Interested in purchasing a tachi, ideally ubu, Nanbokucho era, hozon or higher papers

[PNSSHOGUN]

Here is a nice one, excellent Tachi mounts and Ubu.

 

https://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords6/KT332998.htm

[drl]

15 hours ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

Here is a nice one, excellent Tachi mounts and Ubu.

 

https://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords6/KT332998.htm

Thank you very much for the suggestion, John!  I like many aspects of this sword.  

 

Potential downsides are:

- The horimono dragon seems not meticulously done.  I wonder if it was added well after the blade was forged?

- It's papered as a katana rather than a tachi

- It's papered (tokubetsu kicho) on green paper so apparently hasn't been re-papered yet

- The habaki is partially cracked.

 

I appreciate your sharing it with me.  Please keep the suggestions coming!

[Jean]

David,
 

for NBTHK kanteisho:
 

- O suriage or mumei long blades (over two shaku) are referred automatically as katana.

 

- in the same way, sunobi tanto over 1 shaku are classified as wakizashi

 

- nagamaki naoshi are classified as Naginata naoshi

[drl]

7 hours ago, Jean said:

David,
 

for NBTHK kanteisho:
 

- O suriage or mumei long blades (over two shaku) are referred automatically as katana.

 

- in the same way, sunobi tanto over 1 shaku are classified as wakizashi

 

- nagamaki naoshi are classified as Naginata naoshi

 

Thank you, Jean. But there are mumei long koto blades papered by NBTHK as tachi, such as: 

http://www.samuraisword.com/nihontodisplay/TBH/Kunitsugu/index.htm

https://katananokura.jp/SHOP/1203-TC01.html

 

Do you know why some are papered as tachi and others as katana?  I noticed that for swords made in the late Edo period it appears all are papered as katana, even if signed tachi-mei and unusually long and curved.

 

Thanks,

David

[Jean]

The Kunitsugu is signed tachi mei

[Baba Yaga]

What ever happen to the theory of drawing the sword on horseback vs ground and Sori? Did that go away?

[WillFalstaff]

On 2/25/2022 at 12:41 PM, drl said:

 

Potential downsides are:

- The horimono dragon seems not meticulously done.  I wonder if it was added well after the blade was forged?

 

 

Hi David,

 

In Nakahara's Facts and Fund. of Japanese Swords, he states that more often than not, horimono are added after (sometimes well after) the blade is forged. Often they are requested by the owner, or done after polishing when kizu like hada-ware are revealed and the owner wants to hide it.

 

As to the state of the carving, I think it's been re-polished, more than once and the details of the dragon are getting slowly worn away with each polish. Then again, i could be talking out of my demon hole, so don't quote me on this. I have seen many horimono as well as hi worn away by polishing, (finer lines slowly getting erased/incomplete hi, three dimensional carvings that look like sliced cheese, etc.).   

[Bosco]

On 2/20/2022 at 10:20 AM, Jussi Ekholm said:

Here is tachi by Aoe smith Naotsugu dated to 1332. Although it is slightly suriage, as it still retains signature and date I think it to be great reference piece maybe more than many ubu mumei pieces. Koshirae of this is much later and I am not a koshirae guy so to me koshirae like this is not too relevant. Also interesting as Gentoku has 3 years and then era changed. Perhaps the smith was not aware of that the era had changed?

 

https://nihontou.jp/choice03/toukenkobugu/tachi/030/00-00.html

 

Here is tachi that is mumei and attributed towards Ichimonji from middle of Kamakura period. The Jūyō paper states nakago is almost ubu and gives the middle of Kamakura period as the age of the sword. Koshirae on this is of course much later again but very very nice. I am bit puzzled as NBTHK classified this as almost ubu but they have the expert panel that has seen the sword.

 

https://katananokura.jp/SHOP/1203-TC01.html

 

I can dig for some old ones that have been sold for reference. Unfortunately I think many of the dealers delete the sold items from online.

After 3 years the first one still on their page 😆. Impressive price I assume