GivePoint

Thank you for your reply and patience but most examples (including on the site you provided) of these don’t seem to have a hamon, no? I’m maybe wrong in assuming these have a lower standard of production than katanas for example. My understanding is that they were basically produced as and treated like semi-replaceable utility knives.

Thank you Jean L. I frequent that site and it is a good source of comparisons, the kogatana I posted is about 10% of the cost in an auction currently as the kogatanas (even ones without the kozuka) on that site, and no overseas shipping, so I thought maybe I’d take a shot at it and try to find a kozuka that matches Edo koshirae of a wakizashi I have already. If your gut is that this kogatana is modern, I’d rather skip it in favor of an older piece though. Nothing against modern production (if not machine made), am just trying to match and pair time periods. So when you mention “plated” that’s referring to like a zinc plating or something that is modern? Thank you very much for your time and help.

Agreed Jean, such a small piece of metal it’s tough to tell, I struggle much more with these than with katana/wakizashi blades and larger and more detailed tangs, etc. Tough to confirm it is period but if anyone sees any red flags that indicate it isn’t, please weigh in. Thank you.

Unsigned, mediocre quality pictures, and tough to determine authenticity for me, any thoughts? 6 3/4” long and is alleged to be Edo period. Am hoping it isn’t modern factory made before I bid on it. Thank you.

Another thought (not that anyone cares but me 😆 ), as I look closer and closer at the lobed tsuba of my Daisho and the different one he is selling, the outer edge of the lobes is more squared off and flat than his, which are more rounded and pointy. Noticing that reassures me a little that they weren’t just poured out of the same cast like last year and left in the rain a couple days to make them look old. If you showed someone a civic and corolla 200 years from now they might say they’re the same, when in fact they are different makers and different models albeit designed around a common theme. I’m panicking less 😅

Thank you Mark. It sounds like mine falls in the below category, which isn’t necessarily bad. The tosugo/koshirae appear to be antique and high quality, but maybe everything was paired up fairly recently. But from your article it sounds like that’s not necessarily a bad thing and is okay. Old blades, old correctly paired koshirae (they don’t match per se but were clearly made together), but put together later, maybe even very recently. And that that doesn’t necessarily imply I got scammed since everything is high quality. That’s my takeaway but if I misunderstood please correct me. Thank you very much. “Collector or dealer matched swords in complete issaku daisho tosogu, while the pairing is modern, the tosogu were made with the intention of it being a full daisho”

Thank you very much Brian, I really appreciate your input and time. I read your response and sources several times. The seller represented the blades as “at the minimum I would say same period” as each other and the koshirae as “similar age or slightly later” so I understand they weren’t a made-together pair true and token Daisho. I know you said don’t worry about them but do you agree with what he is implying that the fittings and koshirae (including tsuba) would at least be dated to end of Edo period or before? My biggest concerns are that the fittings/mountings/tsuba/same/menuki weren’t made in, say, 2019, that they were at least Edo. Not holding you to it (especially with poor pictures and the limited quantity allowed), again I cherish these as wonderful workmanship and art and am not selling them, I’m not soliciting an appraisal, I’m just making sure I wasn’t entirely scammed with modern fittings/koshirae as I see identical tsuba on another Daisho from him (granted he has auctioned many, it isn’t like his only 2 Daisho had these fittings). It’s allowing me to add one more picture so I did, it better shows my Wakizashi same, by “brand new” as you say, that would suggest <100 years old so basically a modern compilation unfortunately? Or maybe just a recently replaced same and maybe Ito? Either way, thank you!!!

Unfortunately the first picture that appeared was the 4th I tried to post, that one is not my Daisho it is the different one the same seller has in an auction now, but it shows the identical tsubas for comparison to mine. My Daisho is the other 3 pictures (ie, pictures 2-4 in the original post are my Daisho) including the one in the collage photo. Thank you for your time and advice and sorry for any confusion. Edit: I should add that I did maybe 20+ hours of research on the internet comparing the katana signature to every other example of the maker on the internet looking at every stroke/scratch of every character of the signature against all other examples, I do not have any doubts about authenticity of the blade/maker/signature. Just the mounts/fittings.

Hello, I bought this Daisho in an auction this summer and have some questions, I’m sort of a newbie. The katana is signed with the below, should be mid-late 1700’s. 長州住藤原清重 choshū ju fujiwara kiyoshige The Wakizashi is unsigned. The collage picture is from the Auctioneer, 2 I took, and a 4th picture is what got me nervous tonight and brought me here. That 4th picture shows the tsubas of a DIFFERENT Daisho that the same seller is now listing, how are these tsubas the same as mine? ~250 year old identical tsubas on 2 different Daishos? And with the same seller? Do I have a 250 year old blade but everything else is frankensteined? He is actually a reputable seller so I didn’t have reason to doubt him but is he piecing these together with old blades but new mounts and fittings? Other slight doubts I had: the menuki look brand new, are they authentic/original? The rayskin of the Wakizashi looks brand new, is that authentic/original? I own it and am not trying to sell it so your opinions won’t be used commercially to sell it. Buuut back when I bought it there was at least one other bidder and it cost me >7000US$ shipped so it wasn’t cheap and I want to make sure I haven’t been scammed. The blades fit perfectly and snugly into each saya. Everything else looks fine and old and high quality. But please tell me I didn’t get scammed for some knockoff made 5 years ago. Many thanks.