Munetsugu

An Exceptional Koto Nakajima Rai Katana with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Touken Origami in Shirasaya with Koshirae.

Nakajima Rai worked out of settsu province and was founded by the legendary Rai Kuninaga. They made extremely high quality work into the nanbokucho period and are known for their very close likeness to the mainline Rai school. There a many blades like this one papered as Juyo.

Nagasa - 62.5cm
sori - 1.0cm
mekugi - 3
Motihaba - 3.0cm
Sakihaba - 2.3cm
Motokasane - 0.8cm
Jidai: Koto Nanbokucho 
Province: settsu
Hamon: suguha with nagaashi
Jigane: itame
Boshi: hakikake komaru
Habaki: gold foil single
Mounting: shirasaya
Koshirae: Kawarinuri saya full dragon fittings
Certificate: [N.B.T.H.K] tokubetsu hozon. 

Bargain price, in really good Japanese polish which is a fantastic investment. I spotted another Nakajima Rai blade come up for auction currently in Japan and at 20k.. So I think a very fair price listed to sell. 

£8500 UK Based. 

Happy to ship worldwide and if you are in United Kingdom or can travel to, you are always welcome to visit and see the katana in hand before purchase. I also have many well respected collectors in the nihonto world who can vouch for me. This is one which I can assure the first person to view will buy. The Jigane is exceptional and extremely hard to photograph properly. The pictures don't do it justice, it looks even better in hand!

I have plenty of photos of this sword so please pm me if your interested and I can send them all over. 

Thank you. 

Chuck. 

Good afternoon, 

So I did a stall at the Birmingham arms fair this weekend just gone and upon begrudgingly selling a lovely wakizashi I've had since I started collecting. I took a px on it with a quite nice looking tanto.. I have no idea what it is as of yet as I've just starting looking to kantei it however there's a few kantei points which are putting me in a couple of directions so thought it would be fun to put it on here and see what people's thoughts are. 

Mitsu-mune is one of the things which was noticed. 

The hada on this is fantastic in hand and very hard to capture on camera but I've tried and have uploaded a couple of pictures. It's very even and well distributed along the blade. 

Suguha hamon, with very nice clear and even Nioi. 

Nakago I think looks shinto, and has feint kiri (horizontal) yasurime marks. 

Unokubi zukuri shape

Nagasa 28.2cm

Shinogi-ji near munemachi 9mm

Would be great to hear peoples opinions on this one. 

Thank you🙂 

Kind regards, 

Chuck. 

Yeah thats Peter Yorke, interestingly I got told he didnt have great pieces to then find out he had one of the largest and best collections in the UK! a good friend of mine was freinds with him and has seen some incredible pieces in his collection. Ive heard of some of the swords etc hes got and one thing I can say, is that is going to be one hell of a sale, id go as far as to say its probably going to be one of the best uk sales in a very very long time.  Im looking forward to seeing what comes up. Will post the link on here for everyone to brose when it goes live at the auction house.. 

Price drop to £600. If it doesn't sell at this il take the ad down and keep it as it does look nice in hand   really nice dark chocolate colour patination. 

bump, drop to £250.. ridiculously cheap for a nice kinko tsuba!  

Found some pieces I want to buy so price drop £320  

Great idea.. makes it a lot easier for people to search for the area they collect. Change well welcomed!

Price drop £390

Price drop £210

Price drop £280

For sale is an iron tsuba signed Bushu Masatoshi with water wheel and ivy theme. 

Really nice chocolate coloured iron in hand and nicely carved. 

Price £450

Happy to post worldwide or you're welcome to collect if in the uk. 

Thank you.

If only they were yasutaka.. I've been keeping an eye out for a fk set to match this😆 so close..🙂

33 minutes ago, Spartancrest said:

A similar discussion found here: Along with close examples like yours. 

 

Thank you very much! It appears @Kurikata has picked up a very similar one to mine..  

Picked up an interesting kamakura-bori (I think) tsuba, would I be correct in thinking the brass inlay would be a later addition?

Interested to get peoples thoughts on it. Patina looks very old and nice. 

Thank you🙂

Next up is a wild horses motif kinko tsuba. 

Based in Hampshire UK, you're welcome to collect if local or I'm happy to post worldwide. 

Price £370

Please check my other ads for more Tosogu. 

Next up is a set of shakudo Fuchi Kashira with Japanese crane motif.

Great detail on the crane and would look great with a quick clean.. (if I get time il do it and relist photos)

Based in Hampshire UK, you're welcome to collect if local or I'm happy to post worldwide. 

Price £300

This is another tsuba im sure il regret selling as I know Choshu tsuba are becoming harder to find however I'm trying to buy my partner a car so will be letting a few nice tsuba and swords go to fund it.

This is a lovely iron dragon themed tsuba by Chôshû Tomonori. 

Tomonori worked in Hagi, Nagato province. He was the 8th generation of the Chôshû-Kawaji family and Considered the 8th master of the Kawaji family school. 

He became the head of the family in Tenmei 4 (1784), and retired in Kansei 9 (1797). 

His typical works were mostly solid plate style and was recognised for his Monkey and Eagle, Bear in Cave, horses and chinese landscape styled pieces and he sometimes signed in full flowing sosho kanji. 

The patina on this piece is fantastic, lovely and dark chocolate colour and a little hard to pick up on the camera but has a lovely dark brown hue to it in hand!

Im based in hampshire UK and you are welcome to collect or I can post worldwide. 

Price £750

Absolutely baffled this is still here, someone is going to have a mega Christmas/new year if this arrives😎

Fully agree the gold bits not only are coincidently all very similar but also look new/modern to my eyes.. 

There's a close up of them.. Quite big😅

Ok so I bought one.. It arrived in lightening time from America to UK, and its absolutely fantastic.. Really really helpful little book, worth every penny!! I'd go as far as to say its cheap😎 well worth a purchase.. If your thinking about it just get one😁

Very keen on this but would be good to know more info.. Waiting to hear back from a friend if he wants one too to save on shipping😆

Edit: bugger it ordered anyway😆 look forward to seeing if its good😁

1 hour ago, b.hennick said:

Caste?

 

Possibly.. This is what I'm trying to figure out😆 I believe it's either shakudo or shibuichi, it's like a plating on what appears to be a brass/copper main plate which I can spot in a tiny scratched area. 

46 minutes ago, Grey Doffin said:

Brahmin.

@Grey Doffin would you care to kindly elaborate on that please? 😆

I am curious to get any information or details about a tsuba in my possession, I've searched high and low and cannot find anything on the mei, the mei looks slightly odd.. But when you have it in hand the tsuba feels ok🤔 it's a kinko tsuba with a well used theme.. 

Interested to see people's opinions on it. Due to the strange mei and certain aspects I've been racking my brain as to if it's genuine, a modern copy or what.. 

Thanks in advance! 

1 hour ago, SteveM said:

Should be OK...It isn't the first time an item has appeared on multiple auction sites, as you noted. Nice piece, by the way. Good luck with it.  

Upon looking at it, I believe its the same seller by looking at the other items on his account so looks like he has forgotten to take the advert down😆🤞 and cheers, can't wait to get them😁