Hiro nakamura

Thank you very much. I now have a much better understanding of the signature and the origin of the blade. I really appreciate your insightful advice and the time you took to help me.

Thank you for your reply. From the hamon and overall appearance of the blade, it seems to have a rather Bizen-like character to me, especially with what looks like choji-midare activity. Because of that, I was wondering if it could possibly be related to a Bizen Kanemitsu rather than one of the later Mino smiths. Of course I may be mistaken. Do you think the workmanship points more toward Bizen or Mino tradition?

Hello, I would appreciate help identifying the mei on a Japanese sword I recently obtained. The blade appears traditionally made with a visible hada and a midare-style hamon that somewhat resembles Bizen influence. The kissaki is well preserved and the blade seems to have been polished at some point. The signature on the nakago seems to read something like “... Kanefusa”, possibly related to a smith from Seki in Mino province, but I am not confident in the reading. I have attached photos of the mei and part of the blade. Any help translating the signature or identifying the possible smith would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time.

I realize that my photos don’t meet the usual standards required on this forum, but they are the only ones I have at the moment since the sword is not currently with me. Please note that the blade has no chips or damage. I’m not asking for a precise valuation, only a general price range or rough estimate. Thank you very much for your time and assistance. Kind regards.

Would anyone happen to have an idea of the current market value of my sword, or be able to provide a price estimate based on the signature and the cutting test?

Thank you very much for all your answers. This information is extremely helpful. I didn’t know that a wakizashi could also receive an official cutting test by Yamano Kanjūrō Hisahide, so it was very interesting to learn this from you. The fact that the mei matches other documented examples of Nagakuni, and that the test is dated to December 1665, really helps me understand the history of my blade. Since a two-body official cutting test (futatsu-dō kiriotoshi) on a wakizashi seems to be rather uncommon, my sword might be a bit rare. I know you only saw the tang photos and not the blade itself, but assuming the wakizashi is in very good condition, with a healthy polish and a clear hamon, would you have a rough idea of its possible value or price range? Thank you again for your time and for sharing your expertise.

Thank you very much for your answer. I really appreciate the information. I didn’t know that Hisahide had performed test cuts on wakizashi either, so this is very interesting to learn. It’s also great to know that this is the earliest example you have from him in your archives. Thank you again for taking the time to look at the mei.

Bonjour à tous, je suis nouveau ici. J'ai cette épée dans ma famille et j'aimerais en savoir plus sur les signatures gravées sur la soie. La kozuka est également signée. Merci beaucoup. Cordialement.