Miike swords

[nihon]

Just 2 small questions. What's the number of juyo+ miike swords out there and the general desirability of miike swords.

[Rivkin]

In general its a very rare school with some connection to other early Kyushu works, especially Bungo Yukihira.

Is it desirable - its neither high nor low attribution, you have to look at the blade. But high end Miike will be desirable.

[Jussi Ekholm]

There is 1 Kokuhō, 2 Jūyō Bunkazai, 2 Jūyō Bijutsuhin and 2 Tokubetsu Jūyō swords.

 

The difficulty I personally see in Miike swords is that extremely few of them are appointed to the founder. I think the vast majority of Miike swords are actually from Late Kamakura - Nanbokuchō period. There is the legendary founder and later Mitsuyo smiths but the school apparently ran until late Muromachi period. However other smiths than Mitsuyo generations are very unknown.

 

I have seen this JūBi Mitsuyo two times in the museum and it is a wonderful sword, however I believe this one is late Kamakura - early Nanbokuchō sword: www.touken-world.jp/search-noted-sword/juyobijutsuhin-meito/14360/