Hataraki in a showato

[Daniel]

Hi

I have a showato(at least I think it is) with what appears to be hataraki in the Hamon. They look almost like prints from a tyre. What are this kind of Hataraki called and isn´t it unusual with these activities on showato. Excuse my very bad photos, I snapped a few with the sword in one hand and the phone in the other not ideal I know.

Kind Regards

Daniel

[Daniel]

more

[cabowen]

Need better photos to say anything with any confidence.

[SwordGuyJoe]

Is it Showa or Seki stamped? Just asking to understand how you landed on Showato.

[Daniel]

No stamps whatsoever but it's signed Toto Junin Ikkansai Kunimori Kin Saku. This is the last showato I own and even if I strictly focus on Gendaito I can't find it in my heart to sell this because of the dead mint blade and mounts. Also the nagasa is unuasally long for a gunto(almost 70cm long). I haven't seen this quality in a showato before, beautiful sugata, great balance and of course the activites within the hamon. All of this is compared with other showato of course.

Best

Daniel

[Brian]

Not sure this can be called a Showato, although seems to be straddling the line. But he is a noted smith.

http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showth ... s-Yasuhiro

I know Chris is quoted there as saying "his swords were not made by Miyaguchi, only signed by him. According to his son, who helped hold the blades while his father cut the signatures, they were made in bulk by a smith in Shizuoka prefecture named Mitsukoshi Hiromasa, using western steel. Apparently they were forge welded, but the exact nature of their construction is not known"

Not sure if there has been further info since then, but this isn't your typical Showato.

 

Brian

[David Flynn]

What you say is true Brian however, all the ones I've seen like that were Suguha. This one is not suguha. ?

[Daniel]

I would still call it suguha although it's not pefectly straight, it is a little wavy. Yes I read the info before provided by Chris regarding the Yasuhihiro/Kunimori mei. It was based on that info I called it showato. Thank you all for your interest.

Daniel

[Brian]

Daniel,

With that long (custom ordered) length, hataraki and hamon, I doubt this can be called a Showato.

However, if you prefer to call it one, how about we price it as a Showato and you sell it to me?

 

Brian

[Daniel]

Brian thank you for your generous offer

but I think you understand my confusion about what to call it. If it's not showato it has to be gendaito or maybe a shendaito :-)

What do you think of the Tyre like hataraki, what is it called? I can understand as Chris said you need better pics but I think you can see the activites in the admittedly bad photos although they show much better in reality. I guess it's time to buy a good camera soon.

Regards

Daniel

[cabowen]

Based on the info I received, it is most likely made using western steel, which means it is non-traditional. It is possible to get ashi and a thick nioi-guchi with western steel and an oil quench which is what I think I see here. I can't be certain, as I said, because of the quality of the photos. It may be water quenched, but it is still a non-traditionally made blade if it was made with western steel.

 

How much nie do you see? If you see plenty of nie and a clear hada, then it is probably not a showa-to.

[David Flynn]

But the NBTHK will still paper it.

[Daniel]

Thank you all for your input. I will buy a camera and try to improve my photography skills in the future. David when you say NBTHK will still paper it, do you know if they routinely paper blades signed Toto junin Ikkansai Kunimori kin saku? Do you have any examples? I think it sounds quite strange to be honest they would paper this kind of blade even if it's a nice looking blade since it's wellknown that most were made of foreign steel. Looking foreward to share your knowledge and thoughts.

Regards

Daniel

[David Flynn]

If it doesn't have a stamp, there is clear hada and a defined Nioguchi, it will receive origami.

[cabowen]

If it doesn't have a stamp, there is clear hada and a defined Nioguchi, it will receive origami.

 

I haven't found that to be the case to date.

 

It is well known (in Japan) that these Kunimori blades were made with western steel (Fujishiro points this out in his Shinto Hen) and they are not considered nihon-to thusly, in the mainstream. Most seem to be oil quenched as well. It is certainly possible to forge western steel and oil quench it to produce a defined nioi-guchi. What one does not generally produce in these blades is nie, which is what a shinsa team is looking for in WWII era blades where there is concern about the blade being made in a non-traditional way.

 

While I do not know of any Kunimori signed blades that have passed a shinsa, I do know of at least two that have failed at shinsa I have been associated with (NTHK-NPO). I have seen a few that were hard to determine and it wouldn't surprise me to see a shinsa team passing one of these....

[David Flynn]

to adjust. And with Nie.