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sakura_matsuri_antiques

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Everything posted by sakura_matsuri_antiques

  1. I'm sorry i've been away for the last few days, but it was for a good reason. We finally received the permission to open a Branch of our activity in Japan (kyoto)! It'll be a long process and will take at least 12 to 18 months to estabilish the new shop but we are nonetheless excited about it. I'm really happy to reduce to €7900. Regards, Emiliano Lorenzi
  2. This is my last message on the subject. It is enyone's right to argue even the shinsa judges that emitted these papers. I don't. Honestly i don't feel myself above the Japanese masters selected by the NBTHK. That's it. That said, i'd like to sell this item fast and at a fair prize, as i'd like to thank the NMB for the opportunity given to all of us to trade our items here. I'll reduce the price in time as much as i can. So the tanto will go to the first one to hold it. Hope this can create a good opportunity to collect an important nihonto. Now €8500
  3. Here attached the pictures of the certificates. Sorry for the quality but the person that usually takes the pictures is on holiday and i had to take it myself.
  4. The seal is absolutely in Sadakazu style, i'd like to remember that this blade has a NBTHK Tokubetsu kicho certificate. On ura side the first kanji indicate the commission, then there's the nengo. Please refer to file attached. Regards, EmilianoExtract from The_Metropolitan_Museum_Journal_v_5_1972.pdf
  5. The first part of the signature on ura side refers to the person the tanto was forged for (please read extract from Metropolitan Museum volume 5 1972 on Sadakazu value topic). The blade need no polish at all, the photographs have been taken with a mid level camera and show dust on the blade.
  6. I have no photographs of the certifications but If requested i can take some pictures. Regards, Emiliano
  7. i've never even heard of these kind of tsuba before. Since it seems i've missed a part of kodogu history i'd like to study the subject!
  8. Gassan Sadakazu tanto, with Bakumatsu style koshirae, with fittings by Shoami Masamitsu. Double Tokubetsu Kicho certification, one for the blade and one for the koshirae Age: Shinshinto, Edo Jidai, Bakumatsu Nagasa: 27,4cm Sori: 0,3cm Moto-haba: 2,8cm Saki-haba: 2,0cm Moto-kasane: 0,7cm Saki-kasane: 0,5cm Mei: 月山貞一造 - Gassan Sadakazu tsukuru (Kao) and commission Certificates: koshirae (Tokubetsu Kicho, 04/05/1970, specially precious item), Tanto (Tokubetsu Kicho, 5/4/1970, specially precious item). Description: Shinshinto period tantou signed Gassan Sadakazu, mounted in typical Bakumatsu koshirae. U no kubi zukuri sugata, powerful masame hada with scattered sparkling nie, suguha hotsure hamon that lead to an average kaeri boshi. This tantou is among Sadakazu's first period blades, Yamato style. Most important the presence of the commission inscribed on the tang, indicating the highest quality level. This blade's nakago is signed with Gassan Sadakazu tsukuru mei , owl's kao with sada character inside and commission. Koshirae is of highest level, typical of Bakumatsu period, with kodogu made of shakudo, shibuichi, gold and silver. Details are incredibly fine made by master Shoami Masamitsu, which signature with kao in inscribed on the back of kozuka. Every kodogu is of the highest level, from tsuba's pitting to kojiri's peony, from details on fuchi and kashira to the scene depicted on kozuka where a monkey, a rabbit and a frog are sitted around the go table. The kogatana is signed 日本鍛冶宗匠雷除伊賀守藤原金道 - nihon kaji sōsho raijo iga no kami fujiwara kinmichi (wazamono), 2nd generation, Kan'ei period 1624-1644, which real name was Mishina Kanbei; on the blade is inscibed a chrisantemum. The hada is itame mixed with masame, while hamon is gunome midare. The tsunagi is skillfully crafted, with detachable habaki made of magnolia. Gassan Sadakazu is ranked JoJoSaku and both certificates are of Tokubetsu Kicho level. Since this is my first item here the price is €8900 + shipping
  9. You should try to identify the Schreger lines on the surface. Ivory come from elephants and mammoths and both species are the only ones with these lines. The intersection of Schreger lines form an angle that is above 100 degrees for the evephants and below for mammoths. Regards, Emiliano
  10. A sword is a weapon, or at least it was in the past, and most of the changes are period related. Until the beginning of the Edo period the use on the battlefield affected all aspects of nihonto and efficiency was more important then aesthetic. After Tokugawa unified Japan the lack of open field battles left sword and kodogu makers more room to exercise their artistic skills. To craft today a new, let's say, buke zukuri katana koshirae with tanto kodogu it seems a bit weird to me but, for how strange it might look, if an old koshirae is original in all its parts it deserves to stay that way.
  11. I've never seen a tsuba like this one. Obviously is a pure academic exercise by the artist but it'd be nice to discover if it's just an isolated case or had some purpose. Shakudo/shibuichi tsuba from Edo jidai already are items crafted with aesthetic in mind rather then practical use, but this one as hand guard is useless. Maybe thought as a gift to a temple or a shrine, like the many bone/ivory koshirae mounted swords (sword shaped steel...).
