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paulb

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Posts posted by paulb

  1. I've come very late to this very sad topic.  I first started making contact with Rich when he set up and ran the nmb, so a long time ago. He was always friendly, very helpful and enthusiastic. As a novice I could not have asked for a better mentor.  I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to find out. Belated but none the less my sincere condolences to Rich's family. RIP Dr. Stein

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  2. Paz

    Honest answer is no one can tell you. Unlike the other levels of paper Juyo is a competition so it is not only about how good your sword is but what else is submitted in that session. That is why you hear of swords failing in one session and passing a couple of years later. It depends what is there on the day.

    Regarding the sword you describe:

     A very early Senjuin blade is a relatively rare thing so there is likely to be far fewer works to compare and compete with than say a Bizen Kanemitsu or Hizen work.

    Against it is that it is short and in recent Juyo and TJ appraisals size appears to matter, i.e. larger blades being preferred to shorter works.

     

     

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  3. Hi Bill

    Mike has done a great deal of work for members of our society, me included, I think his skill and quality are exceptional. If you pm me I will send you his contact details. However be aware that he is up to his ears with a house project at present so his lead times may extend a bit.

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  4. coming late to the party and ill qualified to comment other than to say that I have had the opportunity to study this work in hand on a number of occasions and it is without doubt one of the finest ( and without doubt my favourite) Kozuka I have seen. Not only is the workmanship stunning but it has that other great attribute so hard to achieve, it makes the observer smile, or at least it does this one.

    Thank you for sharing Bob. The only fault I can find with this piece is that it is in your collection and not mine!!!!

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  5. I have a weakness for reading historical fiction. I have often found that I can learn more and concentrate more when historical incidents are woven in to a story than when presented as naked facts. Recently I have dipped back in to a series of Novels tracing the rise of the Mongol empire. This morning when reading about the first stages of Genghis Khan's invasion of what is now Iran I was reminded that while these events were happening a Smith in Japan was forging a blade I have had the chance to study in hand and in great detail.

    The blade in question is now about 800 years old. When looking at it it is almost impossible to believe that it could have lasted so long and remained in such good condition. However this is not unique. In this field we are constantly shown blades that have survived through major world events, the rise and fall of empires and numerous attempts of mankind to destroy itself. And yet here they are as Cameron Stone described them "The nearest thing to perfection made by human hand"

    I think we see so many fine works spanning the centuries that we (I) risk becoming a little complacent and start taking what we are looking at for granted. Occasionally we need to stop and take a reality check and just appreciate how luck we are to be involved in a subject that offers such a wealth of artefacts to study and enjoy.

     

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  6. Over the years I have often read and indeed written that the quality of works of a particular school diminished in later generations. A posting today on Aoe-Art's website illustrates an exception.

    Mainline Hizen work has been incredibly consistent  for  9 generations and I think this is clearly demonstrated here with a work of the last of the line. While there was some fluctuation in quality between various generations it remained remarkably consistent and followed the classic Hizen form with only minor reference to the changes in fashion and trends of the time. I have been a Tadayoshi fan for a very long time (as have many others) and I think this sword can help illustrate why they remain so popular.

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  7. Before this topic turns in to another self righteous witch hunt of amateur polishers can I point out that this gentleman has attended numerous training seminars in Japan and had his work accepted and recieved commendations in NBTHK polishing competitions. It is impossible to judge the quality of his work from the images (no disrespect Jon, capturing detail is difficult ) he has done excellent work for many. His work is nothing at all like the US. Gentleman mentioned previously 

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  8. Good Morning Bryce,

    Just some thoughts/opinions and I am sure others may have alternative ideas. As a non-practitioner of any form of martial arts nothing I say is based on practical experience.

    On the basis that "form follows function" we assume that the basic shape of the nihonto developed through the smith's attempts to improve performance. What we see today goes well beyond functionality and as you suggest I think it has a lot to do with aesthetics and to a lesser extent personal taste . ( I think a shape can look right and good even if I don't particularly like the blade).

