Lexvdjagt

SOLD

Here are some additional images of the Shirasaya, its in good condition. Greetings, Lex

Signed Tanto Osafune Sukesada Tensho in shirasaya NBTHK Hozon EU Specifications: Nagasa: 21.6 cm Sori: 0 cm Mekugi-Ana: 1 Hira-zukuri Period: Late-Muromachi period tensho Jidai. Blade Description: A signed and dated tanto by Osafune Sukesada, accompanied by an NBTHK Hozon certificate. The blade is dated to August of the Tenshō period, though the exact year is illegible. The jigane consists of a well-forged mokume hada with areas of masame hada visible, showing good overall quality, with some nice jigane patterns to enjoy. The hamon is a nioi-based midare gunome, displaying very nice hataraki throughout. The blade presents as a solid example of Sue-Bizen Sukesada workmanship, with good overall condition and healthy structure. The tanto is in good condition, but in older polish. All imperfections are visible in the photographs; there are no major flaws or issues. A genuinely nice and enjoyable tanto. PRICE: SOLD Free shipping within the EU International shipping available (extra charge: €20–40) Express insured shipping (FedEx, UPS, DHL Express, etc.) Located in the Netherlands – Pickup available Payment Methods: Various payment methods are accepted, with bank transfer preferred. Please contact via PM to discuss payment options. Any questions are welcome. Feel free to contact me anytime.

Extra pictures of the koshirae:

PRICE: €3300 (EURO) Free shipping within the EU International shipping available (extra charge: €20–40) Express insured shipping (FedEx, UPS, DHL Express, etc.) Located in the Netherlands – Pickup available Payment Methods: Various payment methods are accepted, with bank transfer preferred. Please contact via PM to discuss payment options. Any questions are welcome. Feel free to contact me anytime. PS: There is no damage to the tip of the sword; this is a piece of dust still attached to the kissaki while taking pictures (which I did not notice when taking the images). There is also a Shirasaya, as can be seen in the first image.

Mumei Osafune Harumitsu Katana Late Muromachi Period (Sue-Bizen) NBTHK Hozon Specifications: Nagasa: 63.4 cm (approx. 2 shaku 9 sun) Sori: 2.6 cm Motohaba: 2.86 cm Sakihaba: 1.96 cm Motokasane: 0.68 cm Sakikasane: 0.46 cm Mekugi-Ana: 2 Shinogi-zukuri, Iori-mune, Chū-kissaki Period: Late-Muromachi period around Eisho Jidai Blade Description: A stunning, unsigned katana attributed to Osafune Harumitsu, accompanied by an NBTHK Hozon certificate and mounted in koshirae. The jigane is a well-forged itame hada with mokume mixed in, of a nice appreciable level. There are areas where the hada is more dense, with mostly itame; there are some stunning parts where the sword shows nice mokume patterns, with thick ji-nie and active chikei. The hamon is a large notare-based pattern, with ko-nie and nioi forming a slightly subdued but well-controlled temper line (very similar to a wave). Within the hamon, there are ashi, ko-ashi, and yō visible. The bōshi is straight with a slight hakikake, which returns. The nakago is suriage. The blade is fitted with a silver habaki featuring a wave motif. The blade is in excellent condition; there are some slight imperfections visible on the images, including some damage to the mune (possibly Homare-kizu?). Koshirae: The blade is mounted in a late Edo period han-dachi koshirae. Total Length: 94.5 cm Tsuka Length: 24 cm Saya: Black ishime lacquer with black lacquered horn kojiri Fittings: Matching set with nanako-ji and gold edging Menuki: Shakudō with plant motif Tsuba: Iron mokkō-gata with carved decoration and gold inlay The koshirae overall is likely a Bakumatsu period piece; the tsuka has been re-wrapped, so it does not preserve the original tsuka-ito. The tsuba is considerably older than the koshirae (in my opinion).

Lowering price to 200 euro

I will be there for the third year as well, would love to meet some NMB members.

SOLD

Hello Steve, Thank you so much for the correction. I will now update the listing. Mistake on my end with the translation. Yes!

I am hereby offering this nice Sukesada Katana with stunning hataraki, with NBTHK hozon papers. This blade is being reoffered because the blade was traded in for a different sword. Specifications: Nagasa (Blade Length): 67.0 cm Sori (Curvature): 1.8 cm Width at Base (Motohaba): 3.05 cm Width at Tip (Sakihaba): 2.25 cm Thickness at Base (Motokasane): 0.73 cm Thickness at Tip (Sakikasane): 0.51 cm Number of Peg Holes: 2 (ubu) Blade Description: A very nice Katana signed Bishū Osafune Sukesada, dated Tensho 4 (1576) – 8th month, accompanied by an NBTHK Hozon Certificate and fitted with a silver-covered copper habaki. The blade is constructed in shinogi-zukuri, with a high shinogi and low iori-mune, and a large kissaki. The steel surface is a tightly forged ko-itame, with flowing areas where the grain stands out. The blade is covered with good ji-nie, and the jigane is described as healthy. The hamon is a nioi-based complex gunome-midare, incorporating small gunome, notare, and small midare, with kinsuji working through the interior of the hamon. The hataraki is stunning, as can be seen in my images. Very nice blade to study hamon activity. The nakago is ubu. Condition Some scratches on the blade overall, as can be seen in the images. Some foraging imperfections on the blade, but it does not distract from the stunning hamon. Shirsaya has some slight splitting at the end, this can easily be solved with some rice glue. Price: €2250 Free shipping inside EU Shipping outside EU available for a small additional cost (€20–40) Shipped with UPS Express (or a different service at request), fully insured to full value. Located in the Netherlands – pickup possible Any questions are always welcome! There will be a donation made to NMB if the blade is sold through NMB.

