Juyo Naoe Shizu On Aoi Art

[Vermithrax16]

This is a real treat, well worth a look:

 

http://www.sword-auction.jp/en/content/as18611-%E5%88%80%EF%BC%9A%E7%84%A1%E9%8A%98%E7%9B%B4%E6%B1%9F%E5%BF%97%E6%B4%A5%E7%AC%AC63%E5%9B%9E%E9%87%8D%E8%A6%81%E5%88%80%E5%89%A3-katana-mumeinaoe-shizu-63rd-nbthk-juyo-paper

 

 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Yes, a very nice & reasonably priced juto.

[Guest Rayhan]

Cannot wait to see it in hand!

[Brian]

You bought it Ray?
If so, bravo!

[w.y.chan]

You bought it Ray?

If so, bravo!

 

 

Still 3 days to go yet for end of auction

[Bazza]

Cannot wait to see it in hand!

Rotsa ruck!!!

 

BaZZa.

[Guest Rayhan]

I won't be buying it but just really want to see this one!

[Curran]

I've long enjoyed Naoe Shizu blades and one of my minor regrets is not buying one of Jim Gilberts TH ones when he sold them off and went completely over to fittings.

In comparison to others from memory, I don't like this Aoi Arts one. I was surprised it is Juyo.

[Guest Rayhan]

The steel is interesting for Naoe Shizu and maybe the polish but it seems very wild. That's why, want to see and discuss

[Jussi Ekholm]

I think it is very interesting one and nice sword. My first thought was it's surprisingly affordable... Well it's relative as I might never shop at this level.   But after going into my statistics it seems like Naoe Shizu Jūyō mumei longswords go around 2-3M Yen asking prices in Japan.

 

Measurements seem very typical to Naoe Shizu longsword, c. 70 cm length, sori between 1-2 cm, motohaba bit over 3,0 cm and sakihaba around 2,5 cm with long kissaki. I think Kirill has been voicing out an opinion about some attributions being general ones, and I guess I could share that view a bit. Naoe Shizu is very "general" attribution that gets handed out quite often, and I believe it's considered as a lower tier attribution. For example as I am documenting early swords there are 50+ mumei katana with Naoe Shizu attribution in just in the first 20 Jūyō shinsa. So it is not a rare attribution by any means and Naoe Shizu swords pop up for sale quite often.

 

As for this particular sword I'd think similarily with Rayhan that way this is polished enhances the hada and makes it stand out a lot. Also the difference between Aoi oshigata and Jūyō oshigata is really big, and shows what different things people are seeing in it and how they see it.

 

However it is crazy how really small things affect our views. Personally I like the shape of this one that was sold by Samurai Nippon a lot more. When you look at Jūyō papers you can see almost all the measurements of these 2 are really close. But the 2nd one gets my pick really easily by just looking at overall level. The asking price for this was 2,7M https://www.samurai-nippon.net/SHOP/V-1717.html

 

 

[Marius]

Interesting opinion on Shizu - in the description of a Sakakura Seki sword. Worth reading.

 

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/sword5.html

[Blazeaglory]

Why is there another white paper on very bottom right side of page? It has a different oshigata with similar nakago but different sword/kissaki. Looks like Kaneuji?

 

Side note, I think I might have a Naoe Shizu O suriage wakazashi. The boshi and jihada/hamon, nakago, etc... line up pretty close. The structure and detail of the iron is amazing. I've had it for over a year and I still find new things while admiring it. The composition of the iron changes colors with the light and angle and up close sparkles like a galaxy with millions of different color stars. Under white light, it's different shades of blue and sparkling. In the sun, it's violets and pinks/reds with grey and black. It's crazy

 

Anyways, not trying to brag or anything and I don't know if what I have is Naoe Shizu but I've never seen anything like it other than what I've seen from this school. It's really the only thing I can talk about in detail, so just thought I'd share.

 

But back to auction... I'd love to buy this auction but a little too rich for my blood. Beautiful sword tho.

[Hoshi]

It has a good shape, classic archetype Nambokucho. Suriage is poorly done though. The coarseness of the hada throws me off. It does not scream Naoe Shizu to me at all, if anything I would have suggested Soden-Bizen. The blade is good but in my opinion the attribution is far from certain. I speculate it was tossed into the Naoe Shizu mega bucket at Juyo. 

