DENihontocollector

41 here started with 38.

What about the Menuki? I did not take a picture. Here they are. Looks like Sun and Moon Maybe there is an connection to the other parts. Could that be? Thanks, Dennis

Hey Steve, Thank you so much, for this amazing information! It is fascinating, that the inscriptions together are a poem of Wang Wei, with a special meaning. I have to look up this guy. I checked the fittings again, to see if there’s any trace of the missing verse. But there seems to be nothing more. Maybe, as you said, it was never included Thanks also for identifying the two other artists who signed the fittings. That makes the whole piece even more interesting, especially with the Zen connection. I think this theme suits my wife perfectly. I’ve already shared these first findings with her, and she is also thrilled with the result. Dennis

Indeed, it's really a beautiful saya. the structure is well done and looks amazing

Hello everyone, my wife really liked this sword, so I bought it to her as a gift. We don’t know too much about it yet and would be very interested to hear your thoughts. The last sword I posted here received such helpful input and detailed feedback from the community that I thought I would try it again with this interesting piece. Here is what I know so far from the former owner and documents: Wakizashi Blade length: approx. 47.5 cm Mounting: Complete Edo-period koshirae Certificate: NBTHK Hozon (2018) Smiths: The blade appears to be a joint work of Sukehira and Sukeshige. These seem to be Yokoyama Ise no Kami Sukehira and Yokoyama Sukeshige of the Bizen Yokoyama school, late Edo period. Kanji: which seems to mean “long life” or “happy life.” Blade description from documents: Shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, tori-sori with chu-kissaki. The hamon is suguha, the hada is itame. The blade features a horimono with the inscription “Hachiman Daibosatsu.” Question: If the inscriptions are visible enough on the photos, could anyone here help with translating them or confirming what they say? Any additional insights or comments are also very welcome!

Hi Geraint, Of course this helps a lot! If I would own the books, I would check it myself but I don't have them unfortunately. Now I know, the quotes in the Blogs/Forums were more distorted than the truth. So okay, I have to accept, that this is more a dead end in this case.

Long signatures are usually made for commissioned works, thats a fact. But in general, from what I have read about signatures so far, from Kamakura period up to Muromachi mostly shorter mei´s with only the smith´s name were common. In the Muromachi period long signatures become more common (Name, date,province, etc.) In the Shinto period signatures became shorter again mostly with smith´s name and saku (made by). These statements were often secondary citations in forums or blogs allegedly from the following sources: Markus Sesko, Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords, Enty "Mei" Kanzan Sato, The Japanese Sword, Chapter "Signatures and Dates" So what is my conclusion: In this context for me the result was: long signatures were most frequently done in the period Muromachi/Sengoku where this sukesada sword was made. Of course in this period there were short signatures too, but only for mass production swords. What that could mean for the sukesada owner. His sword was an commissioned work and not a mass production sword in the muromachi period. So far I know,the time this sword was crafted was in wartimes (civil war). In wartimes more swords were ordered and made. That means more mass production swords. So the value of this sword is above average for this period and smith. Also the long signature additionally underlines authenticity regarding the period it was made. Maybe we have an Signature expert here on the forums and he can help out Im not an expert, I just researched about Signatures

I just wanted to clarify something about my posts: I always write them myself, even in English, but sometimes I have them reworded so they read more smoothly. My goal is simply to express myself as clearly as possible, because I’m still missing some vocabulary and I want to make sure my thoughts come across the way I intend. I also want to apologize that some incorrect information ended up in my posts when I used AI tools. That was never my intention. Going forward, if I use AI at all, I’ll double-check everything myself to make sure it’s accurate before I share it, and I’ll make sure to cite the sources if I pull any data or information through AI tools. I’m also aware that the style of my posts might sometimes sound like AI, that’s not what I want. I’ll make an effort to keep that in check and rely on AI rewrites as little as possible going forward so my posts feel more personal and clearly from me. I think there are probably others here who also use translators because they’re in a similar situation to mine.That’s why I really appreciate the patience and understanding of the community. Thanks for the feedback, I’ll take it to heart. And who knows, the longer I participate here and read posts, the better my English will probably get, and eventually I won’t be missing the technical terms anymore to express myself more clearly Now, please get back to the topic and help this guy out with his new sword. Sorry again, Dennis

Correct! But it is not wrong or? Im pretty sure, im not the only one that use it here and there

Historical Context for Your Sukesada 1467–1615: Sengoku Period 1582: Year of the Battle of Yamazaki, death of Oda Nobunaga, and the beginning of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s rise to power. Your sword was forged while Japan was still deeply embroiled in civil war, but just on the verge of unification under Hideyoshi and later Tokugawa Ieyasu. Significance for the Sword Late Sukesada blades were often made for wartime use — functional, yet still finely crafted in pieces like yours. The long signature with a date is typical for this era; many blades were produced for specific commissions or military leaders. Historically, it belongs to the last “classic Bizen war swords” before the Edo period (from 1603 onward) when more representative katana were produced. This was researched by AI, but you can also find it easily just by googling if you know the data of the papers. Hope this helps you get a better idea of where your sword fits. Best wishes Dennis

Yes Congrats to your first sword!

Yes, it is. I corrected that in my latest post, sorry! I just realized I was too quick when I first looked at the papers – I actually thought it was Tokubetsu Hozon, but it turns out it’s Hozon. My mistake for rushing through it!

Hi Kratos, I took a closer look at the photos, videos and the paperwork. The sword is an Osafune Sukesada from the Bizen tradition, dated to the 10th year of Tenshō (1582), so right at the end of the Sengoku period. The long signature on the tang matches that date exactly. The NBTHK certificate is Hozon, that confirms both authenticity and quality. The overall style and shape fit really well with late Bizen work – slimmer sugata, clear hamon line, and very much in line with Osafune workmanship from that period. The koshirae is complete and features a dragon motif (fuchi-kashira and openwork tsuba). I’d put the fittings stylistically in late Edo, but they’re still collectible in their own right and add nicely to the package. All in all, it’s a well-documented piece with clear historical context and attractive mountings – definitely an interesting find for anyone looking for an authentic Bizen sword with a full koshirae. the signature on the Koshirae could be read as “Made by Masashige” ? This is most likely either the name of the craftsman who made the koshirae or possibly the name of a former owner? Blade length 74,2cm? Could that be? This is just roughly what i’m seeing as a first impression from the pics and the paperwork, but i’m definitely not an expert, so i’d love to hear what others think.