Bryce

G'day David, The masame is more obvious in this photo. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, I found an example on the net that is pure masame like mine, but still has the "Soshu Kamakura Masamune" hakogaki on the box. This confirms that this description really is a marketing "catch-all" for any blade that isn't done in ayasugi. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, I think it may be an alternative attachment place for the sword tassel. You sometimes see the same thing for sword knots on British swords. Here is a British 1796 pattern light cavalry officer's sabre with a similar staple attached to the ferrule at the base of the grip. The sword knot is normally attached thru a slot in the top of the knuckle bow. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Ronnie, Thank you for sharing your blades. You have an amazing gendaito collection! Cheers, Bryce

G'day Ronnie, Is that ayasugi hada I can see on the "Gendaito(wakizashi with horimono): Sakai ju Okimoto Kunitada Saku - made in Showa 3rd (1928) 8th day of June"? Any chance of some better photos showing the hada? Cheers, Bryce

Thanks Guys, All privately commissioned Gassan Sadakatsu blades I have seen to date have this same wording. I don't know if other swordsmiths used this wording as well or if it was something peculiar to Sadakatsu. Interestingly, just as you see the original owner's name removed from origami, you also see examples of Sadakatsu blades where the owner's name has been removed from the nakago as well. Gassan Sadakatsu was very consistent in the way he signed. You can see gradual changes from examples in the 1920's thru to 1943. I agree Curran, one of the things I enjoy about his blades are his penmanship on the nakago. Here is the whole sword. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys This sword was forged by Gassan Sadakatsu for Mr Morita Ryutaro in 1943. What I am struggling with is does the wording suggest it was simply made for him, or was it made to protect him in some way? Cheers, Bryce

Thanks Thomas. Cheers, Bryce

Thanks John, That is at one extreme of what Gassan Sadakatsu was calling "Soshu Kamakura Masamune" and the koitame example I posted above is at the other extreme. As David says it does seem to be a copy of Norishige's matsukawa hada, but I haven't come across an example of Gassan Sadakatsu actually calling it that himself yet. Below is another shot showing the hada of the tanto John posted. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, The mei on this wakizashi reads: "Eda Kikumon Omi no Kami Minamoto Hisamichi" and "Kikumon Hisamichi chakushi Minamoto Rai Hisatsugu" I think the second generation Hisamichi originally signed Hisatsugu. Does this mean this wak is a gasaku between the first and second generations of Hisamichi or the second and third generation hisamichi? Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, Lately I have been looking at more of Gassan Sadakatsu's tantos online. Many of them come with their original display boxes like the examples above. Many also have a hakogaki stating that the Soshu Kamakura Masamune process was used, but the actual hada of the blades varies from "Matsukawa-ish" right thru to tight koitame/masame. I haven't yet come across a blade with this hakogaki that is actually pure masame. I am beginning to think this phrase doesn't refer to a specific type of hada, but is actually just a catch-all phrase for any blade that isn't ayasugi. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Stephen, There may be something there, but I can't make it out. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Stephen, It is a Minamoto Yoshichika with the stamped Hakudo cutting test you often find. Nice. Cheers, Bryce

Thanks Steve, Here are the photos for prosterity. This is another example where the NBTHK has papered it, but the hada looks off and it wasn't signed by Sadakatsu himself. Maybe it was made by his student, but when does it become gimei? Not a great example. Cheers, Bryce

Looks like it may have been a cut and paste error by AOIJapan in their description. The hada does resemble Awataguchi nashiji. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Robert, Please don't take my comment as being negative about your blade, that wasn't my intention. I was simply referring to the phrase used in the T Nagahara & Co's advertisement. In terms of these Soshu blades being different from the Gassan's usual work I agree. Of the 50 Gassan Sadakatsu long blades I have been able to view on the web, these Soshu ones are amongst the least common style produced. Roughly 50% are ayasugi, 25% masame and 14% soshu. Within each of these main styles there are also variations in contrast, hada "tightness" and hamon. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, The Gassan's were fond of a nice piece of marketing spin. As David mentioned earlier the phrase "Masamune's secret process" is just an advertising ploy. Cheers, Bryce

Here is the nakago. Cheers, Bryce

G'day Robert, Thanks very much for posting this. This shows the itame hada I would expect much better than the original Sadakazu I posted. I guess the original photo wasn't detailed enough to show the jihada like yours does. Definitely confirms my blade isn't an example of Soshu Masamune Den. Cheers, Bryce

Fantastic Thomas! I guess there weren't any illustrations of this? I think I will go back to my original stance that this is what the Gassan's called Masamune's secret process, rather than my blade, even though it shares some of these characteristics. Cheers, Bryce

Thanks Guys, Nobody has a copy of Nippon Toh? Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, I would say the jigane of my blade is pure Yamato Hosho, while the hamon is more Soshu. Below is an example of a Sadakatsu blade which I have been calling "Soshu" style up until now. It is sort of a mix of masame with sections of ayasugi...ish. They seem to be much rarer than then masame blades with a gunome midare hamon. It is interesting to me that Mr Tsuruta seems to differentiate between Soshu and Kamakura Masamune Den in relation to Gassan works. The blade by Sadakazu (Sadakatsu's father and teacher) which I posted above seems much closer to my blade, than the example below. Admittedly the photo posted on the AOIJapan website isn't of the highest detail, so perhaps it does have more of the ayasugi...ish hada than the photo shows. Maybe I am reading too much into this. Cheers, Bryce

G'day John, In the description of the Sadakazu katana on the AOIJapan website Mr Tsuruta mentions that Sadakatsu had mastered "Soshuden, Masame kitae, Gassan Ayasugi hada, and Soshu Kamakura Masamune den" as if they are all different things? Cheers, Bryce

Thank you for trying. This tsuka has the 3-5-3 kiri mon on it if that helps? Cheers, Bryce

G'day Guys, In the 1930's T Nagahara & Co advertised Gassan Sadakatsu's blades for sale. They could be ordered in Ayasugi or Masamune's secret process. I was never quite sure what Masamune's secret process looked like. I have tracked down about 50 of Sadakatsu's long blades on the internet and about 50% of them are ayasugi and 25% masame. My blade has tight masame hada with a gunome midare hamon. Recently AOIJapan have put up a Sadakazu blade on their site which has Motte Soshu Kamakura Masamune Den on the nakago. This blade looks very similar to my Sadakatsu blade. Is my blade an example of Sadakatsu's Masamune's secret process? T Nagahara & Co produced a booklet called "Nippon Toh" to sell these swords. I have never seen a copy, but assume it included illustrations to show what the swords look like. Does anyone have a copy they can post some pictures of? Below is a shot of T Nagahara's advertisement, AOIJapan's Sadakazu katana and hada and my blade and hada. Cheers, Bryce