 

That's an expensive, generally daimyo family habaki (although they can be sometimes used as 'dress up' so be skeptical). The sword was probably highly valued in the past, and perhaps thought to be of one of higher ranked maker. That's the kind of blade that would get a higher ranking soshu attribution during the great Honami inflationary attribution phase and hence could explain the habaki. 

 

Naoe Shizu is not a highly regarded attribution, and generally low-tier Juyo where 'cheap for Juyo' can really bite you hard. There is also quite a bit of variance in this attribution in my opinion and it requires a lot of knowledge to know differentiate the 'borderline Shizu' from the low Juyo ones. In my opinion, the one of Jussi is far closer to Shizu than the one linked on Aoi art. Finer hada, more typical hamon hint towards a tighter relationship to the master. That's classic Naoe Shizu. And nakago looks great. 

 

It's really a tricky school with a lot of potential for confusion, not least because its huge and spanned generations of evolving style, adding variance and creating a mega bucket. On top of it, for the non-experts, the distinctions between Shizu, Shizu Kaneuji, Yamato Shizu and Naoe Shizu is tricky business and means everything. 

[Vermithrax16]

No one bid so now on regular sales page.

 

I evaluate swords on what I am seeing, not an era, name, or paper status. 

 

Sometimes I think the discussions here drift off into "well there are toku juyo swords that are better, so just save and buy that" which is both silly and a non starter. 

[Surfson]

Jeremiah, is the typical routine that a sword starts on the auction and only makes it to the sales page if it fails to make reserve in the auction?  Just curious.  

[Soshin]

A very nice sword.  Thanks for sharing.

[Jean]

My friend Jeremiah wrote,

 

« Sometimes I think the discussions here drift off into "well there are toku juyo swords that are better, so just save and buy that" which is both silly and a non starter. »

 

How true, but reread this topic: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12646-advices-for-newbies-buyers-rules-of-thumb/

 

I am reindulging now in 19th century US handguns, you cannot imagine the number of traps that are to be avoided, but sometimes you have to make the jump and I committed costly errors at my beginning which I could have avoided if I had had a mentor. I have just founded fantastic books written by Americans on these pistols and I have learned a lot more, I am becoming a real connoisseur but nothing could have been possible without this mentor and the arm fairs held in France. My next move will be a Remington 1875 in 44-40. I intend to make also my own ammos.

[Vermithrax16]

My friend Jeremiah wrote,

 

« Sometimes I think the discussions here drift off into "well there are toku juyo swords that are better, so just save and buy that" which is both silly and a non starter. »

 

How true, but reread this topic: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12646-advices-for-newbies-buyers-rules-of-thumb/

 

I am reindulging now in 19th century US handguns, you cannot imagine the number of traps that are to be avoided, but sometimes you have to make the jump and I committed costly errors at my beginning which I could have avoided if I had had a mentor. I have just founded fantastic books written by Americans on these pistols and I have learned a lot more, I am becoming a real connoisseur but nothing could have been possible without this mentor and the arm fairs held in France. My next move will be a Remington 1875 in 44-40. I intend to make also my own ammos.

You know I have read that thread quite a few times Jean I made the classic mistakes in nihonto at the start, so I too learned the hard way. Luckily found some mentors that helped me out greatly. LOVE all your new guns BTW, and thanks for answering my Josey Wales gun questions my friend.

 

Let me explain what I meant as it relates to one of the points in that thread:

-Buy always the best you can afford

Well I can only speak personally, but what I can comfortably afford is NOT what I have decided to apply to nihonto at this time. It's a capital management decision. So other rational inputs must inform a decision, not just absolute capital available.

 

Robert S, not sure if you were kidding, but yes, all auction swords go on the main page at auction end if no bids.

 

The sword above I think is a fine example. The Naoe Shizu Raymond has now (formerly Jean's, another outstanding find) I feel is a better example, but this one is pleasing as well.

[Hoshi]

I really enjoy your posts Jeremiah by the way, especially the examples you post here for examination. And I also think you have fine taste. 

[Surfson]

Jeremiah, not kidding (something I might do too much...), I actually did not know that.  I should watch the auctions closer i guess, though I am not in buying mode right now.

[Ray Singer]

For reference, this is the Naoe Shizu Jeremiah mentioned which I purchased recently from Jean. I love this sword. I suspect, in a blind test between the two swords where I did not see the kanteisho, it the one I would choose.

[Jean]

He, He, He......