I am returning to the hobby after about 20 years of very light reading only. I was more involved at the time where the knowledge and pricing of gendaito was rapidly increasing, and have been considering adding a more modern sword to my collection since the late 90's. For a couple weeks I have been intrigued by a Yasutake katana on Aoi Art - although there a few things that raise some red flags I can not resolve myself.
https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-yaguwa-yasutake-saku/?_sfm_era=昭和刀(大正〜戦時中)&_sfm_price=100000+5000000
- The sword is inscribed Showa 4, before his working period
- Papers seem to indicate an attribution to Showa 47, if I am understanding the notation... big leap for me on that
- The signature and finishing on the nakago seem different from the few references I see on line, old Aoi arts postings, postings on this forum (thank you) and the yasukuni book I have.
Although quite showy, the work in the blade seems more like his post war work. If legit, I am 100% ok with that
I like the blade for what it is artistically, but don't want to get into something problematic... A purchase of this level is not a regular event for me, and I want to get it right. Not worried about resale, just a fair deal. I would love to hear any opinions on this offering.
Thanks!
Michael S