nihonto1001

I am not a big fan of separating koshirae from blade for financial gain. Its great you were able to save a little piece of history. Conservative koshirae, for a wild blade, love it.

Jean: That is actually the one I saw. I wanted it. Beautiful sword. One of my favorites thus far. I was impressed mostly about its sugata. Incredible that you were able to find such a close fit. It may even be the koshirae. I assume you will have it done up nice. Thanks for posting the photo.

So Joe.... was she at least, Hot?

Jean: That is awesome you were able to re-unite the koshirae to such a fine blade. I have always liked the works of Tamestugu. Please post a pic of it when you get a chance. I remember one that Ted Tenold had a while back that was exceptional.

I am going with Nice sword!

Has anybody been to the MFA exhibit? I would like to know if there is Nihonto on display and if it is worth while. Thanks.

Hi Folks: Just and FYI, the "Online" Southeast Japanese Sword Show and Auction is happening today 4/4/2013: This auction going to happen today at 7pm eastern time. There is a button on our website directing to the gallery preveiw on liveauctioneers. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog_gallery/38188%20this%20is%20the%20link. The Auction Catalog is here: http://www.southeastjapaneseswordshowauction.com/auction-catalog.html Be sure to sign in early. I think it will be a great opportunity to get some primo stuff cheap. I do not think many are aware of it. Why am I telling you this? I have an item in the Auction. Ha.

Because of their wide variance in quality and styles, I have a suspicion that "Bungo" is a safe bet for many Shinsa, especially when finding the time to do real research is a factor.

FYI... Update 3/8/13 According to Bill Miller, they are going to do an online only auction in the near future. Many of the same items will be available from the Auction Catalog:http://www.southeastjapaneseswordshowauction.com/auction-catalog.html. If you are interested keep checking the site to keep up to speed. I was at the Sword show and got a chance to see some of the premium items (my favorite of which was/is a Juyo Kaneuji).

IMHO, The reason the auction was not a big success is... As treasure hunters we have the mentality, "My stuff is excellent and priced right; everyone else's is inferior and over priced". I think the starting bids and reserves were too high for the audience, which were mostly dealers. However, I can see why. People do not want to let their treasures go for a paltry price. All in all, Bill did an excellent job of getting some premium items in the auction and with the show in general. I feel, with some minor tweeks, this auction will gain traction. Sword collectors are a closed group. The best way to promote future success is getting new people interested. That is our duty. If you were interested in any of the items, contact Bill Green. He will link you up with the sellers. As for the show, there was a lot of activity with some very fine pieces changing hands. Also, a few big finds.

As requested, here are a couple pics... It is the condition of the koshirae that impresses me about this rig.

Thank you Matt. That makes researching it much more effective.ha

Hi: I purchased this sword because of its premium Shin Gunto fittings. The blade is very large for a WWII sword. I think it might be Gendaito, but could not find any info on it. This leads me to believe that my translation may be wrong. I have it as Yasu-Tetsu. I am at a loss for which province. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.

Hi David: Stop by and say hello. You are welcome to park them on my table if you like. The consensus seems to feel it will be one of the best shows in a long time. It is a great time to invest. They can print more money; not antiques.

There are otherwise fine swords, with shingane, that have received Juyo Papers. The Japanese Sword community loves Hizen-to. The NBTHK might have overlooked it.

It looks like it is going to be an excellent show. Bill Green is doing a stellar job so far. I believe the Auction Catalog is fully posted at this time. http://www.southeastjapaneseswordshowauction.com/ Some very nice pieces up for grabs, rivaling a Christies Auction.

Thanks for the clarification John. Mr Morita. I will hope to have some good pics soon. It is a sword I am considering for purchase. The pictures I have of the blade are not good. Seems to be a notare-gumome type hamon though. Thanks for your help.

Gentlemen: Once again, thanks for your help. I thought it might be Okumura Kanemitsu, but it did not look like the mei example on Dr. Stein's site, so I thought 'gimei'. It seems this Kanemitsu was a Seki smith, so am I safe to assume it is not Gendaito (even though it does not have an arsenal stamp)? By the way, regarding 金, this Kanji is the same for Kana-bo, as in Kanabo Masatsugu. Would it be accurate to say that it is pronounced Kana, instead of Kane? Just wondering.

Hi: I found this sword's mei to be suspect. I know it says Kanemitsu. Any addtional information, or opinions, you might have on it would be helpful and appreciated. It looks gimei to me, but I could be wrong. It does not look like any examples I could find. There are no arsenal stamps to be found. Thanks ahead of time.

I think it is the current sword collecting paradigm to fit swords into these categories; Katana, Wakizashi and Tanto, based primarily on length. However, there are actually many other ways to catagorize nihonto and the catagories commonly overlap. Collectors seem to penalize "Wakizashi" in value, compared to Katana and even Tanto. This probably comes from the fact that, in the Japanese cast system, only the Samurai class and above, were allowed to carry swords over two shaku in length. Collectors may put a premium on owning a "Real Samurai's Sword". From a collector's standpoint, Uchigatana should be considered as a different catagory, even though some fall into the "Katana" and the rest fall into the "Wakizashi" catagory. One common trait of Uchigatana is predominate sori more towards the monouchi. It was a type of sword, made for a special purpose, used by the Samurai of the day. But, this is stuff we already know. Personally, I am turned off by the whole collecting paradigm. I mean, what constitutes an important sword anyway? I would rather have an extremely healthy wakimono than a sickly sword from a famous smith. But, that is just me. Similarly, I would rather have a healthy Wakizashi, than a tired Tachi. I like looking at nice jihada, not shintetsu. In collecting, each sword is a unique investment, where one must balance their personal tastes with commonly accepted standards. I put more weight on personal preference, as the Samurai did. It is interesting to note the swords that the Samurai revered. For that we just need to look at "named swords". Are there many "named" Katate-uchi? We can also look at the quality of koshirae. Did certain Uchigatana get decked out with excellent koshirae? Probably; these swords were jugded based on their own merit, not on sugata. Where am I going with this? I don't know, but I can't sleep.

They almost have it too... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tsuba-Cooper-Japanese-Sword-Army-Shin-gunto-Tsuba-WWII-/150899812488?pt=Asian_Antiques&hash=item2322546888 Chinese forgers are everywhere a buck is to be made.

My vote was for Kanenaga. Now I can see Mitsu.

I once saw a Yosozaemon Sukesada tanto with very tight, almost undiscernible, hada. It was NBTHK papered and was considered an example of his best work. Interestingly, it was also polished down quite a bit. The Yasuyoshi on my site also has very tight hada and is koto. So yes, you do sometimes see very tight hada in koto works, particularly in tanto.

I considered Hiro and then moved on. But, it does seem to be the best fit. Consensus rules. Thanks Folks.

Re: Shige ??? I picked up this tanto at the Orlando Sword Show. I cannot for the life of me figure out the second kanji. It might be a partial mei. Assistance would be appreciated. mei: tanto: