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Yes, that's why study mumei blades can be quite tricky, i've seen blades with 3 certificates and 3 different attributions. When learning is always better to have signed blades, even better if also dated. But you can just enjoy a blade for what it is, the fun part can be making your own idea about a mumei blade as well

I think they go with exclusions in these cases, for example on a Juyo "den Rai Kuniyasu" they wrote, the blade at a first glance look like Rai Kunimitsu but the workmanship is a step below. So they assume Kunimitsu did only top works, so if quality is slightly less they automatically assume is someone close, in this case Kuniyasu. In case of Echizen Rai, if sugata is Nanbokucho, style is like Rai but rougher then is Echizen Rai, if it's lower quality or later is Chiyozuru

The certificate says "katana" and nagasa 2 shaku, so 60.6 cm About Echizen Rai and Chiyozuru, i'm doing some research lately on Rai Kuniyasu since i recently bought one. Rai Kuniyasu (来国安) was a Yamashiro Rai swordsmith, said to be son or grandson of Rai Kunisue (来国末), he then moved to the village of Awaji (淡路) in Settsu´s Nakajima fief, therefore he is also referred to as Awaji-Rai (淡路来). Then he (or his homonymous son, sources are not alligned on this) moved to Echizen, where he founded the Echizen Rai ha, that then became the Chiyozuru school. From what i found if NBTHK attributes to Rai Kuniyasu means when he was in Yamashiro or Awaji (end of Kamakura/early Nanbokucho), if Echizen Rai it's his son work in Echizen (early to mid Nanbokucho), if Chiyorozu is the students of Echizen Rai (late Nanbokucho to Muromachi).

SOLD Thank you

Wakizashi hirazukuri with unusual bo-hi signed “Nanto-jū Kanabō Hyōe no Jō Masatsugu” (南都住金房兵衛尉政次) in shirasaya. Hamon is a suguha-based midare with a narrow but bright nioiguchi with sunagashi and a nice nijuba on one side. Hada is a standing out itame that shows also a shirake utsuri. Dimensions are: Nagasa 39.0cm Sori 0.8cm Motohaba 31.3mm Motokasane 7.2mm Kanabo school was based in Nara during late Muromachi, they were renowed for being really effective in battle and especially famous for their yari. According my studies this should be the work of the shodai: MASATSUGU (政次), Tenbun (天文, 1532-1555), Yamato – “Nanto-jū Kanabō Hyōe no Jō Masatsugu” (南都住金房兵衛尉政次), “Nanto Kanabō Hyōe no Jō Masatsugu” (南都金房兵衛尉政次), Kanabō school, we know blades from the Tenbun to the Kōji era (弘治, 1555-1558), robust sugata with a wide mihaba, a thick kasane, and an elongated kissaki, rather standing-out itame mixed with masame and ji-nie, hiro-suguha, ko-midare or gunome-midare with compact nioiguchi, in addition ashi and yō, some blades show fine and elaborate horimono in the hitsu, chū-saku There are some small openings and some scratch, but nothing too bothering. On the mune there are several kirikomi. SOLD Please note that i prefer shipping within the EU, shipping outside EU is still possible but might cost extra as i will need to have it shipped from another location. Additional pictures can be found here: https://drive.google...WMYSOESB?usp=sharing

inflation is crazy these days.... https://kumin.news/bunkyo/articles/413778

Mitsuhiro (光弘)

NBTHK Hozon certificate doesn't attest anything about the quality of a blade, it just says that it's an authentic nihonto, there are not fatal flaws (unless is an important example or historically valuable piece) and that the signature, if there's one, it's not fake. Upper levels like Tokubetsu Hozon are also evaluating the conditions of the blade itself.

Thank you Grev for your review, it's always great for me recieving positive feedbacks from my customers, especially when they're long time collectors of antiques i take the liberty to post some better resolution pics of the tsuba

Please remove or move to sold section

Bushū-jū Masaharu (武州住正春)

Sold

Another drop at 450€ plus shipping

A big drop for the end of the year, new price is 500€ plus shipping

Another shot in a different light

My Mei is 古伝 which reads "Koden" that sounds like my surname and also means "old tradition" which fits with my usual style that takes mostly from Muromachi and Momoyama periods

The tsuba is now for sale https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/47204-2023-nbthk-competition-nyusen-awarded-akasaka-tsuba/

This tsuba was submitted in "2023 Modern Sword Craftsmanship Exhibition" (2023年度現代刀職展審) and was awarded Nyusen 7th place (入選七席). There's already a post talking about it here https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/45392-my-first-attempt-at-nbthk-newly-made-tsuba-contest-2023/ The tsuba is an utsushi of an Akasaka tsuba (https://www.touken-w...-guard/art0000971-1/) which captivated me with its elegant and flowing design. It represents a torii over a stream of water, which in the case of my tsuba i recognized as the torii over water in Kashima Shrine: https://diversity-fi...majingu6-768x512.jpg Incidentally i found a similar tsuba at last DTI and had the chance to compare it directly with mine. The tsuba dimensions are 75x76 mm and it's 5 mm thick It will come with a box with pillow and hakogaki by me, a tsuba bag and a copy of the diploma from NBTHK. Price is 600€ plus shipping and Paypal fees.

It looks Date clan's mon

Echizen Ju Shimosaka (越前住下坂)

To throw some fuel to the fire: six lobed Kamakura-bori tsuba I feel that those lobed tsuba originally might have been simple tosho for kazuuchi-mono, which were also exported, then they got decorate by engravers, some of these maybe outside Japan and somehow made it back through the Dutch

During last DTI i had the chance to compare my tsuba with an Akasaka piece from Edo period with similar design, i was very pleased to see that mine wasn't inferior, despite with slightly different approach on size and design

There's a pair that looks suitable on Aoi https://www.aoijapan...signed-plum-blossom/

http://www.smokingsa...ppi_Untracht2011.pdf An insight on how inlays are done

I didn't post it, i only provided the "translation"