HVM Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 Hello everyone, It's been a while since my last post, but I'm excited to share that I've recently acquired a beautiful Wakizashi crafted by Echizen-no-kami NOBUYOSHI. Unfortunately, the tang is shortened, which is a bit of a drawback, but the signature (Mei) is still clearly visible. Might this have been a katana back in the days? I believe the original polish remains intact, and I've also noticed what appears to be the signature of the original polisher (if my information is correct). I'm eager to hear your knowledgeable insights regarding my new acquisition, particularly if there's more information available about the smith. For instance, I'm curious about the significance of the emperor flower motif on the blade. Would that mean that Echizen was in service to the emperor? Below is the information I've gathered about this Wakizashi: Nakago (tong): The tang is shortened, with two mekugi-ana mounting holes. It features O-Sujikai (strongly left sloping) file marks with Kesho (horizontal) file marks. The signature on the obverse includes a KIKU flower emblem with above the support hole, followed by the official district title Echizen-no-kami 越前守 awarded by the Imperial Court, the name of the Fujiwara clan 源, and the blacksmith name NOBUYOSHI 信吉. The NOBUYOSHI 信吉 family traces its origins to the first blacksmith Takai Shinano-no-kami NOBUYOSHI 高井信濃守信吉, who was related to the Mishina 三品家 family in Kyoto during the early Edo period in the mid-17th century. Both the MISHINA and NOBUYOSHI families regularly chiselled the KIKU (imperial seal) emblem. The sword maker in question, Echizen-no-kami NOBUYOSHI 越前守信吉, is believed to be the son or younger brother of the first blacksmith Shinano-mo-kami NOBUYOSHI 信濃守信吉 in Kyoto, who established a branch in Settsu (Osaka). Despite being an old polish, the wakizashi still shows some dark spots on the lower back, which can be completely removed by touch-up. It retains a rich volume and abundant Hiraniku (leaf flesh), and the tang (nakago) shows clear chisel marks of inscriptions indicating an age of 330 years or more. Both NTHK and NBTHK certificates are included. Old Polish/state: The sword is in very good condition and falls within the scale mint-excellent-very good-good-fair-poor. It comes with a single-layer Habaki collar with gold foil and is preserved in a simple wooden Shira-Saya mounting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HVM Posted March 23 Author Report Share Posted March 23 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 52 minutes ago, HVM said: The signature on the obverse includes a KIKU flower emblem with above the support hole, followed by the official district title Echizen-no-kami 越前守 awarded by the Imperial Court, the name of the Fujiwara clan 源, and the blacksmith name NOBUYOSHI 信吉. Hello Hylke, The actual name, Nobuyoshi, is cut-off. We can guess that the name Nobuyoshi would have been on the part of the tang that was cut off, but it doesn't actually say Nobuyoshi (nor does the registration card). If you have photos of the NBTHK certificates, it may indicate who they believe the maker is. Echizen is the name of a province. It corresponds to current-day Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures. The actual title is "Kami" (守), and it was granted by the government. Its more or less a courtesy title, meaning Lord, or sometimes translated as Governor (although the title doesn't come with any special authority). So its kind of of like "Lord of Echizen". The smith would apply to the government to receive this title. The emperor would have little to do with it. And the smith might not even live or work in Echizen. Its just a title granted to show that the smith is a good smith. Well, the government makes some money from receiving the request and granting the title, so it is a bit "transactional" as they say. The chrysanthemum symbol may require the emperor's approval - I'll have to dig into the books. My gut feeling it that all of these privileges were controlled by the government (not the royal family), and the emperor was marginally involved, if at all. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROKUJURO Posted March 23 Report Share Posted March 23 Hylke, to answer your question: Unless it is now close to or longer than 56 cm, it wasn't a KATANA (2 SHAKU or 606 mm). Only a few centimeters were cut off the NAKAGO, so WARA (from FUJIWARA) and the smith's name are missing. To guess the original length of the blade, you could add the distance between the MEKUGI-ANA to the actual length. This is just approximate. In case you want to post more photos, I recommend to proceed as follows: - pictures of the NAKAGO (tip always pointing upwards) and of the naked blade (full length) - taken directly from above - with light from the side - well focused - showing details like HAMON, HADA and HATARAKI - against a dark background to get a good contrast - and presented as cut-out so nothing is distracting from the blade itself 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John C Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 If it is Echizen Nobuyoshi, I believe the younger brother of Takai Kinzaburo (Shinano no kami Nobuyoshi), he was the better of the 3 generations. I have a 2nd gen Nobuyoshi the lesser known brother (or son). Below is an oshigata of Echizen Nobuyoshi for comparison. John C. