Gokaden

Aoi-Art has a blade listed from the same smith now https://www.aoijapan...ku-kiyomaro-utsushi/ This is the tang on our blade for sale: Nice Kashira / pommel

Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : Wakizashi Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Bishu Osafune Yukihisa Papered or not and by whom? : NBTHK, NTHK and Honami Origami Era/Age : Dated November 1415 Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Complete Koshirae Nagasa/Blade Length : 47.87cm or18.85 inches Sori : 1.82cm or 0.72inch Hamon Type : Nie-deki, ko-gunome Jihada : Itame Other Hataraki Visible : Slight utsuri appears on the surface Flaws : minor scratches near mono-uchi Sword Location : Europe / Sweden Will ship to : Europe / North America with EMS International Express Payment Methods Accepted : Paypal, Bank Transfer Price and Currency : EUR 5500 Other Info and Full Description : Here is a nice dated Oei-Bizen Wakizashi dated 1415. It has been in my personal collection for 15 years and I am only selling it to allow my budget for another sword. It has a very nice antique koshirae as well, complete with a Kozuka knife. Honami Nisshu wrote an Origami for this sword Bizen Kuni Yukihisa On Wakizashi:omote:Bisyu Osahune Yukihisa. Ura:Ouei 22 nen 11 Gatsuhi nagasa:1syaku 5 sun 8 bu ari Migi no Ubu nakago Zaimei no wakizashi Chikuzen tokoro Bizen Kuni Jyu Osahune Jyu Yukihisa Syoshi to Haiken. Jiha Deki Yorosiku Muromachi Ki no Tosyo to site mare ni miru Chinpin Syo on toki Eisei on hizou beki nari Syowa 38 nen mi 4 Gatsu kichijitsu ki no Honami Nissyu. Koshirae on Tsuba:Takara sukashi zu Kyo syoami edo jidai. On Fuchikashira:Shishi no zu Edo jyu Edo jidai. On menuki:syakudo hana no zu Goto ke Edojidai on Kozuka: Goto ke Edo jidai On Tsuka:Tya ito Shiro same This wakizasshi Ubu zaimei I checked the blade carefully the signature is genuine and Jigane and Hamon bith are well done and very rare wakizashi. I hope you will keep this item for a long period. 1953 April lucky day. Honami Nisyu. Koshirae: Tsuba:Takara sukashi Kyo syoami. Fuchikashira:Shishi dog. Edo period. Menuki:Syakudo flower design. Goto family. Kozuka;Goto family Edo period. Tsuka aki; Brown color with Same saya:roiro saya. The founder of the Kozori school was Shigeyoshi or Morihisa who worked around Enkyo (1308 - 1311), and the school continued through Meio (1492 -1501). Their work are related closely to the Kanemitsu school. This is a work by second generation Yukihisa who was the son of Kozori Hidemitsu. One Tachi forged by Kozori Hidemitsu (around Ouan period, 1368) was designated Juyo Bunkazai (Important Cultural Asset of Japan). Osafune Hidemitsu is also recognized as “Sai-jo O-wazamono” the sharpest of all swords, in a book by Yamada Asaemon published in 1805. This sword shows the all the characteristics of Kozori Bizen, is reminiscent of the school of Kanemitsu, and displays the style typical of Oei Bizen.

Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : Katana Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : KANETERU (兼照) Papered or not and by whom? : No Era/Age : Modern Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Koshirae Nagasa/Blade Length : 76 cm / 29.9 inches Sori : 1.9 cm Hamon Type : Gunome midare Jihada : Itame Other Hataraki Visible : Kinsuji Flaws : No visible Sword Location : Sweden Will ship to : Europe / USA Payment Methods Accepted : Paypal or Bank Transfer Price and Currency : 3 900 EUR Other Info and Full Description : Here is a very nice balanced sword from the renowned smith KANETERU (兼照), Heisei (平成, 1989- ), he is part of the Akamatsu Taro group and they make their own iron (Tamahagane) for a unique style of newly forged Japanese swords. This is owned by a high ranking Iaido Sensei in Sweden and he is willing to sell it at the price he paid in Japan years ago. Koshirae is really nice made and Tsuka holds a firm grip around the Nakago, a pleasure to use for Iai and / or to add to your collection of Japanese swords. I think the swords made by the Akamatsu taro guild will be more expensive in the future. I can personally deliver it within Sweden and by EMS International Express internationally.

828 blades submitted and out of these only 56 passed. So the chances of getting a blade to Juyo are quite low tbh.

Would this procedure work with swords that you wanted to take to NBTHK with the objective of getting Tokubetsu Hozon and hopefully take them all the way to Juyo papers? I have 2 swords with NTHK and older NBTHK green papers that easily would pass Tokubetsu Hozon but I suppose I need to bring them to Japan for this.

