Lareon Posted May 17 Report Posted May 17 Hi all, I have a blade signed yoshimitsu, I'm not sure on the blade itself but the fittings are nice i wanted to get opinions on them. 3 Quote
ROKUJURO Posted May 17 Report Posted May 17 Tony, the TOSOGU look quite nice (TSUBA photos are upside-down) and should be kept in good condition. The blade is always the most important part. Take photos of it (orientation always tip vertically up) against a dark background. The signature is somewhat unusual as it is on the URA side. Orientation of the NAKAGO should be vertical tip-upwards, and photos made with light from the side). An expert should see this in-hand for a better assessment. 2 1 Quote
Lareon Posted May 17 Author Report Posted May 17 The blade itself has nice activity and is a nice blade. The mei looks gimei, signature on the opposite side also the date isn't complete. I've always been unsure of the blade. I'm interested in the mounts because they seem good quality. Gold habaki and mekugi (menuki). The koshirae and tsuba are not things I have much knowledge on so interested in hearing more on those especially if they are of a certain school etc. Quote
ROKUJURO Posted May 17 Report Posted May 17 The date is probably meant to say "8th month a day" but unless there is more above the MEKUGI ANA it was not completed and does not seem to be written by a Japanese hand. Quote
Spartancrest Posted May 18 Report Posted May 18 5 hours ago, Lareon said: Gold habaki and mekugi. I think you mean Gold MENUKI ? [The spelling always gets me a bit confused at times too ] [come to that I am confused most of the time!] Very nice tsuba by the way - excellent detail. Not sure the other fittings actually match but they all seem good quality - I even like the seppa ! Quote
Lareon Posted May 18 Author Report Posted May 18 5 hours ago, Spartancrest said: I think you mean Gold MENUKI ? [The spelling always gets me a bit confused at times too ] [come to that I am confused most of the time!] Very nice tsuba by the way - excellent detail. Not sure the other fittings actually match but they all seem good quality - I even like the seppa ! Yup i meant the menuki, I've not unwrapped the Ito to take them out and have a look properly and probably won't but they look to be gold, ive not tested them though they are a dragon motif. The cherry blossom fuchi looks to be silver with gold foil in places. As for the blade, yes the date isn't complete. Looks to be added afterwards with a chisel at some point which is why I've dismissed the mei for now and was interested in the tosogu and overall koshirae. I've had it for a while now and I always come back to admire the tosogu. I was originally going to sell it as I'm not a fan of the blades mei but ironically i find the whole set quite beautiful so decided to keep it. Is it possible to date the tsuba or work out what school it is? This is where my knowledge is lacking. Quote
Matsunoki Posted May 18 Report Posted May 18 Gold habaki and menuki are pretty rare and generally found only on very high quality items. Can we see better pics of habaki? It looks to have some wear on it as if it is plated, or sometimes they are a thick gold foil over a base metal. Can you see if there is foil folded over?…it usually shows at the nakago end of the habaki. Is the tsuka ito fairly recently done? Looks very fresh. Could suggest the menuki are modern and plated. In the images the fuchi looks iron, not silver…..does the kashira match it? Can you show the whole sword please? Quote
Lareon Posted May 18 Author Report Posted May 18 Apologies for the confusion the fuchi is iron but the cherry blossom on it are silver and the leaves are gold The kashira is also iron with a gold section with small scalloping. The Ito I don't know if it's a recent wrap. It has staining on it from being held so unsure how old it is. The habaki has a copper inside then a separate section on top. Looks to be folded over slightly yes. I'll take pictures Quote
Lareon Posted May 18 Author Report Posted May 18 I'll get out my backdrop and DSLR later but for now. 1 Quote
Matsunoki Posted May 18 Report Posted May 18 That habaki is confusing….it looks maybe as if it has been painted gold or perhaps been given a thin plated gilt wash. It isn’t gold though sadly. The fuchi and kashira do not match (I’m sure you know they are made in matching pairs) which is a shame. The “gold section with scalloping” on the kashira are small gilt tubular eyelets that prevent the ito from being damaged by the edges of the kashira. Overall, the mismatched mountings are of very modest quality and possibly assembled in more recent times. I would not remove the Ito to check the menuki, it’s a million to one shot that they are gold. Apologies for the somewhat downbeat opinions but best to be realistic. 1 1 Quote
Lareon Posted May 18 Author Report Posted May 18 Oh it's absolutely fine, the whole thing is confusing, with the off signature I've always been wary of it, I imagine then someone has added the mei in recent times with a chisel and put together a set of mounts for it to try and pass it off as a yoshimitsu. Luckily it's of no loss to me as It was given to me but I'll keep hold of it and keep it out of the Gimei pool. Quote
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