Lewis B

Even so Sengo Muramasa's signature style was hako midare

^ Thats your archetypical Muramasa hamon. Wouldn't call it 'peaceful'

Join this group in San Antonio and take the sword. I got some great feedback when I took my Yamato Shikkake to the NBTHK-EB last weekend. They really are the best venues to learn about Nihonto and expand your knowledge base.

Yes, you are right. This style of jihada is more Ko-Hoki like and frequently encountered in his later period after experimenting with Ko-Bizen and the style of his sensei Kunimitsu.

The hamon in the image I posted has what I consider a more typical Muramasa style.

Interesting. I thought his earlier pieces were more Ko Hoki like, while this style of hada and hataraki was more reminiscent of his work towards the end of his career. The sugata seems more Nanbokucho style than Kamakura. I saw a TJ Norishige last weekend and it was quite different to this particular example with more of a Kamakura flavour. The Mokume and Matsukawa jihada was there but a lot finer and more subdued.

To add another reference point this tanto is NBTHK Hozon due to the Mei being considered gimei. It was attributed to 2nd generation Muramasa by one expert and 1st gen by Tanobe. I guess this is a problem with many of these blades. The Hamon is certainly more what I would expect from Muramasa.

Thoughts on this blade? Some Ware evident but I can understand why the polisher didn't fully address the issues. Not sure I approve of talking over a couple of very expensive swords though. As an aside, anyone know why Bill's website is offline? Hope he's OK.

Get yourself a Wise account and buy the yen now. Your nuts will thank you.

Andrew is swamped. And for good reason.

Ah OK. I just got an ultrasuede cloth from the All Japan Swordsmiths Association and some microfibre lens cloths for applying oil. Fascinating to see whats out there for safe handling our blades.

Is that the powdered deer antler? I saw this being used at the NBTHK meeting and it did a wonderful job at removing residual oil on the blade. Completely harmless to the blade from what I could see.

Very true. I saw kirikomi on the mune of a Fukuoka Ichimonji and I felt it added character and didn't look like it had got the nick in the last 20 years. Correct location near the kissaki and the angle of impact was consistent for a blow from an opponent's blade. I would love to have that sword in my collection.

Personally I would pass on a blade with Ha kirikomi, on the mune is actually quite nice as it adds a little romanticism. On the shinogi not to egregious either. Kirikomi in these areas suggests the wielder knew how to handle a sword and correctly pare a strike.

Might be kirikomi which wouldn't necessarily prevent the blade from getting papers. Or the damage was caused after it Shinsa'ed in 2022 (unlikely, but possible).

Yes, another attendee kindly corrected my mistake stating it was in fact made by his younger brother Rai Kunitsugu. A spectacular blade.

I don't have any personal experience but from my understanding the blade is shipped to the Jauce warehouse and they organise the onward shipping out of the country. Of course you may have to get Jauce to authorise your bidding and they slap a 20000 yen surcharge on top of the sales price for sword bids.

Correction, it was a Rai Kunitsugu and not Yukimitsu TJ tanto.

I don't think its ill advised across the board. In fact a sashikomi polish will benefit over time. I got to see a Rai Kunimitsu tanto over the weekend with a Sashikomi finish. Owner says that with repeated uchiko applications it will look better and better and in 100 years it will look its best. Thats quite a commitment. Ultimately it depends on the style of polish. And of course, only the best quality uchiko should be used.

So Kirill's suggestion that these Ebay sellers are preying on the ignorance of Western buyers may not be altogether correct. The Kaneuji might have been lucky that session and passed Juyo even with hagire. Perhaps the Japanese buyer is less informed and is missing out on a great opportunity to pickup a bargain basement Masamune juttetsu swordmaker blade. The lack of complete Juyo Zufu origami is a bit of a red flag though.

And likely not in your favour either 99% of the time.

Well, I had a wonderful 5 hours examining over 20 blades in minute detail. Not only were the blades top examples of Soshu Den but they included a couple of TokuJu blades from Yukimitsu (with family paper archive dating back 400 years) and Norishige. There were also several Juyo blades from Kaneuji (2 long blades from different periods), Sanekage (a tanto and a katana) and Tametsugu (again an early tanto and a later katana after he relocated to Mino). It was a wonderful opportunity to note the differences in blades made years apart by the same swordsmith and the influences of their contemporaries and teachers. The Norishige was also fascinating as it seemed to have a less structured/formulaic earlier style than the Matsukawa hada he is most famous for today. I actual prefer his more freestyle earlier jihada. The TJ Yukimitsu tanto was also a wonderful example showing the early Soshu DNA. In the second half of the meeting we could compare the Soshu swords with later blades from Satsuma that emulated Soshu style. That was also fascinating to see the hits and near misses. The level of accumulated knowledge gathered in one room was also humbling. I can think of no other opportunities in Europe where there is a chance to examine so many fine blades in one place and talk with such knowledgeable collectors and dealers. The assembled tsuba and koshirae fittings were also fascinating including many museum grade pieces. Overall these events are well worth attending if you have the chance.

If I was to purchase a Gendaito sword it would be a Gassan Sadakazu. The blades that were being produced in the late 19th, early 20th Century are truly spectacular. Yes, they are reproducing the Koto styles, but no other School seems to get close across the board than these guys.

This gets to the nub of my question and the reason I posted the link. Would the fatal flaw like hagire be noted in the papers?

Definitely in need of some TLC and a fresh polish. Seller makes the point that if it was hagire it would not have passed Shinsa. Looks like classic hagire to my eye. What could cause this in the 30 years since its Juyo papers were issued? Perhaps the papers are fake?