    So a good shape results from all of the elements within the construction working together in harmony. Its like a well composed painting or photograph where no specific subject stands out but all come together to create a beautiful whole. In the case of a sword the balance between length, sori and kissaki, if there is a hi does it fit naturally to the shape and add to the overall aesthetic of the blade. Is everything in proportion.

    is  it in harmony. Of course there cant help but be an element of subjectivity in assessing this.DSC_0002.thumb.JPG.7d2eb545555f5332972656c8caf5b2dc.JPG

     

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    Regarding the gassan images I don't think any of them have a bad shape and all look to be good. If I was being picky (which I am) I like the last one the least. I think the hi, especially the short soe-hi look a little fussy and clumsy and the sori is a little too deep. As said I'm being picky and that has much more to do with personal preference than pure aesthetics.

     

     

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  9.  

    Over recent year I have been very lucky and friends and colleagues within the Token Society of GB have loaned me swords to study and write up. Many of those write-ups are stored here and on the token of GB website.

    One of the advantages of this is that I am often presented with work that I haven't previously studied or only looked at in a limited way. they also force me to confront so of the many prejudices I have built up over the years regarding certain schools and periods.

    I have often said that my period of interest is the Kamakura and early Nambokucho periods. I still regard this as the golden age of sword manufacture. However that doesn't mean there weren't good swords made at other times and in other places.

    I have recently studied two Sukesada blades dating from the last quarter of the 16th century, A mumei sue-Seki work and a Gendaito made in Seki during the second world war.

    In all of these cases I anticipated that I would not like these works. I expected to see at best bland semi mass produced bundle swords and more likely crudely forged with bad shape and lifeless hamon (I did say I had prejudices) .

    Well I was wrong on all counts. Each of these proved to be far better than I anticipated and all were of very good quality. I felt suitably chastened.

    Once again I was given a stark reminder not to prejudge swords. This is especially true when we seem to increasingly rely on soundbites appearing amongst the mass of information on the internet.

    Each sword should be judged on its' own merits and not dismissed because we "think" pieces made in a certain place and time were less good than others. There are some staggeringly good works in existence from all periods and traditions. What we need to do is study more to be able to identify what features make a sword "good". Also remember not liking a sword doesn't make it bad any more than liking it necessarily means its good. We all bring our own preferences, likes and dislikes to the table and need to take that in to account when assessing a sword.

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  10. Re why would anyone produce a gimei. Basic answer is to survive.  For example Naotane and Naokatsu were both highly regarded Shin-Shinto smiths who made copies of earlier work but also, according to some authorities, were not above making copies and putting a false mei on them. They did what the market asked for to survive.

     

    Re your blade, I re-read what I and others had written and I didn't see anything that criticised the blade, quite the opposite, most prefaced their comments with the fact they thought it was a good piece. No one here has sufficient confidence (or at least they shouldn't) to say whether a blade is genuine or otherwise. All they can do is look at all the elements they can see and express an opinion. that is very different from seeing it in hand and people are, quite rightly in my opinion, cautious. 

    The only real way to progress this is to submit it to shinsa. I think it is a good sword. Roger R is the go to person in the west for Tadayoshi and if he believes it could be right his opinion is worth far more than mine or anyone else's here. However I do think it valid to ask why a blade in such good condition has come out of Japan without papers. Was the seller ignorant of what they had? had it been submitted and failed? we will never know but until you submit it for shinsa there will always be a niggling doubt.

    Otherwise accept it is a nice work and enjoy it for that.

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  11. Gentlemen,

    For the sake of transparency I should confirm that I was involved with this auctions and helped describe the swords. 

     

    Regarding length I would like to confirm the following:

    1.  The official minimum length for a kata using traditional measurement is 2 shaku which converts to 60.6cm.  However over the years this has been simplified and in most modern texts and most modern sellers have rounded this to 60cm

    2. More importantly in 1658 the maximum legal length for a wakizashi was specified as 51.5cm (shaku equivalent). This was later increased but was still well below 60cm.

