Lewis B

Not felt-tip pens. Thats something completely different. I'm referring to black felt material that comes on a roll. You can use it to line your light box using a spray adhesive.

Too much light reflection from the fabric-substrate. Try some black felt material or the stuff Keisuke Nakamura is using for his cases that absorb 99.9% light. Keep us informed of progress. This is a project I will undertake next year.

The NBTHK do not hold Shinsa in Europe. Your sword would have to be repatriated to Japan through an agent who will get it registered for importation and then submit it for one of the scheduled NBTHK Shinsa sessions. After Shinsa it will be given export papers and then shipped back to you. It can be a long process requiring lots of organisation so don't expect a quick turnaround. For an informal assessment you have basically 2 options in Mainland Europe. Register it for the Shinsa evaluation at the annual Japan Art Show in Utrecht or take it to one of the NBTHK-EB meetings in Solingen Germany. Neither will provide official papers though, but of the two I would recommend the Japan Art Show as being your best option.

I want to highlight the Shintogo Kunimitsu tanto held by the Atsuta Jingu Temple in Nagoya. This blade represents an important reference not only because it is yet another example of Kunimitsu mei with atypical carving but also its deki, which is a significant departure from what could be termed the classical Shintogo style. It appears to be a very healthy survivor and dated 1308 (although earlier in the Lunar calendar than mine). Nagasa: 28 cm; Sori : 0.2 cm; Motohaba: 2.5 cm. The subject of this tanto was raised by Tanobe sensei after he examined my blade. He stated that besides the 1306 Shintogo he was aware of a 2nd blade, namely the 1308 Atsuta Shintogo, with atypical carving. I looked hard for images of this sword without success, but was recently contacted by a member here who had acquired photos of the tanto whilst on display at the Shrine, as well as photos of the mei and nengo. Its suriage and the carvings are slightly cut off but there is enough remaining to get a good impression of the kanji. Interestingly, the style of mitsu is very similar to that posted by @Hoshi on p1. There he suggested that it could be daimei by Kunihiro. Thinly chiseled with an extended vertical radical and a characteristically different north crown element that connects to the vertical strike. I also see similarities in the structure of kuni too. Clearly a notable variation from the archetypal Shintogo Kunimitsu signature and therefore likely by a different hand. The Atsuta tanto not only has this putative Kunihiro-esque signature, signing daimei Kunimitsu, but the deki is reminiscent of his Bunkazai 1324 dated tanto shown below. The shape of the Atsuta tanto is also a departure from the norm for Shodai work, presenting a more robust and extended shape more characteristic of blades from the dying days of the Kamakura Bakufu into the Nanbokucho period. I also want to highlight the tight ito-suguha hamon running very close to the Ha, a feature that is evident on my tanto. It would appear this was a forging style being produced in the Shintogo workshop in and around 1306-8. Further evidence in my mind that dated, daimei work by various apprentices, was coming out of the atelier as early as 1306.

Thanks for reaching out to clarify this point which, from my perspective, could be a deal breaker. I would hope that the images will be of a similar quality and resolution to the image on the FB announcement and shown above in Brett's post.

Check Nihonto Info > links from the dropdown menu at the top of the page. There you will find plenty of respected and reliable dealers from around the world.

Could this extravagant pricing be an attempt to take advantage of the draconian shipping restrictions of nihonto into the UK? There must be non-savvy local buyers with deep pockets gagging to buy a Juyo or TH with a big name attribution. It will be interesting to see if these lots get any nibbles.

I can see the appeal. Appears Sadakatsu was aiming at Yamato Hosho utsushi with all that masame hada. Shame the boshi isn't clearer to be sure.

The Sadakatsu was also offered for sale at Sotheby's 18 months ago with a 20-30k estimate. Can't see if it sold. https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/art-of-Japan/a-katana-signed-osaka-ju-gassan-sadakatsu-kinsaku

Correct https://japanesegallery.com/katana-signed-gassan-sadakatsu-taisho-era-nbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-rp01 Plus these https://japanesegallery.com/katana-signed-musashi-daijo-fujiwara-tadahiro-nbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-rp04 https://japanesegallery.com/katana-signed-soshuju-tsunahiro-nbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-rp02

That crossed my mind too. But I don't remember seeing a Den Kagemitsu in Utrecht. Den Chogi, yes.

JG Auction must think they're Bonhams

The Sadakatsu seems like the best deal of the bunch. Tanobe gave a nice writeup.

3x price hike in less than 2 years. Not a bad return. Beats gold and stocks. Now its 24milJPY without any paper upgrade. Nuts.

Should sail through Juyo but $150k is silly money even with Juyo.

Some nice looking swords. I especially like the Den Osafune Kagamitsu. But prices seem rather...... ambitious. Factor in VAT and 24% Buyers Premium....Ouch 16k sterling (thats at least 23k after fees etc) for a Fuyuhiro tanto and later generation too, is absolutely crazy. Or I had a stupendous buy with my 3rd gen Fuyuhiro yoroidoshi

What are the 2 -3 oval areas on the omote? Umegane?

Approx 300 yes's so far. Lets keep them coming and make this happen.

Yes

Issues logging in here from Germany this morning

As opposed to a gyuto or cow blade

Yes, its a wonderful blade showing so much activity. I would say Tanobe is offering a more positive reaction than is suggested by your translation, placing it more in the camp of a masterwork within the corpus of works attributed to this smith.

I saw this in Utrecht and its a very fine and healthy example of Kencho's work. Just look at that hataraki. And if you like bling, the tachi koshirae has it in spades. https://nihontowatch.com/?listing=549080&utm_source=nihontowatch&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=saved_search_alert&utm_content=listing

Normally I do, but comparing the two the .tif were noticeably better for showing fine detail in the hada as its a lossless format whilst jpeg uses lossy compression, resulting in a blurring of the image.

IMG_1551.tif