Hello Maik, This link will give you all necessary information about the Japan Art Fair: https://www.japanartfair.com I can absolutely recommend you attending, it’s a wonderful opportunity to view some high-end blades in a very nice setting. While you are at it you can also consider joining the Dutch Token Society, we come together 4 times per year to discuss and appreciate Japanese Swords and fittings. http://www.to-ken.nl Groetjes, Lex

Hello Adam, Thank you for sharing! Brings back memories from the DTI this year. Even had my own little cameo!

The oshigata system was used until photographs became standard. They switched to photographed nakago in the late 90s.

ON HOLD

Lowering price to 3400 EUR

850 EURO

Hello Randy, John answered most questions wonderfully. This sword is, in my opinion, a clear forgery. Having said that, do not attempt to import this sword into Japan, as non-traditionally made Japanese swords are illegal and punishable by law. To illustrate my point, I want you to look at the HADA, which is the blade's surface area, highlighted in blue by me. Compare this example to a genuine Edo-period sword (which this fake is attempting to imitate) The Hada on your sword is drastically different; it seems to end just before the shinogi in a straight line. Note the difference in tone of the hamon too. The sword may look like highly skilled craftsmanship, but a factory-produced blade can imitate a lot. The blade I compared yours to can be found here: https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/ja/product/shousai/WA-0853. Please, if you have any other questions let me know. Greetings, Lex van der Jagt

The blade looks wonderful. I would get it sent to Shinsa to get their opinion on it. Or just enjoy it as is, there is much to learn from the hamon!

When you say you cleaned the sword, what does that entail?

Still for sale Lowering the price to 3500 EUR

Price reduced to 3600 EURO Shipping to the US is possible. I will give a discount to US clients to compensate for the (possible) tariffs.

950 EUR

A very interesting thread, This discussion is wonderful and insightful. Having said that, there are some points I disagree on. I personally will not take auction results from auctioneers like Christie’s, Sothebys (or other high end auction houses), as a market parameter. These auctions are in many cases outliers, and one auction or auction house is to me not a proper market indicator. Having been active as a dealer in the antique market when I started at 14 has taught me A lot about market decline and rise. I have sold ancient Roman and Greek coinage ever since I was 14. The coin market is very transparent, you’ll always be able to check the market price for a particular coin. I have a very wide range of databases that I use to figure out the price increase or decline of certain coins (which overall has seen an uphill increase). But from the perspective of a coin dealer this transparency is also a curse, my profits are low (because anyone can find out where they can get it from my source), and I focus on selling in quantity to make a living. This cannot be said about Nihonto. When I started buying Nihonto, I desperately wanted to gain intimate knowledge of the market and trends within the market. I have never been rich so I’ve always focused on the Hozon-Tokubetsu Hozon range. The market is completely dependant on location and clients, it’s a whole different game. There is no standard metric to compare your swords to. The Japanese market is very different depending on who you know or where you can get into (for example dealer auctions). Dealers can really truly ask whatever they want, if they have a client willing to pay. There is of course some basic understanding of price, but it can wildly differ. Overall in Japan when I talk to dealers, some can be quite optimistic. Looking to branch out more and reach more clients, and working to get young people interested in Nihonto. I don’t worry as much, at least not at my collecting price point. Greetings, Lex

I am hereby offering this Echizen Rai katana. Specifications: Blade Length (Nagasa): 69.2 cm Curvature (Sori): 2.1 cm Mekugi-ana: 2 Nakago: Ō-suriage, mumei Dimensions: Motohaba: ~31.3 mm Motokasane: ~6.8 mm Sakihaba: ~24.3 mm Sakikasane: ~5.3 mm Bare Blade Weight: approx. 737.6 g Type: Shinogi-zukuri Blade Description: A stunning Nanbokucho period katana attributed to the Echizen Rai (越前来) school with recent NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, and previously attributed to Sa Kunihiro (左国弘) by Tokubetsu Kichō papers. Both attributions place this sword solidly in the Nanbokucho period. Although this sword clearly is not the work of Sa Kunihiro, the old paper was still preserved. I find it interesting to see how older NBTHK papers can differ from new papers. The blade exhibits classic Nanbokucho characteristics, including a wide Motohaba and longer kissaki. The jigane tight itame in certain areas, which can be well observed in some of my images. There is also Mokume, and overall Jigane that reflects previous older Rai works. There are sections where the hada stands out more prominently. Ji-nie is present throughout, giving the steel surface a rich, textured appearance. The hamon is a suguha-notare temper with activity visible, a lot of nie can be observed. See my Hamon images for a proper idea of the hataraki. The bōshi is Omaru, and is still very visible. The nakago is ō-suriage, typical for early Nanbokuchō swords, with two mekugi-ana. The sword is fitted with a habaki and comes in shirasaya (with reinforcing tape applied). Condition Some scratches can be observed, with one longer scratch visible on the images; all flaws have been photographed and are visible on the images. The scratches are shallow and do not distract from the blade itself. There are no significant ware of imperfections on the blade. It is a very clean Nanbokucho Echizen Rai blade that is ready to be appreciated. Image disclaimer The overview images of the entire blade had their background removed. Please do not use these images as a reference for the condition of the blade, as they have been altered. All other images are unaltered. Sometimes my camera can be seen in the reflection of the blade in the bohi. These are not imperfections. Price: €3700 Free shipping inside EU Shipping outside EU available for a small additional cost (€20–40) Shipped with UPS Express, fully insured to full value Located in the Netherlands – pickup possible Please feel free to message me if you have any questions.