sabiji

For the most part, yes!

As always, this kind of topic irritates me and I ask myself whether I am living in a parallel universe? I don't want to start again with the old stories about how the situation of a collector 30 years ago compares to the current situation. I still had to make decisions based solely on paper photos that I received in paper mail, taken with cameras that were universes different in their technical capabilities from a standard cell phone camera today. And of course, at certain sums you have to get off your ass to look at a sword in person. I wouldn't do it any differently today. So with all due respect, this frequent “the market is dead” whining is absurd. And it's not the poor Tsuruta-san's fault either! For many years, he was one of the few opportunities for the “average collector” to acquire a sword in Japan without having any special contacts there. And I have also seen a few blades bought from him recently, where I was honestly deeply impressed and enthusiastic, at prices I would not discuss at all. Of course, I know the buyer well. He has an excellent eye and knows exactly what he is doing. And that is why I would say that it has never been easier for collectors like him to fish out good and attractively priced pieces from the market. But that's just my opinion.

but instead sabi...

Ono

You and limited knowledge? Typical Japanese understatement from you...

Ko Shoami

Oh Florian, don't always blame everything on the poor Shoami. They can do it better and more elegantly. Maybe Kinai.

I'm planning to go to Japan again in 2025, in the fall of course, and of course this time to the DTI.

Oh, sorry. That's fine then.

Mmmmh, what were your intentions when you bought this blade? Was it a typical Mino work of the Muromachi? If so, in what style? I find it difficult to recognize typical Mino in this blade. Of course, it is difficult to judge from photos anyway. And I can only partially recognize the Yakiba, just like the Nioiguchi. Tsurete, i.e. a uniform coupling of fairly identical Gunome, is not an invention of the Mino and became more common at the end of the Kamakura and in the Nanbokucho. You can also find it in Osafune, or in the Kozori. A Sanbonsugi is a Togari Gunome with a very identical repeat. Repeat is used more often in Gunome than many people think. It brings a certain pleasant aesthetic when the repeat is varied. That is why a pure Tsurete Hamon, or a very identical Gunome repeat like Sanbonsugi, looks strict, even boring. (Even though such a perfect and flawless Hamon is of course quite demanding). I mean that only from an aesthetic point of view, not a technical one. But what are our roots here? It is not a Sanbonsugi, and I cannot see any Togari anywhere. The Yakigashira all look very round. But it is not a Kenbo-Midare either. I recognize a coupling of Gunome groups mainly in combinations of two and three. These are connected by round Tani. The sides are relatively steep, some a little flatter, which is somewhat reminiscent of Koshi no Hiraita. A Bizen invention, which was also copied and interpreted in Mino. But if we come anywhere close to the Koshi no Hiraita here, this Hamon seems far too stiff and "intentional" for a Muromachi/Momoyama work. And I certainly cannot detect any Yamato influence. That is just my opinion.

Ko Shoami, Blüte und Ginger

I see a dark future for Nihonto in other ways. There is the tightening of gun laws in many countries. More and more shipping service providers are refusing to ship swords. And another thing, the collector scene is not getting any younger. I really can't imagine a “sell-out” of swords in Japan.

Georg, we had to thank you! Your Masayuki/Kiyomaro is an impressive sword with an excellent polish! In addition to the master, we were able to study two of his students: 2x Saito Kiyondo and 1x Minamoto (Suzuki) Masao. There is also a sword from the Hamabe school, the school where Kiyomaro was trained at the beginning of his career. Enclosed a bad photo of the table only (so as not to show any people...).

At the risk of being burned as a heretic, I see some pretty rough welds in the circles... ...fine chains of black Nie I think I see scattered all over the blade.

I agree with Rokujuro, Satsuma-age would not explain the course of the Shinogi.

Robert, do you mean the “black dots”? They are Nie.

