MORE IMAGES ADD3D. Koto tanto mei Shintogo Kunimitsu….dated Dec 1313….arms fair find.

[Matsunoki]

Having just sold my final sword and told myself I was no longer collecting swords (I was never a blade collector….just complete swords)  I was caught off guard by this (to me) intriguing little Koto tanto blade in an old shirasaya that whispered “buy me” from across the room at an arms fair. It was just lying there on the table top of a lovely gentleman who had some very interesting diverse weaponry.

Just from these first few poor images can anybody put flesh on the “Kunimitsu” Mei…..or the date?

The horimono are very well executed imo and the overall appearance is one of elegance and quality (again imo) despite obvious machi okuri. The nakago has a very dark/black patina that does not look fake with some later more active rust.

I will try to image the hada and hamon/boshi in due course but meantime……I’d love your opinions.

Thanks for looking!

And….Seasons greetings!

 

 

[nulldevice]

Shintogo Kunimitsu 新藤五国光

The date looks to be Showa 2, 12th month (December 1313): 正和二年十二月

 

 

[Ray Singer]

You can review a really extensive discussion on Shintogo at the link below with many reference examples to compare with.
 

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[Rivkin]

From little that is seen I would say there is equally little reason for Shintogo optimism. But it appears to be an interesting and quality, possibly Soshu tanto from Muromachi (?). Long kaeri? Shimada, Nobukuni etc... but there is a chance its something better. In which case its likely be something northern.

Edited Monday at 07:14 PM by Rivkin

[Lewis B]

Interesting. Whats the nagasa measurement? Mitsu or iorimune?

[Matsunoki]

@Lewis B

Hi Lewis, strange coincidence yes?

I’ll get on the case in the morning. Only just back from the arms fair earlier today and  couldn’t wait to seek opinions….but I’m out on my feet and need some sleep!

Best. Colin

[Matsunoki]

@Lewis B

Morning Lewis (and anyone interested)……I need all the help I can get. My ability to form an opinion on this is zero……but I do get an unexplained vibe. (Please don’t laugh at that!….hunches have served me well in the past)

I did not buy it for the Mei……that was unknown when I bought it. 

 

Some further details….

Mitsumune

Nagasa 18.0 cm but slightly machiokuri

Overall 26.9 cm Motohaba 2.1cm

Motokasane 5.5mm

Nakago kasane 7.0mm

 

@Ray Singer

Many thanks for the link. I’m sure I’ll end up totally confused but I’ll set aside a lot of time and try to get my uneducated brain working. Meantime any opinions, good or not good are welcome. 
 

I would think the horimono are later but still rather well done imo

 

I will set about trying to capture some detail on the rather complex hamon and boshi and hada. The old polish with a few stabilised stains does not help much.
 

I suspect there is a lovely koshirae somewhere feeling lonely. All I got was an old but well made shirasaya with wooden habaki and black horn mekugi…..all fitting perfectly

[Lewis B]

Just to get you started. Check out the Mei on this signed Shintogo Kunimitsu dated 1315 that was part of  the Sano Museum exhibition in the early 2000's. Several of the kanji are shared by your tanto and this example. Note the atypical style of 'mitsu' carving. 

 

 

[CSM101]

Shintogo Kunimitsu ko itame hada plus a suguha hamon.  I can´t see anything like that in your tanto.

 

 

I think, there is one blade with a midare hamon in existence.

[Lewis B]

30 minutes ago, CSM101 said:

Shintogo Kunimitsu ko itame hada plus a suguha hamon.  I can´t see anything like that in your tanto.

 

 

I think, there is one blade with a midare hamon in existence.

And there are even doubts that 'Midare-Shintogo' is Shoshin. Its been suggested its the work of Yukimitsu signing daimei-daisaku.

[Matsunoki]

@Lewis B

Well Lewis, I’ve read through your linked thread twice and I think I need medication!

Early on in my collecting (40+years ago) I took a decision not to chase down the rabbit holes of mei and their authentication simply because I realised I would never attain the level of knowledge that I would like and would end up confused and frustrated. Also I have huge trouble with remembering any names so I just focussed on collecting complete swords with Edo untouched koshirae that I found attractive and of what I deemed decent quality.

So when faced with this challenge I happily accept that I stand no chance whatsoever!

If I skip past the multiple layers of widely varying mei, varying opinions, daisaku and daisakudaimei etc and simply look at the forging and hardening then I have grave doubts…..although exceptions always exist.

I will have a crack at images of the forging etc hopefully tomorrow and see what if anything it tells us.

 

However, it would be nice if we could believe that it is actually a small Kamakura period tanto of dubious pedigree but even that is probably over ambitious!

[Lewis B]

Yep that thread became a deep dive for every signature nuance and subtlety associated with Shintogo Kunimitsu and his acolytes. I hope the information deposited there, distilled down to a few key points, will be enough to sway the Shinsa panel. If not then the quest will continue. Question now is does the forging meet Shintogo's very high standard. The togishi seems to think so. 

