Lewis B

Agreed. IMO the blade has seen many polishes and the kizuware have become more evident. The apparent lack of wear in the fine details of the horimono indicate this was added fairly recently, possibly to the mask some particularly bad areas (hence the unusual location for the dragon?). Further polishes will not help and probably make things worse. IMHO

Such a moving life story, a life filled with pain and sorrow......yet she was still able to see beauty and create beautiful things. A truly inspirational character.... 大田垣蓮月 Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) A female poet from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period. Born in Kyoto. She was adopted by 大田垣光古 Otagaki Teruhisa, samurai who served at Chion-in Temple, when she was only 10 days old. She later married 望古 Mochihisa, the adopted son of Teruhisa. She and Mochihisa had three children, all of whom died at an early age. She also lost her husband, Mochihisa soon. At the age of 33, she lost her second husband, 古肥 Hisatoshi. She and Hisatoshi had one daughter, but the daughter and Mochiko died in 1823. She shaved her head and took the name "Rengetsuni / Nun Rengetsu". After that, Rengetsu moved from place to place and was known as "Moving house Rengetsu" because of her love of moving. After her children died, she lost her father at the age of 42 and lived a life of poverty and solitude. After her father's death, she made her own pottery with waka poems carved with nails, which was called "Rengetsu-yaki". Rengetsu-yaki was so popular as a souvenir of Kyoto, but the sales were given to the poor. He loved 富岡鉄斎 Tomioka Tessai (1837-1924) as if he were his own child. He died at the age of 85, 1875 at 神光院 Jinkoin. She excelled in waka poetry, and was also skilled in calligraphy, painting, naginata, and Go. In waka poetry, she wrote many feminine and delicate epic poems, and was good at writing plain epic poems. Rengetsu was also known for his good looks. It is said that some men approached her because of her beauty which never waned even as she grew older. There is an anecdote that she deliberately pulled out her teeth to ruin her beauty and protected herself from temptation. And one of her students

In that case I guess the scope of this Gokaden was too wide for such a publication, so Tanobe decided to concentrate on the preeminent lineage. At 221 pages its still a hefty treatise.

This is the Bizenden edition in Japanese (brown cover). No mention of it being only for the Osafune school https://www.aoijapan.com/book-nihonto-gokaden-no-tabi-bizen-denauthor-tanobe-michihiro/

I'm hoping the Bizen and Soshuden editions arrive soon as these are my fav gokaden. In the meantime the Yamashiro will be a nice accompanyment for the Yamato. These books are very informed and thorough reference works and well worth acquiring at retail price.

Here's an unusual habaki. Is the inscription a poem or incantation?

To pass but not to submit. Anyone can submit anything for Hozon. However to pass at this level confirms the mei, if signed, is legit in the opinion of the Shinsa panel.

Tony makes some great suggestions. I'm constantly reminded how good some collections are, especially within Europe. These connoisseurs keep a low profile and prefer not to brag or discuss their collections in public forums, which is perfectly understandable. I'm fortunate to see many of these superb pieces as a NBTHK member so know they exist. There are 'elite' (sorry but hard to find a better word) collectors in Japan who hold some of the finest collections outside major nihonto museums that are only known or talked about in tightknit groups. I think a 'private room' might encourage a little more openness as sharing these top tier blades can only be positive for encouraging the next generations of collectors that follow.

My preferred choice for togishi has accepted the commission and already started work. First step, removal of the corrosion under the habaki so that the shirasaya can be constructed.

The link is blocked.

Currently as a non member the feature I find most frustrating is the search button delay, especially if I'm scrolling through multiple pages of a thread. Good to hear this is addressed for Gold subscribers. The search system is a little annoying (or maybe I'm missing something) if I'm searching a particular topic by a specific member.

As a newcomer to nihonto and tosogu collecting I have found this forum to be invaluable in so many ways. We are in an enviable situation now with plethora of sources of information from books to societies like the NBTHK-AB and EB, as well as local organisations within our jurisdictions. These society interactions no matter how important, are, by their nature, sporadic. The NMB is always there, with members who are often very willing to share the knowledge they've acquired over many decades of diligent research. This is how a field of study grows by participating and sharing. I have found many friends on NMB in the course of the last 18 months, since starting my journey, people I might not otherwise have met. I know for a fact I wouldn't be where I am today without NMB and its participating members. I would not have had the confidence to take a chance on a forgotten blade, one that might have been lost to history in its current state, if its fate had not been secured. Just as I saw something in that blade so we must all decide how much this forum has contributed to our own growth and enjoyment. By subscribing we are doing something small to preserve the knowledge and experience for future collectors, especially those outside Japan. Losing Darcy and his Yuhindo website was a massive loss and it would be a crime if something similar happened to the NMB. By subscribing we ensure this wealth of knowledge, a lot of it only found here, is preserved. As Brian says it's a bargain in the grand scheme of things. Someone made an interesting comment recently which really struck a cord with me. Why are there no grassroots Japanese nihonto forums? You would think this would be the obvious place for such a community to grow and thrive. Is the collecting culture so different in Japan that there is a reluctance to share knowledge and ideas? That really brought home how lucky we are to have this community and one that shouldn't be taken for granted. I will be subscribing as soon as my replacement credit card arrives from the US. As for other ideas to increase revenue? I don't see any problem in charging a small fee to list items in the Classifieds and/or make this a perk for subscribers. Perhaps a third level of membership eg $5 for a month if people want to list items for sale on an occasional basis. Many forums operate such a business model, the VW California Club, Home Barista and Kitchen Knife Forum (for new members or those with low post counts), 3 forums that I also frequent on a daily basis.