Thanks Jussi. Nice to see that Omiya (Morikage) blades goes to Juyo still

This looks more like a Nagamaki with the tang cut, what is your opinion? https://www.aoijapan.com/katanabishu-osafune-mitsu-hidemotsumasamitsu/

I noticed Yuhindo website was down, and I was thinking, hmm that's not like Darcy. So I came here, very sorry to hear about this. While I never met Darcy in person I had alot of email conversations with him regarding all kinds of Nihonto related stuff. Darcy we miss you! Darcy, Odin makes ready the benches for a feast! You will be drinking ale from curved horns! The Valkyries summoned you home!

I could probably carry some swords between Canada and EU (if there is a need) since I travel at regular intervals.

Mine would be a 30 inch katana by Kanemachi (a lesser Mino smith) but the sword just flew by my hands and later on I regret not keeping it! I remember it had a large fukure on one side. I love the Mino aspect where blades can be a little "dirty" but they are still weapons and wery effective in man-to-man combat where a Taima or Ichimonji heirloom would never be used, these where swords used to be made to be "dirty".... http://www.sho-shin.com/zenjo.html

Can you elaborate on your thoughts here, thanks!

Thanks, of the Kimura / Akamatsu Taro group then.

Browsing a catalogue from a sword dealer that was printed a few years back, I come across this one. Having all my reference books packed away for moving I humbly ask the forum for assistance with translation.

Markus wrote a good article about Kiyomaro a few years ago: https://markussesko.com/2013/08/14/the-case-of-kiyomaro/ And to quote: "Shortly before the end of the Edo period the samurai of this fief were so worried that they constantly sharpened their blades in fear of an imminent seppuku. This lead to a kind of contest of who had the sharpest blade. The poorer samurai were jealous because they were not able to keep up with fancy swords but Kiyomaro had compassion for them and forged them durable and sharp blades for a cheap price. Of course they were no art swords and because this was a secret he had to leave them unsigned. One of the „customers“ was Kiyokawa Hachirō (清河八郎, 1830-1863, see picture 3), a very patriotic samurai, student of the old classics, and master of the Hakushin-Ittō-ryū (北辰一刀流) (sic! I think Hokushin Itto ryu?) of swordsmanship. Kiyokawa was a sword lover too and was not very fond of having a „cutter“ so he asked Kiyomaro to forge him a slightly superior blade than for the others. In addition, he asked him to sign the tang at least with red lacquer so that his sword stood out from the others."

To quote from Nihontocraft.com: Suishinshi Masahide and the Functionality of Nihonto: http://www.nihontocraft.com/Suishinshi_Masahide.html Of course you can breake the Kissaki if you try to cut stone "19. An Etchigo Takeda retainer hit his katana on a stone lantern in the garden of a Shinto shrine. The kissaki broke off"

Did you put it in for the next Juyo shinsa?

Admin: This topic is split off of another one where I mentioned fake papers, merely as an aside to prevent us from being accused of ignoring the issue. However, the issue is a minor one, and not one that we should concern ourselves with too much. As mentioned, it happens anywhere in the world where there is a financial stake in something, and we should not allow ourselves to become paranoid. As always, if you know your seller, and your sword, you should be fine. The percentage of false papers out there is minuscule. However, in the interests of transparency and fairness, I am splitting those comments and leave them up here. However I will be locking the topic unless there is good, constructive info to add. What follows, are the posts from the other topic. Can you inform a little about the controversy over papers that you mention? I always believed the H & TH papers to be "safe".

Given the rarity of works by Kiyomaro for sale at any point of time, I would expect it to fetch top dollar, but how would you ship such a treasure? Sure not on a container ship and waiting for it to arrive?

So payed 50 M Yen back in 1986 or so, now sells for 27 M Yen? Sound investment?

Late Edo period fittings for a sword that turned 600 years old in 2015 The sword is still doing quite well!

Waki Goto Fushigashira, these are mounted to a Koshirae for the Ujinobu Daito

Little more iron this time. Higo tsuba 8.16 cm x 7.6 cm. Mid-Edo

I am very discouraged to hear this.

A set of Fuchi Kashira and Menuki, the Fuchigashira with signature "Kikuoka Mitsutomo Motte Enjyo Zu Horu no" Fuchigashira with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Paper Kikuoka Mitsutomo was born 1776 and passed away 1813. He was the son of Kikuoka Mitsuyuki. Fuchi Kashira On the shakudo nanako plate, Shimenawa and plant are engraved, Fuchi Length : 3.91 cm x 2.47 cm x 1.39 cm (1.53 inches x 0.97 inches x 0.54 inches) Kashira Length : 3.41 cm x 2.06 cm x 1.06 cm (1.34 inches x 0.81 inches x 0.41 inches) On the shakudo nanako plate, Bonsai and Japanese brush are engraved with gold color. —————– Menuki : Length 1 : 4.08 cm x 1.53 cm (1.60 inches x 0.60 inches) Length 2 : 4.20 cm x 1.49 cm (1.65 inches x 0.58 inches) On the shakudo nanako plate, flowers are engraved in the Bonsai bowl. http://imgur.com/IIosSoR