Help Needed - Fake or Genuine Koshirae??

[Marcus Devonport]

Hi All, 

Im hoping I could get some general opinions on a set of koshirae im being offered. Whilst I have some foundational knowledge on Nihonto, I'm struggling with identifying authentic Tosogu. 

 

Matching set of tiger & bamboo themed fittings (fuchi-kashira, koiguchi, kurigata & kojiri)- I'm conflicted on whether these are correct, period fittings or reproduction? I'd love to learn more. 

 

My initial observations:

Tsukamaki is more elaborate than most, being jabaramaki wrap- and the seppa/kozuka/kogai also look above average quality- which makes me all the more confused whether it's genuine, as I've seen nothing like these before. 

 

Thanks all, any advise is appreciated - I'm trying my best to better understand how to tell reproductions apart. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Looks good from here. Do you have some overall shots?

[Marcus Devonport]

Thanks for the response! 

 

Unfortunately, no photos which show the overall koshirae- just close ups of the 'individual bits'

Haven't got access to many photos, with the best already being shared. 

I do have the below, for reference. Bit it's not the subject of the photo

[Ian B3HR2UH]

Grab it

[Jake6500]

These fittings seem authentic to my eye. The fuchi seems to be made of good quality material. Not sure what this is priced at but if you're thinking of buying, seems like a decent purchase.

[Lewis B]

I like what I see. The detail is well executed and overall the design is nicely balanced. The shakudo work is high quality. Is there a signature on the tsuba?

Are you only considering the koshirae or is the blade also being offered? I would expect the blade to be of equal quality.

I'd grab it depending on the price. 

[Grey Doffin]

Not commenting on the mei of the fuchi (which is upside down BTW) which may or may not be correct but the work cannot possibly be fake. This is very nice.

Grey

[Marcus Devonport]

Apologies. The pics were sent on from the seller, but I should have rotated the orientation of the Mei. 

The sword is coming out of a deceased estate, with the box being discovered by the family during house clearance- I was exploring the idea of the piece being partially cast Export work, after having recent conversations with some well esteemed UK collectors. 

 

Thank you everyone, for your responses so far... 

[Curran]

Trust yourself more.

Even if the signature on the fuchi proves to be false, -that is not uncommon.

Overall, it looks like a nice koshirae that has probably been stored a little too long. Extremely nice looking wrap.

 

[Marcus Devonport]

Thanks Cur- couldn't agree more about the wrap, it's beautiful work. Think I'll be placing an offer on this sword, with the collective response from the NMB community tipping the decision 

[Lewis B]

I think this is a good decision. Please post more images of the blade, including the nakago, if the negotiations bare fruit. It appears to be a wakizashi and have some potential. 

[Marcus Devonport]

Hi All, 

Wanted to come back to this thread with a long awaited update. 

I eventually made the 4 hour journey to look over the wakizashi in person.

 

I was instantly drawn to this sword; whilst not in pristine polish, I thought the blade showed a great amount of promise.

The sword showed all the hallmarks of classic 'Bizen-Den' workmanship- it may be the first time I've been able to observe Utsuri within a blade, outside of a textbook  

I'll drop a few photos in the thread for those interested- I think it may well be a good candidate for Shinsa application, in the near future. 

 

 

[Marcus Devonport]

Edited September 29 by Marcus Devonport

[Marcus Devonport]

[Marcus Devonport]

Now onto the koshirae...

I cant understate how impressed I was, upon seeing it in person- And its left me with a newfound appreciation for Tosogu.

I'm really fond of the subject matter; 'Tigers in Bamboo Grove'- a theme that carries on into the design of the Fuchi-Kashira, Koiguchi, Kurigata & Kojiri.

As a complete set, it gives a nice sense of continuity to the Koshirae. 

 

But for me, the stand-out quality of the Futakoromono was the biggest highlight.

Both the Kogai & Kozuka feature a golden trio of Aoi-Kamon, framed by an incredibly fine nanako-work background.

Its very much the focal point of the koshirae set, when on display.

Again, ill be sure to share photos.

Thanks All- hope you enjoy,

- Marcus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Brian]

Good looking sword! And I'm a sucker for well cut hi. Very nice koshirae.

[Marcus Devonport]

2 hours ago, Brian said:

Good looking sword! And I'm a sucker for well cut hi. Very nice koshirae.

