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Rivkin

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Everything posted by Rivkin

  1. After the war started for a while there were absolutely no direct flights from most EU countries and I had to receive and ship probably a dozen packages for various collectors. Most countries had to use a connect flight through Dubai or something of the sort, sometimes with a stop in Thailand or alike. If one has to fly over Emirates or Thailand one might as well stop on the way, the economics of fly through all the way till Tokyo makes sense only for a very major route... Even today I suspect unless you are using one of the largest European airports there are no direct flights and shipping anything interesting has its issues. I don't know about weapons side of it, knowing Japanese sensitivities it might be an issue, but then again - many EU collectors do suffer or suffered. Which helps us the US sellers! Weapons-related are things like limits imposed on shipping to Poland of large quantities of things like Chinese drones or certain chemicals.
  2. That looks like shinshinto. For whatever reason Suishinshi Masahide rendered Hosho style in this way with drastically different steel layers and everyone else in shinshinto seemed to follow. It reacts well to white light (directly from above), reacts well to sidelight, its relatively insensitive to all conditions. Challenges begin when its Kamakura, complex utsuri, nioi based hamon with plenty of ashi.
  3. Don't know about the signature but horimono looks too crude. One can try using one of NTHK shinsa in the US or have someone submit it to NBTHK in Japan.
  4. Not really except no other sources of light within 4m from the blade. It helps with contrast a lot. Ashi on shinshinto are capturable with side light, you might put it a bit towards the mune though, but still directing it at the blade.
  5. Depends on a blade. Generally shinto and shinshinto are simple, do not need angled blade, they just need a decent source of light from a side and a camera looking down below. Light source the main quality is its size. When you inspect a blade sometimes very point based light like a flashlight does very well, but for photography a tube usually does ok. P.S. its seldom acknowledged that just how a blade reacts to light from a side or a difference of how it looks from a side versus from above - its enough to date the blade with very good precision. Nie forms very differently in Edo period and Muromachi also has its "thing".
  6. Personal opinion: It does look like an old attribution to Mitsuhiro who is a relatively recognized name, made in a bit unusual fashion on osuriage blade. This is koto, and quite possibly can be a Bizen blade. There is not much to see on such photographs but nothing seen contradicts Bizen. The big question is whether this is (early) Muromachi with a real attribution like say the last of Omiya school (for example) or its Nambokucho and possibly to a bigger name. Statistically one has to be conservative. To make a determination though really good photos are need, or to see it in hands etc.. Its not clear how much its out of polish. If you are thinking of parting with it, I would be interested in buying.
  7. You can ask Polish collectors (there are a few) but generally it can be: 1. Japanese are always afraid of something and use any possible excuse to not do something because "its absolutely forbidden". Often its not. 2. For postal service you need a direct flight from Poland. As I think there are none over Russia, I don't think they exist at all. Closest country with a direct flight is probably Germany or Netherlands. Without direct flights swords are problematic. 3. FEdex and UPS can carry swords but only if a dealer has a special contract with them.
  8. Its a good one. Yes, shrine sword is a possibility. They tend to have this style of mounts and can be quite unusual.
  9. So far it looks like late work, possibly shinshinto, in hosho style, but (many) more photographs needed. You don't see such thick, high contrast yet somewhat simple masame at earlier times.
  10. Only the first is an issue. Expected for rough Gassan. There are fine example ofcoarse, but this one is average. Putting a link to seller's page would save us time.
  11. Despite a somewhat recent suriage the katana is probably koto. I guess Mihara or possibly Ryokai den are safe bets here; it does not have strong yamato feel within hamon, most likely provincial Yamato-related. Hamon is a bit thin for Mihara, boshi also needs to be checked to be more certain. Unlikely Enju. Don't think its Uda but possible. Interesting.
  12. It looks like honest and probably realistic appraisal. Yes, everyone wants to polish a blade to be a part of magic, most of the time it is not advised. Few polishers will tell you that. On a sidenote, I know plenty of polishers who are awful in kantei and very few who are good so their opinions as those of everyone need to be taken with salt, but everything seems to be in place here.
