NTHK NPO and NBTHK

[Bosco]

The result is here, the paper will take a month or so. 

[Natichu]

4 hours ago, Bosco said:

The result is here, the paper will take a month or so. 

Were you given any particular rationale as to why it's been given the "Den" qualifier? 

[Bosco]

1 minute ago, Natichu said:

Were you given any particular rationale as to why it's been given the "Den" qualifier? 

Its a mumei. So they given the Den.

[Natichu]

14 minutes ago, Bosco said:

Its a mumei. So they given the Den.

Interesting! My limited understanding was there is normally some reason why it is given even on a mumei blade - many mumei blades receive attributions without "Den" qualifiers - so I just wondered if you received any information. No offence intended, I'm a big fan of the blade! Just wanted to see if we could learn more about it. 

 

At any rate, an interesting read on the topic:

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20210126050136/https://blog.yuhindo.com/den/

 

 

[Bosco]

1 hour ago, Natichu said:

Interesting! My limited understanding was there is normally some reason why it is given even on a mumei blade - many mumei blades receive attributions without "Den" qualifiers - so I just wondered if you received any information. No offence intended, I'm a big fan of the blade! Just wanted to see if we could learn more about it. 

 

At any rate, an interesting read on the topic:

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20210126050136/https://blog.yuhindo.com/den/

 

 

It’s previous paper is NPO NTHK Yushu-to as Den Yamato Shizu ( Kemmu ).

Edited 7 hours ago by Bosco

[eternal_newbie]

3 hours ago, Natichu said:

Were you given any particular rationale as to why it's been given the "Den" qualifier?

 

With Shodai and Nidai Nobukuni it's hard to distinguish between the two without a signature (see https://nihontoclub.com/schools/YamashiroNobukuni) so in this case a "Den" makes sense in the absence of any conclusive evidence (signature, provenance) proving it's the Shodai.

[Natichu]

1 hour ago, eternal_newbie said:

 

With Shodai and Nidai Nobukuni it's hard to distinguish between the two without a signature (see https://nihontoclub.com/schools/YamashiroNobukuni) so in this case a "Den" makes sense in the absence of any conclusive evidence (signature, provenance) proving it's the Shodai.

Ahh, makes sense. Always interesting to get into the details of what exactly an attribution means. Thank you! 

[eternal_newbie]

Another early Nobukuni, where the NBTHK were even less certain which one it could be: https://yakiba.com/nobukuni-tanto/. Here they gave the attribution "Nobukuni (Nanbokucho)", effectively saying it could be either the shodai or the nidai. 

 

Ed notes that "In most instances the works of Nobukuni smiths are papered or attributed to a time period or era opposed to a specific generation." In the case of the blade being described here, I think the sugata (classic Enbun-Joji) places it in a firm period within Nanbokucho that makes it more certain that it's the work of the shodai, but that small amount of doubt over exactly which periods the shodai and nidai worked in leads to the "Den" in the absence of anything concrete (as well as the other factors that could lead one to attribute it to Yamato Shizu).