Lewis B

Without lighting on the tables how are the viewing conditions? Can the finer details in the hada be ascertained. This is one aspect of the Japan Art Expo in Utrecht that I really appreciated.

Have yet to see another late Kamakura/Nanbokucho blade by the likes of Norishige, Tametsugu or Sanekage with a horimono that ends so conveniently on a shortened sword. Almost all the ones I can find online are kaki nagashi and extend 1/3 to 2/3 along the nakago.

Hope he paid with a credit card.

How would you classify a bo-hi like that assuming its o-suriage. But with a single mekugi-ana it could be ubu so the maru-dome hi might be original.

Interesting. Is that shigane in the centre of the groove? Certainly doesn't look original in that example.

This is the bo-hi in question. Seller calls it kaki-nagashi but that extends much further into nakago according to Nagayama. This looks more like a hybrid Maru-dome bo-hi, conveniently terminating before the yokan-iro. For me this appears to be an ato-bi carving. It passed Juyo shinsa.

Is the blade oiled in the photos?

Something that has me thinking. I understand the Kaki-toshi style groove extending into and possibly past the end of the nakago when the blade is shortened, as this was originally carved by the sword maker. But what if the blade is o-suriage and the bo-hi only extends as far as the hamachi? Does this occur if the bo-hi was carved later at the time it was shortened or even later? If not original to the blade is this considered a negative either academically and/or financially?

One shop on my to visit list next year

@Brano takes some of the best I have seen on the forum. I'm just putting some equipment together to take better closeup shots of my blades. So far I have LED lighting (a variable temp and brightness photography panel suggested by Brano), cheap single LED lamps from Ikea that have a good reputation for macro work, a 65mm f2.4 macro lens and a good tripod. Black backdrops work great too as well as total light control to eliminate reflections. I can definitely say its not easy and you will have to play around a lot with settings and positioning of the light to bring out the finer subtle detail.

I like how the horimono plays with the hamon line

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.