Hachisuka Masamune

[Lewis B]

It's blades like this that keep my fascination for Nihonto. This guy takes some amazing images of these superlative blades and all from behind glass. Kudos to the museum for getting the lighting just right.

 

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1996901080882456&set=pcb.1996902534215644

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lonely panet]

i can only imagine 

[Hoshi]

Hello, 

 

These are indeed lovely pics of a magnificent nie-deki. 

 

We are lucky to live in a time where high-grade digital cameras can take incredible pictures to immortalize experiences, even behind museum glass. 

 

There is a point in life where collecting is not feasible anymore. Inevitably, taste outgrow wallets - and if not - the supply wall inevitably hits. The reality is that after some time, as the mind habituates, one comes to realize that there are only very few swords that truly feel otherworldly, and possess this mysterious grace that makes you question if a human could have made it. 

 

This is why collecting experiences is the more sustainable path to growth, and through the skillful use of photography, to preserve them and share them with others is a noble pursuit. 

 

Best,

 

Hoshi

Edited Thursday at 08:52 AM by Hoshi

[Lewis B]

1 hour ago, Hoshi said:

 

This is why collecting experiences is the more sustainable path to growth, and through the skillful use of photography, to preserve them and share them with others is a noble pursuit. 

 

 

I agree with this sentiment wholeheatedly. And why membership and attendance at NBTHK-EB or AB meets is so rewarding. Many of the members are exceptionally generous with their collections and occasionally its possible to handle these otherworldly blades and not be restricted to viewing them through a lens. 

[Schneeds]

Well stated, Hoshi.  That reminds me of a good friend of mine who was a long time avid hunter.  He told me once there came a time when he put down the rifle in favor of a camera, and enjoys it even more.  

[Lukrez]

My heartfelt thanks also go to everyone who has the privileged access to extraordinary works, who capture them in photos and videos, and who make them available to the rest of us. Knowledge always comes at a price, and habituation, can become toxic—it has to do with the way our nervous system functions. In many ways, this is the state we all live in. We are tormented by our ravenous minds; it is both terrible and beautiful at the same time. I believe it is truly a narrow path, and we all try to walk it. That is why we create art.

I think each of us knows that a nihonto has power - and the more time we invest, the more meaning they take on for us. For many of us, the photos, videos, and PDFs that some of you have shared this year mean more than you might realize. Most of us will never hold a masterpiece in our hands —perhaps only once a year, during a trip to Japan, when we view it through a glass case in a museum. So we inevitably rely on words and images. But, as good as they are, they remain a poor substitute for direct perception. It’s clear that much will always remain inaccessible to us. We simply have to accept that. Yet the beautiful thing is that this limitation forces us to seek other perspectives; it compels us to look from different angles. This is also how, I believe, some of us experience nihonto: as ancient spirits and deities of beauty, as tools for thinking and seeing, referencing the profound mysteries Japan has to offer.

 

[CSM101]

[Jussi Ekholm]

I saw this sword at 2024 NBTHK exhibition, and I do need lot more sword study to really understand things. As the NBTHK article states "This is the perfection of Sōshū den work". I personally liked the Sadamune and Hiromitsu short swords in the same exhibition far more than this Masamune. 

[Lewis B]

That was a great read Uwe and it mirrors my reaction to the blade. There is an organic sophistication to the forging that is beguiling, in a very understated way. Truly a masterwork amongst masterworks. 

 

The reference to a dated Masamune blade for 1314 was especially interesting. This coincides with the earliest known Norishige sword (1310) and neatly meshes with the presumed death of the atelier's master, which could have been the catalyst for these 'apprentices' to transition towards their independent swordsmithing endeavours and the appearance of these early dated works. 

[CSM101]

[Gakusee]

Well, I had to downsize them and recut them but as there is so much excitement around that blade, I am sharing my images of that Masamune. The video I have is too big for here.