Wakizashi Papered By Ntb

[Kai-Gunto]

Hi ,

Just got a wakizashi and it got this paper from NTB.

What rank did the sword get?

It has a very nice horimono with dragon on ken, bonji. Etc.

[SteveM]

"Bunka Shiryō"

 

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/tosogu_kanteisho.html

[Kai-Gunto]

Got some photos taken with my phone. Not good , but it shows the wild hamon and the horimono. I will take some of the hole sword soon when I get some better light.

[kunitaro]

Dear Thomas san,

 

Nihon Tosogu Bijutsukan was private museum, had many superior master pieces.

It had short life, but/because, they had too many really high class master pieces of swords and fittings.

Mr.Ikeda Suematsu (on the paper) was one of three big name Kanteika after ww2, Sato Kanzan, Honma Junji and Ikeda Suematsu. and Fukunaga Suiken, Murakami Kosuke, Tokuno Kazuo, etc,..

All of them are passed....

He published "Kano Natsuo Meihin-shu""Kajihei Oshigata 1,2""Somin to sono Ichimon" etc,.

He is the father of a famous modern polisher Ikeda Nagamasa.

NTB was giving reasonable Kantei.

 

The ken-maki-ryu Horimono of your sword is a typical Sue-Soshu Dragon.

You can find same Dragon on page 511 Soshu Hiromasa Fujishiro Toko-jiten.

Horimono of Sue-Soshu school is one of the best Horimono and they established their style in late Muromachi period.

The most of Horimonos on the blade of this school in this period looks very similar and fine quality.

It makes us wonder that Horimono has done not by the sword smith but Hori-shi (metal sculpture).

 

The condition of the blade is not like a brand new but it is middle to late 16th century, 450-500 years old.

and polished out Horimono and lowered hamon are matched, so, the horimono is original.

(If it was brand new condition, it could be Juyo-token.)

The polish is not good, the Nioi-kuchi is too white and too tight, it is not suppose to be like this.

When the blade is a bit tired condition, the hamon become weaker and Nioi-kuchi became less tight.

(* I am not advising re-polish, because, it is not good to do over polish, and the cost will not cover highering its value in the market today.)

However, we must know that these kind of swords, Koto Soshu signed and with Horimono were made for high ranking Samurais in Sengoku-jidai and heritages by only high rank Samurai families through Edo period. 

Ordinary/low rank Samurais could never own such kind of sword.

[Kai-Gunto]

Thanks Kunitaro. Very nice info.