Thanks Dee. Juyo is a different story as the Mei must be shohin to get to this level. We are only considering Hozon submission in this instance. As for the accompanying documentation. Under normal circumstances this is true, however this tanto is being resubmitted after receiving Horyu paper. The Shinsa panel are effectively inviting additional information to support the Mei. Precisely what they need to make an informed decision for shohin is up for conjecture. All I can do is gather enough data, which can only be circumstantial, to make a convincing argument that the blade came from the Shintogo atelier, at a time when daimei-daisaku were being produced by apprentices and that the style of Mei suggests one of two possible candidates, although this is probably less relevant from the perspective of their adjudication. Based on current knowledge it is accepted that Norishige and Kunihiro were working as apprentices directly under Shintogo in 1308. Of these two my gut feeling, by comparing known examples by the smiths, is that the carving style is more suggestive of the younger Norishige than his older fellow student, Kunihiro. Hoshi's suggestion that Norishige might have been illiterate or at best of limited ability, at this period in his life, given his provincial origins, was especially compelling. Kunihiro and his siblings were more likely to have had some formal education and literacy ability due to their backgrounds. In fact the 3rd son Kuniyasu (Daishinbo) was a buddhist priest and they were almost always literate in the 14th century.

My best bet is that the habaki represents the 3 celestial bodies ie sun, moon and stars. With the silver of the polished blade showing through the design it would be reminiscent of the moon and a star in the night sky. But you're right it would be impossible to see any celestial body in that precise position relative to the moon. From AI In Japanese art, the sun symbolises imperial authority and vitality, the moon represents beauty, impermanence and enlightenment and stars symbolise guidance, fate and the passage of time.

Correct. In polish along with a dossier of supporting evidence for a daimei-daisaku attribution by an apprentice (with Norishige being the clear favourite). The 2018 Horyu papers recommended more research and so far none of the experts have dismissed the Mei as gimei. I hope the documentation from extant blades and oshigata will sway the panel. Whatever the outcome, its academic. Having the blade assessed as Shintogo, in hand, by a leading expert is all I really needed to hear. Anything above and beyond that is gravy.

It was always going to come down the forging style of the hada and structure of the hamon/boshi that would make or break the attribution. I'm very happy to hear someone with that much experience has confirmed what I thought I was seeing in the photos. Together with Tanobe-sensei's appraisal I feel pretty confident it is what it purports to be. I look forward to seeing how it looks after polish. The icing on the cake will be if it has masa-gokoro forging style that has been observed for some blades from the Kagen (1303) and Tokuji (interesting tidbit, this era started on my birthday in 1307) eras in which 1308 falls.

A top Soshuden togishi has seen the blade and thinks without the Mei it can get Mumei Shintogo at Shinsa. The hada is typical Shintogo. The nioiguchi from bottom to middle has been worn away but he says he can polish it in a manner that balances the appearance. But don't worry the Mei is not going anywhere.

Another piece of circumstantial evidence. Norishige's mei chiselling style has some characteristic nuances. One feature mentioned in the Soshuden Museum notes on the smith state " The second upper and lower lines of the 重 character were made thick and deep, so that they look like a frame for the inside of the kanji." His verticals are not that precise either. From what I can see in this image of the nakago the horizontal line in the 2nd kanji 'mitsu' is noticeably deeper. Compare this to the strikes on the 1306 tanto that is possibly Yukimitsu signing daimei Shintogo. The strikes on this blade are of a consistent depth. Obviously nothing definitive but a feature worthy of consideration.

Ohhh. Well there is always that. Thought it was a new HS Code or something.

Don't leave us hanging.....

I'm not an expert but my gut feeling is that the last 2 kanji were inscribed at a later date by a different hand (see the kanji for kuni). Not sure why. The yokan-iro has developed to a higher level on the other kanji affording some protection. The lower 2, especially the penultimate were likely chiseled later, thus exposing the bare metal to corrosion and red rust took hold after the work was completed. IMHO.

Speaking of Norishige what do people think of this early Juyo Norishige tachi that just dropped on Eirakudo? Are the cloudy areas utsuri? https://eirakudo.shop/928608

Quite surprised by the Tametsugu attribution. I would have thought Sanekage would be a closer fit given this hamon. Some very nice nie formations highlighted in the YT video.

A couple more examples of Norishige mei with the kuni kanji showing some consistencies and inconsistencies in the style of chiseling. This time one with a sloping centre line and the other like the example above with a vertical line ala Shintogo Kunimitsu. What is consistent in all 3 is the sloping horizontal of the 2nd strike and the gaps between the 1st to 2nd and 3rd to 1st strikes.

Some useful and current info for artisans in the USA doing this kind of work contained in this thread.