runagmc

sword may be KANEHIRO...

Judging by the amount of wear from polishing, I'd say the horimono has likely been there a while. It still may not be original though... It obviously wasn't cut by a very experienced hand...

Also, when some people or groups ordered swords, they may have specified that they wanted them to be left unsigned for what ever reason.

Congrats on your papers and nice wakizashi. BTW, it doesn't look mass produced to me... to my eyes it looks like Kanetsugu made an effort on that one.

here's another Sukemitsu tachi, http://www.nihontocraft.com/Mito_Sukemitsu_Katana.htm

I think reference books are a great resource, but as far as introductory type stuff, there is so much info on the internet now, I'm not sure they're worth the expense. There's enough info on the net to keep a newbie busy for a loooooong time... It's also nice to have a few books with good pictures...

here is a papered mumei katana of Sukemitsu, http://www.nihontoantiques.com/fss347.htm

here's an article discussing the same topic, http://www.nihonto.ca/classification.html

Condolences to the family and friends...

Here's a great early example: I believe this is daito length but I'm not 100% sure... if not, it's close.... and it's amazing either way...

Eric, here is a katana by Mitsuhiro that was sold on another site a while back that you may be interested in seeing, http://www.sanmei.com/contents/media/M4 ... _PUP_E.htm. You said on your other post that you're new to this, and you have all the right in the world to buy whatever you want, but I saw the price asked for this sword and would recommend mabey something a little lower class until you have more experience with cleaning and taking care of a Nihonto. I don't mean to sound condescending at all, I just know I personally wouldn't want the responsiblity of learning to handle and care for a sword on one this nice. I would hate for you to make a rookie mistake and ruin an expensive investment... Something like the Sukesada on your other post would be a good first sword...if it was in polish. These are just my opinions and some things to consider...

To state the obvious, looking at the nakago oshigata it's either a ginuine naginata/nagamaki naoshi or it's a copy made to look like one. Either way it looks like a nice piece. Any pics of nakago or boshi?

The shape looks right for late Koto Bizen... possibly of mass produced quality... unfortunatly the blade looks to have a mirror like finish that doesn't allow you to view the details of forging. The mei reads Bishu Osafune ju Sukesada and looks very poorly done... The nakago looks rough altogether... I'm not sure where your getting Eisho from, although it is a possibility... Overall, I'd say this may have been an OK first Nihonto for someone if it were in proper polish... but from the pics it looks like there's not much to study in it's current condition... All that being said, I've seen alot worse first purchases than this, and mine wasn't much better either, so... at least it's not a fake...

Just for your info here's a discussion involving some issues with sendai kunikane... viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11083

Here's a pic of the 2nd gen Kunikane, It looks like a pretty good match from the pics. The fittings look pretty high quality too. If this sword is genuine and was restored it could be worth several thousand dollars. Hard to say exactly how much but it would be quite a bit. Alot depends on the generation... Congrats and... I'm jealous... PS, you can just sign your post at the bottom manually for now...

Wonder if yondai Muramasa could've signed Masazane and then took over the Muramasa name later. Just a thought... Although, you would think it would be documented if that were the case... I just don't see why someone would put gimie Masazane and then put completly wrong period...

Thanks Piers,

I would suggest that you photoshop them all onto one picture so you can view them side by side without having to click back and forth...

They have obviously always had a strong appreciation for the natural world and natural beauty. Water, clouds, trees, animals, insects, and all other natural things (and even some mythical ones) are some of the most commonly used themes in Japanese art, it seems.

Be very carefull and get as many expert opinions as possible. Would be ashame to remove a zaimei/daimei on one person or one shinsa's opinion. I think removing signatures should not be rushed into... you can always remove it later... but once it's removed it can never be restored...

Do any of the smiths from Bungo with yoshi as the first part of thier name use this kanji 吉? I did a quick computer search and can only find it written these ways 賢,義, 能,良 ...

Here's a good reference site, http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm If you see where it says links at the top of the NMB page there are many more good ones there...

One thing that makes the Japanese sword so interesting to study is that it has lasted fairly consistently to modern times much more so than any other edged weapon. Most others don't have such a long and interesting history as Nihonto. I dont know of any other place that has taken on an edge weapon as a part of their cultural identity as much as Japan has. For me it's hard to say Nihonto are a better than any other edged weapon (even though they are my favorite). There are to many variables, such as intended use. Nihonto may not have done well against heavy European armor, but you have to remeber they had other weapons like yari that were more suited for this. As far as the argument that the more subdued elements in Nihonto (like suguha) aren't held in as high regard as more flambouyant elements is just wrong. Some of the the most renowned groups of swordsmithing in history such as Awataguchi, Rai, Tadayoshi are considered to have obtained the highest levels of beauty with a more subdued asthetic nature. One of the most beautiful blades I have ever seen had suguha/ko-notare hamon. Since we don't use swords as weapons anymore we might tend to put most of the emphasis on visable craftsmanship rather than pure cutting ability, but thats to be expected I think. If you don't see why we hold Nihonto in such high esteem even after studying them for yourself, then I'm afraid no amount of us trying to explain it is going to help.

Nice inheritance. The katana looks like it could be worth restoring to me. Would be expensive but since you got it for free it would probably be a good investment. It appears to have a nice healthy suguta and over all would probably be beautiful restored.

Thanks Ken... Also, you can view without downloading by clicking read online...