Gerry Posted August 22 Report Posted August 22 (edited) I was quite surprised to see how high this mumei 1st gen Yasutsugu eventually went for on Aoi Art. It seems like the winning bidder was very determined to own a really expensive Hozon blade at 3.75M yen. I checked with Aoi, and they confirmed that this blade failed TH 2 years ago. https://sword-auction.com/ja/product/32851/as24571-katanamumei-attributed-to-the-first-generation-echizen-yasutsugu-kiritsuke-mei-nisshin-chuko-zanmai-hereditary-possession-of-matsuyama-atsuhisa-dated-april-27-kanbun-4-1664-gold-in/ Edited August 22 by Gerry 2 Quote
eternal_newbie Posted August 22 Report Posted August 22 Failed TH? I'll admit that took me by surprise, unless there's a significant flaw that's either hidden by the photography or my poor eyes (to be fair, I'm not as confident in my knowledge about Shinto swords as I am in Koto). Barring fatal flaws, it seems like it should make it at least to TH on the historical significance alone... Quote
Gerry Posted August 22 Author Report Posted August 22 Mumei Shinto blades don't pass TH easily in general. And with a kasane of only 0.53cm, and worn down horimono, maybe the tiredness of the blade stopped it at Hozon. 1 Quote
eternal_newbie Posted August 22 Report Posted August 22 I guess perhaps they're continuing to tighten the standards to increase the gap between Hozon and TH - I'm aware this has been increasing in the last few years and this seems as good a confirmation as any. 1 Quote
Ray Singer Posted August 22 Report Posted August 22 I am not aware of any mumei shinto or later sword that has ever passed Tokubetsu Hozon. A ceiling of Hozon would not be due to flaws or tiredness in this case. Mumei shinto or later simply do not meet the criteria to pass Tokubetsu Hozon or higher. In fact, in terms of mumei blades, it is difficult for even a mumei Muromachi sword to pass Tokubetsu Hozon. Mumei Muromachi will generally be limited to Hozon except in the cases where they are attributed to specific, and famous, swordsmiths of that time (not a school attribution). Best regards, Ray 1 1 Quote
eternal_newbie Posted August 22 Report Posted August 22 Thanks for the confirmation/elaboration @Ray Singer and @Gerry! Good to know. I suppose in this case, the sword has enough provenance, historical interest and underlying quality that folks are happy to bid on it knowing the limitations in how far it can advance up the NBTHK's ladder. 1 Quote
Gerry Posted August 22 Author Report Posted August 22 If you check out the username of the winning bidder, you can kinda guess that he really wanted this sword. 1 Quote
eternal_newbie Posted August 22 Report Posted August 22 4 minutes ago, Gerry said: If you check out the username of the winning bidder, you can kinda guess that he really wanted this sword. I was thinking either that, or he's a troll bidder who likes denying actual bidders. Those sorts abound on eBay, unfortunately Quote
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