paulb

your not alone I think I have lost the will to live :?

think that should be no.74

congratulations Kevin, would love to see some images when you get it back

Guido, I can see why. As someone who is not greatly appreciative of fittings I am developing a considerable liking for Nobuiye work. The one I posted above is papered to "another" Nobuiye but I think has a lot in common with yours, although not of the same quality. There is something about the texture of the iron and the shape that just marries together to create an excellent end result. I envy you this almost as much as I do some of your swords!!! Best Regards Paul

Dear Ron, The Royal Armouries museum in Leeds have a number of Mishina School blades, although I think there is only one or two currently on display. They were the favourite Shinto School of Deryk Ingham and examples formed a significant part of the collection his family donted to the museum. It might be worth checking out what the Armouries actually have as there may be some examples of interest. I spent many of my formative years looking at Mishina school work but have to say it did not appeal to me. While there was no disputing the quality which was good in all the examples I saw, I didnt like the shape which appear generally heavy, even "clunky" or the signature sudare-ba hamon seen on much (not all) of their work. I appreciate thsi is purely subjective on my part and it is as well we dont all like the same things. Having said that I have also seen some exceptional examples by both Kinmichi and Tamba no Kami Yoshimichi. Also there is no doubt that the Mishina school were incredibly successful and very highly regarded in their own time. I have also seen several blades by Daido, Kinmichi's father . He claims direct decendancy from Kaneuji and his work exhibits a strong Mino foundation which in later generations develops in to the Mishina style. I am glad to see that the Mishina School continues to be enthusiaticalty supported.

This is a small unassuming tsuba I bought many years ago. It was my first purchase from Aoi Art back in the mid 90's. Since I bought it I have traded it with someone and then by pure chance had the opportunity to buy it back last year. When I originally purchased it it was the cheapest tsuba I had ever bought. When showing it on another forum some of our US colleagues described the design as "Mickey Mouse" which not being from that great nation and without the exposure to one of their most famous exports I failed to understand I cant explain why, or offer any deep or profound reasoning as to why I like it so much but like most subjective art the proportion, colour and composition just seem to work for me.

Hi Richard, I dont think there is anything at all wrong with that blade (super image BTW) or the fact it is ko-Uda. There are a couple of schools where the later work tends to colour your view of the whole. However the early work is real very good. ko-Mihara is a another good example where the shape, jigane and hamon are all great. There are a good number of highly rated ko-Mihara and ko-uda blades which have achieved high level papers. On the other hand a lot of sue-mihara and later Uda work looks very oridnary and has lost much of the character of the earlier works.

Actually Keith my Koto blades are mumei although all but one are suriage. So I have no problem with that. I am less clear and have never really found a satisfactory answer as to why Ubu blades remain unsigned, especially those which exhibit real quality. There are many theories around but I am guessing it is something that can never be proven.

My problem really starts with this period (actually I think I have problems with most truth be told) But when we get in to Sue-Seki, Soden Bizen, Sue-Tegai etc many of the features which differentiate the Gokaden seem to blur and merge. It is an interesting point whether this is really Soshu influence or more directly Mino as the Mino smiths started exporting their technology around the land. Keith you refer to darkness in the steel which would immediately throw up northern province work. Again this could be the case where the Mino influence has been picked up in Echizen, Chikuzen etc. If I had to date this I would go 1450-1550 and struggle to bring it tighter. On a more personal note you mentioned that it spoke to you, can you remember why and what about it triggered your enthusiasm?

yes I remember it. It is a beautiful thing. I assume it went as you rationalised your collection. Someone gained a very good blade.

Hi Jean I agree that Enju also made hakikake boshi although the most common distinguishing featured quoted about them when compared to Rai work for example, is that they mainly produced o-maru boshi. Its a good problem to have. is it- a) Yondai tadayoshi b)Shodai Tadayoshi c) Enju I am not altogether sure which I would prefer, but probably the Enju option. thanks Paul

Hi Mariusz, Funny enough it was one of the names that cropped up when I was relooking at my Mumei Tadayoshi. Needless to say I dismissed it to the far corner of my mind with haste In reality Bugo Takada smiths were making very good copies of most schools including Enju and Hizen so in my case it could be a valid attribution, not least with the hakkakae boshi.

Hi Veli, Mine is not so tight, there are areas of fine running itame combining with ko-itame. It is not what I would describe as the pure konuka hada which really starts to be a consistent Hizen trait from the second generation and in to the later members of the school. When this blade was repolished the characteristics became a lot clearer. The hada, the amount of nie and the brushed appearance of the boshi all suggest an earlier work, possibly the shodai, but equally it could be something else altogether such as Enju or ko-mihara.

Thank you Guido I am obviously confusing my primates! I had always assumed that the long armed apes often seen on koshirae were a caricature from a folk tale or myth rather than representative.

