Katsujinken

Neither of these swords could pass a legitimate shinsa. The only people this will fool are those foolish and greedy enough to try to buy swords on eBay because they think they’re getting a deal. I’ll say it again: when it comes to nihonto, the only thing you’re buying on eBay is trouble. If you’re not nailing the NBTHK’s kantei every single month (pretty sure that’s applies to all of us), work with a real dealer, buy papered blades, and stop this treasure hunting nonsense. :-)

Kanekuni is a great smith. Were this a bit shorter we'd be having a conversation, but I'll have to settle for bumping the thread for you. Best of luck with the sale!

Thanks to you all!

I know this book was made into what we now know and love as Connoisseur's, but I just wanted to confirm that if I have Connoisseur's I'm not missing anything from this volume. Thanks!

Do it.

You know something like is awesome because we all link to it every year or so! :-) Thanks for resurfacing with valuable added context, Ken. Love that about this place. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22964-ha-bun-shu-a-Japanese-book-of-wave-and-ripple-designs-1919/

Remember that if we do our jobs right we are but caretakers. Hopefully you are making room for something more important and substantial that needs your attention, having earned the privilege by caring for what you are now passing on, hopefully to a worthy successor. And if you are just making room, that’s okay too. The most important thing is that these artifacts survive. That is the best we can do, because we can’t take anything with us. Onward!

Thanks. I think I’ll pass on this one. :-)

Hi folks, Hopefully someone can help me determine if this Hozon paper specifies the period or school for this yamagane tsuba. Anything you can tell me would be appreciated. No need for a full translation, as I’m happy to pay for that. Just hoping for the broad strokes. Thanks much!

Happy to be wrong, and there are certainly folks here who would know better. Could be the polish is just throwing me. Just looks off to me. Shape, nakago patina, hamon, etc.

I doubt that this blade is very old or Japanese, to be honest.

Impressive hataraki! I’m curious, with the 7mm kasane, what does it weigh in hand?

Indeed, there is the Shinshinto Sukehira, but his title was Ise no Kami according to Connoisseur’s. Also, something about the top of the nakago here is strange to me. Why is the end of the corrosion so straight and uniform? Here are some signatures of the Shinshinto Sukehira: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/8708-bizen-yokoyama-sukehira-oshigata-wanted/ http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/14612-sukehira-translation-help-please/ Quite different regardless of the title.

Ah Kanemasu! I couldn't find Kanemasu in Fujishiro (Shinto), and the two character mei kind of threw me, so I assumed I had made a mistake or something. Thank you Jussi!

I believe this is a Hozon paper for a wakizashi by Kanemasa, but I’m having trouble figuring out exactly which Kanemasa we’re talking about here. Would appreciate any assistance! Thanks.

Caveat emptor!

Perhaps connected to Nakamura Taizaburo then?

Yeah, that’s all I could find. Thank you for the date!

Hi friends, Gendaito aren’t my area of expertise, so I’m hoping some of you pros can help me out. I’m trying to get some more information about Norinari and this specific blade if possible. I believe Norinari is Yoshida Morimitsu, born in 1930, but beyond that I haven’t been able to find anything. I’d appreciate any help, translations, or directions toward research sources. Thanks!

The value of a supportive spouse can not be overstated! :-)

I had no idea that pdf was online. Thanks Rayhan! An exhibition of that caliber outside of Japan will almost certainly never be seen again.

That sugata doesn’t cry out koto to me. But take my comment with a grain of salt. Other more experienced folks may chime in.

Much of the time there certainly is, but it can become an oversimplification if you’re not careful. You don’t want papers to lead you around by the nose. The adage is “buy the blade, not the papers.” But that can also be a pathway to delusion. This is where a knowledgeable, trustworthy dealer comes in. Darcy Brockbank has written extensively on this. I highly recommended reading his entire blog.

My advice: go above 20 or stay below 10. Between 10 and 20 is a fraught middle ground.

Lots of good advice in this thread. I saw in your new members post you are in NYC. Definitely join the NY Token Kai. As for Bonhams, you honestly didn’t miss much, and as others have said, auctions are filled with land mines (and believe me this one had a few – at least one of which someone unfortunately stepped on!). Mike Yamasaki or Darcy won’t steer you wrong. Spend as much as you can reasonably afford right now on a quality sword that either of them recommends and you will not be disappointed. Better to have one top quality sword than many mediocre blades. But then: STUDY STUDY STUDY. A $20,000+ sword is wasted on someone who does not study nihonto in order to truly understand what they have.