Tcat

You did not tick all the boxes. Where is mumei? Do it with suriage mumei Shinto and we’ll be impressed.

Hi Geraint, As far as I can see, all of the better lit areas on this tsuba show the hallmarks the honzogan technique. Note the channels / recesses where the soft metal wire inlay is missing. If you zoom in on the left hand side of the image they are clearer. The right hand side doesn’t have enough light to make out the channels, but they seem consistent enough on the left of the image where inlay is missing Meanwhile, the subject matter and execution is very much in the style of kaga-zogan, so if not true kaga-zogan then I think it’s “in the style of kaga-zogan”. Here’s a couple papered examples along with an “anecdotal” example of what I consider to be classically representative of “kaga-zogan” (the rain dragon tsuba). Cheers 🍻

I guess Kaga-zōgan.

Price reduced to $1,600, offers considered.

yea, you’re making a really convincing case man

Was it your really your magnanimous efforts to share your knowledge and wisdom with others which were treated with distain, or was it the fact you were trying to preach to others about how they really ought to be spending their money, meanwhile showing your own distain for those who don’t follow your definition of the correct process? Genuinely curious as to how you came to feel that way because from what you’ve posted here on NMB you come across as pretty disdainful of most Japanese swords and the people interested in them.

Bump and price drop to $2,300. High res photos on request. Can ship anywhere in the world. Offers considered.

Not very straight-shooting to call it “fantasy dreaming”, nor to dismiss imagination in this hobby Imagination is what gives collecting its heartbeat. If you strip away the imaginative, emotional connection, you reduce it all to a bean-counting exercise... Speaking personally, where's the fun in that? There are multiple dimensions of value in nihontō. Careful attribution, documented provenance, papered examples, and study of workmanship are vital because they keep the discipline honest and preserve swords both as art objects and cultural history. However, no less legitimate is the enjoyment or value gained from indulging in the imagination and romance of these weapons as living artifacts. To hold a mumei Sukesada is still to hold a piece of steel that may well have been in battle, accompanied a person along a dangerous journey or been part of a single family’s history for generations. That connection to the lives and deaths of ordinary people from years gone by, not just daimyo or the most celebrated smith of the time, is still powerful. Meanwhile, scholarship and romance are not always opposed. Horses for courses.

Nowadays we have more resources than ever and can instantly see in high resolution what once required a trip to Tokyo. Meanwhile, one can compare a sword against dozens of papered examples located all over the world in a single evening. The magic has become the thrill of knowledge, the ability to access what had been locked behind language and geography, and connecting with other collectors, experts and enthusiasts all over the world. These all involve a certain amount of skill, albeit not quite the same as poking through attics and thrift stores. Kurosawa films once drew collectors to the romance of the samurai, but the last decade has seen anime (Touken Ranbu), video games (Ghost of Tsushima, Nioh), and film franchises (The Last Samurai, 47 Ronin) breathe contemporary life into Japanese swords as a cultural icons. An impactful moment from any of these media has the potential to create the desire to hold the real thing. For some, owning one becomes inevitable. I believe the importance of educating audiences with engaging and entertaining elements promoting Japanese swords cannot be overstated. Stories must be told. Without a narrative, these objects lose their context and meaning. In the case of post-war America, the context is in the name, but going forward it will be the tales we tell our children and our children's children about the Japanese sword which keeps the spirit alive. Those stories are already being told all over the world as we speak, and interest in Japanese swords is growing globally. This will perhaps not translate as directly to the pursuit of aquisition as it may have among a different demographic, but the bottom line is that the market is growing.

Thank you, please see the updated description in the original post and below for a closeup of the mei.

The mei reads kunitsugu.. manufacture time I would guess to be late muromachi. Other's opinions may differ. Good luck