cabowen

Yeah, I have reported these infomercials many times. So what? Isn't that what the report button is for? Be honest- I can name three different dealers I reported who have done this or failed to post prices. I can't help it if the same people continue to break the rules. If something was done, I wouldn't be pointing it out. Attacking me doesn't change anything-as you clearly indicate, you are the one who makes and applies (or not) the rules. I have just pointed out the inconsistencies, the unequal treatment, and what looks like cronyism. If that's how you want things, as you note, that is up to you.

"Unusually obsessed" about posting ads in the discussion forum is a bit over the top and provocative. It is also misses the essence of my concern. I don't think anything "slipped past the members"- I think most at this point are well aware of what goes on. Removing sales items: here's an idea: don't if you think there is something of "educational value". Archive them. Or credit your membership with the smarts to follow a link to the merchant's page where all that "educational content" is sure to be found. I have no problem complying with your "suggestions", as do most of the commercial dealers here who refrain from posting infomercials in the discussion sections, post prices, and post real sales ads. You know, follow your rules. If my compliance will allow you to apply the rules equally, consider it done. If you want to call me obsessed, get it right- I am obsessive about equal treatment for all. Letting some bend and break the rules regularly while holding others to them smacks of cronyism. Don't give me the "educational aspect" excuse as there are plenty of ways to preserve the so-called "educational content", what little there actually is, without sacrificing integrity. This "ad" is a prime example-- "look what I have coming in", together with a few photos--claiming it's educational is an insult to every member here.... I would, and no doubt many others, would gladly sacrifice this kind of "educational content" for a little more equality. Hey, here's an idea- put it to a vote with a poll: Equal rules for all or some more equal than others....Democracy at its finest...

Jason- Those lines of nie are sunagashi inside the hamon and kinsuji where they are in the ji between the gunome. I would suggest looking at online photos of Katsukuni (usually more sanbon-sugi), Kinmichi (usually more nie lining the habuchi and the habuchi is wider), and Kanefusa (Seki Kanefusa? Fukuro-choji is common in his work). I think your smith is a rank or two lower than these well known smiths. The jigane in your blade looks a bit disorganized and not what I would expect as far as the quality of the forging in a well known smith. Is the blade a bit tired? The polish looks a bit odd, like maybe it spent some time with some acid?

Post some better photos....But why would a smith go through the hassle of putting core steel in a souvenir piece, especially a tanto? This is not the normal way smiths made regular tanto, never mind souvenir items.

Then how do you explain the openings?

Poorly forged steel.

Tanto are made from one piece in general, and no doubt a tourist piece, which I agree this appears to be, would most certainly be one-piece construction.

John- While I agree with you that it wasn't explicitly said to be "for sale", I think you have to consider the history here - we have seen this type of thing time and again- and consider the implicit meaning when a known merchant lists a sword and says "it is coming soon".....It is a simple matter to connect the dots. If it isn't going to be for sale, then I stand humbly corrected and apologize. If it is indeed as I suspected when I made my comment, then, what I said... Personally, I find the posting of merchandise in discussion forums by known, active dealers "for interest" entirely crass. There is no reason it can't be listed in the sales section, as mentioned, with a link to the owner's site for the "educational content". Also, apparently discussion of merchandise in sales threads is said to be at the discretion of the original poster, so why not just post your "educational content" there along with the item? I just don't see the need for infomercials in the discussion forums... Perhaps "crass", like "educational aspect" is in the eyes of the beholder?

Appears to be a real nihon-to but better pictures of the nakago would be helpful.

So it is ok for everyone to post sales items in this forum as long as they "haven't arrived yet" and have some "educational value"? Are "educational value" and "items for sale" mutually exclusive? Let's be honest: it's merchandise. These "infomercials" amount to advertising, plain and simple. No reason all the "educational value" can't be given in the sales forum where merchandise is normally listed, if not in the ad, then linked to the merchant's sales site. If the point/purpose is really, truly, educational, there should be no mention that the item is, will be, might be, can be, for sale. Otherwise, all it appears to be is a crass attempt to generate interest and make a sale.

