Koa Isshin Mantetsu with gunome hamon

[Gerry]

Here's the only 2nd ever koa isshina mantetsu sword I've ever seen with a gunome temperline:

https://www.jauce.com/auction/b1230588478?allow=1

 

 

The other one I've seen is one that I owned, and I sold it in 2021 for only $2500. I should have found a way to sell it in the Japanese market, where koa isshin mantetsu blades apparently command exorbitant prices!

[Bruce Pennington]

Gerry,

Was yours a Winter 1942 blade, too?  I have this and another on file, both signed as "Takanobu quenched".  

[lonely panet]

sceptical hamish is sceptical.

a koa isshin with fresh hadori polish with full togi markings under the habaki.  i cant think of any traditionally trained togishi that would polish a "matetsu"

i personally think this is something like a mumei seki-to with alot of nice work put into it to make ahuge profit selling into the west.

 

theres always a 1st in the wide world of military swords,  but all these rare wonderfull jems are only comming out of the wood work now.  nothing seen back when the books being written?

and all from a seller that deals in nic-nacks not nihonto

i think someone overpaid.  thats in top level yasukuni ranges

 

 

Edited May 25 by lonely panet

[Gerry]

Mine is from a different year, and doesn't state the swordsmiths name on the nakago, but has the same habaki, and a high end shirasaya.

 

[Bruce Pennington]

3 hours ago, Gerry said:

Mine is from a different year, and doesn't state the swordsmiths name on the nakago,

I remember yours, Gerry.  No serial number, which fits a couple of the Takanobu blades.  Unusual, though, as it is a Koa.  I only have 4 other '44 blades with Koa Isshin and they are all in the last series of the year.

[Hhj770809]

This inscription is not original; it is a later replica and does not conform to the authentic style.

[Bruce Pennington]

13 hours ago, Hhj770809 said:

This inscription is not original;

I was also concerned that the kanji looked freshly cut compared to the rest of the nakago.

 

I found our original discussion of this blade here: 

 

While there are reasons to suspect this as gimei, one of the compelling arguements for it being legit is the rounded nakago mune.  In 1944, SMR was making flat mune, but of the 4 Koa Isshin '44s, and it's hard to see in most photos, but one of them - Spring '44 SE 2409 - has a rounded mune.  So, tough call, but I don't see someone finding a mumei WWII blade with rounded mune, then cutting a gimei Mantetsu signature.  Even the lining of Gerry's shirasaya is curved to fit the rounded mune.