Hoshi

Heed my words, They were though. Real luminaries, the heights of which would never be reached again. It may sound dramatic, but it is by no means a poetic exaggeration. We have 600 years of trying up to today, continuing to this day with the Masamune prize and the new sword competitions. It has always been about recreating the lost marvels of a Golden Age that lasted a mere 150 years. In their quest, some came very close to the Soshu-den ideals (Nanki Shigekuni with Go, Hankei with Norishige, Yasutsugu with Sadamune), one has arguably exceeded his model (Kyomaro with Shizu), but most never even got to fly close the sun no matter how hard they tried. As for Bizen-den, Naotane and others did make some progress in resurfacing this lost art, but the gap remains even wider. But to realize this you must handle masterpieces of the Golden Age in-hand, and for this you must go to Japan, with open eyes and open mind. Hoshi

Dear all, A little grace and understanding goes a long way. When I first posted on NMB, years ago, I had purchased a mumei shinshinto blade, a humble beginning. I was greeted in the replies by Darcy who generously spent his time explaining attributions to me, he was graceful in his every words. He could have sneered and said it was a paperweight. After all, he was dealing in Koto masterpieces. There was nothing for him in this sword to appreciate. But he wasn’t dismissive - instead, he saw rightly that this was an entry into the world of Nihonto. Over the years, I came to the conclusion that there is truly no point in lecturing on what “ought to be collected” - the reality is set by the market participants, there is no central planning committee that sets prices. It is all supply and demand. What matters is honesty. Honest description of the items, genuine effort to depict reality as it is. Markets require information to function correctly. Whatever the level one collects at, there is always a bigger fish who - in comparison - will make one’s entire collection fit into the “paperweight” category. Tokubetsu Juyo grandmaster sword? Well, there is a Jubun one that is longer, with a more complete nakago, and a single mekugi ana that belonged to the Emperor. The Jubun collectors can look down on the Tokuju collectors. The Tokuju collectors can look down on the Juyo collectors, and the Juyo collectors can take it out on the Hozon collectors, and so on. Trivially true statement. But there is no point to it. Live and let live, learn and respect others, fight for truth, and don’t fall for delusions. Best, Hoshi

Hi Nick, Very interesting case. Were you able to read the obscured kanji? They appear discernible. It is slightly odd that one of the characters overlaps with the cutting test character. If the cutting test was done before, I could imagine it was left as is to indicate "no longer the case" while giving it a certain sabi aesthetics. Like crossing out a name. If it was done after the cutting test, I could imagine that removing it completely was impossible without damaging the precious (and expensive to inlay!) cutting test. A fine mystery. Best, Hoshi

After reflecting, I believe it is wiser to turn this into a board prize. (if you're feeling 'rugged' by this rule change, started working ardently, and you need the money, shoot me a PM). 1000$ donated to NMB. Thank you so much to everyone who has started to help so far! let's make it a community effort.

Oh my, thank you! That is wonderful to hear! I must have ended in the spam folder, I will make another attempt. If someone knows...he knows.

Unfortunately I was just made aware of Jim's obituary by a kind member. https://www.tpwhite.com/obituaries/james-jim-dawson RIP Jim, thank you for your scholarship. In my experience, collectors value discovering new information on their treasured "precious" - precisely what I bring to table. Not to mention, connecting with like-minded and knowledgeable people is always a blessing.

For information leading to the successful establishment of contact with the current owner. Is Jim Dawson still of this world? I have failed to contact him so far. Hope this helps, - Hoshi

Hello dear militaria collectors, I am looking to pin down a certain war gunto that has been eluding me to supplement my research. I have decided to try something new. The piece in question was once photographed (owned?) by Jim Dawson, I have not been able to contact him. Back in the days, it was bearing one of his tags: You can find it on Omura's website In every community, there are usually a few elders who just "know where things are" - if someone could be so kind as to ring one of these grey beards to figure this out, I would be incredibly grateful and will issue a generous reward. Here is the automated translation of Omura's relevant section: Has it been repatriated? as in, sold back in Japan - or did the (presumably US-based) owner send it in for papers back in 2011? Any information that leads to establishing successful contact with the owner, I will pay a bounty reward of 1000$. Please be mindful of privacy, and write to me in PM. Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt? Happy hunting! -Hoshi

Hello, Failure of knowledge vs Failure of money is a critically useful distinction, thank you @Tsuku for laying it out so clearly. Too often these are conflated together and it blurs the conversation. Very true. Here it is a success of both, with knowledge setting the lower bound, and money the upper bound. That thin slice in between is "your zone of operational success". It works! Wise words.

Really difficult for me to tell. 16th century complete Joseon dynasty with Japanese style curved blade for the lettered nobility, you're probably looking at six/seven figures and it will climb fast (e.g., white jade tsuba, tortoise shell koshirae, the hallmarks of royalty). They are almost completely extinct and are considered invaluable cultural artifacts. Late 19th century utilitarian infantry, Chinese-style sword with simple construction, perhaps closer to a high-end Gunto. Here is an interview of one of the whales in the field, he would be the right person to ask: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2008/12/16/features/Blade-Man-and-the-spirit-of-the-sword/2898663.html The good ones are so rare, when discovered, they make the news (especially if they belonged to a scholar, that is a big deal in Korea): An unlike Japanese swords, there is no NBHTK. Chinese fakes are everywhere, undisclosed repair, etc - if you think Nihonto is filled with peril, beware the waters next to it. Best, Hoshi