Thanks Brian, it's one of the few times I've gotten lucky and managed to close a deal. 

Hardest challenge by far has been getting the photography right. Hopefully I've done it justice...

 

-Marcus. 

[Marcus Devonport]

A few bonus tosogu shots... 

 

-Marcus

[Lewis B]

I think you've done REALLY well. I would make another thread in the nihonto section for the blade. I'm sure you will get a lot of feedback there. Take a full length photo of the bare blade against a dark background. 

 

Is there a signature on tsuba?

[Marcus Devonport]

Thanks Lewis, appreciate that posting into the Nihonto section would probably be my best start! 

 

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to share thoughts with Paul Bowman and Ian Chapman, both have a lifetimes worth of experience in collecting such swords (thanks, if either are reading this!)- I would be interested in seeing how their opinions compare to that of the NBTHK Shinsa panel.

 

I don't recall the Tsuba being a signed piece, although I may have to take a second look next time it's out for maintenance. 

[Bazza]

STUNNER sword...  I'm sure the tsuba is by one of the YOSHIOKA artisans, an excellent tsuba.  Thanks for sharing.

 

BaZZa.

[Curran]

I thought Yoshioka or Yasuda (cousins) for the kozuka and kogai.

I get @Bazza call for that with the tsuba, though gut instinct is towards something else. Not sure exactly what. Yoshioka isn't a bad stab at it.

 

Just generally looks like a very good package. 

Even the seppa are better than most.

 

Full choji and visible utsuri on the blade too.

Why don't things like this ever pop up in my area? 

    --Last sword to pop up near me had 4 hagire. 4. It was a wonder the blade hadn't snapped yet.

 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Exquisite, thank you for sharing. 

[Marcus Devonport]

7 hours ago, Curran said:

I thought Yoshioka or Yasuda (cousins) for the kozuka and kogai.

I get @Bazza call for that with the tsuba, though gut instinct is towards something else. Not sure exactly what. Yoshioka isn't a bad stab at it.

 

Just generally looks like a very good package. 

Even the seppa are better than most.

 

Full choji and visible utsuri on the blade too.

Why don't things like this ever pop up in my area? 

    --Last sword to pop up near me had 4 hagire. 4. It was a wonder the blade hadn't snapped yet.

 

Thank you for the kind words.

I'm grateful that such an opportunity came up, as the sword wasn't openly on the market when it was offered to me- I had about given up on Nihonto hunting, given how infrequent the UK market can be. 

Because of this, even average blades reach astronomical prices. 

 

May look further into the yoshioka tradition, Ill hopefully start seeing some resemblances. 

What leads you in the direction of this particular school, Curran? As a beginner, interested in learning as much as I can

[Brian]

@Marcus Devonport I know of 3 fairly decent swords in the UK for sale currently (katana, TH Hozon, with koshirae, in polish) at fair prices if you are interested. Someone retiring from collecting and reached out to me for advice.

[Marcus Devonport]

I remember seeing a stunning set of swords posted on the Token Society members area, that sit a little out of my price range- remember pricing being around £8k, would these be the same ones? 

 

Would be keen to hear about them, either way 😁

I've had good luck so far with finding blades at auction, although doing my best to avoid making such decisions on unpapered items, unless I'm able to view beforehand.

 

Most of my Nihonto have been found below £2k, but looking to invest more into the hobby and getting better swords over the coming months. 

[Brian]

Don't think so. These are "out of a collection" and haven't been listed anywhere. Not going to make this a for sale post, but they were imported from Japan years ago. And have upgraded koshirae with some papered fittings ranging from H to TH.
Izumi no Kami Rai Kinmichi TH?
Mutsu no Kami Fujiwara Toshinaga TH
Tango no Kami Kanemichi (stunning sudare-ba) TH
They range from about GBP4000 to GBP8000...so probably above your budget. Will see if the seller wants me to do a for sale listing, he wants to ship only within UK.
 

[Marcus Devonport]

Would you be able to message me with details, if possible? Wouldnt rule out the potential of taking out a loan, especially for the right sword. 

[Jack Zacao]

signature on fuchi seems to be 美春

he is a student of 石黑正美

[Marcus Devonport]

Thank you, Jack- Alexander Farmer kindly offered his translation of the Mei as Juzaemon Miharu, on Facebook- it's good to see the two align and have some extra context on the lineage 🙂