Shugyosha

Great exercise Colin, thank you!

I’m on my phone and can’t magnify the pictures but I’ll guess the left hand one for the same reason as JohnC but also because the seppa dai is patinated and it doesn’t have the tagane ato similar to the Nagoyamono examples earlier on the thread.

Also a lot of museum collections are based on donations made by 19th century collectors who made bulk buys of lower grade and gimei tsuba. “Museum quality” tsuba are often not so good as those in private collections. If you haven’t already, a good look at this thread:

Hi Gwyn, Long time no-see - I hope that you’re well. 👍

Yes. I think that whoever told you it was from the muromachi period was wrong or did so to make the blade more attractive to you. Google Kanbun shinto sugata - your blade is a similar shape to that seen around the 1660s. Also, if you do a search on both smiths’ names a correlation will confirm when they were both working in Bungo or perhaps someone can quote from a list of smiths to pin it down?

I assume that it's what Piers said: that it has only just been to shinsa and they're waiting on the papers otherwise you would just hand over the papers with the sword wouldn't you? It does seem to be a very odd way to go about things.

I think it's a representation of Jurōjin - often depicted with a staff (sometimes with a fan too) and a deer.

There’s (insert appropriate quantity) born every minute. There’ll be a “what did I just buy” thread shortly…

I don't know and I suspect that this is one for Jussi to answer if anyone can. This thread mentions a sai ha Sadamune retempered by Echizen Yasutsugu who is known to have retempered a number of important fire-damaged blades in the 17th century and I would be surprised if there weren't more amongst those blades that made Juyo - but obviously that's opinion not fact.

I don't think so - given the position of the marks on the tang relative to the mekugi ana, it suggests the sort of wear from habaki that you might see on an old blade - at least you would hope that something so obvious wouldn't get past the NBTHK. For me the key issue (if I were fortunate enough to have the wherewithal to buy it) would be Jussi's point: having to buy blind without sight of the paper. Sekizan seems to be unknown to the internet so the sayagaki doesn't necessarily add anything for those who didn't know him so that doesn't help. It will be very interesting to see how the bidding goes on this - it's possible to speculate that it might be a Juyo candidate or higher based simply on its rarity and historical value.

Being generous, it might just be some shrinkage of the same/ wrap as it has moved around the peg hole too. Being less generous, it looks like someone has coloured the wood with black ink to try to hide what has happened and it doesn't look very good.

I think the late muromachi period might be a bit of a stretch with the new papers too. Had I seen that blade without knowing what Aoi had said, from the shape and condition (leaving aside the state of polish) I would have said shinto all day long. It might be what Aoi say it is in this regard but (for me anyway) I’d say later.

Hi Carlo, I can't see anything about the paper or sword that would make me think that it is anything other than as stated. There are several smiths signing this way, but probably 3, perhaps 4 who were active during the period to which the sword is dated: https://nihontoclub....a=All&school_nid=All If you go to the www.aoijapan.net website (where they list the swords they've sold previously) you will get a number of hits if you use the search facility but you'll have to sift through them: https://www.aoijapan...=norimitsu&x=22&y=13 Alternatively or in addition, a general internet search on "Osafune Norimitsu Bunmei" returns a number of hits for swords made around the same time as this one.

@OceanoNox - An interesting video. I take your point, I had always assumed that the "woven cloth" description referred to the effect achieved at the end of the process rather than the method used to achieve it and that, given there are a variety of methods for achieving an inlaid effect, some other method than nunome zogan was used where it didn't have the weave effect. Certainly in the video you posted, the gold is left proud of the surface and there is none of the woven effect showing through it, also it shows how the gold is spread into and over the grooves and which would also account for the varying thickness of gold effect in the tsuba posted first up and which made me think it was not inlaid wire. @JohnC - (and to others) - apologies, my error.

Hi Florian, The lower two kanji are "nikubori": 肉彫 - the top one is eluding me though.

I'm sorry, but the tsuba in the OP looks nothing like nunome zogan to me, the essence of which is that it creates the appearance of a cloth-weave pattern (as indicated by the title 布目象嵌). There are striations in the metal, but in relation to the vine pattern, the gold is not pushed down into them but sits across them and does not appear to be done with the wire technique shown in the video above. I'm not sure what method was used to apply the gold, but in relation to the vine, it certainly looks like it could have been a Sharpie, though the flower might pass for Kaga zogan. Examples of nunome work below: https://www.aoijapan...h-gold-nunome-inlay/ https://www.aoijapan...bon-matu-pine-trees/ https://www.aoijapan...ayuu-sasa-kumo-nami/

Hi John, Yes - the vine pattern looks really badly done and appears to be painted on rather than inlaid.

I thought that the boshi wasn’t intact on one of the photos (the very top one with the lighting). If it is, there’s not a lot in it. The scanned image of the boshi is unclear, however.

You can't mean worldly sophisticates like us?

Brian, if I’m honest I’m a bit conflicted on this one as there have been lots of posts about freedom of speech recently and I quite like freedom of speech. As a compromise, would it be possible to create an an “adults only” section? Maybe with a testudophilia sub-section? Asking for a friend…🤣🤣

I don’t know military blades but the kissaki geometry on this one looks a mile out and that would wave a red flag to me.

Of course not, it’s in turtle.

I’m sure there’s a web site somewhere…🤣

Just when you think you’ve seen everything: turtle porn. 😳🤣

Not normally, it’s the additive to steel that makes it stainless and it is used widely for drainpipes as it is resistant to corrosion.