[Matsunoki]

9 minutes ago, Lewis B said:

Question now is does the forging meet Shintogo's very high standard. The togishi seems to think so. 

Lewis, all of my comments above were about my blade…..please don’t think I was casting doubt or even expressing an opinion on yours!
I  hope yours gets the desired result!

[Matsunoki]

Well, I’ve tried to capture some of the activity in this little tanto. Hellish tricky with an old polish and stains just where yiu don’t want them…..there is a lot more “midare” that falls outside of the remaining Hadori finish that simply will not show up.

OK so we do not have the classic Kunimitsu but does anything else suggest itself?

Could we say it is a Kamakura period blade or are we drifting later?

All opinions welcome 

[Lewis B]

On 12/9/2025 at 6:24 PM, Matsunoki said:

Lewis, all of my comments above were about my blade…..please don’t think I was casting doubt or even expressing an opinion on yours!
I  hope yours gets the desired result!

I certainly didn't take anything negative. There are so many blades with 'atypical' Mei that have received a Shintogo attribution based on the quality of the forging. Like Norishige he has quite a distinctive forging style.

I was merely making a statement about the status of the blade in my thread. The Shirasaya is being made, hibachi has been refurbished and then it goes for polish. 

[atm]

I can see why you were drawn to this blade @Matsunoki. The condition isn't too bad, and a new polish would really highlight what we can already see.

[ROKUJURO]

I will confess that I don't have any competence in this field, so let me ask about the qualtity of the HORIMONO. Just from a solely personal view, I do not find it very appealing, but as it is an expression of another culture, I am probably way off, but ready to learn.
How "good" is it actually?

[PNSSHOGUN]

Have to agree that the blade looks to have some interesting qualities. After examining these closer photos the Horimono is somewhat unfortunate for my eyes at least, but that particular subject of Fudo Myo-o tends to look awkward even when done by known Horimono artists of repute.    

[Matsunoki]

9 hours ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

Horimono is somewhat unfortunate for my eyes at least, but that particular subject of Fudo Myo-o tends to look awkward even when done by known Horimono artists of repute.    

Horimono…..they generate very polarised opinions yes?

To the blade purist this tanto would for sure be better off without it but to the bling loving  merchant that possibly had it done it was the height of fashion. I suspect this tanto had a very flashy koshirae as well…..possibly Bakumatsu, but that is pure speculation.

9 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

How "good" is it actually?

As John says, figural horimono are notoriously difficult to execute, trying to get a 3d vision of a fierce and scary divinity  into a small 2d space is not easy. Dragons, bonji  etc are simpler. The actual figure of Fudo is only 4cm high and a lot of detail has been crammed into that space. Personally I think it is 8/10 for a Fudo one but opinions will vary. Also….they are very difficult to get a decent image of and in this case I was focussing much more on the blade forging details which  has distorted the horimono on several pics (taken at slanted angles rather that full on flat).

 

Any other opinions anyone? 
No-one prepared to give the blade a shot?🙂 

[eternal_newbie]

29 minutes ago, Matsunoki said:

but to the bling loving  merchant that possibly had it done it was the height of fashion.

 

One other reason horimono are added to blades is to hide flaws (fukure, ware, heavy rust damage). Not saying that's the case here, but something to keep in mind, especially when you see a horimono that's particularly clumsily executed or awkwardly placed.

[eternal_newbie]

27 minutes ago, Matsunoki said:

I was focussing much more on the blade forging details which  has distorted the horimono on several pics

 

Also if the blade was polished at some point the horimono would have lost some of its original definition.

[Brian]

Honestly, I don't think the horimono is up to the standard we'd want to see. It's good, but not at the higher end.
As far as the blade is concerned, I think it looks Koto, but I'm not qualified to say more. But overall a nice piece that I probably would have grabbed myself.

This is the sort of horimono I'd want to be seeing.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

I can see why you pounced on this one, Colin. The scent of the hunt! The temptation to take a punt. Love these pursuits for the truth! 

[eternal_newbie]

2 hours ago, Matsunoki said:

No-one prepared to give the blade a shot?

 

Soshu-influenced, so Nanbokucho at earliest. Shimada maybe, or one of the northern Etchu/Echizen smiths after being influenced by Norishige. There are more, shall we say prestigious, possibilities, but for that the current state of the polish would hide the fine activities and nie they're known for.

 

Could also be a later smith doing their shot at a Norishige utsushi.

[Hector]

A really sweet blade! I'd have grabbed that in a shot, given half a chance. 👍

 

To my amateur eye, the horimono, bonji and hi all look balanced and well positioned. The latter two definitely seem to have had some wear through polishing. I can't see the horimono clearly enough to give an opinion but I think it may be a later edition; as you said, probably a Bakumatsu merchant who loved the idea of a big name on his tanto but wanted to 'pimp it up' slightly.

 

(By the way, to anyone using voice recognition, be warned that horimono and bonji are picked up as "hormonal bungee".)