Katsujinken

There is absolutely a way to do this safely that would be a huge benefit to the nihonto world, omitting private/sensitive information. However, it’s a moot point. The NBTHK is many things, but innovative is not one of them.

Looks like migaki nagashi to me. More here: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/3645-scribbling-on-shinogi-ji-togishi/?do=findComment&comment=31520

Here you go: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dfkq0sc7r0otynx/nbthkcontemporary.pdf?dl=0

I’ll happily scan it for you, but I’ll need a few days. The home front is busy at the moment. Sound good?

I have a copy from my visit to the NBTBK museum in September. Need me to look something up for you?

I think he wants to sell some swords to western buyers who fancy themselves savvy “investors” or treasure hunters.

The assessments you’ve received are correct: the blade is in poor condition and the kissaki has been modified... badly. It’s okay to touch the nakago with your hands because it has patina, just do not touch the blade. I’m not sure if the signature is gimei or not (tough to tell from the photos... others may have a point of view). In any case, enjoy the sword for what it is. Nothing wrong with that. :-)

Is this the same Akihiro blade that was made available for study to NBTHK members in San Francisco last year? That was a real treat.

The Hasebe is a slam dunk! 74 cm! Well done.

Indeed, right you are. Den is only “bad” if you’re after a stronger / narrower attribution. That’s all I meant. And if I’m buying a sword by a well regarded Koto school, my personal preference is for a narrow attribution, especially for anything above $10,000 USD. At the Juyo level, den is definitely not something I want, unless we’re talking about the very top tier of makers (which is not the price range where I operate these days). For me, Yamato Shizu (the school) is not quite special enough for den to be acceptable. Same goes for Naoe Shizu. I’d need to go one level higher at least to be comfortable with den. Just a personal preference... which might change as I learn more over the years.

Given the relative quality of the school one has to wonder why this blade, in Japan, is only Hozon after almost a decade. For me personally the “fixed” gakumei is unfortunate. And the “den” is another downgrade, of sorts.

Hear, hear!

I don’t know a tenth of what Ray knows, but this was my instinct as well.

Thanks guys, very enlightening!

Interesting to note that both the Naoe Shizu and the Kashu Sanekage on Darcy’s site right now have boshi with the turn back preserved.

So now that we’re here I can ask my question again with more clarity (and apologies for the kind of circuitous first attempt): If this WERE Rai, would that make it more likely to have an unmodified, original boshi? Or is there no correlation between the level of the naginata naoshi and whether or not the boshi is original (an original boshi simply being more desirable)?

Ah okay! Cool. Mostly was looking for an opportunity to pose a question that’s been on my mind. :-)

Looks very enjoyable! Do you know if the boshi was modified? Can anyone tell me if this kind of modification is less likely on “high quality” blades? Or is there no pattern and an unaltered boshi simply more desirable on any naginata Naoshi? I.e., was special effort made to preserve the boshi when prized blades were converted from naginata to katana/wakizashi? Or is there not necessarily a pattern?

https://ukiyo-e.org/ This is amazing. You’re welcome! :-)

Modern papers from the NBTHK continue to be the most trusted and widely accepted around the world.

Dwain we love enthusiasm from new folks. And so I say the following as gently as possible: if you’re new to the study of nihonto you shouldn’t be coming into threads like this offering your opinion. You simply don’t know enough. And the truth is most of us here don’t know enough, in general. We each have an area or two where we can really give an informed opinion. Beyond that, the community is best served by always letting more experienced folks handle threads specifically asking for assistance or evaluation. We’re dealing with objects that are important to people and potentially worth a ton of money. Or not. It’s delicate for a number of reasons. So sit back, relax, read more than you post, and contribute where you can really add value. And please resist the urge to respond with a 1300 word diatribe, despite your good intentions.

Bottom line: any dealer selling items with disavowed papers who does not guarantee the item in question will pass a modern NBTHK shinsa should be approached with extreme caution. Caveat emptor. Period. Even Aoi Art is clear about this. They guarantee some blades with old papers will “re-paper”. And the ones where they say nothing about a guarantee? Well, you know what that means.

Most likely Toyama Ryu, I would guess?

But DON'T use a penny. Jean means pure copper. If you're unsure, nothing is the best thing to do.

Anybody can carve anything into steel, and to the untrained eye it all looks the same. We tell someone every week that their family heirloom is a Chinese fake. And of course papers can be forged. This hobby isn’t for the faint of heart. :-) Listen to Ray and also buy some books. Both those investments will save you money later.