Toryu2020

It was a smaller team this year so we did not process as many items as in previous shinsa. That being said pass/fail rate was consistent right around 50%. It seems no matter where we perform these events, Chicago, Tampa, San Francisco or Orlando the pass/fail rate is pretty much the same. -tch

Lewis - I agree that Norishige was probably a senior student to Masamune and the only one of the Jutetsu to actually work alongside him. In the end this grouping is just a way to remember the names of the smiths that showed the influence of the Soshu-den. Imagine packing up all your sword-making equipment and travelling across a war-torn Japan for a few months study in Kamakura. The more likely scenario is that the armies of Ashikaga Takauji travelled about the country and with them went the swords of Kamakura, local smiths got a look at these and attempted to recreate what they saw... All great makers regardless, -t

Sad news - he always showed up to the shinsa with stacks of good swords...

Shots from the Shinsa room day one and two.

Stamped into a leather cover - Kiyomatsu Sei

Its a pretty convincing fake but still a fake, walk away...

Andre - You have two papers there - the one from the NTHK gives the sword to the Bunmei era (1469-1487 - Yoshikawa Koen Sensei is included on that paper so you can bank on the attribution... -t

It is indeed a bean pod - I would say this falls in the category of Bokuto (Doctors sword) as with all things Japanese they came in a variety of shapes and expressions. A nice example... -tch

Piers! Anal personalities in Japan!?!

A small but excellent selection of blades - always carry a flashlight and a "gallery glass" when travelling in Japan. -t

A very nice example Peter - very early tachi tsuba were often lacquered leather - once you get into the Edo period all kinds of materials were used. I have a set with metal cores... -tch

Please note - pre-registration for the event has closed. Timeslots will be mailed out this week. You can still submit swords at the show. Come see me in the shinsa room after 13:00 Friday I am sure we can fit everybody in. -tch

Sato is an excellent resource - to be honest you're probably gonna have better luck just buying the book instead of looking for PDFs... -t

Thanks Howard - very sorry you've had such trouble - best bet is to print out the forms and mail us a check - some folks have used Fedex - we are unfortunately not set up to take payment over the phone. -tch 2024 reg .docx

For those attending the show - now is the time to make your shinsa reservations We can accommodate walk-ins but much prefer to schedule folks ahead of time, this means less stress on all of us and more attention paid to appraisal. Note Friday AM is full up! www.nthkamerica.com -tch

These are real nihonto made for your needs... －現代刀匠による日本刀の製作、拵え・白鞘等の新調－　日本刀の通信販売　明倫産業株式会社 (nipponto.co.jp)

Bumping this for those interested in "Kantei for Beginners" Our Zoom Kantei is specifically aimed at beginners, the only book you need is the Connoisseur's book and we do our best to explain all the Japanese terms used. We only do one sword a month so you have plenty of time to formulate an answer. If you haven't yet we encourage you to check us out! -tch

nipponto.co.jp Meirin Sangyo also has custom shinsakuto for Iai and Battodo... -t

Page 613 in the Meikan - looks like only one generation used this title...

kinsuji

Some more

With Queen and court…