Blazeaglory Posted October 18, 2018 Report Posted October 18, 2018 I found this for a really good price and thought it was well made and maybe Mino den.Jingane/jihada is still fairly visible with much action and lots of nie in hamon and all over. Very straight lines as well. In person this thing changes colors from steel to blue to black. Also Looks like a recent polish?Looks to be o-suriage but I don't think the bottom Mekugi Ana is the original. Blade length is 18" with an overall length of 26.4". The hamon does trail down into the nakago where I can see some faded old hamon tops, so seems to be suriage but I'm hoping for some opinions because i really don't know.Seems really well made for most part.EDIT:No matter what I do most of my pics are uploading sideways. I think it's my phone. Anyways I put the pics up here:https://flic.kr/s/aHsmu2o81dOh side note. Anyone interested in the original art in my office, it's done with pencil, sharpie marker and finally acrylic paint for the brain. Abstract but detailed considering the medium.Well I hope you enjoy!D Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 18, 2018 Author Report Posted October 18, 2018 Aaaaaand it got me. This one is a troublemaker. After all these years I felt the sharpness of its bite. Not a dull cut but scary sharp! I think I finally found the sword that murdered all those poor fish in that river... All I wanted to do was give it a little choji love! Quote
Tom Darling Posted October 18, 2018 Report Posted October 18, 2018 My guess is Kanemoto, koto. 3 Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 18, 2018 Author Report Posted October 18, 2018 My guess is Kanemoto, koto.Thanks I'll check him (them) out???????? I was thinking Mino-Senjuin (same school as Kanemoto or no?). I found an almost exact match for length, width, hada, etc... Everything is 99% the same but the other Waki (suriage) is from the Nanbokucho era. So my hopes are high???????? EDIT: After some brief research it looks like this could possibly be a second or later generation Kanemoto? The sanbon-sugi is almost exact to the second generation as well as the description of hamon (not regular "3 tree" pattern like later generations but irregular peaks with low valleys)... Well, who knows but there are many similarities! Thanks for the heads up D Quote
SAS Posted October 19, 2018 Report Posted October 19, 2018 Watch those fingers and everything else; some swords are thirsty. 4 Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 20, 2018 Author Report Posted October 20, 2018 Watch those fingers and everything else; some swords are thirsty. Funny I was just reading about Kanemoto in the Connoisseurs book and within the first paragraph it says "swords were known as 'o-wazamono' (very sharp blades) " I have to say this one is definitely sharpest in my collection. Sharper than a modern T10 steel blade I have as well. Lol Quote
vajo Posted October 20, 2018 Report Posted October 20, 2018 Dwain for your own security don't wear gloves (as in the picture from flicker) when you handle with bare blades. You have no grip with gloves, and when the blade is falling you will try to catch it, i guarantee for it. 5 Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 20, 2018 Author Report Posted October 20, 2018 Yes very much so! I always keep one eye on the blade now, even when its in its saya! Which brings me to this... I have to say that I am still learning. I was examining the mune of this blade with a flashlight and when I got up to put it away, I realized I had shredded the right leg of my pants with about 3-4 very fine lines through to the skin. I didnt realize that the blade was ever so slightly resting on my thigh. It didnt move at all. The cuts came just from slight pressure, not slicing. Scary stuff. I think this blade came to me to teach me a lesson Also, very good advice for the gloves! I actually learned that the hard way so now I usually wear one or none at all and just use a micro fiber cloth. Quote
Chango Posted October 25, 2018 Report Posted October 25, 2018 Not one of the Koto Kanemotos.... would have more masame hada (straight grain) along the shinogi-ji if it was... that is if I'm seeing well enough from the pic. 1 Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 25, 2018 Author Report Posted October 25, 2018 Not one of the Koto Kanemotos.... would have more masame hada (straight grain) along the shinogi-ji if it was... that is if I'm seeing well enough from the pic.Yeah I agree but based off of this one photo it would be hard to make a judgement like that. In hand the masame hada is definitely "noticeable in the shinogiji", as well as the over all quality of this sword. I chose that photo because it has the most action in the shinogji and hiraji but virtually almost the majority of the rest is masame hada in the shinogji. Also, later Kanemotos became more uniform in their hamon and have much different turn backs, whereas this turn back and hamon is literally spot on for Kanemoto II. (Written description anyways and I'm not saying it is) I could be totally wrong but based on what I see in hand and have read and heard from others, I'm quite hopeful. But I guess there's only one way to find out haha (shinsa). Either way I don't want to get caught up in a "it is or isn't" debate. I've had several people say it looks like a koto Kanemoto before I ever even knew who he was. All I can do is Shinsa and hope. Take care???? EDIT: I had the shinogiji confused with shinogi, which is where the majority of actual masame hada is(as well as in the lower hamon/ha). Sorry. So it's very close but either way I still love this blade. So far, even tho it loves to make me bleed, it's my favorite???????? Quote
Mister Gunto Posted October 26, 2018 Report Posted October 26, 2018 Nice blade! Very beautiful steel. Like your artwork too! Good inking, with lots of detail. And yes, these things do bite. My Shin-Gunto Kanesada gave me a nasty poke in the pinkie once to let me know it's still not cool with the whole V-J thing. Or careless handling. 1 Quote
