Takezo

Interestingly enough, I emailed them to speak more about the blade and they are saying Bo-utsuri and the large lines are o-hada...so yeah that is strange to me. I would not expect o-hada to stand out like that anymore than the rest of the hada, so I am a bit confused now.

Is the Nagamitsu on Aoi Art a JuBi or JuBu? It says it can’t be exported.

Yeah, just go to their site and follow their directions for ordering

I thought you couldn't export JuBi?

yeah, basically impossible to get a read on jigane from their photos, unless its very clear and pronounced with no utsuri.

Ah so this is dan-utsuri. Like I said, I am not familiar with Aoe work and have never held a good Aoe in hand. So do you think this would this be considered Chu-Aoe or Sue-Aoe @Rivkin?

Oh nice. The Eirakudo example has 3.2cm/2.6cm with a 1.4cm sori at basically the exact same nagasa. 2.9cm/2.0cm with a 2.0cm sori on the original link, with a discernible curvature to the nakago. Interesting.

@eternal_newbie Definitely, that's why I thought it presented an interesting subject. I feel like there are a few different things going on here. My eyes tell me I am looking at a very decent blade, but the papers say "Aoe" not "ko-Aoe" (does NBTHK label that way for Aoe or is it more of a "call and find out" thing?) and the shape to me is more Nanbokucho. Plus I can't really tell if it exhibits chirimen-hada as the photos are not extremely clear. I emailed them just for fun and the missing measurements are: Sakihaba: ~2.0cm Motohaba: ~2.9cm Blade Thicknesses 4.5mm and 7mm Which actually reminds me more of late Kamakura measurements...

@Rivkin Is that what that line is (nie utsuri)? I was trying to figure that out, since it is really pronounced. I can't think of any other images I have seen with something like that. Was not sure if it was a good thing or not , but if it is nie-utsuri, that is fantastic.

Yes aware, but I wanted to discuss as it seems interesting at that price point. Would like to hear from people who can judge Aoe works, at least as best as possible from the photos. @Rivkin any thoughts?

https://samuraistore.com/products/katana-ts072-nbthk does this seem underpriced? I’m not too familiar with Aoe work.

How did you find this @YourBabyBjornBorg? Did it come up on a search or posted elsewhere?

Welcome to AI, where every software clone is a simple "Claude, copy this website" command away

I can personally confirm that an expensive sword has just come through UPS customs for me and what would have been a $4000 USD tariff a month ago is now $154. Also, over the past week I have been refunded thousands of dollars from UPS to my credit card. It is happening!

Would the Hon’ami have been collectible influencers if they were born into the time of social media? I can only imagine their YouTube channels.

Well said @Hoshi. This really describes and alludes to many things that go into judging a sword as great, at least in the Japanese perspective. A sword with abundant jinie and subtle chikei never fully reveals itself. The steel does not merely reflect light...it seems to contain it. As you tilt it under changing light, new details emerge continuously. There is always another layer to discover. That inexhaustibility is very closely tied to the ability to elicit the sense of yugen I think. A fundamental question: "Does the steel itself have life?" If the jihada possesses uruoi, depth, and quiet complexity, you have a good signal of what is looked for in a masterwork. It really reflects the concept of the overall ideal Japanese aesthetic to me, which is something that contains tension, restraint and unspoken spirituality. Shirake really leaves you with nowhere else to explore, like fog or cloudy water that doesn't have an interplay with light.

This was a beautiful Magoroku https://world-seiyudo.com/product/wa-090625/ There is some light info there. Mino and Sue-Seki were producing highly practical swords and were sort of like the second Bizen, turning into a high output production area. Of course there were also some masterpieces produced by a few smiths like Nosada and Magoroku.

Wow, this is actually a pretty good signal. Thank you for the examples! Now if I could only know the provenance of the piece...given the fact mitsu-mune required a high level of skill to execute it makes sense. The piece I have also has original futatsujibi, so it must have been a high level order.

Also before you try to store your sword in any type of airtight container, I would spend some time recording hygrometer readings in it. Remember airtight containers also trap moisture, so it might seem counterintuitive, but breathing can be good.

60% humidity is the top. Anything above that will invite rust. If your room gets above 60% then there is your answer. Occasionally what happens when you oil a blade and it goes into the shirasaya is the blade may have light contact with the wood, either entering/exiting or sitting. This can rub off oil, or it’s possible you did not have it completely oiled when you thought you did. I have a case made by Keisuke Nakamura and he has personally told me that no oil is required on bare displayed blades as long as humidity is below 60% and air is not blowing directly on the blades. In fact, he displays his blades this way himself and told me Japanese museums use the same standard, which he studied before making his cases. The room my case is in has a constant 48-55% humidity and I have not seen any problems. I actually keep light oil despite Keisuke’s instructions, as being in the United States makes it much more difficult to acquire a quick polish if it were to rust. Also yeah, if your saya is dirty and is holding any particulate with water content, could be that too.

Would be awesome to discover who ordered it and for what!

Somehow I missed this, but my Gorōzaemon-no-jō Kiyomitsu has mitsu-mune. This really surprised me, as I generally associate this with Soshu or maybe even some Yamato. I can only theorize that maybe the customer ordered it this way for some reason? Wondering if anyone else has examples of Sue-Bizen with mitsu-mune. Particularly Kiyomitsu, but any are welcome.

Without a doubt they are whalefishing. The prestige of the auction house name resonates for people unconnected to the Japanese market, among other nuances mentioned in the thread I would bet. Same with prestigious American auction houses, like for example I believe there were quite a few overpriced pieces here: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-Japanese-swords-and-armour-from-the-paul-l-davidson-collection?lotFilter=AllLots Going back to Tsuruta's blogs, if they are to be believed at face value, it seems good swords are becoming harder and harder to come by, but I am sure that is cyclical as old collections release their holdings. But I have to believe that over time the prices will naturally rise as some of these swords are lost or damaged to bad stewards, stolen, destroyed by family inheritors that don't care or know of what they have etc. The existing pool becomes smaller and the general Japan craze continues to sweep the world, statistically putting more eyes and money into swords as people want a piece of a culture they admire.

Well, mine is signed so it is not much of an issue - Hizen Yoshifusa (Shodai Tadayoshi student and daisaku/mei artisan for him).

Continued...funny thing to me is that the NTHK session 22 oshigata is much more accurate for hamon than the NBTHK Juyo session 12 oshigata