m_f Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Hi, As a Iaido enthusiast I have purchased this nihonto (as you can see in photos) : it is mumei and nagasa measures 71.5 cm ( 28.15 inches). I think it is O-suriage. The seller said it is a shinshinto, perhaps made in 1840s. Do you agree with this period attribution? In my opinion the nagako is too much rusty and perhaps it is a bit older... Does anyone agree with me? Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivkin Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Yes, late Muromachi does come to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_f Posted March 20 Author Report Share Posted March 20 Could it be that this nihonto is shinshinto but the nagako has been altered to look like koto? I know that there are many gimei in circulation, but the sword doesn't keep any signature, so it cannot be a gi-mei... Has anyone ever seen a mumei sword altered to look older? Why didn't they add a false signature? I'm asking this because the seller was very sure it is a shinshinto... ...he also hypothesized the sword maker's school... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROKUJURO Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Matteo, it is really difficult to make a judgement with photos alone! There are SHIN SHINTO blades which were made to look older - I once owned one. But this may only be seen by an expert/TOGISHI. Usually, SHIN SHINTO blades are not often shortened, and your NAKAGO (not Nagako...) does indeed look convincingly like KOTO, or at least not typically SHIN SHINTO. You could also look at the MUNE of your blade. Is there a considerable material loss from polishing, compared withe the NAKAGO MUNE? But even that could have been faked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihonto student Posted March 22 Report Share Posted March 22 Ciao Matteo, based on the sugata and the conditions of the nakago I would quote Kirill regarding the fact that late Muromachi have to be taken into consideration but beyond the issue of falsifications where you can already find many treads on the forum I would like to express a personal reflection: Shinshinto, mumei, suriage, unpapered put these elements together in the same description and you will not have a desirable object at least on paper (This is absolutely not a judgment on the blade itself Matteo) if the seller specializes in nihonto, and has had the opportunity to studying the blade thoroughly and reselling it declaring the above-mentioned characteristics for me is already in itself a good sign of honesty, if he had had doubts or wrong intentions he could have sold it as late Muromachi and the blade would have had a greater appeal (at least on paper) to be sold more quickly. Giordy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_f Posted March 22 Author Report Share Posted March 22 Thank you all for these observations, I made this post because looking at the nakago I had some doubt about the sword’ s age… I was looking for a healthy sword for iaido practice and in my opinion I think shinshinto blades could be still used nowadays with much attention… I trust the seller and I belive the correctness of his opinion, even though I’d like to listen to further opinions. Thank you all, Matteo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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