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HVM Posted March 24 Author Report Share Posted March 24 Thank you all for this valuable information. I will try and make better pictures with as little glare and reflections as possible. But if I understand it correct, the true name of the smith is not on the tang anymore, due to the cut off? I am missing the last three characters. Why would they do this? As I look at the cut-off part, it must have probably been done very long ago, as the rust and patina looks simmilar as the rest of the tang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HVM Posted March 24 Author Report Share Posted March 24 16 hours ago, John C said: If it is Echizen Nobuyoshi, I believe the younger brother of Takai Kinzaburo (Shinano no kami Nobuyoshi), he was the better of the 3 generations. I have a 2nd gen Nobuyoshi the lesser known brother (or son). Below is an oshigata of Echizen Nobuyoshi for comparison. John C. The first four characters seem to match mine. I am just missing the last three. So probably hard to give it a final verdict on the maker I guess. Not that that changes anything for me, as I really like the condition it is in and the craftmanship it is showing to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 On your sword you have 越前守源 Echizen-no-kami Minamoto 越前守源 Echizen-no-kami Minamoto Minamoto is a clan name. It is common to put a clan name on swords, and Minamoto is the most common clan name. It wouldn't be too hard to give a final verdict, I think, but often it is hard to do so just by looking at photographs. Actually the sword tends to be more important than the inscription. What I mean is, the appraisers will look at the sword, the shape, the tip, the steel, the grain, any crystal structures in the steel, etc... and base their determination largely on those things, rather than on the signature. Well, of course they look at both, but if the sword is a perfect match for what a Nobuyoshi sword should look like, they will accept some slight variations in the signature. On the other hand, if the signature is a perfect match, but the sword shows a lot of deviations from a typical Nobuyoshi sword, they may deem the sword to be a fake. Swords were shortened for a variety of reasons. It is very, very common in the sword world to find a shortened sword. Maybe the sword was damaged and was shortened to remove the damaged bit. Maybe the original size was too long for the person who acquired it, and so they wanted it shortened for ease of use. Or maybe the sword was acquired by a non-samurai, who wasn't allowed to have a long sword, so it was shortened to comply with the rules for swords for commoners. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HVM Posted March 24 Author Report Share Posted March 24 24 minutes ago, SteveM said: On your sword you have 越前守源 Echizen-no-kami Minamoto 越前守源 Echizen-no-kami Minamoto Minamoto is a clan name. It is common to put a clan name on swords, and Minamoto is the most common clan name. It wouldn't be too hard to give a final verdict, I think, but often it is hard to do so just by looking at photographs. Actually the sword tends to be more important than the inscription. What I mean is, the appraisers will look at the sword, the shape, the tip, the steel, the grain, any crystal structures in the steel, etc... and base their determination largely on those things, rather than on the signature. Well, of course they look at both, but if the sword is a perfect match for what a Nobuyoshi sword should look like, they will accept some slight variations in the signature. On the other hand, if the signature is a perfect match, but the sword shows a lot of deviations from a typical Nobuyoshi sword, they may deem the sword to be a fake. Swords were shortened for a variety of reasons. It is very, very common in the sword world to find a shortened sword. Maybe the sword was damaged and was shortened to remove the damaged bit. Maybe the original size was too long for the person who acquired it, and so they wanted it shortened for ease of use. Or maybe the sword was acquired by a non-samurai, who wasn't allowed to have a long sword, so it was shortened to comply with the rules for swords for commoners. Very informative! Thank you. I will do my best making good photos soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2devnul Posted April 9 Report Share Posted April 9 Hi, Can you post picture of NBTHK certificate? Maybe there is attribution in that paper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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