Ray Singer

The date is September 1944

This does not really provide all the specs. I would suggest posting a photo of the kanteisho, information about the attribution and perhaps a link to the listing. Photos here are greatly compressed and very little detail of the blade can actually be seen in this post.

Sukemitsu The mei we typically see for Sukesada use a different kanji for Suke.

On one side, perhaps: 表西光人 刻 (?) 一琴 On the other side, the mei might be: 績成之 + 花押.

Here is some additional information on Ikkin. https://web.archive.org/web/20211025161530/https://yuhindo.com/funada-ikkin-tsuba/

This appears to be the WWII Seki smith Sukenobu. https://www.google.com/search?q=noshu+sukenobu+site%3Amilitaria.co.za%2Fnmb%2F&sca_esv=194710e0d45d0c4a&rlz=1C1YTUH_enUS1164US1164&sxsrf=AE3TifPk3NRnBzfzrSNwmZLPJUZpzuX_uA%3A1753766123529&ei=61iIaJGIIMTBvr0PmILt8Ao&ved=0ahUKEwjRqb_2p-GOAxXEoK8BHRhBG64Q4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=noshu+sukenobu+site%3Amilitaria.co.za%2Fnmb%2F&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKG5vc2h1IHN1a2Vub2J1IHNpdGU6bWlsaXRhcmlhLmNvLnphL25tYi9IgBhQ8wlY2hVwAXgAkAEBmAH4AaAB4wmqAQUwLjMuM7gBA8gBAPgBAZgCAKACAJgDAIgGAZIHAKAHjgKyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Stephen, I have a Torio Hiromasa coming from this collection as well. I will update with dimensions when I return from overseas in a few days.

The setsumei is missing a translation of the explanation. I believe this gives the general idea. Explanation The Shikkake School is one of the five major traditions within Yamato-den, and it prospered with Norinaga as its founder. There are extant tantō signed by Norinaga bearing the dates Bunpō 3 (1319) and Ryakuō 3 (1340) along with his age at the time. These indicate he was born in Bun'ei 9 (1272). Successors bearing the same name are known, and works attributed to later generations of Norinaga during the Muromachi period also survive, indicating a tradition of name inheritance within the school. The general style of this school features: a high shinogi, broad mihaba, flowing itame-hada, a suguha-based hamon as is typical of Yamato-den. However, one characteristic feature of Shikkake Norinaga's work is the inclusion of small gunome in the hamon, and in some cases, purely suguha-based tempering can also be found. This blade shows a somewhat broad mihaba, with minimal taper, a moderately deep sori, and a chū-kissaki that suggests it a late Kamakura period tachi. The hada flows visibly in parts and stands up well; the steel is tightly forged with fine ji-nie. The hamon is primarily suguha, but includes gunome, with yubashiri, nijūba, kin-suji, sunagashi, and nie-suji seen throughout. Notably, there are places where the gunome form continuous groupings, a typical feature of Norinaga’s work within the Shikkake school. Though the hamon contains dynamic activity, the overall composition is coherent, refined, and elegant. The bright nioiguchi and soft temper line give the sword an elegant appearance, making it a highly commendable and valuable piece.

It is interesting that the Tanobe-sensei sayagaki attributes the sword to just Shikkake in the lead-in (primary attribution) and then states Norinaga specifically within the body of the sayagaki. This is typically done when Tanobe-sensei writes a sayagaki where he is aligning with the judgement of the shinsa team, and then lower down he goes on to provide more specificity directly to an individual swordsmith. The sayagaki predates juyo. Likely the previous Tokubetsu Hozon kanteisho was also a school attribution to Shikkake, Tanobe-sensei expanded on this with the attribution within the body of the sayagaki, and then at the next level the juyo shinsa team also aligned with the Norinaga judgement.

Offering a high quality gendaito by the famous swordsmith Takahashi Yoshimune. He was the brother the Gassan smith Takahashi Sadatsugu: the first Living National Treasure swordsmith. This blade is forged in an itame jihada with some flowing areas. The hamon is generally choji / juka-choji in the Bizen-den as it typical of his work. The blade is signed Minamoto Yoshimune and has an invocation of Hachiman Daibosatsu inscribed on the nakago as well. There is much activity, as shown in the photos below. The blade is in shirasaya with a sayagaki (unsigned). Bio per Markus Sesko below. YOSHIMUNE (義宗), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Ōsaka – “Hachiman-Daibosatsu Minamoto Yoshimune saku” (八幡大菩薩源義宗作), “Minamoto Yoshimune” (源義宗), “Takahashi Yoshimune” (高橋義宗), real name Takahashi Yoshimune (高橋義宗), he was the younger brother of Takahashi Sadatsugu (高橋貞次) and came originally from Ehime Prefecture, from 1913 he studied under Yokoyama Sukesada (横山祐定) and learned in 1918 also from Henmi Yoshitaka (逸見義隆) and even later also from Enju Kunitoshi (延寿国歳), he died in 1946, his speciality was a gunome-chōji in the Bizen tradition, he also worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō, shinpin no retsu (Akihide), Special Honor Seat at the 6th Shinsaku Nihontō Denrankai (新作日本刀展覧会, 1941) $4,750 + shipping

It appears to my eyes to be 八 (eight). Best regards, Ray

The kanji appear to be five and six on the left column and eight on the right. 5 8 6 五 八 六

Please carefully remove the handle and show a clear vertical photo of the nakago (tang) on each side.

