Nakago sori

[BIG]

Kantei point?

 

https://www.touken.or.jp/Portals/0/pdf/english/tobi_translation/745_NBTHK_February_2019.pdf

 

Best

[Geraint]

Dear Peter.

 

Please forgive what might be a very long answer to a very short question.  The 1993 exhibition, "The Beauty of Shinsakuto" , featured quite a number of blades by some very excellent smiths.  A significant proportion were described as challenges to specific named and well known blades, in other words utsushi mono. The exhibition was brought to the UK under the auspices of the Token Society and it was an immense pleasure to be able to examine the blades in hand.  Many had the nakago copied faithfully, even o-suriage with many mekugi ana, which I found a little odd at the time.

 

Naotane, renowned for mastering all five of the Gokaden, may have done the same so that specific nakago sori would be related to the blade he was challenging and thus not of itself a kantei point for him as the maker.  His blades always seem to have a very well shaped nakago in relation to the overall sugata with appropriate sori for the shape and size of the blade.

 

Thank you for the question, I have enjoyed looking at his work.

 

All the best.

[BIG]

Geraint, thanks for the "perfect" statement; We discuss his Nobukuni tanto with Bizen hamon, and saw he did a perfect utsushi.

On many papers the nakago sori were mentioned, on many others not, or described as a "slight" sori. My thought was for high end swords it's more often described, may be a Lekkerli for the buyer?

 

Best