Ray Singer

Now listed, officially. http://www.aoijapan.com/wakizshi-mumei-atttributed-as-norishige Time for a second mortgage.

Heianjo Nagayoshi comes to mind. Best regards, Ray

Very nice example. They are usually more careful to exclude the sayagaki from their kantei blades. Nagamakinaoshi seem to be rare for this smith. The sayagaki does not indicate if it is already Juyo, but Tanobe-sensei gave his chinchin juju notation. Best regards, Ray

Too true, I definitely get it. A bit of information below. Also, Grey Doffin wrote a longer article on oshigata making for the JSSUS and has offered to share it with members in the past who requested a copy. http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/oshigata.html It was Grey's oshigata demonstration I was thinking of, and at the moment only see videos online for his sword etiquette demos (also worth watching). Best, Ray

IMHO, it's a great educational opportunity to go through this process yourself. A nice way to intimately study the details of a sword you own and see features you might otherwise have overlooked. I believe that there was a video tutorial on oshigata drawing online that was filmed at a past sword show. If I can find it, I will share the link here. Best regards, Ray

One of the more beautiful gendaito I have seen was an Ota Chikahide that Moses Becerra sold. I likewise would appreciate seeing additional examples of his work. Best regards, Ray

Sold and donation placed to the NMB. Thank you Tim. Best regards, Ray

Appears to be signed Uda Kunimune. Best regards, Ray

Yes, that is true. It is the digital book I was thinking of, which I believe Roger will sell through his site. Best, Ray

It is a quality sword and the hamon has similarities to the abunome gonome hamon (horsefly eyes) of the first two generations. The very fine hada you described is known as konuka hada and is representative of the school. I would suggest finding a copy of Roger Robertshaw's book on the Hizen Tadayoshi school. This will give you a tremendous amount of background on his lineage. Hizento.net Best regards, Ray

I think you did very well with the Masanaga. I clearly remember that sword when it was listed for sale and how much I liked it at the time. It reminded me of a nidai (Kawachi no Kami) in a good friend's collection. Sandai works seem to be relatively rare on the market. Enjoy. Best regards, Ray

Thank you, I will look out for your email. This piece is now on hold. Best regards, Ray

Frankly I am surprised as well. Unlike the detritus I see selling on eBay for much more, this one is healthy and appears to be eminently restorable, or could be enjoyed in its current condition if someone were not able to restore right away.

Bump. Pictures are poor, but this is a nice sword. Beautiful hamon, interesting mei, no kizu. Best regards, Ray

Kasane is 6mm. Best regards, Ray

Although Nakahara does not buy into the idea that the length of signature in Sue-Bizen has a relationship to whether it is a kazuuchimono or not, my experience is that in daito from mid-to-later 1500s a long signature like yours [bizen (no) Kuni Ju Osafune Sukesada Saku + Date] indicates a better quality sword. Best regards, Ray

Nagasa is 41.7cm. Motohaba is 27mm. This is just blade, habaki and saya. Best regards, Ray

Hi Andy, I believe it is 40cm in length but will confirm all the dimensions in the morning. Best regards, Ray

This is an interesting and flawless Bizen blade. While the complete mei is not intact, the remaining characters that can be read clearly are BI___ OSAFUNE _____. The sword has a feeling of Shinto Bizen. On the opposite side of the nakago there is a second inscription which may be an owner's name: Sadaharu Rokuyoshi. The hamon is choji gonome-ba in bright nioi. There do not appear to be any issues which present a problem for restoration. The saya is done in 'deer hair' lacquer with a few losses. The tsunoguchi and kojiri need to be added. The habaki is copper. $650 (plus shipping & PayPal). Any questions, please email raymondsinger@gmail.com.

On my first trip to Japan Tsuruta-san showed me this massive, beautiful Yoshimune that was a contest winning sword in the 1930s. It must have been 71cm with a wide mihaba. One of my all time favorite gendaito. Agree with Brian's comment, the Hiromasa is looking great. Best, Ray

I will dig through my backups Stephen. Unfortunately it looks like this one did not have the photos automatically archived online. If I can locate some images on disk I will definitely send them your way... http://web.archive.org/web/20101230064231/http://www.swordsofjapan.com/Yoshimune.htm Take care, Ray

Since my last posting I have added a number of new items to my site. Please see below for a listing of all swords currently for sale. http://swordsofjapan.com Bizen Osafune Norimitsu, dated Kansho 2 (1461) Sagami (no) Kami Kunitsuna katana Mino Kaneaki (gendaito) Kaneyasu (gendaito) Chikuzen Munehiro (gendaito) - 2 swords by this smith Hosokaya Masayoshi kodachi Mino Jumyo katana in koshirae (shinshinto) Chikuzen Moritsugu Norisada (gendaito) Sagami (no) kami Masatsune yari Sagami (no) Kami Yasuyuki katana Shitahara Yasushige wakizashi Shitahara Hiroshige naginata Shitahara Hiroshige wakizashi Hizen Masatsugu (gendaito) Any questions, please email raymondsinger@gmail.com Kind regards, Ray

Did anyone happen to see the second mumei Kiyomaro which was listed for sale last night and pulled shortly afterwards? http://www.aoijapan.com/wakizashi-mumei-den-kiyomaro Best, Ray

There were no bids at auction, so I assume someone made an offer after the auction closed. http://www.sword-auction.jp/en/content/as16327-%E5%A4%AA%E5%88%80%EF%BC%9A%E5%82%99%E5%89%8D%E5%9B%BD%E9%95%B7%E8%88%B9%E4%BD%8F%E4%BA%BA%E5%B7%A6%E9%A6%AC%E5%85%81%E7%9C%9F%E5%AE%88%E9%80%A0%E7%AC%AC23%E5%9B%9E%E7%89%B9%E5%88%A5%E9%87%8D%E8%A6%81%E5%88%80%E5%89%A3-katana-bizen-koku-osafune-junin-samamosuke-sanemori-zo Best regards, Ray

An interesting question and perhaps worth spinning off in its own discussion thread. The last sword I submitted passed in its first attempt. I did not knowingly pay a tip at that time and have never done so unless one was factored into the agent fees. Best regards, Ray