  12. Well, there are some unclear features on this blade. The first one in about nakago. You show us the omote side and there's no sign of stamp on it and second, and most important, the patina doesn't fit the age. All that rust is not genuine and therefore added to cheat a possible buyer. The blade is no doubt a Showato, maybe one of the semi-mass produced blades (not from a Rikugun jumei tosho work). The kissaki might have been damaged during the war (just a guess) and later DIY reshaped. The kodogu are also of scarce to no value. My guess: a semi hand made Showato with extensive damage to the kissaki later reshaped, nakago reworked and dressed with cheap kodogu. It's up to you to decide whether to spend 150€ on it or not. Regards, Emiliano
  13. I'm no polisher but it seems to me that such an opening in the hada is progressive and cannot be repaired. The next togi will open it even more, to the point you'll see the shingane underneath. I don't know where this blade comes from but i suspect is another "gift" from the Japanese to the western markets. I'm quite experienced on this subject and i've seen many Japanese blades refused on the Japanese market only to be sold in Europe, U.S. etc. Japanese collectors would never buy this kind of blade and since in the past few years the passion for nihonto has increased in the west they tend to send this kind of blades here. The price might be appealing but there's no use in buying something thet is ruined. If, as you say, you are a novice in search for a nihonto to study, i suggest you to collect little more money and invest in a better sword. There are many good blades out there, Muromachi age mumei wakizashi of Bizen school for example, you can find in good conditions that are perfect for study purposes. Regards, Emiliano
  14. You mean the u no kubi zukuri sugata? Yes they're quite similar, but other features such as hada are pretty different.
  15. Ok, so i assume is allowed. Look at this one's nakago, http://www.sakuramatsuriantiquariato.com/nihonto.php Tanto tab, you can see mei, kao and commission. Regards, Emiliano
  16. Hallo Heringsdorf, sorry for this late answer but i just subscribed. I don't know if forum rules allow to post a sword that is for sale for comparison so i won't. To assign a value to a sword is already a difficult task, to assign it to a virtual item it's an impossible task. Benjamin Vincent published a "study of the works of Gassan Sadakazu" for The Metropolitan musem of Arts in 1972 (The Metropolitan Museum Journal, Volume 5, 1972) which i attach here. Conditions (rust, chips, jizukare...), quality (or ji, hada or ware...), hataraki (sunagashi, kinsuji...), period (first or later works by the artist...) are all aspects to be considered while examining a sword but it's not enough. As Benjamin Vinced underlined on his study, with Sadakazu there are more features to be taken into consideration: one of these is what's on nakago. There are three main features that can be found on a Sadakazu nakago: - mei: 月山貞一造 (Gassan Sadakazu tsukuru), 月山源貞一造 (Gassan Minamoto Sadakazu tsukuru) etc. - Kao: Gassan family kao is carved arter the signature and depicts an owl with "貞" (sada) kanji inside. - Commission: when a blade was forged on commission he usually carved the details on ura side. Therefore to help yourself judging a Sadakazu blade's quality, from lower to higher, (this is an absolutely inaccurate guess, only good for theory!) you can look if on its nakago is carved the mei alone, the mei with kao or the mei with kao and commission. Again, mine is just a hint to be used on boring sunday evening while having fun surfing nihonto websites. Gassan Sadakazu works' value can range from 500k Yen to over 2M Yen so the only way to judge a Japanese blade is taking time to carefully examine all its features. Regards, Emiliano Extract from The_Metropolitan_Museum_Journal_v_5_1972.pdf
  17. Thnk you for your warm welcome! I tried to search for the correct section but couldn't find it (never been good at searching!!!). Too bad Geraint we didn't meet, i'm always happy to share some time with nihonto connoisseurs. Thank you Brian for moving my post to the correct section. I hope i can get to know you all better and be a useful member of the community. Thanks again, Emiliano
  18. Hi everybody, i just subscribed to NMB, and since i didn't find a dedicated section i post here my presentation (hope it's not the wrong one!). My name is Emiliano Lorenzi, and i'm form Florence, Italy, where i have a Japanese antiques shop. I started to approach the world of the Japanese sword many years ago, and from 10 year or so it became my profession. As a student i apreciate all the technical aspects of the nihonto, and as a dealer is my duty to know and comprehend them. As an enthusiast though i think the history behind every blade must be the other half of the equation. During my trips to Japan, especially Kanazawa, i got closer to urushi lacquer and started to study techniques and fields of application through history. This later led me to a better understanding of koshirae lacquering and the differences among styles and fashions of the various periods. Koshirae related lacquer is another great passion of mine. Generally speaking i prefere older items, since they are more "authentic" and have a heavier load of history. So, thank you for having me onboard and i hope we will spend some good time together (sorry for being too long with this presentation...). See you soon, Emiliano Lorenzi
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