Katsujinken

Nothing special here, just parts assembled for mounting, but would appreciate the help of our resident translators, before whom I bow with utter humility. :-)

A bump for the week, thanks for looking.

Good points of course Peter. I should have been more specific: it's not a traditionally made Japanese sword, which I think i what Rodney hoped he was buying. What do you make of the misaligned machi?

Hi Rodney, This is not an authentic Japanese sword. It is especially obvious looking at the nakago (tang).

Price drop to $2250 OBO. Thanks for looking!

Bump for the weekend. Happy to discuss offers and payment plans (within reason).

He was a wonderful man who will be missed by so many. NYTK wouldn’t be what it is without him, and I know his influence will continue to support and guide the group, which remains vibrant, in the years ahead.

Indeed, thank you Guido. You guys are really hilarious sometimes.

Indeed!

This is a wonderful shakudo kozuka depicting waves and a ladle [hatō hishaku no zu kozuka (波濤柄杓図小柄)]. The condition is excellent. The NBTHK attributes the kozuka to Den Kenjō (伝顕乗). Kenjo was the 7th of the Gotō main line generation (1586-1663). Price: $2500 USD + the cost of insured shipping and PayPal. Reasonable offers considered! If I sell the kozuka here I will donate some proceeds to the board, with pleasure! Please don't hesitate to ask questions. Thanks for looking!

Caveat emptor! :-)

Right, hence my skepticism.

This wakizashi is signed Yokoyama Kôzuke no Daijô Sukesada (横山上野大掾藤原祐定) and I believe the ura nakago is "Bishu Osafune Junin". So, what do we think of the mei? It doesn't look terrible to me, but I am not nearly the expert many of you are. The rest of blade appears to hit kantei points (suguha, dense itame, deep sori for a wakizashi, etc.), although I can't tell if it shows mizukage. I'm going to assume this is gimei unless a strong chorus of experts says otherwise. High resolution photo: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/3bb886ea583fc62d8c93e182fca302b220200711183353/c21f50 Thanks all. :-)

I think it certainly helps when the attics are Japanese! :-P

Thanks to both of you.

Ah of course!

Oh and another photo of a different nakago just arrived.

I must admit I'm stumped on this first signature. I think the first two characters are 伊州... but even that might be wrong. And it definitely looks like when this was shortened they just lopped it off right in the middle of the signature. What do you think? I'll share other photos as I receive them.

I saw this when it was in New York and enjoyed it very much.

No.

Wow, this is so fantastic. Thank you so much!

All three of those photos of the ink stick are of one ink stick, so perhaps this one was made for that company in China. A special order with a seal, maybe? In any case, I love these little details. Thanks for the help.

Wow, wizardry. Many thanks. :-)

With thanks to Kelly Schmidt, this beautiful suzuri-bako arrived today from Japan. I know it is dated Meiji 40 (1907), but the rest is beyond me. Anyone want to take a crack?

Gyaku menuki are a very common choice among kenjutsuka, and every Japanese shop (like Tozando) or production sword manufacturer (like Evolution or MAS) know exactly what one needs when this is mentioned.