nagamaki - Franco Posted October 26, 2018 Report Posted October 26, 2018 Thinking aloud, looks recently polished. By who? Polishers thoughts? Lot's of sweeping and nie, Yamato with perhaps some Mino influence based on jitetsu, hmm, Naoe Shizu??? O suriage, yes, bottom mekugi-ana could be original, perhaps re-drilled at some point??? Kissaki probably shortened, reshaped from a chipped tip, my guess. Ha looks certainly to have been raised, again, chips taken out. Push comes to shove, Naoe Shizu would be my call, late nambokucho, early muromachi. Thanks for sharing. 1 Quote
Jean Posted October 26, 2018 Report Posted October 26, 2018 http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/17414-achieved-collection-gokaden/page-1 https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mumeinaoe-shizu26th-nbthk-juyo-paper/ Pictures of Naoe Shizu, I am afraid that my pictures are far better than Aoi Art scans 1 Quote
Vermithrax16 Posted October 26, 2018 Report Posted October 26, 2018 Great activities in the blade. I like it. YES, always be aware with nihonto swords, they bite if you don't pay 100% attention! 1 Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 27, 2018 Author Report Posted October 27, 2018 Thinking aloud, looks recently polished. By who? Polishers thoughts? Lot's of sweeping and nie, Yamato with perhaps some Mino influence based on jitetsu, hmm, Naoe Shizu??? O suriage, yes, bottom mekugi-ana could be original, perhaps re-drilled at some point??? Kissaki probably shortened, reshaped from a chipped tip, my guess. Ha looks certainly to have been raised, again, chips taken out. Push comes to shove, Naoe Shizu would be my call, late nambokucho, early muromachi. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for the rundown! I was thinking the same era as well but I have been saying early 1500 just to be safe and to not start any argument haha. I was thinking same den influences as well! Very close to my thoughts! You know they say "great minds think alike" As far as the ha/kissaki reshaping I am 50/50 at this point. If it/they were, it was done ever so slightly with great care. There is even beautiful action in kissaki. One "wood grain" swirl on one side! The turn back is also very artfully done. I'm just thinking that maybe this was a long sword used during Nanbokucho conflict and broken then fixed into Wakizashi after. Just thinking out loud, as we can never truly know but most swords are broke during battle I would assume... so Nanbokucho era with early Muromachi O suriage seems like a good candidate. The nakago is pretty old looking done in kiri style filing. The more I look at this sword, the more I notice! On first glance it looks like simple hamon but after appreciating for a little while it becomes a saw blade or alligator teeth! With the polishing maybe I jumped to conclusion. Actually I think the polish is older because rust has formed over polishers lines. Whoever polished was a master because their "marks" (under habaki and on boshi/mune) are straight as an arrow. I've included a few more pics of the areas you mentioned. Whether Kanemoto or not I think this blade is great! I'm happy with your kantei/shinsa that you briefly made D EDIT:Files too large too upload so here's a link to a different Flickr file with only the new photos of polishing lines and kissaki. Please ignore the dog hair or other micros when zooming in on pics lol https://flic.kr/s/aHskLe1CB9 Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 27, 2018 Author Report Posted October 27, 2018 http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/17414-achieved-collection-gokaden/page-1 https://www.aoijapan.com/katana-mumeinaoe-shizu26th-nbthk-juyo-paper/ Pictures of Naoe Shizu, I am afraid that my pictures are far better than Aoi Art scans Very nice! And very similar activity and kissaki. But yours are much nicer. They seem much better made (better forging) and the bohi is awesome! I have another one on the way with a similar bohi and looks to be very similar hamon. I was thinking Yamato tradition and Mino but who knows. Yamashiro? Bizen influence? Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 27, 2018 Author Report Posted October 27, 2018 Nice blade! Very beautiful steel. Like your artwork too! Good inking, with lots of detail. And yes, these things do bite. My Shin-Gunto Kanesada gave me a nasty poke in the pinkie once to let me know it's still not cool with the whole V-J thing. Or careless handling. A friend of mine does the artwork. He's super talented and creates things from his mind I couldn't dream of! All done by hand. Usually pencil or marker first then all kinds of different media after. He likes to use oil and acrylic but lately hes been mixing allot of media like in the mother alien piece. Its wood with water color, silk screen, layers images from some kind of sheeting and clear acrylic. Ive attached some pics of a couple other pieces I own (one came out sideways again). Dont mind the tobacco vaporizer! Its healthy haha (since quit) Anther friend of mine accidentally cut a tendon or something in his pinky and for longest time he couldn't straighten it. It was shaped like an "L" LOL Quote
PNSSHOGUN Posted October 27, 2018 Report Posted October 27, 2018 Later generation Kanemoto, 4th onwards. The Sanbonsugi is relaxed but not relaxed enough for Shodai/Nidai. 1 Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 27, 2018 Author Report Posted October 27, 2018 Later generation Kanemoto, 4th onwards. The Sanbonsugi is relaxed but not relaxed enough for Shodai/Nidai. Hmm everything I see on later Kanemotos showed very uniform and many "3rd largest" spikes in Hamon but I didnt look at many (well I did but not enough haha). Plus the turn-back on Boshi tells me possibly earlier (If it was a Kanemoto). But that's just my opinion and I could (probably am) wrong. Maybe it was one of the Mino smiths close to the Kanemotos who then incorporated many different styles of his teachers? Who knows but It would be funny if it wasnt even a Kanemoto or Mino! I do think its early to mid Koto tho But please I really love all the information! Also, do the Shinsa experts from Japan ever come to America for certain shows or judgments? Quote
Blazeaglory Posted October 29, 2018 Author Report Posted October 29, 2018 Looks very close for Kanemoto (Photo courtesy of Mark Sesko Kantei reference Book [mods please remove if requested]) Quote
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