ChrisW

Here are some photos of the activity:

Hey guys, Been a while since I've posted a new acquisition, but this one has me excited and its not something you see every day. I acquired it at the recent Chicago show and got it in a trade deal. I've put it in front of several people at the show, including Bob Benson. He seemed to really like it and told me how he could properly bring out the hada even more than it is already so this one is going to Bob for work eventually. His opinion was that it was late Shinto/Shinshinto. Bob did note that someone had messed with the nakago in an attempt to make it look older but he believes it would be easy to remedy and properly repatinate. It is a massive 29" nagasa with a VERY active hamon and mokume hada. There is kinsuji, inazuma, nie and nioe present. This piece feels like it was made to show off the smith's skills yet is mumei which leads me to believe that this was a temple offering piece. I am welcome to opinions on school and smith. My blind guess is perhaps Mino, but ken are so poorly researched that it is really anyone's guess. Without further ado, here you all go! (If you want to see it in person, DM me and I'll get you the information for the next ITK meeting which is this next Saturday.) The first picture shows my two other ken for reference to scale since I neglected to lay a tape down with it. The top one is a Yamato den, and the bottom is Bungo Yukihira (1199-1206).

The cut ken makes me cry.

Not to stir the pot, but if he was an experienced collector of 40 years, then he would know for certain that the Showa stamp is an indicator of a non-traditionally made blade and would have priced accordingly. So either he somehow missed the stamp/forgot it was there or he thought he was taking you for a ride. I can't claim to know the man, but an extra 1/2" of blade would not make it particularly noteworthy. It would still fall in the standard nagasa length for an arsenal blade. The blade itself is almost certainly a high-grade Showato, but with that stamp, it is most definitely not a Gendaito. Still, a very nice Showato!

This is a question that only a polisher could answer definitively. If you're able to make it, there is a sword show in Chicago during the last weekend of this month. There will be several known polishers there that could assist.

Save one of the photos to your computer, go to Google images and do a "reverse image" search. You'll upload the photo to their search engine, and it will find all instances of the same or similar photos that turn up in its search algorithm. If you get the same or similar photos, then you've got a fraudster if said lady isn't the daughter of Sam Young. I'll go ahead and see what turns up for you. Update: Did a quick search using Google lens. None of the photos turned up anywhere else online. So they are likely to be taken for the first time. Which makes it more likely this is legitimate, but still: caveat emptor.

Get this in front of a traditionally trained polisher. Some options include: Bob Benson or Woody Hall.

That was my suspicion too after further study. Thanks Ray!

Thanks for the largely non sequitur. He was informed that the quality of his photos may or may not receive results. I decided to try for him anyways.

Jean, if you had read my post, you would know that these are not my photos. If you cannot post anything constructive to the post requests, then don't post. Thanks!

No idea. I've not yet seen this one in person and the photos are all he's given me to work with. But I fear for his sake that you may be right. Anyone else?

Hey guys, Posting this for a friend who is not tech savvy. He wants to know who this smith is. He believes it to be a gendai smith by the name of Okano Mitsuhiro. I attempted to look them up and found nothing. Anyone got a lead on this smith or has he discovered one that's fallen out of the meikan? Also, what kamon is that? It appears to be cast into the piece, rather than attached like a usual one. 27" nagasa with an attractive sanbonsugi hamon. Very minty Type 98 mounts. Thanks!

Congrats on your new custodianship!

No such thing as a 'spot polish'. If a sword is to remain in good health with crisp geometry, then a full polish is done.

Congrats Dan! See it at the meeting.

Dang! Well, there was just so many tables to see. Didn't get through it all. I didn't leave empty-handed though. Picked up a signed naginata-naoshi blade that Nick Nakamura told me is signed "Moriyuki" and I got it for very little. So I didn't do too bad!

No problem Dan! But if you're not planning on holding onto that ken, you should let me have first crack at a trade/purchase since ken are sort of a big soft spot for me!

I'll get some pictures up when I am able!

I've got two ken actually. One signed "Yukihira", early Kamakura piece. Another, mumei but probably Yamato and late Muromachi. I like the one you've got Dan! I wish you had messaged me about it after the show!

Far as I know, there are 11 generations of Shigekuni which date back about 400 years. The most famous being Nanki Shigekuni 1st generation. Hawley has him at 115 points and 15m yen in Toko Taikan, Sai-Jo Saku in Fujishiro. The 11th generation stopped working in the Ansei era and there are no more recorded after that. https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/SHI206 Would be a dream come true if this blade were him! But that is unlikely to be the case. But you still have many other to compare to and see how they compare. If you'll be at the Chicago show, I'll have a papered 11th generation Shigekuni yoroi-doshi that you can compare this blade to and see how the workmanship compares to mine. Shigekuni blades were known for being well made with lots of activity in the hamon and boshi.

Not to get your hopes up, but it sounds like Suishinshi Masahide. Which would be a big name and unusual. I can't speak about the veracity of the mei though.

Yeah! Just let me know early in that month and I'll get you our meeting date. We usually schedule the next month's meeting at the end of the most recent meeting so we can arrange for the most convenient time for our members.

The Show of Shows was definitely overpriced on a lot of things, but there were deals to be had! Just had to keep a sharp eye out. I picked up a signed naginata-naoshi for relatively little and I got to hang out with some good friends. I didn't get to meet you, so if you're coming to the Chicago Show this year, do stop by the Indiana Token Kai table and say hi to us. ~Chris

Looks like a thin and narrow fukure.