Ray Singer Posted June 14, 2020 Report Posted June 14, 2020 Tokubetsu Juyo results should be coming out now, or very soon. Would love to hear if any of the members have had successful submissions. 3 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 16, 2020 Report Posted June 16, 2020 Some interesting results in there. Darcy has already provided transliteration of items passed on his blog: https://blog.yuhindo.com/tokubetsu-juyo-2020-results/#more-1092And you can find the Japanese PDF from NBTHK:s site. I was glad to see the big Shikkake naginata passing, likewise the very long Naminohira Yukiyasu tachi that was quite recent Jūyō. Although they might not be items that immidiately is associated with Tokubetsu Jūyō. Looking at the list it would be amazing to see all the items sent in for the shinsa. Small session so there should be some amazing swords that did not pass this time. 3 Quote
Gakusee Posted June 16, 2020 Report Posted June 16, 2020 Jussi, with all due respect, a mumei, plain Naminohira does not deserve to be there. It is that simple. I have seen some of the swords submitted for that shinsa and believe me they are stunning. I am talking about top-grade Awataguchi, Soshu and KoBizen. That one is a massive head scratcher - literally and figuratively. It only has the length going for it, at 82cm. it might sound presumptuous, but also the mumei Yoshikage is confusing. This is and will remain a decent but sort of also-run smith whose best work is probably subsumed within Chogi and Kanemitsu. So, what we have left is good but just not that exciting in hataraki and hamon. The statements above are deliberately controversial in order to provoke some debate. 1 Quote
Bazza Posted June 17, 2020 Report Posted June 17, 2020 Michael, Yours is an invitation to top level discussion that I can't join because I've never seen such swords!!! However, I shall follow the discussion with great interest. Your statements above obliquely remind me of a comment that Albert Yamanaka once made in one of his Nihonto Newsletters wherein he opined "I have never seen a sword that 'knocked my eyes out' " However, he was always wanting to buy swords!!! BaZZa. 1 Quote
Hoshi Posted June 17, 2020 Report Posted June 17, 2020 I don't know if there are hidden quotas behind the Tokuju Shinsa. But I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to claim that they include a slot or two for what we consider "head scratchers" - e.g. this Naminohira, Shikkake Nagatina, etc. So they just pick the best of the minor schools and pass them. Probably, these item compete within the pool of minor school items, aside from Bizen, Soshu, and Yamashiro. This is why we six ko-mihara blades passed through the history of tokuju, and why we don't have six more Fukuoka Ichimonji in their place. What's also striking to me is the number of Soden-Bizen items passing. And the excellence bracket for Soden-Bizen is getting stretched to include one more Yoshikage. Kencho is having a showing as well and has been on the rise for a while, with two passing - same number as Chogi and Kanemitsu. Quote
paulb Posted June 17, 2020 Report Posted June 17, 2020 The quality and the condition of the Shikkake naginata don't appear to be anywhere near the quality of other examples of their work I have seen. I must assume that it is there simply because it is large and ubu. While this might be justifiable for a Juyo pass (event that is questionable for me at least) I don't see how this can be regarded as within the top 10-15% of this schools work. Also interesting was the very rare inclusion of a shin-shinto sword. I would love to see an image of the Sa Yukihide that has joined the very rare club of shin-shinto tokubetsu juyo blades. 3 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 17, 2020 Report Posted June 17, 2020 I know the discussion about the items and what should pass and what not is above me, can't really say this or that. I do know some items not passing are most likely top quality items which makes me scratch head why limit the number of passing items to the number they ended with? As there is no set limit as it fluctuates session to session. I will try to make "a case" for the Mumei Yukiyasu tachi and why I think it was ok for it to pass. Unfortunately I have not seen this one nor the other TJ Naminohira in person (and not bunkachō designated ones either). I know many see Tokubetsu Jūyō as pinnacle of quality and I believe it does say so in NBTHK standards, that top quality and condition items amongst Jūyō. However it also says in the English translated standards that item would be similar to top level Bijutsuhin or a Bunkazai. Here I think the historical and cultural significance can come into the play. From Naminohira school there are 3 Bunkazai (2 signed tachi by Yukiyasu and 1 signed tachi by Ietsugu) and 2 Bijutsuhin (1 dated tachi by Yukimasa 1159 oldest dated tachi and 1 signed tachi by Yukiyasu) Before this mumei Yukiyasu passed I believe there have been 2 Tokujū Naminohira swords (1 tachi by Yukiyasu and 1 tachi by Yasutsugu). Yukiyasu Yasutsugu The Yukiyasu tachi passed in session 8 and it was from Jūyō 27. The Yasutsugu is more recent one from session 23 and it was from Jūyō 58. Now some things that make this mumei tachi interesting include that it seems to be ubu and 82,3 cm, it is very recent Jūyō from session 64. It is also the only mumei tachi that I am aware that has an attribution to Naminohira Yukiyasu (and the age is specified in brackets to late Kamakura / early Nanbokuchō). There is a mumei katana that has Naminohira Yukiyasu attribution in Jūyō 16. It of course in the end comes down to what things you are focusing on. I do think that for 1000+ TJ swords 3 Naminohira tachi (2 signed and 1 mumei) is not too much. You can compare how many suriage mumei katana attributed to some top makers have passed (which are and should be passing at steady rate I am not denying that). I know I am making similar arguments to this topic but I do think that historical & cultural significance should also play a factor. For similar reason even though I am personally focusing on old swords I am happy to see younger swords passing too, they get their quality recognized too. As Darcy mentioned in his blog this was just the 3rd Shinshintō sword ever passing. Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 17, 2020 Report Posted June 17, 2020 This is the Shikkake naginata that is being discussed, I've been drooling over this for several years: http://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords/JT988980.htm I do agree with Pauls comment above about the quality & condition but it is 83,1 cm and ubu. 1 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 17, 2020 Report Posted June 17, 2020 This is the Yukihide, it is from Juyo session 23. Unfortunately the only pic of it I have is the one in the book. 3 Quote
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