Hello, They are incredibly rare to begin with and appeal to collectors in Korea and China who operate in a completely different financial league. Finding one is like stumbling on a great treasure. They are rare because the Korean cultural forces that shaped the Chosen dynasty did not value their arms, private ownership was always seen as a problematic matter, and they suffered enormous devastation from wars over the centuries that led to many waves of disarmament. Many of the better Korean swords tend to have Japanese blades, these were a prime export of the time. Here is an example: https://www.mandarinmansion.com/item/joseon-byeolun-geom Compare with the more usual blades found: https://www.mandarinmansion.com/item/korean-ceremonial-saber Best, Hoshi

Hi, Priorities changed over the eras. Shortening during the turbulent Muromachi times were motivated by having the best, most functionally advanced sword by your side. It was life and death, no time for nonsense. It wasn’t seen as disrespect for Grandpa’s heirloom - the opposite in fact, it was given a new life to do what it was supposed to do: battlefield duty to protect grandpa’s family lineage. Oda Nobunaga was a serial O-suriage enjoyer and big collector. He wanted the option to use it. Only the curious dreams of the Uesugi Daimyo somehow led to a family-wide proscription on chopping up heirloom nakago. Later you see more refined approaches. Gakumei, Orikashi Mei, Kinzogan Mei, and so on and so forth. They are the fruits of a time where life and death battle royal wasn’t the only grand imperative. And again, it was seen as a sign of respect to the sword to be able to wear it in court. Remember that a Kinzogan Mei by the Ko-Hon’ami was seen as equivalent to a signed sword. You still have this attitude in Japan, where a Kochu Kinzogan or Origami is often said to be equivalent to a signed sword by old collectors. Gakumei were also susceptible to forgeries. You can always transplant a mei from a burned Norishige on your Ko-Uda, and make shenanigans. The alternative is the shenanigan-proof Orikashi mei. But It came later. it was also carried out outside of Hon’ami/Umetada shogunal institutions. And sometimes Mei were messed with for strategic reasons. At some point it became very risky to own a signed blade from a grandmaster for a small, or even large clan. There was always a bigger dog that would gently ask you to part way with the sword in a way you couldn’t refuse. Gakumei swords, swords with defaced mei (filed, chopped midway, half erased by the bohi extension…) - these were protected as they were considered less appropriate for gift giving. The Satake clan is noteworthy for having filed, defaced, extended bohi etc on all their family top swords. They probably got badly burned at some point and took drastic action. There are a lot of social circumstances surrounding nakago condition, and it is quite a fascinating topic. Personally I find Gakumei, Orikashi Mei, ko-Kinzogan, defaced Mei, and partial Mei swords wonderful. They tell the story of their times. Best, Hoshi

The hada doesn't quite conform with what one would expect from "The" Shizu. It has a certain Hokkoku-mono flair. The steel is dark, with standing out jinie and chickei. I suggest Sanekage or Tametsugu as more probable than Shizu, after further reflection. What's Mino Shizu? Naoe Shizu? There are wonderful Naoe Shizu, the quality variance is high.

No, not Masamune. My best idea is a Juyo-level Shizu Kaneuji. The gunome peaks, the wild hataraki and large nie deposits are textbook. The sugata also matches nicely. The kinsuji may feel borderline Satsuma Shinshinto but the boshi and overall jiba are Koto, early to middle Nambokucho.

Hello Lewis, Here is what you seek, it is 1310, I believe. However, I do not lend these Oshigata too much credence. They are imprecise, and are not faithful rubbings of the signatures. There is gimei work in there as well, although Kozan is one of the more reliable and famous ones. Here is a Norishige tanto dated 1214 for comparison. I believe you're wondering if your potential Kunimitsu Atelier tanto may have been made by Norishige, and gathering data on signed piece situated within the same time frame to test your hypothesis. This is the right approach! Norishige, out of the Soshu masters with extant zaimei work, has a certain naive calligraphy. As many smiths, he was illiterate and you can see this. Afterall, he hailed from a backwater province considered barely civilized by the military and aristocratic elites of the time. In terms of style, he uses different chisel sizes, and really enjoys accentuating the top and bottom radical of the "shige" character. Dating on the other hand, he doesn't seem to put too much pressure. Thin chisel, very well aligned on the vertical and horizontal direction. Does the date chisel stroke on your Kunihiro indicate that it may have been daimei work by Norishige? I think it's fascinating to see if one can sniff out Norishige, Yukimitsu, or even Masamune's hand out of late Shintogo daimei tanto. I believe we have no established precedent for it as well. It would be of major academic interest for the field. Now for the comparison at hand, the chisel size appear different, broader chisel face. And there is some leftward drift. Norishige on the other hand, seems to quite attached to straight lines. He's very much into his vertical and horizontal strokes. Given that, I would expect his "Kuni" character - if he was ever making Shintogo style tantos - to have a straight and perhaps thick transversal radical. Now, remember that Shintogo had more atelier students than just his son Kunihiro and the three Soshu virtuoso. He had two others sons: - Kunishige (國重)—Son of Kunimitsu, Shintōgo Tarō (太郎), born in the 8th year of Bun’ei (文永, 1271) and died in his 32nd year in the 1st year of Kengen (乾元, 1302) - Kuniyasu (國泰)—Son of Kunimitsu, Shintōgo Saburō (三郎), born in the 1st year of Kenji (建治, 1275) and died in his 64th year in the 4th year of Kenmu (建武, 1338). You can read more about what the old sources say on Dmitry's excellent site. Now this is according to an old primary sources. And if the dates are to be believed, Kunishige is out since he died in 1302. This leaves Kuniyasu as as a possibility beyond Kunihiro! We do not have any extant work by Kuniyasu left, alas. Hope this helps, the quest is noble. Hoshi