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I agree with that. Usually, here are two leagues: kinkô (金工) and tankô (鐔工), whereas Ko-Kinkô, Umetada, Kyô, Daigorô, Kyô-Shôami, Higo, various Shôami from other provinces, and of course Ko-Shôami and Shôami are classified to the first group. The second group is made-up of Kanayama, Owari, Akasaka, Nobuie, Yamakichibei, Hôan, Yagyû, Tochibata, Ko-Tôshô and Tôshô, Ko-Katchûshi, Myôchin, Saotome, Ônin-zôgan, Heianjô-zôgan, Yoshirô-zôgan, Kamakura and the like.

Wow, you live and learn. Thanks for the link. So far I was only aware of THE Ômi-hakkei. Probably they are the most famous?

The "eight views" are completely called AFAIK "The Eight Views of Ômi" (Ômi-hakkei no zu, 近江八景の図). The motif bases on eights scenic views of China which were adopted by the Japanese some time about the Kamakura period for their Biwa lake. Later in the Edo period, when woodblock prints gained popularity, the Eight Views made their round as postcard-like motifs (single or as a whole).

Nice work! It´s always a bonus when nothing rattles along the koshirae. The habaki looks quite massive, would be a great deal for 5.000 Yen if it was made of solid gold

Hi Brian, As you/we have expected, its not a Hoshô Gorô Sadamune. The NHTK attribution reads: "Den Heianjô Nagayoshi" mei: ubu-mumei kitae: dense itame-hada hamon: suguha with ashi bôshi: yakitsume horimono: bôhi on the ura nakago: two mekugi-ana, katte-sagari yasurime remarks: hira-sankaku yari, around Meiô (1492-1501)

Hi Jacques, It´s definitely "tetsu" (鐵), the old kanji for (鉄).

Yes, I know the meaning as a unit of measurement too but then, I expect the "kan" as a suffix like XXX-kan. Such a unit (like ryô for example) sounds not familiar to me as a prefix so I had chosen the lit. meaning of "piercing, penetrating".

Thank you for the praise but I was just the first with replying (Although I was not aware that the (乙丑) referred to the 24th day.)

Hi Brian, The sayagaki reads: BTW: Although the name of the "appraiser" is illegible, I think the kaô is not a Hon´ami one.

Hm, with a lot of fantasy and taking some of the rusty spots as strokes, the last character "could be" mura (村). But it is rather like reading in some of those 3d-pics.

So probably "Bishû Osafune"? But we might never know...

Hi John. Yes, that´s fine. How shall we post this article? Brian? Just one thing has to be remarked: It is a translation of the written form of a german lecture I held last year for the NBTHK, so it might not be that extensive it probably could be. PS: Sorry for keeping this "at thread" and lapsing into off-topic

Yes, the mei closely resembles the "Shôami Kanenori" (正阿弥包矩) depicted in the Shinsen-kinkô-meikan.

Hm, I would agree with Etchû, but would go for kotô Uda school, because the Bizen Iekuni would have signed rather with "Bishû Osafune" at prefix. But that´s just a speculation.

Hi Peter and Brian, The signatur reads:

Thank you for the corrections, Koichi-san. Too early in the morning, or better, too late at night here in central Europe

Hi Mariusz, Yes, it´s an origami issued by Shibata Mitsuo. The attribution reads:

The mei reads "Kamo-shison Sankôdô - Josui" [kaô]. 賀茂氏孫山光堂　如水 Not sure about the "shison" (氏孫) which "should" mean "descendant" (from the Kamo family), but the signature belongs to the female artist Josui, who was a student of Jochiku. Shoshin or not is another question.

Fujita (藤田).

I agree with Carlo (and of course Mr. Mishina), because Japan has a so rich repertoire on puppets in each quality class, many of them carrying swords. Most of them are of course not real swords and wooden or lacquer substitutes but It is very likely that there were some high quality dolls for the high society (served as presents and so on) where no expenses were spared and so, a real blade was commissioned too. Just some thoughts from my side.

Yes, you´re right: Fujiwara.

I think the term has not a clear definition and we should bear in mind the connotation - as Koichi-san stated correctly - that a ô-danbira or danbira stands just for a wide/broad blade, because the term "wakizashi" was yet not in use. So using this term is in my opinion a kind of getting out of the way not to use an uncommon term for that time and on the other hand, don´t go down to the last detail, i.e. describing the sword in its function "uchigatana", "koshigatana" and the like. If I had to make a description, I would probably read as follows: "Describing a wide/broad bare blade, usually in hira-zukuri, which measures from about the length of a sunnobi-tantô up to an ô-wakizashi."

I know this term from the descriptions of Shôsô´in blades, where 15 unmounted blades (musô-tô, ç„¡è˜åˆ€) in hira-zukuri (one of them in kiriha-zukuri) measuring about 1,5 shaku (54,5 cm) are described as "ô-dabira" (大ã ã³ã‚‰). As Koichi-san stated, they are very similar to Nanbokuchô ô-wakizashi in hira-zukuri and the like and rather not applied on tantô.

Sorry, my words were too inaccurate. The yasurime are of course not Kongobei and Mino as you stated. I just meant that the writing style of the character "Mori" reminds me on those used by Kongobei smiths, and not that this assumption has anything to do with the blade itself.

Still unsure but I bear in mind the similar weak, tight burt sweeping writing style of the character "mori" in the mei of the Kongobei school, like Morishige or Morimitsu.