Gakusee

Incredible. Is this a serious statement? How do you think this affects the environment?

Jacques, thank you for attaching this elongated, elegant, slender Kaga nakago example with typical, steeper jiri than the OP’s one and more proportionate Kaga jiri.

Kaga nakago jiri shape - yes in theory, but look at the streamlined nakago shape of unaltered nakago here: https://markussesko.com/2015/04/20/kantei-1-sugata-8/ Also, not convinced this is the original nakago or original jiri…. Muromachi, yes, agree on that. Finally, while indeed Kaga had similar nakago jiri (but leaner, longer, more graceful nakago), consider this here.

Colin, indeed the patina seems consistent etc. However, smiths took (and still take) pride in how they finished the nakago and the symmetry and smooth lines of a pristine nakago were usually impeccable. So, any such deviations, lumpiness etc tends to indicate reworking (not always shortening, mind you, even though often there was such).

Indeed, the nakago is shortish and the haside and muneside are not smooth but have trajectory changes

Reminds me of something like Fuyuhiro. Separately, the nakago looks re-shaped.

I love tachi koshirae and the metalwork here is of high quality indeed! I am also curious as to the atypical and artistic interpretations of the kiri depictions, which have very clearly deviated from the canon. You will notice that they are 5-7-5, 6-7-6 and also 9-9-9! Lovely koshirae anyway.

The short answer is that this year they passed fewer items proportionately (less than 10%) while from memory the pass rate previously was 10-12% more recently. This excludes the notorious 1970s when the pass rate was much higher.

Well my thoughts were exactly those - either Taema or Yukimitsu but there was a bit too much masame and some nagare in the hada for Yukimitsu so I ended up with Taema. But can see how it could be Yukimitsu due to the amount and clustering of nie. Of course, judging from one or two snapshots, even if they are as good as yours is fraught with risks Thanks for these. You have indeed become very good at taking sword photos.

Love that Chogi! The other one - Taema?

Just tachi or at most handachi

Ok, so to help progress your understanding, please ask yourself these questions and please consult some of the books / online references: - in the Kamakura period, were swords generally and mostly signed tachi mei (tachi side) or katana-mei? On which side is the mei here? - what was the typical shape (sugata) of the Kamakura tachi? - please compare to the patina colour (as well as file marks / yasurime) of some other old, Kamakura swords - eg refer to aoijapan.net and search - have you done some research into the smith Hosho Sadamune? What does the research say? Hint: very, very, very rare.....In fact, probably only a handful blades exist Separately, I have dealt a bit with basara_jp. Caveat emptor: you need to be very experienced and know what you are doing there.....

Thank you so much for posting and uploading them Piers! Are any of the blades exhibited too or is it just koshirae? Out of the lot, your very first photo in the initial post is with my three favourites.

Yes please, Piers. They are great. Thank you!

Thanks, Piers, these are beautiful!!

Well, I see absolutely no reason unless they live in London permanently. So, I do not see the relevance here whatsoever. People asked about museums in London and the fact that a Japanese individual asked and commented about what he saw in the U.K. does not preclude the same individual from seeing much better and many more swords of top quality in Japan. People in Japan have an almost unbound capacity to see masterpieces. At museums or even at the DTI or at dealers. The TNM Kokuho exhibition running at the TNM at the moment has around 20 blades including Dojigiri, Mikazuki, O-tenta, Kikko, KoRyu, and so on. I have to say the Dojigiri was nice but the O-Kanehira outshone it. In fact, the smart thing to do, if living in Japan, is become an NBTHK member for a reasonably modest annual fee, and in their monthly sessions they often roll out JuBi, JuBu and Kokuho swords to study in hand. Despite being a life member, unfortunately I have never been there to benefit from a session like that. However, from friends I know that even regional chapters of the NBTHK outside of Tokyo often have TJ+ and JuBi blades to study. The photos of their sessions are publicly available on social media. Separately, some of the more prominent dealers hold monthly study and kantei sessions, sometimes under instruction, which are very educational too. We are talking about different types of Masamune, different Sadamune, different Mitsutada, Moriie, Nagamitsu, Gojo, Awataguchi, etc placed next to each other for comparison and study. For that, it is true you need to be part of the circle and have the right friendships, but that applies everywhere. Many of these are behind closed doors and unfortunately not open to everyone. In fact, often such events (even dealer auctions by the way) are by invitation only. Alas, indeed, the best place to study and appreciate this hobby is indeed Japan and the Japanese nationals have an advantage over non-Japanese because of living there, having access, speaking the language etc. This is all natural. We can try from outside to work hard on it, and go from time to time, but that is no substitute.

Well, I beg to differ and therein lies the beauty of this hobby - different people have different tastes and preferences. However, as we delve more deeply of course the devil is in the detail. Of course, not just broader categories are insightful but specifics. So, during our BM viewing we could hold and see zaimei Tsunemitsu (rarer than Yasutsuna), Tsunetsugu (ditto), Yoshikane, Sueyuki, Shintogo (only behind glass), various glorious Fukuoka and Yoshioka Ichimonji. I know they have various named Sukesada and also some Ise Sengo blades. I do not remember many of the lesser stuff but across 500 BM blades there are bound to be some sleepers. So, the BM collection is far superior to the Royal Armouries and V&A (even though the V&A has a fairly decent blade, with kinzogan to Masamune, which is a top Soshu blade - now whether it is a Masamune or top Shizu, that is too big a call for my modest knowledge but the Honami whose mei is there is one of the respected, pre-generation-14 ones). Next, it is true that Ko-Hoki Yasutsuna is rare but there were two Yasutsuna at the last Nov 2022 DTI - one mumei and very healthy (it went to a friend) and another one, less healthy but zaimei that personally intrigued me as I like signed blades. Both could could be held for a chunk but not unreasonable amounts. And the DTI zaimei Yasutsuna was not a “top collector “ stuff. There was another (third) one two months ago, also zaimei and slightly better than the DTI zaimei one but it sold in late summer. Regarding Masamune - please let us not even go there….

