Shugyosha

I have to say Kajihei came to mind but couldn't find any reference to him counterfeiting Kunikane.

I'm in the shape camp. For me nihonto are one of those art forms where the frame defines the quality of the picture. If the frame doesn't please me then often I don't bother looking at the contents, but when I do it's consistency of hada and hamon that I look for. Shin tetsu and O hada are a big turn off.

There’s something about the tameshi Mei that I find unconvincing also. If this was done by an important personage, then why is it a kinpun mei rather than inlaid and why is there no name of the person who supervised the test or other attendee as witness? Also, the test cut “tsuri-do” performed on a hanging body is very rare and apparently so difficult that only a couple of generations of the Yamada family could do it (quote Markus Sesko’s book on tameshigiri). So for a 13 year old to do what experienced and practised testers could not stretches its credibility for me.

Hi Jim, what’s your reference for this Yoshimune being the name of the second son of the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Munetake I’m not necessarily saying you are wrong but Wikipedia has a Munetake as his second son (Munetaka in Sansom) and neither mention the name in the tameshi mei as linked to him.

Just out of interest, have any Iaidoka any experience of drawing a sword with kozuka and kogai fitted? It has always struck me that, if I were in need of taking action to defend my life, I would rather do so with as little as possible to get in the way and these are probably an unnecessary frippery but wondered if anyone had practised drawing with them in place?

Nikki, In non-nohintoese that means the hardened edge, the point and activity above the whitish area at the edge but below the ridge that runs the length of the blade.

+1

I’m in the Tenbun camp. Niju something nen?

Or the guy who drew up the paper. 😬

Hi Howard, It doesn’t look like a genuine Japanese sword to me from this photo. Can you post any others? What does the description of the sword say?

Sounds like a candidate for shinsa to me. At least he’ll know the answer then. 😬

Hi Alex, Nagamitsu - 長光

Sorry Alex, I'm gonna have to stop looking at this stuff on my phone and late at night.

The blade has a Seki armoury stamp, the smith’s name is Sadahide and the date is Showa 17 - 1943.

I’m not honestly convinced of the “sai” in the Aoi Art example. Ray, yours looks closer.

Maybe Tetsushinsai. https://www.aoijapan.net/tanto-tetsushinsai-minamoto-yosikazu-tsukurumeiji-1-nen-10-gatsu-hi/

Nice write-up Dale!

As Geraint says the sugata is unusual and the patina on the tang is quite dark so maybe the bidders are thinking it’s a koto nagamaki naoshi blade and seeing dollar signs.

...but maybe not - Hawleys doesn't have anyone signing with that kanji. Here's the best I can do with the rest the first kanji might be the "Un" of Unshuu but might not be. The majority of Kanehiros were working in Mino. 雲州 ? 島住意 ?金宏作 So Unshuu something shima ju Moto or Nori Something Kanehiro saku. Edit: agreed on the "hiro" so your suggestion is better.

Hi Dan, I think it's this hiro: 宏 - there's something that looks like the pot lid radical at the top on the left.

Hi Charlie, see this thread:

Here's a similar design, plum blossom and bush warbler which I think is Hayashi, but another design found in Akasaka tsuba:

Here is the entry as promised:

Hi Tony, It's the blade that is juyo - the koshirae is barely worth mentioning - only Tokubetsu Hozon. 😉 The signature on the kojiri is 誠意 - Seii. Haynes has three of these: H08047.0, H08048.0 and H08049.0. The first one is a student of Goto Seijo (the others don't get more than an entry) and was allowed to sign with Goto in various permutations: Goto Mitsuie Seii plus kao and Goto Seii plus kao. No kao recorded in Haynes but the quality of the work on the kojiri points to Goto for me though I'm not sure if all of the metal work is by him.

I couldn't find an example on line.