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Uda Kunimune Wakizashi


noneed2hate

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Just wanted to share my latest acquisition that was cheap enough to warrant picking up.

 

Signed - Uda Kunimune 宇多国宗 Wakizashi

 

As far as I can tell through the rust/patina, seems to have a chu-suguha hamon at face value


Unfortunately due to it’s current state I am unable to discern much regarding the hada and boshi, the blade has a few typical ware about midway through the blade closer to the mune than the hasaki, but otherwise seems to be in descent shape. Most of the scale rust was cleaned off carefully/little by little with an old copper penny which revealed the mentioned ware but not much else. Looking at the nagako, it does appear hamachi and munemachi may have been moved up approximately 1”. Hira-zukuri blade.

 

The fuchi and kashira specifically drew me to this sword as I really liked the chisel work done on both pieces. Seems to be missing a menuki unfortunately and saya itself is not in the best shape.


Basic Measurements:

Nagasa – 13.75”/35cm/1shaku1sun5bu

Nakago – seems to have Katte Sagari yasurime/Kurijiri end

Sori – has only the slightest sori, appears to be saki-sori

Iori-Mune

Motokasane and Sakikasane are ~4.9mm and ~3.9mm respectively

Motohaba and Sakihaba are ~27.4mm and ~22.9mm respectively


Haven't had an opportunity to sit down and compare signatures to known Kunimune works deeply and the characteristics that I am able to discern, but will do so when the opportunity arises, may also send this in for a window polish when funds permit.


Pictures as follows:
 

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Pre-Copper Penny light rubbing to remove scale rust

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Post-Copper Penny usage with majority of scale rust removed:

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Mei side of the Nagako, edited slightly for better legibility for the signature
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Uda Kunimune is a kind of Nihonto that was very common in the Muromachi period, so I don't think there is any need to worry about gimei.

But this blade is so badly damaged that I think it could be very expensive to repair. Usually, a Nihonto at this condition is worth less than $500

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1 hour ago, WulinRuilong said:

Uda Kunimune is a kind of Nihonto that was very common in the Muromachi period, so I don't think there is any need to worry about gimei.

But this blade is so badly damaged that I think it could be very expensive to repair. Usually, a Nihonto at this condition is worth less than $500



I'm not seeing any significant damage that would make it anymore expensive to polish than an average out-of-polish blade. I think that sort of judgement call should be made in hand. Either way, this should be seen in person by a togishi to make that call!

And I agree with Brian, its a very nice motif!

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2 hours ago, WulinRuilong said:

Uda Kunimune is a kind of Nihonto that was very common in the Muromachi period, so I don't think there is any need to worry about gimei.

But this blade is so badly damaged that I think it could be very expensive to repair. Usually, a Nihonto at this condition is worth less than $500


I wouldn't say it's badly damaged, the scale rust cleaned up pretty nicely, though there are a few ware and a few very minor chips along the blade edge and kissaki. Though you are quite right, it will be expensive to see this blade properly polished/restored either way.  

Regarding the signature just more so wanting to identify which generation of Uda Kunimune it most likely is that said it seems the number of signature examples and correlation to generation is somewhat limited. I believe it could be produced by the 4th generation Uda Kunimune simply based on the mention is Seskos book he was known to produce Hira-zukuri Ko-wakizashi. The signature though quite muddy and degraded does seem to compare well overall with extent examples in Fujishiros and Markus Seskos books, but there is no clear delineation on which generation these respective signatures belong to. Window polish will likely be necessary going forward to correlate the other characteristics with a given generation. To my eye it compares best to the example in Fujishiros Nihon Toko Jiten Koto book on Page 318 on the left hand side which I think may be the 4th Generation due to the mention of Jo-Saku. 

 

2 hours ago, Brian said:

I like those fittings a LOT. Fishing nets hanging in the wind. Very effective portrait with just a few strokes. Are they signed?

Unfortunately it is unsigned, I'll grab a few more pictures for you when I have an opportunity. The other side of the fuchi shows what I can only assume to be seagulls.

Also I just realized I had used the wrong Kanji for his name in my initial description - should read as 國宗 instead of 国宗

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2 hours ago, Brian said:

I like those fittings a LOT. Fishing nets hanging in the wind. Very effective portrait with just a few strokes. Are they signed?

A few more photos for you, alas my photo skills do not do these fittings the justice they deserve.

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12 hours ago, ChrisW said:

I'm not seeing any significant damage that would make it anymore expensive to polish than an average out-of-polish blade. I think that sort of judgement call should be made in hand. Either way, this should be seen in person by a togishi to make that call!

The average polish cost for wakizashi is over $1000 now, it is difficult to find a togishi who would like to accept a lower price. And maybe there are more damage under the rust.

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35 minutes ago, WulinRuilong said:

The average polish cost for wakizashi is over $1000 now, it is difficult to find a togishi who would like to accept a lower price. And maybe there are more damage under the rust.

 

That is something that could only be decided by an in-hand assessment; but also whether or not it should be polished is a togishi's call, not someone on an internet forum who is only looking at pictures. You're telling him to not pursue it on suppositions and what if's. His reasons are his alone. It might just be a study piece, or he might be thinking of restoring it. The best answer we should give him is to let someone whose career is polishing to decide.

