Soshin

Hello Colin T., Thanks for sharing. I like your tsuba, but I feel it is not old enough to get the “Ko” prefix, which implies that it is older than the Edo Period. To me I think the “Kyō” prefix for your tsuba is more appropriate. I have Kyō-Shōami tsuba with a similar rustic plaint-based openwork motif that has an excellent heterogonous forged iron. I hope you find this additional information helpful to your research.

Quick notice about the update of the personal collection website. Look, enjoy, and feel free to discuss politely. https://shoutout.wix.com/so/c9Nkeirqp?languageTag=en

A quick notice about the update of the business inventory. Look, enjoy, and feel free to discuss politely. https://www.raindragonfineartandantiques.com/so/e9Nlf4ra3?languageTag=en

Hello Michael R., I would contact Mark Jones. I have seen him give away old issues of the JSS/US newsletter and the Chicago show. He is on the MNB so I would just send him a private message or contact him via email the Chicago Show's website here: Chicago Japanese Samurai Sword Show - Show (chicagoswordshow.com). I hope this is helpful.

Hello Colin T., Been very busy with important life things... but felt compelled to reply as I like your tsuba and these type of tsuba. I would generally agree with the member consensus here that the tsuba is like the work of the Owari group. I would add that the tsuba is likely very a very late in the groups production circa the Middle Edo Period. I will add the caveat that I cannot examining the tsuba in hand and getting a real fee for the iron which is very important for this type of attribution. The workmanship nor the openwork design itself I feel is characteristic of the unsigned Akasaka School work. I hope you find this information helpful it grows your interest and appreciation for these type of Japanese sword fittings.

Hello Christian S., Thank you for the clarification. I also really like the sword, therefore any shinsa result positive or negative from any organization is not going to change my opinion of the sword. This sword is really a keystone of my Japanese sword collection.

Dear Chrtistain S., I do not understand this comment. A gimei by definition is a signature added to a sword at the time of its making or later to falsely attribute the sword to be the work of a specific swordsmith. How can a sword have a false signature but also the sword itself be attributed to be the work of that swordsmith. A few swords I have submitted to NTHK shinsa that failed because of gimei was attributed to different swordsmiths in the worksheets. Any mei added to sword later by someone other then the swordsmith is termed Ato-mei, which might or might not be a gimei. Thanks everyone for the feedback with my video. It might be just the web browser I am forced to use on my tablet computer which is Edge.

Hello Everyone, Still cannot see my video I tried to posted a few days ago. Not sure how it looks for other NMB users. To provide a written description of the jihada it is a very refined ko-itame mixed with a few areas of o-hada of different styles. One area the o-hada is a mokume style and other areas it is a masame style. At some point I will setup a do professional quality photos with my DSL with a good lighting setup. You would then be able to see more details. I posted the iPhone video to my Instagram account. You should see the video by following this weblink: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTe7ZVrijIp/?utm_medium=copy_link. The quality of the video does not allow you to see much detail of the jihada.

Hello Gary, I am not really sure, but it might depend on the degree or magnitude of the restoration work. Very noticeable changes to the Japanese sword fitting item might require a resubmission as the photo on the NBTHK Hozon paper will no longer match the item itself. I do know that items that have undergone restoration work do sometimes fail NBTHK Hozon shinsa so you should be very careful, conservative, and ensure only traditional techniques are used in any restoration work.

Hello Everyone, I had my Katana out examining particularly the jigane/jihada and did a short video preview of the sword with my iPhone. This is my first time posting a video on NMB so I hope everyone a view it and enjoy. Kanemoto Katana Preview Video.mov

Dear Rich, Good point, I did not think about examining the end of the nakago. Here is another photo I just happened to take of the nakago on the side with the orikaeshi-mei at a different angle. From the end of the nakago you can see that it was actually folded over and not just inlayed.

Hello John and Brian; Thanks guys. Yes, I would agree the workmanship of the katana does fit well with the Kanemoto appellation. The hamon shape is very consistent second and third generation Kanemoto as represented in oshigata examples in the Mino Taikan by Tokuno. I have been thinking on this a while, which drove me to seek opinions of other collectors. Earlier in the year I was thinking NTHK shinsa but it was cancelled at the San Francisco and deposit returned. I was then thinking NBTHK in August, but my regular broker has temporarily stop receiving items for shinsa submission in Japan due to COIVD-19 pandemic. I was thinking of sending it another broker, but people I have talked to have been complaining about delays in getting back the items they have submitted during the 2020-2021 timeframe. I have not submitted anything to shinsa since 2019.

I had some free time today and was clearing my sword collection. I did a few quick iPhone pictures of a Kanemoto (兼元) katana new to my Japanese sword collection that is suriage (磨上) with an orikaeshi-mei (折返し銘). I have never had a sword with this type of inscription before. I was planning to submit this sword to shinsa but now questioning if I should after reading Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords by Nabua Nakahara, translation by Paul Martin. On page 78 in a section of focused on different types of inscriptions (mei 銘) he states: "Many orkaeshi-mei are actually skillfully tailored fakes. The part that is bent back on itself at the new nakago-jiri is actually another mei that has been attached at that location to give the impression of orikaeshi-mei.". The cutting-edge length of my katana is 27.5 inches (68.8 cm). It was sold to me as a early generation Kanemoto from the late Kotō (古刀) Era. Here the few iPhone photos I have. I would like people’s opinion of my orikaeshi-mei but as always keep it informative and polite.

Just a quick notice about the update of my personal collection website. Take a looking and feel free to discuss politely. https://shoutout.wix.com/so/faNkSp7BX?languageTag=en

Just a quick notice about the update of the business inventory. Take a looking and feel free to discuss politely. Moving towards the mid September update I will be listing few tsuba from my own collection for sale. https://www.raindragonfineartandantiques.com/so/8eNkTvwku?languageTag=en