Double Signature Sword Papering

[cookiemonstah47]

Greetings everyone,

 

I while back I was fortunate enough to be able to acquire a sword from a gun and coin shop that features signatures of two smiths. The signatures are believed to read as Kii Kuni Tsunahiro and Kami Minamoto Norihiro from around 1650-1700. The sword is in exceptional condition and will be sent to Jimmy Hayashi for polishing. Do I have a papering advantage given that it is signed by two smiths? I would be psyched if it papers above tokubetsu hozon. It came with a modest copper habaki in excellent condition. I'd be more than happy to feature it in the San Francisco sword show after it is restored. I'd really like to have it professionally photographed as well.

 

Let us know what you think,

Khalid 

[Lexvdjagt]

Hello Khalid, it is really difficult to judge a sword for shinsa without having it in hand. There is no such thing as a papering advantage because this has the mei of two smiths. As this practice was not uncommon in the Shinto period. First the signature needs to be authentic, and then the overall quality has to be of a certain level for it to receive papers. It is best to have it seen in person by an experienced collector or dealer, who either has submitted to shinsa themselves or knows people personally who do so.

 

I am assuming that you are talking about this sword previously discussed:

 

I will not comment on the signature as I do not have as much experience with Shinto pieces. But I can say that achieving anything above Tokubetsu Hozon will be very unlikely. Again, I think this sword should be seen in hand, this can even be done before polishing. This will ensure you get a proper idea of it will pass shinsa or not. 
 

 

Greetings,

Lex

[cookiemonstah47]

Hi Lex,

 

The sword appears to be metallurgically sound. I found it appealing due to its Miji-hada like appearance. I do not know if that really is the hada because the sword is out of polish and might reveal something that is hidden. This can be a good and/or bad thing.

[Lexvdjagt]

45 minutes ago, cookiemonstah47 said:

Hi Lex,

 

The sword appears to be metallurgically sound. I found it appealing due to its Miji-hada like appearance. I do not know if that really is the hada because the sword is out of polish and might reveal something that is hidden. This can be a good and/or bad thing.

 

At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is if you personally like the sword. As long as you are not going through this process expecting financial gain or a certain level of NBTHK papers, then you won't be disappointed. 

[Bugyotsuji]

You may be looking too far ahead and counting your chickens before they are hatched.

A katana? The immediate decision is whether to have this blade polished and would it be worth the considerable cost. A joint work is however a nice little background bonus.

[Toryu2020]

Has Jimmy seen the sword? Does he think it is Shinsa worthy? I would go with Jimmy’s assessment…

[Scogg]

Indeed; I would follow Jimmy Hayashi's in-hand advice over all else

[Rivkin]

Two very rare Edo period smiths make for a really attractive signature and its unlikely to be faked. However, quite possibly it is otherwise just average Ishido(?) sword, attractive but not more than that. If its not, that would be an exception rather than a rule.

[cookiemonstah47]

7 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

You may be looking too far ahead and counting your chickens before they are hatched.

A katana? The immediate decision is whether to have this blade polished and would it be worth the considerable cost. A joint work is however a nice little background bonus.

 

It is a wakizashi. It took me a while to understand the significance of length in value. Jimmy plans on evaluating it at the San Fransisco sword show. As with any sword I look to see if it is "good enough" to warrant an exceptional polish. I've also come to find that mumei swords are usually of lesser pedigree than zaimei ones. Then there's mumei, suriage or o-suriage ones. And, ultimately taste is a factor as well.