Ko-Mihara School Utsuri

[Jim P]

Hi All, I am doing some research on  Utsuri on Ko-Mihara blades, most examples I have seen all had Shirake-Utsuri in the descriptions.The site  http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/utsuri.html described it like a thin cloud but say its hard to distinguish the shape ? or a fuzzy whitish utsuri from http://www.nihontocraft.com/Mihara_Nihonto.html. Can some of you remember if the Ko-Mihara blades you looked at had Utsuri and if so what type ? having a quick look, the only other examples I was able to find was from Darcy’s  http://www.nihonto.ca/ko-mihara/index.html   ( This sword carries a clear nioi utsuri in the lower section of the blade that begins as bo-utsuri and becomes faint midare-utsuri before fading from view in the mid-section)  but I seem to remember there was more clear examples like Darcy’s  ?

thanks 

[Mark]

I have seen several Ko-Mihara swords and owned one. I agree most will have utsuri "like a thin cloud" sometimes "hard to distinguish the shape" "fuzzy whitish utsuri"      you will see utsuri that looks like a thin mist, appearing more prominently in spots and fainter in others, not a defined LINE of utsuri like Bizen but a more diffused splotchy type without a sharp line where it begins and ends

[paulb]

Hi Jim

only ones I have seen have had shirrake utsuri (that is if they have any at all) I have never seen nie utsuri in a mihara blade but then again I havent seen that many.

I have always thought of shirrake as an irregular and ill-defined mistiness much as Mark describes in his post.

Regards

Paul

[Ken-Hawaii]

I'm fairly sure that all of the Mihara blades I've seen, & the one I own, were "improvements" on older blades, but don't recall ever seeing utsuri of any type.

 

Ken

[Jim P]

Hi Paul, is shirrake utsuri a fine form of nioi?

Mark, most of the time  fuzzy whitish utsuri seems to be the norm but sometimes it can be be more clearer like the example of Darcy’s

have a look at http://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mumei-ko-mihara-2 if I am not mistaken that's the utsuri in the photo  and its clearly visible and one more, he describes it as a vivid utsuri http://www.nihontocraft.com/KoMihara.htm  I have seen a few that look clear and well-defined so are they still viewed as Shirake-Utsuri ? and I wonder if its a ko mihara  is it always defined as Shirake-Utsuri as that's the norm ?

 

Ken, You have lost me (were "improvements" on older blades,) ?  What improvements are you speaking of as the quality went down after ko mihara  ?

[paulb]

Hi Jim

Personal opinion is that utsuri is another form of nioi (unless it is nie utsuri in which case it is another varaiation of nie ) but chemically it is t he same material. I think by definintion Shirrake utsuri is random. One reason it is not regarded so highly as midare or bo-utsuri is that no one is sure whether it is intentional or accidental. The relative fineness or clarity can be a result of how much was created in the process and also how it has been polished.

We can on occasion attempt to over analyse such features. I remember seeing a particular linear feature on a tanto in Japan which looked unusual. I created all sorts of explanations in my mind and then asked the dealer who owned it what it was. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said "It's Nie"

[Jim P]

Hi Paul, Yes I also think its another form of nioi but I am wondering why when the utsuri is well defined as in some of the examples  and you can see the shape why its not say a bo-utsuri or midare   I think maybe its how dense it is that give it the designation of type ? not just that its random