Ray Singer

The sword seems to have an unnatural sori. Do you have better photos we can evaluate?

Please archive this thread. Thank you, Ray

Yes, you sometimes can. For example, Naoe Shizu and Kiyomaro school (who were following Shizu / Naoe Shizu) used hon-sanmai, which has hagane separate from the kawagane. You can see a change in the jitetsu and sunagashi running along the transitional zone in their works. I studied a wonderful Ko-Naminohira Friday evening which also clearly showed that the assembly method involved inclusion of hagane.

https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=Norimitsu

Going purely off memory, the wide format of YOSHI reminds me of the Osaka sandai. Perhaps someone here who has a Fujishiro on-hand can help further.

At the lower right is the nagasa (length). The generation is not indicated. There were a number of smiths who used that mei from both the Osaka and Kyo lines.

1 wakizashi mei (signed): Tanba (no) kami Yoshimichi

Kiyondo (藤原清人作 - Fujiwara Kiyondo saku) 1865 (元治二年二月吉日 - A lucky day in the 2nd month of Genji 2) https://www.nihonto.com/kiyondo/

Looks gimei and the mei appears freshly done.

This definitely looks like a modern Chinese fake Dale. Best regards, Ray

The owner agreed to a collector's offer of $2,500 for the Masayuki, which then did not move forward. So, if anyone might be interested in that piece for $2,500 please let me know. Long gendai in long gunto koshirae of 41.75". Best regards Ray

愛染明王 is Aizen-Myō. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C4%81gar%C4%81ja

Quickly, I believe these refer to Buddhist dieties. 不动明王 refers to Fudō Myōō. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%B8%8D%E5%8B%95%E6%98%8E%E7%8E%8B#Japanese

Thanks everyone. I do need to take a photograph next to a 'normal sized' sword so that the scale can be appreciated. In the photo it almost looks like a wakizashi, rather than a 62cm daito. Best regards, Ray

Additional photos.

Things have been a bit quiet in terms of sales, so bringing out the big guns (literally). This is one of the largest Nanbokucho blades one is likely to encounter. It has a tremendously wide mihaba with moto-haba of 41mm and saki-haba of 31mm. Nagasa is 62cm. The hamon is gonome with utsuri throughout its length. Jihada is mostly a fine itame with ji-nie, with just a few coarse spots. The blade is in polish, with shirasaya and a fine two piece silver habaki. It has old NBTHK papers to Hokke Ichijo. With the understanding that these papers are no longer supported, I want to note in the listing that it has never been resubmitted for newer kanteisho. SOLD Any questions, please email raymondsinger@gmail.com. Best regards, Ray

Likewise: going, going... Kind regards, Ray

I will be returning this collection to the owner fairly soon. If anybody would like to make an inquiry on one of these places please let me know... Kind regards, Ray

Perhaps Tomosuke: 友助

Ian beat me to expressing the same sentiment. I have been wanting to dig out the article in the JSSUS where Han Bin Siong wrote about that sword, but with work and travel have not had the time to do so. I believe he felt it to be an authentic Kotetsu.

That same sword on Darcy's website. I do not recall details of the original gunto koshirae. https://yuhindo.com/norishige/

My understanding is that the Etchu Norishige that Cary Condell found, and which later papered as Juyo specifically to Norishige, was found in gunto koshirae. It is the Norishige that was offered on his website Ikkyudo.com.

https://www.nihonto.com/pipecase/ https://www.nihonto.com/fan-tanto-2/ https://www.nihonto.com/a-fan-for-all-seasons/

This is a kozuka with a kogatana signed: 藤田近江守繼平 - Fujita Omi (no) kami Tsuguhira

It was mumei.