Jump to content

Favorite Era for Sword Making


Recommended Posts

I know what osuriage means, & I'm wondering why you wouldn't prefer the sugata on an ubu (not mumei) Kamakura blade?

I know you do, please accept my apologies for the lack of clarity.

 

I prefer the resulting shape and proportions, possibly coloured quite heavily by the works of Nakamura Taizaburō.

 

While there are later blades in this form which are ubu, the specific blades I'm most drawn to tend to be shortened Kamakura.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shinsakuto. For all the enthusiasm for antiques by most collectors, the modern makers who are actually earning a living forging swords and keeping the tradition alive are, in my opinion, grossly undervalued and underappreciated.

Many of the swords in my collection were made by people that I've met and gotten to know on some level.  That holds significant meaning to me, to know something of their personality and how it is expressed in the blade.

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

mas4t0, on 23 Jan 2020 - 09:36 AM, said:

I don't have a favourite era as such, but most of my favourite blades are o-suriage from the late Kamakura period.

BLASPHEMY!

 Actually Dwain so are mine. Some of the finest swords I have ever held are o-suriage Kamakura period work and my own collection has only one signed koto blade the rest are all O-suriage.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually Dwain so are mine. Some of the finest swords I have ever held are o-suriage Kamakura period work and my own collection has only one signed koto blade the rest are all O-suriage.

I know, I was only having a laugh.

 

One of mine is a O-suriage early Koto blade as well. I love the stories of family members going to battlefields afterwards to recover broken swords.

 

Today they'd probably just get thrown out for lack of foresight

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shinsakuto. For all the enthusiasm for antiques by most collectors, the modern makers who are actually earning a living forging swords and keeping the tradition alive are, in my opinion, grossly undervalued and underappreciated.

 

Many of the swords in my collection were made by people that I've met and gotten to know on some level. That holds significant meaning to me, to know something of their personality and how it is expressed in the blade.

 

 

That's a good way of looking at it. I feel the same way now that you mention it.

 

Some modern blades I've seen are really freaking good but expensive

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shinsakuto. For all the enthusiasm for antiques by most collectors, the modern makers who are actually earning a living forging swords and keeping the tradition alive are, in my opinion, grossly undervalued and underappreciated.

 

Many of the swords in my collection were made by people that I've met and gotten to know on some level.  That holds significant meaning to me, to know something of their personality and how it is expressed in the blade.

 

 

 

I feel the same way. I find the hamon made by contemporary swordsmiths to be far more interesting than at any other time of history. Who knows how many polishes a Kamakura sword has been through. In my non-expert opinion, koto swords feel lighter and swifter than newer swords because of the sheer amount of metal lost due to overpolishing. And since many tachi are koshi-sori that have been shortened, it alters the shape. It's just too bad that they're shadows of their former selves. I like modern swords in that they're the original shape they're intended to be and if you have the money, you can customize it any way you want.

 

As you mentioned, modern tosho have it hard since they can only make 2 katanas or 3 wakizashis a month but still have to charge enough to cover the cost of raw materials, support themselves and their families, and pay the other craftsmen involved in the sword making process. Adding to that I'd say that the apprentices have it just as hard since they're learning for 5+ years without pay and need seed money to the tune of $100k when they open their own shop. Not only that but the only time they get to practice making swords is after their master has finished his work for the day and they have to do household chores on top of that and not all of them will be good enough to make a living from making swords, some will have to get a second job yet they commit themselves to the craft anyway. AND there are few people in the world who have the cash to afford a new sword so their number of available customers is quite limited.

 

Joe, from whom have you commissioned swords from? It's hard finding good pictures of swords made by contemporary smiths.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shinsakuto. For all the enthusiasm for antiques by most collectors, the modern makers who are actually earning a living forging swords and keeping the tradition alive are, in my opinion, grossly undervalued and underappreciated.

Many of the swords in my collection were made by people that I've met and gotten to know on some level. That holds significant meaning to me, to know something of their personality and how it is expressed in the blade.

 

I agree with this generally, but it does raise some questions.

 

When commissioning or purchasing a Shinsakuto would the work sought be a pastiche (that is; a work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period)?

 

In which case, is your favourite era actually the era that the blade was inspired by?

 

If a smith devotes his life to recreating Koto blades, and I commission a blade from him because I too admire Koto blades, am I really showing an admiration for Shinsakuto blades, or a desire for a Koto blade in original condition?

 

This might seem pedantic, but the point I'm trying to get at is; is this a love for Shinsakuto or would we feel the same way in any other era if we were living contemporaneously with it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Who knows how many polishes a Kamakura sword has been through. In my non-expert opinion, koto swords feel lighter and swifter than newer swords because of the sheer amount of metal lost due to overpolishing.

Kamakura blades feel lighte bcause they were made that way - light & elegant. Not sure that you could even detect the amount of metal removed by polishing.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmm... there's a lot to unpack here and I don't claim to be an expert by any means, but...

First of all, I'm not suggesting that shinsakuto are better than older blades, I was just explaining where my interest is as a collector and why.  If I had a choice between a Tokubetsu Juyo level Bizen Ichimonji and a modern shinsakuto by one of the best mukansa smiths, I'd take the koto blade.  I also completely agree that there are still many good koto blades out there that are in a very, very healthy state of polish -- I've been fortunate to see and handle quite a few up close.

Second, while it's said that many smiths are trying to recreate koto blades and many work in a particular style, I wouldn't say that means they're imitating to the point of copying or pastiche.  An swordsmith working in a tradition is still creating as an act of self-expression, even when doing utsushimono (by way of corollary, there are Elvis imitators and new rock artists inspired by 1960s classic rock -- I would argue that the modern Japanese smiths are more like new rock artists than Elvis impersonators).  Even with something like Ono Yoshimitsu's Yamatorige utsushi, it's not as if he's trying to make an exact copy or that anyone would confuse the original with his work.  Similarly, going back in time, it's not like all of the Shinshinto (or any other post-koto period) smiths were just recreating previous work within one of the Gokaden traditions.  Was Kiyomaro just doing Kanueji pastiche? I don't think so.

And finally, although many smiths do work within a certain tradition, there are plenty of smiths whose work is instantly recognizable as something fairly unique.  Sugita Yoshiaki's hadakayaki blades come to mind as an obvious example.

Incidentally, I also happen to admire Western smiths who work in the Japanese tradition, not copying the work (sometimes to a fault), but adding to it in their own way.  Howard Clark's L6 blades from a performance standpoint or Michael Bell's forge welded cable katana for example.  Or Pavel Bolf's work trying to unlock the mysteries of koto blades by experimenting with different orishigane and quenching without clay.

Alas, my collection of shinsakuto is modest and mostly consists of second hand blades, so I'm not supporting the smiths directly through commissions, with a couple exceptions.  I also enjoy working as an occasional bladesmith myself as a way of creating something while appreciating the larger Japanese tradition (not to mention saving myself from buying more blades made by other people).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a great answer Joe. Thank you for elaborating.

 

I too have a fondness for modern blades, including western smiths working in the Japanese style. I have a hira-zukuri katana in folded modern steel from Walter Sorrells which is one of my favourites.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can definitely appreciate a new blade! We can actually use them!

 

As for the Koto blades losing steel through polish, I've considered that as well. I always wonder what a blade looked like new back in Kamakura Japan... I have seen a few that still have all of their outer pattern remaining but the selling prices for those have been in the six figures. I can't remember which website it is but they're currently selling an Ubu Tachi from the Kamakura era that looks like it was made yesterday. I'll try to find it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...