Sword Evaluation

[Les Brown]

Can anyone recommend a respected restorer to evaluate and possibly restore two swords.  One of the swords has been identified as being from the Hizen school and the maker as Tadahiro.  Please call (251) 591-7306 or e-mail to brownleslie48@gmail.com.

 

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

 

Les

[Mark]

i would start with Bob Benson. He can evaluate, can polish or arrange for it and submit for paper if you wish. you can contact him through hos site

http://www.bushidojapaneseswords.com/index.html

[Brian]

Les,
Would be good to start with your country/location
There are few qualified polishers, and it helps to know where you are.

[Bugyotsuji]

Ah, I thought he meant Mobile, Alabama! 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile,_Alabama

[Brian]

Maybe he did? I have no idea if he moves a lot, or lives in Alabama

[Les Brown]

Thanks for your responses.  I do live in Mobile, AL

[Ken-Hawaii]

Les, may I suggest posting photos of your blades? The condition of many blades doesn't warrant spending huge sums, & we can give you opinions on yours.

 

Not sure what you mean by "restoring" blades, as that can range from a polish, to rebuilding koshirae. Bob Benson lives a few miles from me, in Hawaii, & he has done great work on several of my blades, but he isn't inexpensive.

 

Welcome to NMB.

[Les Brown]

[Les Brown]

[Ed Harbulak]

The blade is signed Hizen kuni (no) ju, Fujiwara Tada Hiro. Translated it says "made by" TadaHiro, resident of Hizen Province, Fujiwara (clan). Hizen TadaHiro is a big name smith so one always has to be careful of fake signatures, which I suspect is the case here. Technically the blade is a wakizashi but the signature is on the wrong side of the nakago or tang. There's a slim chance it's signed on the side it is because originally it was meant to be a short katana, but the writing isn't as neat as I'd expect it to be for this smith. It's a good Japanese sword otherwise, but definitely needs further study. 

[Ray Singer]

Can you post a straight-on photo rather than at an angle? Will help with trying to evaluate the signature, rather than foreshortened/distorted as we see it now due to the angle of view.

[Les Brown]

[Ray Singer]

Agree with Ed. My impression as well is that the blade is gimei. 

[Tom Darling]

I wouldn't spend any money on restoration. Peace.

 

 

Tom D.

[Les Brown]

First, thanks to everyone that has provided very helpful comments.  That said, please consider the following questions and thank you in advance for your comments.

 

1)        Who could authenticate this sword and provide a minimum value as a "gimei"?  If you cannot recommend an individual due to the policies of the organization, could someone provide a list of qualified authenticators?

 

2)        This may require speculation, but if the sword is gimei, when was the sword probably made?  It has been in my family for over 70 years, so was it made 100 years ago or during the era of Tadahiro?  Whatever i can learn about gimei will be helpful.  I assume a sword maker would not sell a sword that he made directly to a buyer with a false signature.  How did these transactions come about?

 

3)        Due to the sword's sentimental value i may still have the sword polished and restored.  I think i will make the decision based in what i learn about gimei and the estimated age of the sword.   I understand it is policy not to recommend a polisher, but, as with someone that could authenticate, could a list of qualified polishers be provided that are located within the continental U. S.?  

 

Again, thanks for your comments and patience with me.  I know that for most of you this has been like a phd math professor explaining calculus to a first grader.

 

Les

[Ken-Hawaii]

Authentication is made by NBTHK or NTHK. That will require polishing, a new habaki & shirasaya. Bob Benson here in Hawaii is a polisher, as is Woody Hall in Las Vegas.

 

Getting "sentimental" with a blade tends to become expensive, with little chance of recouping expenses.

[Ed Harbulak]

Les, to answer some of your questions: 1) Your sword is definitely an older Japanese sword, but regardless of what the signature says, trust us, the signature was not written by Tadahiro. Among other things, the tip end of the tang is the wrong shape for a Tadahiro blade. 2) Tadahiro lived and worked in the mid 1600's so it's reasonable to think your sword is younger than that, perhaps from the 17 or even 1800's. The exact date is harder to pin down. Even during the working life of the more famous sword smiths, other sword smiths  were making blades with forgeries of famous sword smith's signatures. That practice has been going on in Japan for hundreds of years and was a fairly common practice throughout history. I'll even bet you can find fake Rolex watches on e-Bay today. 3) You can still have the sword polished if you want, it's your sword, your money and your decision. Ken has listed two excellent American polishers in the above comment. You could even have the fake (gimei) signature professionally removed, have the blade polished, a new habaki and shirasaya (storage scabbard) made and send it to either the NBTHK , NTHK or NTHK-NPO to get an opinion of who the actual maker might be and when it was made, but quite frankly the blade isn't worth spending that much money on. Keep it lightly oiled and honor it as your families heritage that's easily more than 100 years old. Good luck with what ever you decide. 

[Surfson]

Les, depending on how good the current polish is, you may actually be able to get an opinion from the NTHK-NPO the next time they come to the US for a sword show.  If you are not able to go to the show, you can probably send the sword to one of the shinsa organizers for a fee and they will submit it.  Even if it comes back "gimei", you will have the peace of mind from knowing more about its past.  I agree that the sword is probably several hundred years old, and it is mounted in true samurai styles, so it is a family heirloom.  If you do get back a shinsa report of gimei, and you still want to polish it, you might try one of the less expensive polishers.  

[Tom Darling]

Never have a fake signature removed, it will be worth less money unsigned.  Sure you can send the sword to Japan for shinsa. They will not issue papers on a gimei sword, and recommend to have it removed for their appraisal.  You may get an attribution to the school.  If the blade was koto period they may give an attribution to a (kaji) maker. They also may not accept it because of condition, and you would need to have it polished. Now your talking an estimate around $5000.00.  Welcome to the world of Nihonto. Best wishes and good luck. IMHO.

 

Tom D.   

[Surfson]

"Never have a fake signature removed, it will be worth less money unsigned."

 

I have to disagree with you Tom.  I had a sword inscribed Masamune.  Submitted it twice and it failed both times as gimei.  Took it off and it papered to Shimada.  

[16k]

Even though both of you guys are more experimented than me, I’m with Tom here. I honestly don’t care if a blade gets papered or not. The gimei signature is part of that sword's history and I’m among those who think you should never try to erase history. Look at those statues thing with the BLM movement or modifying Hitler's birth house. Removing statues, whoever the guy was is trying to erase a part of what we are, warts and all. Same thing for a sword. Someone cared enough to carry it, probably knowing it was Gimei. Doesn’t change the fact he probably cherished it. I think erasing signatures even fake, are an affront to their memory.

 

... but then again, I don’t see swords as an investment, so when I get one, I never plan to resell it.

[Tom Darling]

I appreciate you agreeing with me Robert, in having it attributed to the Shimada school. 

 

 

Tom D.