salessummary&lid=1 So my final comment is who to believe, and how to know provenance/school with so many opinions, the most wonder is about NBTHK different descriptions. What do you think? Thanks for all the help and interest in this tsuba. //Robert
    3 points
  45. I pulled a few swords from the cupboard tonight to inspect and enjoy. This KANETOSHI (Murayama) Star Stamp, July 1944 in late war RS mounts always demands attention. In WW2 polish, the hada and hamon in Ichimonji style JUKA CHOJI, is like viewing a nice piece of art, something new always catches your eye. For Bruce's benefit, I tried to do my best on the MUNE stamps. I have probably posted photos before, but my new phone camera and LED lights show much more detail. If I had the time and money, this sword would be a prime candidate for a touch up polish.
    3 points
  46. Any idea what the sekigane is made of? Unusual colour match to the rest of the plate, copper with verdigris? Or just a trick of the light? The overall shape and the two sukashi reminds me of Kaneie style [ not sure he did spiderwebs (?)]
    3 points
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