Portraying monkeys (not gibbons) With over long arms is a common theme in many fittings. I dont think this is meant to be a Gibbon although there is an obvious similarity.

Hi Veli, I think I might have that swords big brother A suriage Mumei Katana with a sayagaki attributing it to Tadayoshi and NTHK papers to the 4th generation. It was papered before it was polished and the new polish has brought out a lot of detail which makes me think it may be earlier than the 4th. But regardless it is a good thing. I can understand why you like this one so much. I would too!

Hi Brian, That is an interesting looking piece. Incredibly deep nioi guchi and its interesting the way the hamon simplifies into almost suguha as it approaches the kissaki. Is that a normal characterisitc for this smiths work? I am not at all familiar with him. good looking thing which will keep you occupied for hours just looking at the hamon.

not a fittings person but three favourites at the moment 1. Akasaka geese under clouds 2. Nobuiye water pitcher 3. Peasant and fighting cock (a makes you smile compostion

Gentlemen, thank you for the kind words although that wasnt the purpose of the post. I hope that it demonstrates that one can't stick too rigidly to the stated league table although it makes perfect sense to use it as a guide. There are some beautiful pieces out there which illustrate many of the features we talk about regularly. They dont need cost the earth, this cost less than a Yasukuni Shrine sword, but comes from the Golden Age of manufacture and carries the better part of 700 years history. The main reason for posting was to see if others had something similar that hit the right buttons for them even though it might not be considered in the main league of commercially desirable work. It would be interesting to see what enthuses others. Thanks again Paul

Having written and supported the concept of fewer better pieces and always buying the best you can afford and striving to improve a collection, I was wondering how many people have something sitting in their hoard of treasures that falls outside these guidlines but none the less would be something they would hang on to for grim death. If I can give an example: One of my favourite swords is wakazashi made out of the top end of a kamakura period Enju blade. In pure commercial terms it runs close to the least desireable of configurations in that it is O-suriage, mumei and a wakazashi. In its favour it has been beautifully polished and is in healthy condition. The real plus to it is that it is absolutely beautiful (total subjectivity on my part) The quality of the jigane is breath taking and the suguha hamon subtle but intricate. The hada compares favourably to examples of Rai and Awataguchi pieces I have seen, in fact were it not papered to Enju and with an O-maru boshi I thik it would pass as a Kunitoshi piece. I bought this sword about 3 years ago from Japan. It was not hugely expensive and I think were I to attempt to sell it I would struggle but it is probably amongst the 3 or 4 best examples of forging I have ever seen (Yes I know I havent spent a lot of time in Japan looking at top quality blades but I have spent time looking at top rated swords at International auction houses in London). So it is staying with me. It moves me in a way that I would fail to explain but it is something I put geat personal value on. I am hoping that this isnt just me being weird, do others have equally treasured things?

As a slight aside but I hope relevent to the points Chris made I believe the quantity over quality approach has more to do with experience than nationality. I suggest that most people when starting out accumulate anything that has some association with the subject of their interest . I know in the early 80's my approach was to grab anyhting that had something to do with Japanese swords and/ or military history. I measured my success in the number of pieces I had with little regard to the comparative quality. As you learn more your view becomes more focussed and possibly refined. In any school of collecting it is a common theme to have fewer better good pieces rather than many mediocre. I now have half the number of swords I had 3 years ago. For the right pieces I would be happy to halve that number again. I share the view about responsibility. These items have existed through many many generations and have been cared for by each. The thought of passing on a blade in poorer condition than I received it weighs heavily at times. I wonder how such renowned collectors as Dr. Compton dealt with these concerns? While happy to ultimately have a collection of one sword, the same cannot be said about books which I still accumulate with vigour in the hope that in coming years I can make some sense of the subject. regards Paul

it is said that he destroyed any blade he was less than happy with. Combine this with the fact he was so short lived and as you say naginata were not in such high demand you can imagine how rare these must be. there are many authors who consider him to be the finest main line Hizen smith, his jigane is extremely beautiful even when compared to that of his father who is also highly rated in this regard. I would certainly be very happy to have this as an example of his work in my limited Hizen collection but as I dont do the lottery I think it will remain a wish!

yes me too. Maybe the reason I like Hizen work so much is that it copies so many good features of the Koto schools I most admire. Looking at the price, and it is a starting price not necessarily the sales price, you can see how highly regarded this man was. His works signed with his own name are rare as he mainly produced daimei for his father. He also died in his early 50's and the nidai survived him. As his Katana and Wakazashi are rare I can only assume his nagijnata are even more so.

As the sight of Naginata has seemd to generate excitement and enthusiasm posters may care to look at the link below to a newly listed naginata by sandai Tadayoshi. If you want a shinto naginata they dont come much better (I am of course very biased ) https://www.aoi-art.com/auction/en/auct ... 1213703271

arent you a lucky boy I am thinking of starting an exclusive collection of pink slips and other forms of rejection, but that is a whole different thread!!