  13. Another reason I like war. Well, like is a strong word, burying friends every month is problematic. I worship it though. Everyone comes to it motivated by what professional councils of experts believed to be true. Convinced the opponents' experts is evil conspiracy which lives by lies and serves we know whom . Year into war it becomes apparent that everywhere and every council member gained (insert pronouns) position purely by being loyal to the previous generation of experts. Their opinions are valued only because they are mutually supported by other experts. None of it even remotely relates to reality - yet it is the reality that is resisted at all costs by the experts. Its even worse in stuff like Art history and other things where you can't really prove anything and what experts believe can actually become reality. Museums... Aside from Markus Sesko none of them has the slightest knowledge of subject... positions filled solely by the right people who are students of even righter people. NBTHK, NHTK, NTHK NPO. Yes, 99% of criticism against shinsa comes out from people whose treasure was gimeied and who simply don't know enough to make a judgement and understand why. Unfortunately, today its no longer the sole issue. None of those blades shinsa people has a name that can be associated with a solid publication like Dr. Honma's; none presented and defended his general position on attributions and related issues. Very unfortunately - it shows. Simple experiment with each group - submitting published and sayagakied Juyo from years back. Turned out it was: Bungo, Kaga, or Echizen Seki. If you know which organization favors which bucket attribution you can guess who did what. To be fair - even in full polish it was really taxing on eyes and you should have spent a LOT of time to see everything there and understand what it is. If all you did just pointed it towards a light source, then its just a sharp stick by any other name. Sometimes its working conditions not the people per se which derail the process. I do not have a formal school, as in high school, education.
  14. Polish is a bit heavy on hadori, but generally the first class Hizen hada is very repeatable, tight with itame's nie being like a dot or protruding a bit along the blade... This one is rougher, wider, more spaced, and non-uniform. Its still nice, but not to the same point. Weaker Hizen smith is an option, but so is a better than average shinto smiths who was inspired probably by Hizen Masahiro.
  15. A lot of circa 1510-1540 provincial (and not only) work is not very distinguishable. There are even Bizen blades that look like Mino and Mino which look like Bizen. This one leands more towards Mino, but it does not tell you much. Its one of the many period's blades, maybe a bit later (1570) judging by sugata, though its not certain with such pictures. There are also plenty of unrecorded smiths, and some of them did use more famous Rai or Bizen names, so you do see ... mitsu on blades from basically everywhere.
  16. I feel its another case when Japanese introduce a noun to mark something specific, but westerners would just see it as one element within many similar ones. Its very hard to judge Hizen away from Osaka based on hada alone. If its a specific smith like Hizen Tadayoshi the third generation, maybe you can, but if you mix seven Hizen blades from different smiths with seven Osaka I would be very hard pressed to tell which is which based on hada alone. Yes, every dealer will write "and you can definitely feel its konuka hada!" when selling Hizen. You can judge Hizen versus Bungo on hada though.
  17. It looks like a nice blade. Naoe Shizu has a "bad" reputation because it can be Muromachi, but its one of exceptions where mumei blades can definitely get TH and go Juyo, so its kind of judged by Nanbokucho principles, same as Oei Hasebe and a few other schools. I think sue-Sa is another possible attribution here, hamon is a bit more nie heavy on top, which is often seen in west Japan's schools like Sa or Naotsuna, while Naoe Shizu tends to be more harsh, larger nie throughout the entire hamon, also with more prominent masame. But one sees it in Naoe Shizu now and then as well and overall the attribution appears solid. On the negative hamon here comes out a bit soft since it lacks prominent sunagashi etc. Jigane is good. If it would have stronger nie in hamon definitely Juyo grade, though such statements are very subjective. As is, can still be an attractive blade. Feels like the earliest Muromachi.
  18. Either about 2-4 days or until they steal it.
  19. 1. It will not pass Juyo. 2. Its a Nambokucho blade with bo utsuri, weak mostly nioi hamon and lots of masame with a bit of hotsure. Why it was appraised Aoe remains a bit of mystery since there is no ko choji, no dan utsuri, no chirimen, no fine tight itame. Boshi is consistent with Aoe. I guess the suggestion is that the only reason it passed as Aoe is because of kinzogan (kimpun? can't see). If you remove it, submit to TH it will be Mihara... and will cost 50% as much.
  20. Apologies for honesty - this is average. Its genuine in a sense of school, but its late and rather run of the mill piece.
  21. This is usually followed by a purchase of end Kamakura Senjuin or Naminohira with a long discussion on how the experts in Japan affirmed its to be Heian... Or if funds are present, than its Ko Hoki. Reality is, if you are not buying Sanjo Munechika there is very little difference between the earliest Kamakura and Heian. One has to accept the uncertainty.
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