Shinto Katana

[johnb]

My wife hates me. No matter where we go I always manage to find swords. This one while on holiday in England and around 600 bucks. It's a little neglected but seems very original. The tsuba which I really like, is signed as you can see and pretty big. The saya is very nice with mon embossed into the urushi. The blade is Mumei and very badly photographed! The tang has Sujukai Yasurime and very deep brown rust. Shinto?? As always your opinions would be much appreciated. Ill add the last 2 picks in another post...they don't seem to load

 

John B

[johnb]

The other 2 pics

[kusunokimasahige]

how does that always happen to you??

 

nice blade indeed! could do with a polish but well........

 

tell us more about how you came across it please! love those stories!

 

KM

[roninjje]

600? there is an angel on your shoulder. Looks Shinto.

[sencho]

 

:x

 

 

cheers!

 

ps... first hand knowledge about the wife thing..... :lol:

[Jean]

Hi John, (ignore the envious and jealous other NMB members :lol: )

 

From the suguta (no worksheet provided) I shall make a wild guess :

 

Either Keisho or Kanbun.

[johnb]

I'm with you on that Jean...although I wonder whether the kissaki is a little short? Hard to see in my crap pic. Although it may well have lost the tip and been reshaped.

 

With regard to the jelousy(and I'm sorry to rub it in)... this other one cost $650 just this week.. It's straight from Sumatra.

 

It's the hunt I love. It's a real buzz turning up something interesting where you least expect to find it. My best one was 4 years ago when I initially got interested in Nihonto and it was an ebay purchase. It was a "Japanese Officers Sword with Aeroscreen handle"

It had had the tsuka replaced by plastic from an airplane which was bolted in place. The tsuba and all the seppa fuchi were in place and the coroded aluminium saya had all the pieces.

No one was much interested and I got it for 125 bucks...once the bolt holding the perspex in place was drilled out, I found myself with a very nice Ishido Teruhide.

 

I'll post pic if anyones interested.

[Rich T]

is signed Shoami Shigenobu.

正阿弥 重信

 

There were 3 or 4 prolific artists that signed this way that worked between the 1650's to the 1750's.

 

Cheers

 

Richard

[johnb]

Thanks Rich. Looks like it may even be original to the sword!

I had a beer with Ross Tinney the other evening and Ron Sammual from Couch...do you know him too?