Julien is a friend and knowledgeable in our area of study. The bio above is not very comprehensive, and his background is broader than what is indicated there.

It is not exactly that the shinsa team went as far as they could with research and gave up undecided. The specific history here with this sword is that the NBTHK said to resubmit after restoration. That is what was conveyed by the organization to the previous owner at that time. Polish and submit again, which at least to me implies that they felt there was merit in the mei and that they wanted to evaluate the deki as well. Also, a factor in whether a sword passes shinsa is condition and this one was already in a compromised state, even before restoration. The hamon is weak or gone in the lower half of the blade, and the dealer photos showed the hamon to be thin and drop off the ha at the midpoint. Description and link are below. https://web.archive.org/web/20210727192426/https://nihontou.jp/choice03/toukenkobugu/tantou/210/00.html 新藤五國光（しんとうごくにみつ）は鎌倉鍛冶相州伝の始祖となった刀工で、相州正宗の師として大変著名な刀工。最古の年紀としては永仁元年（1293）のものがある。現存する作品の殆どが国宝や重要文化財、重要美術品に指定されており、なかなか市場ではお目にかかれません。 この短刀は2018年6月の日本美術刀剣保存協会保存刀剣審査に於いて『銘に研究の余地あり』として保留となった品で、「常に見る銘とは些か雰囲気が異なるも、偽銘と判断するには決め手にかける。」と言う審査結果です。 今回、残念ながら正真としてのお墨付きは頂けませんでしたが、今後の銘文研究の進展に期待したい。 時代が古い短刀だけあって、刃区から刀身中程迄は研ぎ減りによって匂口が駆け出していますが、中程から先にかけては細直刃健在で、帽子の返りもしっかりと残っています。 現状古研ぎのため、数多のヒケによって地刃の写真撮影が難しく、この短刀の良さを存分にお伝えできないのが残念ですが、地鉄は精良で判然たる映りが立っており、細直刃の匂口も明るく冴えています。 この短刀には保存状態が良い梨地塗りの鞘が附属しており、柄前さえ新調すればすぐに拵として蘇らせることが可能です。栗形はまた、鞘にはこの短刀について書かれた古書が貼り付けてあり、新藤五國光、粟田口、相州正宗の文字が読み取れます。 はばきには日月の透かしが施されており、今は失われてしまった柄前にも、それは豪華な金具が用いられていたであろうことは想像に難くありません。 然るべき腕達者な研師に駆け出し部分の繕いも併せて研磨依頼し、柄前を新調して大切に次代に引き継いで頂きたく思います。 裸身重量91グラム。 ※この短刀は委託品です。2018年6月の審査で保留の結果が出されたことは当店でも確認済みですのでご安心ください。委託販売依頼者との橋渡しをさせて頂きますので、お気になられた方は希望購入価格を当店へお知らせ下さい。仲介させて頂きます。 各種クレジットカード、セディナショッピングローンによる分割購入も承っております。お気軽にお申し付け下さい。

This article below will help you identify such pieces and avoid them in the future. https://www.jssus.org/nkp/fake_japanese_swords.html

As mentioned, this is not an authentic Japanese sword (or Japanese mei to be translated). It is unfortunately a Chinese fake.

則光

I replied previously on this one. 則光 = Norimitsu.

Norimitsu

Please see below. http://ohmura-study.net/952.html

Uda Kunimune

Hi Lewis, good luck with the process. I am looking forward to hearing the result of your submission either way. Transparently, I was in touch with the dealer regarding this sword as well. My gut feeling was that it was a legitimate Shintogo atelier piece, made as a daisaku daimei by one of his students. I have acquired two Shintogo in the rough in similar condition, both of which went on to pass shinsa and Tanobe-sensei evaluation (with sayagaki). The sugata on this one felt very right to me, but I could not come to an agreement with the seller and decided to let it go. I wish you the best in the process moving forward. Please keep us updated. Addendum: if you feel confident in the authenticity, the polisher Saito-san is the one I would recommend.

Munechika Most likely a reference to the famous smith Sanjo Munechika (but this is not an authentic example of his mei).

Appears to be signed 兼延 (Kanenobu). I would look first into Muromachi period Mino. https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?order=field_smith_start_era_value&sort=asc&type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=兼延