    This sword as a nagasa of 60cm (or very marginally under).  If as I believe it was made in the Edo period it would have been illegal to be carried s a wakizashi. It is also mounted as a long sword.

    At the turn of the century George Cameron Stone in his definitive work "A glossary of arms and Armour" lists perhaps half a dozen different terms for swords of different length including chisa-katana and uchi-katana which have blades longer than the Tokugawa maximum legal limit but below 60cm. Taking these definitions as a reference your sword might be more accurately described as a chisa-katana but the term has largely fallen out of use.

    George if it would be of any help I would be happy to discuss your sword with you regarding possible age and origin

    Regards

    Paul

     

     

     

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  12. Adam,

    Even if it is gimei (and all you have so far is opinion not necessarily fact) it doesn't mean it is a bad sword. If you think about it if someone is trying to get away with adding a highly reputable name to a blade it has got to be a reasonably good one. there would be no point in putting a famous name on a poorly made piece.

    I don't think your blade is by Sandai Tadayoshi (but as said opinion) it does look to be a well made blade with good ko-itame hada with masame in the shinogi-ji. 

    I am way too out of touch with current markets to offer a price guide. If the mei is gimei then it effectively becomes a mumei wakizashi as far as the market is concerned and these are generally less desirable (doesn't make it bad just less commercially attractive). There will always be a market for a sword in good polish, which this appears to be and with a reasonable koshirae.

     

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  13. Hi Adam,

    You are right that the sandai Tadayoshi did produce more variation than some of the other smiths. Unfortunately when when viewing images on line such as those posted what you (I) are seeing has more to do with the polish than the actual hamon.

    Things to look for within the hamon:

    1. The nioiguchi should be bright and thick (belt like)

    2. It should have a great deal of ko-nie running through it and activity within it.

    3. The Sandai is said to have produced the very best konuka hada, rich in ji-nie and chickei.

    Yes over the years I have been fortunate enough to have several sandai blades within my own collection at various time and also to have had the chance to study many others, although those were mostly daimei for his father. If you visit the articles section here or go to the resources section and look under swords on the token of Gb website you will see several articles I wrote describing some of these blades.

    At risk of sounding like the old codger I am doubtless becoming unless the illustrations on the internet are of the Darcy brockbank/ Ted Tenold standard you cannot assess or compare blades in a meaningful way. This needs to be done in hand.

     

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  14. The shape and the hamon are not typical for the smith. The finish on the nakago and the way the mei is cut also look a-typical. 

    My first reaction is that I doubt it is legitimate. Mutsu no kami spent most of his short life (died when he was 50) making daimei for his father who outlived him. His works are rare and much sought after therefore a target for gimei.

    For a more definitive answer the blade needs to be submitted to shinsa.

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  15. Thank you for the reply George. You can obviously see far more with the blade in hand than I can in the images. personally I find the hamon problematic for Yamashiro. The nioiguchi looks very broad and the overall activity looks far too flamboyant for Yamashiro ( until you get to Kunitsugu with Soshu influence and later). However you have the obvious advantage of holding it and examining in the flesh. It looks to have a very deep sori, especially for a blade that appears to be O-suriage. Is there any indication that t may be Saiha? the crumbly indistinct nioiguchi might point that way but again that could be a result of the polish condition.

    Its certainly an interesting piece but I am struggling to find an attribution I'm comfortable with

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  16. Dear all,

    Definitely out of my comfort zone and looking for help. I have been asked to look at some blades. One of these was a gunto mounted work signed Kanenobu. Before seeing the blade I had assumed it was by the smith listed in John Sloughs book, however when it arrived the kanji were different than those illustrated. The nobu character is the older style (see attached image). Searching previous posts here I believe this may be by the illustrated smiths father and teacher who signed this way. However I also understand there were other smiths using this mei at the same time. 

    This is a very good Gendaito in excellent Showa mounts with a pierced guard and filed dress Knot. I think t needs polishing (scratched in places obscuring the detail of what looks to be a very active hada.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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