Hoju School

[Raiden631]

Hey all,

Picked up a mid-kamakura tachi to Den Hoju with TH. I know there are very few examples so thought this would be a good reference. 
 

Nagasa: 65.1 cm 

Sugata:  Torii zori/Ubu

Sori: 2.3 cm

Motohaba: 2.6 cm

Sakihaba: 1.8 cm

Moto kasane: 5.7 mm
Saki kasane: 4.0 mm

 

Kitae:  Itame/Mokume with running nagare forming some ayasugi. Ji-nie and plenty of chikei. 

Hamon:  Ko-midare with hotsure, ashi, yo, yubashiri and kinsuji. 
Boshi:  Thin o-maru 

 

 

 

 

[2devnul]

Nice one, congratulations!

 

One remark, it is Suriage and Mei is gone, so why classifying as Tachi? I know it used to be Tachi, since there were no Katana back then. But now it presents more like Katana. 

If we look at shorten Katana to Wakizashi size, we call it Wakizashi, not Katana. If we have Naginata Naoshi Wakizashi, we call it Wakizashi, not Naginata. So why calling this one (and there are many more examples out there) Tachi? 

 

I'm not trying to look smart or be nasty, just want to understand as quite often I'm confused. Even in books I see old Tachi sometimes called Katana, otherwise called Tachi. I'm talking about the ones which have no Mei and have Nakago shape/sword dimensions Katana alike. What is the key? 

 

PS. Keep them pictures coming, I want to see more  

 

Edited July 15 by 2devnul
Typos

[Raiden631]

So the blade is Ubu and the nakago is Ubu but kiri.  There were no katana back then, so tachi.  I bought it due to this and the apparent age of it (early-mid kamakura).  It’s an excellent study piece of early Japanese sword making and the Mogusa line of swordsmiths.  I wonder why the “Den” as it fits Hoju quite well.  Maybe they didn’t want to make an earlier call or just lets say Mogusa.

[2devnul]

1 hour ago, Raiden631 said:

blade is Ubu and the nakago is Ubu but kiri

Ohhh, my bad, in that case this makes sense now. Thanks! 

1 hour ago, Raiden631 said:

excellent study piece

It is indeed, congratulations on having this sword in your collection. 

[Lewis B]

I recognize this kodachi. I had an opportunity to purchase it from the dealer in Japan. Nice study piece with lots of activity. Papered as a tachi. Bohi is in all probability atobori. The hataraki is quite complex. 

[Raiden631]

1 minute ago, Lewis B said:

I recognize this kodachi. I had an opportunity to purchase it from the dealer in Japan. Nice study piece with lots of activity. Papered as a tachi. Bohi is in all probability atobori. The hataraki is quite complex. 

Indeed. Quite complex. Has quite a bit of depth. And could be atobori, but ubu from NBTHK. Still wondering why the Den. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Good thread running on Den just yesterday…(?)

[eternal_newbie]

52 minutes ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Good thread running on Den just yesterday…(?)

 

This one?

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

That’s the one Rohan, especially Natichu (Nathaniel’s linked treatise), many thanks! 

[Jussi Ekholm]

Congratulations, as a big fan of Hōju school I am happy someone has gotten a sword from the north. Would it be possible to see the certificate for my research purposes as I have not seen this sword before?

 

Just my personal feeling based after seeing the few pictures only I might think it is bit later sword (still very old sword though).

 

 

[Lewis B]

19 minutes ago, Jussi Ekholm said:

Congratulations, as a big fan of Hōju school I am happy someone has gotten a sword from the north. Would it be possible to see the certificate for my research purposes as I have not seen this sword before?

 

Just my personal feeling based after seeing the few pictures only I might think it is bit later sword (still very old sword though).

 

 

Its not dissimilar in sugata to this. Oshigata of the Mogusa Toshiyasu Kodachi. 

 

 

 

 

[Rivkin]

When I first saw the image, I thought it was 1360s. But then I thought mid Kamakura sugata can be surprisingly diverse and such kodachi with curvature extending into nakago I think can be quite early.