Darin Steele

I currently have a shakudo pair

Type: Wakizashi Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage: Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) Kinpunmei Papered or not and by whom? NBTHK Hozon Era/Age Sue Koto Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? Shirasaya and Koshirae Nagasa/Blade Length 45.3 cm (17.835 in) Sori : 1.5 cm Hamon Type : Sanbonsugi and Gunome Jihada : Masame, and Itame-Mokume Other Hataraki Visible : Sunagashi, Ashi, Yo, Kinsuji Flaws : None seen Sword Location : USA Will ship to : Worldwide Payment Methods Accepted : All Price and Currency : $8500 USD Returns Policy: No Other Info and Full Description : For Sale — 1 Torso Cutting-Test (Saidan-mei) Wakizashi, Kanemoto Line with Kinpunmei and Kaō Price: $8500 Accepting Offers I’ve greatly enjoyed the study of this fine piece over the past few months. This wakizashi comes with NBTHK Hozon papers, shirasaya, and a full, well-fitting koshirae. It is ubu, with a very attractive and substantial sugata, and a good polish. Below is the amazing historical context. Of particular interest is the surviving old lacquer inscription on the nakago, which reads: 兼元正 （花押） 応水野氏望 天明□十月浅倉十兵衛（花押） 一ノ胴切落 Translation: Kanemoto Masa— + kaō At the request of the Mizuno clan Tenmei Era, October; Asakura Jūbei + kaō Severed through the ichi-no-dō (first torso section). The inscription is especially significant because it records an actual cutting test performed on the sword. The NBTHK considered this historical inscription important enough to record it directly on the Hozon paper, where the sword is identified as a Kanemoto-lineage work. ——Historical Context and references—— In a specific October during the Tenmei era (1781–1789), a test cut was performed at the order of the Mizuno clan by a man named Asakura Jūbei (浅倉十兵衛). While little is presently known about Jūbei himself, his name and kaō survive alongside the record of the test, giving us an unusually tangible glimpse into the sword’s working history. The Mizuno were an influential warrior family who rose to prominence during the Muromachi period and later held Kariya Castle in Mikawa Province for generations. They became an important family during the Edo period and served the Tokugawa shogunate. The presence of a Mizuno-related commission in the inscription therefore provides an interesting historical context for the sword. As for the Kanemoto lineage, the name 兼元 was used by several generations of Mino smiths, beginning before and continuing after the famous second-generation Magoroku Kanemoto (孫六兼元), who worked in Akasaka in Mino around the beginning of the sixteenth century. Magoroku worked during the Eishō (1504–1521) and Daiei (1521–1528) eras and is regarded, alongside the second-generation Izumi no Kami Kanesada (Nosada), as one of the greatest Mino smiths of his time. ——Sword Features and Workmanship—— The sword is monstrous in size considering its length and features very fine detail in the jigane. Being based primarily in Nioi, the hamon is quite visually appealing, showing a more chaotic sanbonsugi with high peaks and togari on the omote side, but a more calm hako gunome with shorter togari on the ura side. Ashi, yo, and kinsuji can be seen alongside beautiful spots of ko nie and sunagashi. Its boshi is O-maru/ Midare-komi with a longer kaeri. Its jigane is particularly beautiful, being a combination of a long, uniform Masame in the shinogi-ji and a straight itame with mokume in the ji towards the ha. The combination of Hamon styles and differentiation in the jihada makes this piece a joy to look at. ——Koshirae—— Its mounts are in a working koshirae, not too gaudy, but elegant. I believe it has been rewrapped, and now features a jabara-maki. Its fittings are matching the same crane motif, save for the fuchi-kashira, which feature an interesting twist design and a gunbai motif respectively. ——Measurements—— Nagasa: 45.3 cm Sori: 1.5 cm Width at the base: 3 cm Thickness at the base: 8 mm Width at the tip: 2 cm Thickness at the tip: 5.5 mm Thanks for looking everyone

I have an inexpensive pair. : https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DgeAWpmnX/?mibextid=wwXIfr

here’s mine

Hey, I’ve got one like this, though even nicer. it’s in line to receive papers, a polish, and a new shaft. this thread is quite old so i’m not sure you’ll see this, but send me a message if you’re interested!

Type: Wakizashi Nakago: ubu Mei : Sagami no Kami Hiroshige Papered by the NBTHK to Tokubetsu Hozon Era/Age: Kanbun (1661-1673) Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Shirasaya Nagasa/Blade Length : Sori : 1.5 cm Hamon Type : notareba Jihada : itame Other Hataraki Visible : Ashi, Yakumo-midare jigane, Ko-nie Flaws : none Sword Location : CO USA Will ship to : most countries Payment Methods Accepted : Zelle, Cashapp, Venmo, Wise, Paypal Price and Currency : $4500 USD More Info: This is a very fine and healthy Soshu blade crafted and signed by the second generation Sagami no Kami Fujiwara Hiroshige (相模守藤原広重), this blade comes from the Kanbun era(1661-1673) in the early Edo Period. The Bushu Shitahara school, where Hiroshige was trained, is in what's now Hachioji city, Tokyo. Founded by Yamamoto Norishige, the school flourished from the late Muromachi to the late Edo period (late 16th to late 19th century). Terushige, a notable pupil of Norishige, taught the first-gen Hiroshige, who then established his lineage in swordsmithing. The second-gen Hiroshige, originally named Yamamoto Fujiemon, was his eldest son. A famous example of this school is the smith Musashitaro Yasukuni. It is an ubu, signed blade, featuring only the original mekugi-ana. It is in good polish, allowing for full view of the blade's craftsmanship. The blade’s activity is extremely striking. The hamon is notareba with very visible ashi in the yakiba. The boshi is very visible as komaru within the surface of the O-kissaki. The itame-hada is well defined and jigane is made up of “Yakumo-Midare” which is the specialty of this group of smiths. The color is a beautiful deep blue when viewing it under direct light. Nagasa: 51.1 cm Sori: 1.5 cm Moto-haba: 3.02 cm Saki-haba: 2.09 cm Kasane: 0.7 cm Accompanying the blade is a well made copper niju-habaki, a well fitting and finely shaped shirasaya, a buffalo horn mekugi, and a velvet colored silk storage bag, and lastly a full oshigata on traditional rice paper.

Hello! are you looking to get the tsukamaki(wrapping) replaced? the damage is easily fixed. if so, I can do the job. feel free to send me a message for my rates and for references of my work

Hey there Bruce. Springs is only about 45 minutes away from me. I’d love to connect and get the chance to study some of your blades. i’ll bring some of my own as well

Hello everyone. I am new to the message board and up until now have subsisted upon other forms of learning but i’d like to find a group near me. I am located in Southern Colorado. If there is anyone near, I would love to connect. Please don’t hesitate to reach out