@Jussi Ekholm, your Tadahiro comparison is certainly interesting, precisely because we have a noticeable price difference here from one and the same swordsmith. You base your choice on the fact that price is not important. But it would be interesting not to do so, precisely in the spirit of the topic. Your choice is understandable. The blade is relatively well preserved, it has Horimono and it has a Koshirae. These are all factors that make such a sword very attractive to collectors on the general market. But it is priced exactly in the middle. So why isn't the most expensive Tadahiro in your comparison with such high market potential? Is it just because of the cut test of a well-known representative with a good, fairly early date? The appearance of the sword is marred by the fact that it has already lost some material. In some places the thin Hizen-Kawagane appears to have been polished through. In addition, the blade is machiokuri and the original Nakago-Jiri was cut off. Nevertheless, I think that this sword is the best of the trio in terms of quality. Although my opinion is irrelevant, I would go so far as to say: if this blade were in the best condition and Ubu, with the cutting test as a bonus - this sword would be a Juyo candidate! (Jussi, you know more about this, but I seem to remember that Nidai Tadahiro is the Shinto smith with the highest number of Juyo). But since this is not the case, it requires a collector who is willing to pay the price and is willing to accept the "problems". However, in the price range you have presented, Tadahiro katana with TH are very common. Collectors who are specifically looking for a Tadahiro have a choice and can set certain parameters, such as the time the blade was created, the shape and length, the characteristics of its signature and ultimately its style, which also includes gunome and choji. Your Tadahiro example in particular shows that the topic of prices and swords is not so simple and that you often have to look at each individual case. If the old guard continues to disappear, an era is certainly over. I don't have enough insight into the scene, especially in Japan. But I have the feeling that a certain elitist and hierarchical thinking was not beneficial in past decades. It is so important that students surpass their masters. Only then has the master done everything right. And only then will new, strong generations emerge. I emphasize again that I have too little background knowledge on the subject and I can only rely on my gut feeling. Old names are disappearing. Submitting kodogu and blades to a Shinsa of the NBTHK has become more difficult due to limitations and tight registration windows. The last Juyo sessions were the strictest in history. The positive thing, however, is that it counteracts the previous paper inflation. Yes, more young people in Japan seem to be developing an interest in Nihonto, also triggered by various anime and manga. At the same time, more and more museums in Japan are experiencing financial problems. The number of registered swordsmiths is also decreasing. There are discussions in Japan about whether the traditional training of apprentices in the swordsmith's home is still appropriate... Internationally, too, one must not forget that certain political activism and tightening of national gun laws are making it increasingly difficult for collectors in some countries to pursue their hobby. I would really like to be optimistic, but to be honest, I am anything but sure in which direction things will go in the future...

A description (Setsumei) of a particular blade is only given once you have achieved Juyo status. A sayagaki primarily serves only as information about the content (what it is, who made it, the length). Tanobe Sensei's sayagaki are usually accompanied by an explanation and his opinion of the blade he has studied - which is basically similar to a juyo setsumei. Therefore, it is not the simple presence of a tanobe sayagaki that is important, but its content! And it is precisely this point that makes his sayagaki so coveted. One should not forget that Tanobe Sensei writes a sayagaki because its owner wants it. Therefore, you should also carefully consider why you are presenting a particular sword to him in order to request his assessment.

So if it's the sword I remember, it would have to be a Kanabo blade...

Isn't that the sword of Mori Ranmaru?

Honestly? I definitely couldn't have made a Kantei just from the pictures. But I know the swords from previous visits. Most of the swords have already been mentioned by the others. I still remember the Kanemoto and the Kunitoshi. I find the presentation of the swords in Nijo very sad and unloving. You can hardly see anything under the lighting on site. We've already covered this topic. In the Tokyo National Museum, the lighting was so good that I was able to stand far enough away from the glass so that I couldn't decipher the lettering straight away. Here you could actually do something like a little Kantei because you could see quite a lot.

1. Kotetsu 2. Magoroku Kanemoto 3. Ikkansai Shigetsugu 4. Muramasa 5. Masamune 6. Rai Kunitoshi

I have seen a wide variety of papers in over 30 years. But never one like this. At first I thought they were Honami papers. But the modern dating and the photos confused me. I will try to see the papers and blade again. First of all, many thanks to everyone who tried to help me!

Hello Benjamin, thank you very much, I know the site. Unfortunately, the origami I'm looking for isn't there.

I realize that my request is difficult without a photo. I thought it inappropriate to photograph the origami as I was only a guest. I was confident I would find something comparable on the internet. In fact, I haven't found anything comparable yet. So I'll try a description here. Maybe it will look familiar to someone. If not, it's no big deal. I myself have never seen a comparable origami. Basically, it is very reminiscent of the typical honami origami. It is a similar paper, is folded similarly, has a similarly folded envelope with a kao. The content of the origami is completely handwritten. There are several hanko, one of which is very large. So everything looks very similar to honami origami. However, the paper is dated in the Heisei period and contains modern photos of the Nakago, as with the NBTHK or NTHK or other appraisers. The origami is almost 20 years old. The author has also made a sayagaki for the sword in question. Perhaps it looks familiar to someone.