Kiril With all due respect the topic is about museums in London. Extensions to the rest of the U.K. are also fine and pertinent. At the end of the day some of the Royal Armouries collection was originally in London before :), even thought the Japanese swords were mostly not. We are not comparing London (or with the above extension, UK) museums with the Met or MFA, which are both exquisite and well endowed institutions in their own right. We are also not comparing them to the collections put together by modern-day multimillionaires (whether it is the Soshu collection of Dmitry or the Samurai Museum in Berlin; let alone the huge Japanese collections put together by 2-3 very large and affluent individuals in Japan, or the smaller but pinnacle-oriented collections of some Japanese dealers/collectors). The latter are financially stronger than the original benefactors to the aforementioned U.K. (and probably US) museums and it is no surprise that their collections are superior. Also, one needs to put things into perspective and ascribe aesthetic or historic (not only monetary) value to individual blades within the collections. So, is it more valuable to have a few Soshu blades (but not Masamune for example) or a number of Ko-Bizen / Ko-Aoe or to have 14,000 blades or to have only 100 but half of them TJ/JuBi and above? These are all complex nuances. However, you are right that a lot of the early collectors of Japanese swords (19 century) simply did not have the knowledge or understanding to build a superior collection, even if they had the financial muscle. Sometimes they bought fakes, there was no “papering” of such blades (and the concomitant research by the NBTHK or NTHK), they were indeed led by dealers or post-Victorian fashions.

To Paul’s excellent post I would add that the BM has probably an unparalleled-in-the-U.K. collection of swords but indeed usually only a handful are exhibited. It all depends on the curator’s forte and predilection. However, we have been privileged to have had private study sessions at the BM as part of organised ToKen of GB meetings. Some of the swords we have seen are very special and precious.

Thanks Reinhard I now understand what you refer to. These are valid points you are raising. And indeed there are various inaccuracies. And also because of these points the texts mentioned are beginner texts and not advanced texts. It is more purist indeed to start with texts which perhaps do not have these but you will then be starting with something much more advanced. With Basil Robinson’s choice of swords as illustrations - well, it is true that daisho is not what it is purported to be. But who is going to start studying swords with Basil’s tiny black and white 5x10cm low res old photos? Visual illustration nowadays starts with the Internet (more often than not Aoi Art). The illustrations in Robinson’s are anecdotal at best. But yes, we need to extract only the introductory text chapters. Regarding John Yumoto. Well, like many he did use old texts - that is true - and perpetuated some old errors. But a lot of texts have such errors (eg the multi generational theory behind many smiths, which in many cases is not upheld currently). That is why one needs to read many books and progress from the starter texts. In relation to his poor old chart of values - well, for a complete beginner it could be valuable to know that a Lada is worth 20 a Lamborghini is worth 500 or whatever proportionately. Or that Osafune Nagamitsu is more highly rated and valuable than a Ko Mihara ceteris paribus. It is a shortcut and guideline just like Fujishiro’s or Tokuno’s system (I think Yumoto’s is loosely based on Tokuno’s but cannot remember the details now) and should be taken as such with the relevant caveats. So I agree with Kiri here - the fact that the Marshal daisho in Robinson’s comprised one modern / Shinto piece disguised as a Masamune and a [Yukimitsu], well that is irrelevant to a beginner. Or what the legend behind Amakuni is…. Let us abstract ourselves from these factoids that a beginner might not even notice. Also agree that Nagayama is not a first choice of beginner book. It is too advanced and requires solid understanding gleaned elsewhere or in combination with it.

Thanks, Reinhard. Which assertions did you mean? I read it too long ago to remember anything controversial and thought it a very basic and good starter book, which helped with basics and kanji etc. Cannot comment on B H Chamberlain at all.

John Yumoto’s and Basil Robinson’s books are a good very basic start together with Yurie’s and Markus Sesko’s (but the latter could also have advanced stuff, such as kantei by boshi or the kantei from the NBTHK magazine). I would leave Fujishiro, Nagayama, Honma/Sato (eg the translated Koza) for more intermediate and advanced studies. Tanobe’s Gokaden books. Etc. Then, for most advanced stuff, the various meikan, the particular school’s Taikan as well as the big Taikan, the Juyo Zufu, the NBTHK magazine. Here one could include all sorts of more advanced literature (eg the Kanto Hibisho, or Showa Dai Meito).

Some good books at very good prices.

Congratulations! Great outcome.

Hey Kiril, could you please specify if that kodachi was awarded a Juyo status? If so, firstly, congratulations and secondly - what was the Juyo judgement as to school / smith please. If I may, I would like to contrast it with the Kaga school you refer to in the NTHK comments. Thank you.