Help on Kanemoto Koto Katana

[Herbie Husker]

Hello,

Any insight you might have on this blade would be apprecciated:

27-1/2 inch long stout nad robust healthy blade.

suriage, the 2 kanjis of the signature and the beginning of the 2 kanji of the date still remain.

Signed: Kanemoto

Dated: Tenmon 1532 - 1555 ?

School: Mino-Den

Nagasa: 27-1/2 inches

Tang: 8-1/4 inches

Total blade length: 35-1/2 inches

Blade thickness at the habaki notch: 7.1mm

Width at habaki: 1-3/16

Width at the Yokote level: 13/16 inches

Kissaki: 1-1/4 inches

Sori: 7/16 inches

In old Edo handachi-Mounts w/ signed Tsuba and Fuchi-Kashira

Quetions:

1. Does the signature and date appear to be authentic?

2. Signature and date seem very low on the tang which seems odd to me could it be an older blade? Placement doesnt seem normal.

3. If it is an older blade would it affect the validity of the signature or partial date on the tang?

4. Any idea what generation Kanemoto it is? 3rd or 4th?

5. In its current old Edo polish could it paper or should it be polished prior to submitting?

Thank you for any information/education you can give me.

Kevin

[Herbie Husker]

Additional pictures of tang.

Thank you

Kevin

[Blundemo]

Hello,

Any insight you might have on this blade would be apprecciated:

27-1/2 inch long stout nad robust healthy blade.

suriage, the 2 kanjis of the signature and the beginning of the 2 kanji of the date still remain.

Signed: Kanemoto

Dated: Tenmon 1532 - 1555 ?

School: Mino-Den

Nagasa: 27-1/2 inches

Tang: 8-1/4 inches

Total blade length: 35-1/2 inches

Blade thickness at the habaki notch: 7.1mm

Width at habaki: 1-3/16

Width at the Yokote level: 13/16 inches

Kissaki: 1-1/4 inches

Sori: 7/16 inches

In old Edo handachi-Mounts w/ signed Tsuba and Fuchi-Kashira

Quetions:

1. Does the signature and date appear to be authentic?

2. Signature and date seem very low on the tang which seems odd to me could it be an older blade? Placement doesnt seem normal.

3. If it is an older blade would it affect the validity of the signature or partial date on the tang?

4. Any idea what generation Kanemoto it is? 3rd or 4th?

5. In its current old Edo polish could it paper or should it be polished prior to submitting?

Thank you for any information/education you can give me.

Kevin

 

1) It is difficult to see the signature from the picture you posted. Generally this dealer sells authentic work unless he says it's Gimei. The signature has a faint character of "Moto", but it is difficult to tell. It doesn't look formed correctly.

2) This is from Suriage work, but I have also seen some Ubu Kanemoto blades (Magoroku) with the signature at the very bottom of the tang

3) I would think so, but kodai Kanemoto works rarely have false signatures

4) I can't tell from the hamon. The hadori in the pictures obscures it. Is it a neat sanbonsugi (3 cedar trees)?

5) This is not an Edo period polish, it's modern. It could paper Hozon if authentic in it's current state

[hxv]

This seller is very knowledgeable and knows exactly what he is selling. As a rule of thumb, with any seller, if he says it's gimei, you can bet it is gimei. However, just because he doesn't mention anything about the authenticity of the mei, you CANNOT assume that the mei is good. Unless you have a good library and do your due diligence with books+online, you are playing Russian roulette. You can ask a direct question to the seller: "Will you guarantee the sword to pass Hozon, within a period of 1 year (or however long you think it will take you to get it submitted and judged)?" If he says no, take it as a gimei and pay accordingly.

 

Regards,

Hoanh

[christianmalterre]

sorry me jump in into an sector most of you do not know me...

eitherway me can tell you it´s a fake!

please do compare Mino blades,plus Kanemoto lineage...

it´s not only(LOL!) the mei(and THIS is no mei at all!)-it´s but also the entire hada which is wrong(not to speak from it´s Nakago)

 

Christian

[hxv]

Thank you Christian. I was certain the seller would not guarantee the mei, but it's better for Kevin to hear from the seller than from us...

 

Regards,

Hoanh

[Brian]

Christian,

I think you had conveyed your point adequately without adding that last line (which I deleted)

Please remember that when posting opinions, a little tact goes a long way. There are ways to express things, and ways not to.

Sellers benefit from added exposure here, but also risk losing sales based on what we say, so you had better be 100% sure and ready to back it up if you are going to advise against something. And watch the words you use!

 

Brian

[Stephen]

And watch the words you use!

 

Brian

 

[Herbie Husker]

Thank you all for your responses both positive and negative.

The seller said he was confident that it was genuine and that its a good blade.

I did not ask for a guarantee nor was one offered but in the end I feel like I was treated fairly and agreed to a price based on

the fact that is was not papered and I was taking a chance on its authenticity.

The only way to know for sure is to submit to shinsa but based on the information the forum has provided it could be a waste

of time and money.

I don't think it would pass shinsa in its current condition. The hamon is almost invisible, and the hada is good, but hard to see.

Given the nature of the mei, the shinsa team would want to see major characteristics of the blade that are simply not visible in its current state. The Japanese view point is important to consider. Since Token Hozon means a blade worthy of preservation this means a blade worthy of respect. So to have a chance to pass based on the mei in question it should have a decent polish. Seems like a lot of $ invested into this questionable blade.

I follow the advice given to me by another collector to collect what you like. Collect what intrigues you. buy blades that speak to you. As long as you learn from your mistakes without major damage. Doesnt hurt to buy polished papered blades either. If anyone else has some informtion on this Kanemoto feel free to add. Thank you, Kevin

[J Reid]

Just going to add the the conversation.. I notice that in the last picture you posted of the nakago.. The strokes in the mei actually travel into onto/into the cut after osuriage. I would think that if the blade had been cut through the mei, the strokes would be lost, as oppose to curl onto the edge. Just my 2 cents. I have added a picture to show you what I am referring to. Overall, this is a nice sword though, and I am sure you got a bargain on it.

[hxv]

Josh,

 

Great observation! I didn't catch that one. Thank you for sharing.

 

Hoanh