Ray Singer

One other option I would like to throw out there is Kaifu (late Muromachi). Longer kaeri with mune-yaki is a trait. Nie-deki hamon and a coarse jitetsu. Hirazukuri ko-wakizashi are common. Their sugata can tend to be on the less refined side. Blades show a fuller, more rounded fukura. Nakago also have a resemblance to your sword. If I focus just on the sugata, I would feel better about Kaifu then my previous bid of Kanabo.

Sue-koto. Reminds me of Kanabo work. Shimada is also possible. I find that many times schools which are described in books as nioi deki show plentiful nie when seen in hand. For reference, here is an example of a Kanabo sunobe-tanto with some similar elements in the hamon. Clear differences are the long kaeri and the mune-yaki in your sword. https://www.aoijapan.net/wakizashi-kanabo-hayato-jyo-masazane-saku/

Meikan-more?

In agreement with the comments above about the sugata. The grand shape with deep sori and the blade's width, with little difference between moto-haba and saki-haba, would point towards a date going into and during mid-Kamakura. I do feel that the moto-haba was wider originally, looking at how the hamon begins to narrow from the mid blade downwards, and the weariness to the jitetsu in that area.

Kamakura, Ko-Aoe. I would like to research a bit more, but my initial feeling is Ko-Aoe Masatsune (Senoo), with a fallback to Ko-Aoe Moritsugu. I need to see if I can locate the Masatsune oshigata this reminds me of. Also note that both Moritsugu and Masatsune signed tachi-mei in contradiction to what is typical for their kei. The way I understand the term Dan-utsuri refers to the utsuri being a layered combination of types, for example both bo utsuri and midare utsuri appearing in places on the same sword. While the utsuri pattern takes on more of a bo (straight) tone towards the habaki-moto, this is happening in the same area where the hamon seems to degrade and eventually fades out in a yaki-otoshi. My impression is that this was a continuous midare utsuri when the sword was healthy, and would not describe what I see as dan-utsuri. If anything that area at the habaki-moto seems have a more tsukare-utsuri as it is connected with tiredness in the sword.

It's a good question. It seems that the percentage is high enough (a majority is implied?) that this attribute is usually included as a known feature of Aoe swords. It does not seem surprising to me that Tsuruta-san would include that comment as a clue if he were hinting towards Aoe.

Hi Jean, Aoe are noted for having often signed katana-mei (contrary to what was typical at the time) but it's not an absolute and some Aoe smiths did signed tachi-mei. I own a Ko-Aoe (early Kamakura) with an illegible tachi-mei. Best regards, Ray

BTW, I believe the only individual who used this particular mei of Morinaga was a Shinto Mino smith who also used the mei 盛永 (different kanji for Naga 長).

My point being that the individual who did suriage was making an aesthetic (artistic) choice to file around the mei this way and make this type of visual, platformed presentation of the signature. During the suriage process you will see swords where there is a clear demarcation/height difference between the original nakago and the newly executed yasurimei above. This dramatic tapering of the nakago (looking at the difference in thickness comparing the two mekugi-ana) is unusual.

Seems fairly straightforward, whoever performed the suriage was trying to preserve the mei and the beveling seems to have been an aesthetic choice on his part. This does not appear to be a type of gakumei and I do not believe that welding was involved, just some excessively fancy filework.

Check page 239-240. Kishu Ishido.

The stuff of nightmares.

A good place to start: http://ohmura-study.net/900.html

Please don't take this as an insult, as I am sure that the sword has sentimental value as it was received as a gift from a family member, but in terms of the object itself it has very little resemblance in any way to an authentic Japanese sword. Aside from the way that the sword has been signed and the fact that it was not signed in Japanese, each attribute of the sword is a very poor reflection of the way that a Japanese sword in gunto koshirae looks.

Hi Tony, sorry for the bad news but this is unfortunately a fake.

What I was told by a collector in Japan was that sometimes families would have the swords in their possession cut into sections to avoid the consequences of being found with an unlicensed sword. I was skeptical, until he pulled out small collection of nakago which included several koto nakago and a signed and dated Sadakazu that looked very good to my eyes. Still not sure what the full story is there.

I had the pleasure of borrowing my friend's Kawano Sadashige (Gassan school) over the weekend and wanted to share a few photos. I have encountered his work on and off, but this one was by far the best example that I have seen. For some reason it seems that his swords tended to be larger and longer overall than his contemporaries, I have seen three that were over 28" and this tachi is 70.5cm with a 34mm moto-haba. Definitely a smith I will pay more attention to in the future... Best regards, Ray

Considering that it is a Chinese reproduction, I would not recommend rebuilding as an iaito. You do not know the integrity if the blade, and it is possible that the blade may break in the course of your practice and cause injury to yourself and/or others.

Great sword. I am surprised that Tanobe-sensei did not append the sayagaki with Chin-Cho (or Chin-Ju) given the health and quality of the sword and the fact that it was placed with one of the earliest masters of this school in late Kamakura. The hamon also seems unusually wide for this school. I am also often surprised that this school is not more popular among collectors. Ko-Mihara hamon often have a tight habuchi with smaller/finer hataraki compared with other groups. Perhaps that is part of the reason. By contrast to this example, take a look at the Ko-Mihara which Grant is selling here, which appear to have deep nie hataraki. Workstyle (in hamon) seems closer overall to Tegai.

My understanding is that the current regulations in Japan require that newly made swords are dated. I would speculate that, if Komonjo's swords are being produced in Japan, they are being sold under the table to bypass the current restrictions, with a gimei being added by the smith or added later to blades sold mumei.

Signed ___shu Junin Kunimasa Saku. I am guessing that this is the Tosa smith.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KIKUCHI-YARI-spear-w-Judgment-paper-MUROMACHI-14-6-8-3-280g-/122414592505?hash=item1c807a71f9%3Ag%3A9nMAAOSwt5hYb0uD For what it's worth, I am in the camp of this being an interesting, worthwhile item for the current price.

That sounds absolutely terrifying. Perhaps a good option is to speak with Paul Martin...

Remarkable kasane.

Success! I walked him through the process Jean mentioned again and the issue is now resolved. Thx all!