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4 hours ago, ChrisW said:

That is something that could only be decided by an in-hand assessment; but also whether or not it should be polished is a togishi's call, not someone on an internet forum who is only looking at pictures. You're telling him to not pursue it on suppositions and what if's. His reasons are his alone. It might just be a study piece, or he might be thinking of restoring it. The best answer we should give him is to let someone whose career is polishing to decide.

I didn't tell him to do or not to do something. And the market price of a polishing service not decided by a certain togishi but decided by supply and demand in the market. He needs information from different sources to make decision, not be led by the nose by a certain togishi. Don't build information barrier.

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I am not recommending any particular togishi. Also, a person has to be extremely full of themself to think they know better than a properly trained togishi (they have to spend often a decade or more before being acknowledged as fully trained). In the end, the final word on if a blade is able to be restored/worth it is by togishi (note that the plural and singular form of that noun is togishi). I never once said he had to take the word of a SINGLE togishi as final judgement. In this case, I believe you're the one building an information barrier by insinuating the blade is not worth it to have restored (via saying there is too much rust, possible flaws [which can only be seen in hand on this particular blade], and citing cost as an issue).

I agree that he does need information from different sources, but he should take anything anyone says regarding the possibility of restoration on an online forum with a grain of salt. In hand is ALWAYS better, and togishi judgement is the final word because they are the ones who do the work. If you think a togishi is leading someone by the nose, you either have a personal problem with that particular togishi, or you haven't given thought to seeking another togishi. I don't claim to be a togishi; I only acknowledge their mastery in this subject.


George, this is your blade, and I agree with you that it is worth it to get it in the hands of a togishi for assessment and a possible window. Maybe bring it to the Chicago or San Fransisco shows if you can make it? I don't know if any/how many togishi from the states/abroad may attend, but you could at least hear other formative opinions from other collectors!

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There are many cases where it is impractical, or perhaps insulting to ask a Togishi about restoring a sword. None of us are Togishi, but many of us have had experience with the process and can offer advice that came at a high price. It is just as arrogant to discount this experience, especially as not all Togishi out there are saints. In this case Yanchen is simply being fairly pragmatic and realistic.

 

We would all be happy to see this come out as a beautifully polished sword with papers to one of the higher rated Uda Kunimune smiths.

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21 minutes ago, ChrisW said:

If you think a togishi is leading someone by the nose, you either have a personal problem with that particular togishi, or you haven't given thought to seeking another togishi. I don't claim to be a togishi; I only acknowledge their mastery in this subject.

There is something I need to point out:

1. What I said about rust and possible flaws is statement of objective fact. Another fact is, even the most experienced togishi can't tell if a rusted nihonto can be repaired because rust may hide damage (sometimes can be fatal damage) on the blade. I've seen a lot of swords being abandoned due to serious damage found in the repair process.  Therefore, it is necessary for him to fully understand the situation before making a decision.

2.Togishi may mislead customers for their own benefit(actually there was a togishi who tried to steal my sword...).  It's always good to be able to hear different people's opinions, at least the people on the forum are not "Interested Person."

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38 minutes ago, ChrisW said:

I am not recommending any particular togishi. Also, a person has to be extremely full of themself to think they know better than a properly trained togishi (they have to spend often a decade or more before being acknowledged as fully trained). In the end, the final word on if a blade is able to be restored/worth it is by togishi (note that the plural and singular form of that noun is togishi).

 I agree with that completely! You realize that people like to talk without thinking. Foot in mouth,  

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Hello George,

 

For everyone's sake, in the future, could you please downsize your photo templates before you post. Your current file size is unnecessarily large and take forever to open.

 

I'm guessing (?) that I'm not the only one that has problems with opening huge photo files on this forum.

 

Mark

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I do appreciate everyone's enthusiasm on steering me in the proper direct, thank you very much. 


Regarding Togishi, I am in contact with Woody Hall and so far it has been a pleasant experience with another blade I'm having polished by him. He appears to come highly recommended based on previous posts and by Mike Y for the blades I have in my possession. Once I have this other blade in hand I may float the question if he'd be willing to do a window polish on this one so I can at least study the piece a bit more accurately cost effectively. I'm not too concerned of hidden damage, as most of the scale rust was removed revealing the metal underneath showing just a few minor ware and some slight discoloration from the rust.

I'm not really looking to make money off of the blades I acquire, I simply want to study and learn as much as possible while doing them as much justice as I can feasibly do (and afford) 

 

13 hours ago, MHC said:

Hello George,

 

For everyone's sake, in the future, could you please downsize your photo templates before you post. Your current file size is unnecessarily large and take forever to open.

 

I'm guessing (?) that I'm not the only one that has problems with opening huge photo files on this forum.

 

Mark

Absolutely, my apologies about that, I may just post the actual album links itself instead of loading my original posts with photos going forward (unfortunately I cannot edit the post due to be over 12 hours since posting). Thank you for pointing that out for my awareness, it will not happen again. 
 

 

2 hours ago, WillFalstaff said:

I wonder why the hamachi and munemachi were moved up? For a longer tsuba? If so, that could have been a complicated and expensive move on the part of the previous owner. 

I'm not too certain, the Tsuka is of pretty standard size as far as I'm aware at about 5" / 12.7cm. Machi-okuri I believe is the term for this, but the blade is already fairly short as is. Perhaps an effort to hide a poorly executed re-tempering in the event that was needed with this blade (can't tell at all due to patina in that general area) but that's just a shot in the dark guess. Very curious indeed

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