What's a Kantei point?

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Eric,

 

No offense intended but you don't understand what is kantei point. The description of the kunihiro sword you provided say :

Kunihiro and Sendai Kunikane are the ones associated with the presence of mizukage in the ji. Kunikane's work, however can be distinguished by noticing to totally straight grained kitae in the ji hada.

 

Mizukage will not lead you only toward Kunihiro, but Kunihiro or Kunikane or a saiha sword. It is not a kantei point.

 

Now you are free to believe what you want.

[cabowen]

If you wish to define "kantei point" as a characteristic unique to an individual smith that immediately points to only that individual smith, then your entire list of "kantei points" will extremely few in number and your list rather useless.

 

If you wish to define "kantei point" as a feature characteristic of a smith or school of smiths, which when taken with other features, helps to identify a smith or group of smiths, like most do, then you will have a useful tool.

[Eric H]

If you wish to define "kantei point" as a feature characteristic of a smith or school of smiths, which when taken with other features, helps to identify a smith or group of smiths, like most do, then you will have a useful tool.

 

Why should I be offended? Anybody on this Board is free to speak out his opinion. However I believe to Chris Bowen, who has seen thousands of swords and participated at numerous Kantei sessions during his stay for many years in Japan as I recall. That said his experience in this field is proven. I for one listen carefully to his opinion.

 

Eric

[Lance]

I think the bulk of Nagayama's Connoisseur's Guide to Japanese Swords was originally written as a kantei guide for sword lovers in Japan; it gives the clearest indicators of what would be considered a kantei point basically one of an accumulation of the different types blade shapes, activities and workmanship in a sword's to identify age, smith, school (and smith if possible)

 

Even something as distincitive as Sudare (bamboo blinds) hamon would guide you towards Mishina school but not a specific smith?

 

Regards,

Lance

[John A Stuart]

Any thing that leads a person to come to an educated judgement as to period, school or smith is kantei 鑑定 an expert opinion. Why make this so difficult? John