Tcat

I have one with a triple stack also, I always tell myself it means its been much loved by previous owners.

Great cover art.

I first was thinking the bling was hurting your eyes, as it does many...but still I enjoy Inside is a very sturdy nambokucho blade with a length just a hair short of katana. The nakago is a keisho style o-suriage.

Kirimon iron sukashi decorated with kin zogan. Amazingly it fits like a glove on a sword I have.

Agree with Rivkin, or papers might say Nambokucho Mino den.

No. Atobori was a historically common and context-dependent practice from the Edo period onward. To recap.. Atobori (後彫り) refers to carving in a blade separate from the original design for the blade at its time of manufacture. That is to say after the sword was originally forged and finished, rather than as part of the smith’s initial “conception”. While often viewed critically by modern collectors, atobori was quite common practice from the Edo period onward. The prolonged absence of large-scale warfare in the Edo period reduced the practical emphasis on armor-piercing and battlefield durability, while factors such as balance, handling, and visual refinement gained relative importance. Within this context, atobori bo-hi were sometimes added to existing blades to alter weight distribution, improve handling characteristics, or adapt older swords to contemporary preferences. Atobori was also influenced by aesthetic fashion. Certain periods favored the presence of hi as a visual element, particularly on otherwise plain blades. Adding a groove could visually sharpen the sugata, emphasize curvature, or lend an older sword a more “classical” appearance in keeping with prevailing taste. When carried out by skilled hands, such work could be executed in orthodox styles, including nagashi terminations, making the best atobori difficult to distinguish from original carving. In the Meiji period, motivations shifted further. The abolition of sword-wearing and the collapse of the traditional samurai market led to the modification of many older blades to enhance their visual appeal to collectors, tourists, or foreign buyers. Atobori bo-hi from this period were often added to make a blade appear more dynamic or refined, sometimes with little regard for historical coherence, though the quality of execution varied widely. In the early 20th century, atobori continued for mixed reasons. Some blades were modified for martial arts use, where balance and handling were prioritized, while others were altered during remounting or refurbishment. As before, the workmanship ranged from careful and traditional to purely cosmetic. Importantly, atobori does not automatically imply deception / fake / gimei or poor quality. Many atobori hi were executed competently and reflect legitimate historical practices. However, because the carving was not part of the blade’s original forging concept, any but the best often reveal subtle inconsistencies in proportion, termination logic, or stylistic harmony when compared to original work. For this reason, experienced observers tend to assess atobori not by a single technical fault, but by the cumulative weight of visual, stylistic, and historical considerations.

I know that this may not seem like a satisfactory response… but they just look “wrong” for that sword in a couple of ways. Firstly the bohi terminates midblade before the monouchi with a nagashi (tapering away) style. Unusual, and often an indication of atobori in and of itself. What does not indicate atobori is the nagashi style termination at the machi, this is / would be normal. However, on the ura side I find my eye to be anxiously checking alignment of the carving of the futatsuji-hi, which appears ever so slightly misaligned. With strong futasuji-hi, the eye will relax and everything will feel right to the trained observer. The spacing here however feels functionally parallel but aesthetically unresolved (seems to be some slight divergence). Meanwhile, a sword of this style is seldom seen with this kind of carving, that is to say, a utilitarian sword from the muromachi period, which this seems to be, basically does not originally have soe-hi. I don’t want to come across as elitist but the “eye training” one gets from looking at hundreds / thousands of “correct examples” over decades solidifies an aesthetic expectation which is very difficult to describe but this sword falls short of. Call it a gut feeling if you will, but I’m far from an expert.

The hi appear to me to be atobori / ato-bi.

Made in a studio in south China. I’m in touch with the artist(s) if you’re interested in acquiring one.

For real? Who are you and what have you done with reinhard....? It's contemporary mass-produced Chinese junk. Ebay used to be absolutely stuffed with them. Meanwhile... 'way too good to be Chinese' indicates you're not up to speed with what can come out of China -

The 'fish style' writing of 兼 - kane....

Cost and time are both a factor of the level of complexity of the work comissioned and the grade or level of demand the artist/workshop has. For example, I was recently quoted for a high quality saya in various configurations - with kozuka and kogai pockets integrated the price was close to double that of one with none. 4,750 US or thereabouts. I imagine additional carving such as ribbing, fluting or application of other materials samegawa, crushed abalone etc sky is the limit.

Thanks - there are a couple of tsuba posted here on the board, but I think the school only really lasted two generations as far as sword fittings go. After the sword ban the shop converted to other decorative damascene work - cigatette cases, bonbonnières etc. There's an article about the history of the shop up on the smoking samurai website under S. Komai.

This late Edo period Kyoto koshirae comprises a coherent suite of Komai-school gold hon-zōgan fittings executed in the classic Unryū cloud-dragon motif. During the late Edo and Meiji periods the Komai school developed the highly refined iron-ground gold inlay technique that would later become internationally recognized in their production of inlaid boxes, cigarette cases, and decorative objects. The fuchi is signed Yoshitaka saku, identifying the maker as Komai Yoshitaka. The accompanying tsuba bears a kinzōgan signature Tadanobu saku, and employs a closely aligned decorative style and gold coloration, suggesting manufacture potentially within the Komai milieu or by an affiliated craftsman. Gold menuki depicting two pairs of mandarin ducks are mounted on the tsuka under black silk ito. The saya is finished in bengara-nuri (iron-oxide red lacquer) applied over a tōmaki rattan spiral wrap. This results in the characteristic helical relief beneath a high-gloss finish associated with Kyoto workmanship of the late Edo–Bakumatsu period. Playing with the phone camera and sharing these attractive mounts just for fun. I have seen a sister Fuchi/Kashira set mounted on a well-known Kiyomaro sword, so take them to be high class examples of the style. Questions / comments welcome.

Hi Michael, Your sword is signed 平安城藤原國次 - Heianjo Fujiwara Kunitsugu. He was a smith who worked in Echizen province during the 1600s Shinto era of swordmaking, and there were several generations of the smith. There is some repairable damage to the blade and fittings. The fittings are corroding and the metalwork of the fuchi, kashira, tsuba and seppa require stablization and repatination. The scabbard seems to be lacking some of its hardware and the lacquerwork is damaged, these would need to be repaired in order to preserve the condition of the blade and prevent further deterioration. It can be difficult to give a definitive valuation when work needs doing. Realistically, your best bet is to look at action results, such as ebay, and compare the hammer price for blades of a similar type, age and condition. Alternatively, ask yourself what it would cost to replace according to what you see offered on the market. Replacement value and sale value are often not the same thing in the world of art and collecting.