Actually, to be precise, shodai Kunisuke was late to the Horikawa den and is commonly thought to have been a student of Echigo no Kami Kunitomo, not Horikawa Kunihiro. Be that as it may, no one was or will argue the point that Horikawa Kunihiro and several of his students were influenced by the Soshu den and made works in that style, creating the Shinto "style". But the subject blade isn't a Horikawa Kunihiro blade, it's claiming to be a Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke blade. Successive generations of the Kunisuke school (and it is recognized as a distinct group) are not known to have "liked to copy Shizu and Sadamune", thus you must be saying this is the work of Shodai Kunisuke when you make these Soshu comparisons, post oshigata of the shodai, and say you "think the signature is ok"... I surely wouldn't be comfortable making that claim... As for the origin of choji in Kunisuke blades, it is said that the shodai had a connection with the Ishido group. His work is said to be similar to that of his ani-deshi, Oya Kunisada, except that there are often some choji elements. His connection to the Ishido group is usually given as the reason, and it is clear that the Ishido ha didn't get their choji from Rai. Interestingly, the nidai Kunisuke, the so-called Naka (middle) Kawachi, is also referred to as the "Osaka Ichimonji" thus it is clear that these are considered works in the Bizen den. The kobushi-gata-choji, was fully developed by the nidai and is considered the trademark of the Kunisuke line, much like the doran-ba of smiths in the Sukehiro line. Thus, when one hears "Kunisuke", one naturally thinks "kobushi-gata choji"...

Thanks for that and for the added info on the shinsa. Look forward to additional photos once you have it back. It should look great in polish!

The NTHK-NPO or the NTHK-Yoshikawa? They are both in Tokyo...

He is not recorded as signing Sesshu ju, and the kanji are indeed quite different than the example I posted....I am curious as to whether or not the Sesshu ju blade has kesho yasuri...It seems rather odd that the blade would be in the style of Sukenao but not the nakago...The "den" Sukemasa seems unusual since the blade is not really mumei. Quite interesting...

Which group did the shinsa?

Sukemasa was actually a student of Sukenao. His workmanship, including the nakago, is said to be very similar to late work of his teacher. Here is a picture of one of his blades for your comparison. Compare the kesho yasuri and style of mei...Maybe post the papers and a photo of the full nakago if you can...

Looking a little closer, I believe the end of the nakago has been cut off and a machi-okuri done ("notches moved up"). Usual nakago-jiri (end of the tang) is different in this school and the end of the bo-hi (groove) usually finishes above the "notches", while here is it lower. So, the blade has been shortened a touch. Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke school is known primarily for one thing: their distinctive choji hamon called "kobushigata choji" which is a fist-shaped choji. They are said to have roots in the Ishido group which worked in the Bizen style. The shodai's early work is similar to Oya Kunisada, but later, and successive generations, worked mostly in their trademark choji, which is considered Bizen den, not Soshu. Never heard of this group liking to make copies of Sadamune and Shizu, but they are famous for their choji. See an example below. There should also be a yaki-dashi, or straight section, leading in to the main hamon.

Please keep in mind that tanto are made without shingane. That means you can polish them down to a toothpick and not worry about shintetsu showing through. So, if this was to go for a few hundred, and you are willing to gamble on a polish, why not. The rest doesn't look too bad...Or, machi-okuri and remove it.....you'll end up with a small mamori-gatana from the Muromachi period for a few hundred dollars....Can't even buy a decent custom knife for that...

As Joe mentions, the blade is signed Kawachi no Kami Fujiwara Kunisuke. This line worked for several generations in Osaka in the 1600's and onward. Many fakes of the first few generations who are well known. The way the signature is positioned towards the end of the nakago makes me wonder if the blade wasn't shortened....It is hard to tell from the photos as none show a full picture of the nakago (tang) nor do you give any measurements. I would take Grey's advice and seeks some informed opinions at the sword show where people can view the sword first hand. If the signature is good, it will most likely be a good sword. If the signature is not good, it will be worth much much less and may or may not be good. You can use google to search for more information and examples of valid signatures to do some comparison...Search 河内守藤原国助

Aki 明 is composed of two radicals: sun on the left 日 and moon 月on the right. The kao is a more literal depiction of the sun, with rays, and the moon, in a crescent phase. Hope that helps...

The papers that are worrisome are generally those that confirm a signature, usually a well known one...Yours, on the other hand, is simply an attribution to a group, Edo Hojoji, not a smith. As an attribution to a group, one is about the same as another. The sword looks like it certainly could be (from what is visible in the photos) Edo Hojoji. I wouldn't worry in this case.

I have had tsuba held up in customs in Japan and told since they were "sword" guards, they needed to be registered, not once, but twice. Sometimes, things get held up simply because government/postal/customs people simply don't know what they are doing....

Most Kaboku mei one comes across are fake. This one looks to be another....

I'm in the same boat- no longer able to download...

I'm going to go with gimei but again, it wouldn't hurt to submit to shinsa....