Sword Evaluation

[Thekirsh]

I was wondering if I could get a few comments on the listing below

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... &rd=1&rd=1

School,age,value?

And without boshi around the tip should I even be looking at it ?

Thanks Simon

[John A Stuart]

Hi Simon, When a sword has no temper in the boshi it has a fatal flaw and is a conversation piece with only a few words. Pity, oooh darn, ah well. Does the fittings have value? Well, at the price it is now, I think not. I would pass on this. Pity. John

[Thekirsh]

Thanks John,

I will take your advice and give it a miss,as you said its a pity.

Regards Simon

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Hi Simon,

 

I don't know if I'm missing something but I can't see anything in the description that says there is no temper in the boshi.

 

The seller just states:

 

THE TEMPERING DOES NOT RUN THROUGH THE TIP

 

Possibly, this means he has done his homework a little (as is suggested by his other comments) and is saying the hamon does not run off into space near the kissaki.

 

I certainly can't see anything on this blade that suggests a reshaped kissaki. It all looks pretty nice to me and doesn't give me any real cause for concern apart from the Showa period civilian mounts which are fairly common on contemporary gendaito and showato but not on older blades.

 

Best wishes,

(another) Simon

[Brian]

He does have the following 2 comments:

 

THE BLADE WAS POSSIBLY SHORTENED BACK WHEN THE Japanese WENT FROM HORSES TO INFRANTRY SOULDIERS.

 

Then he says:

THE LENGTH OF THE TANG WAS POSSIBLY LONGER TOO

 

This leads me to believe his first comment was related to shortening from the front backwards. That is how I would take it anyways.

It really doesn't look like the kissaki has been altered, but I am thinking of a very nice Shinto katana that I once traded for that had a perfect kissaki with hi, and looked perfect..but the hamon ran straight off the end. It was a real pity, and I spent quite a while trying to convince myself that I was seeing things, but it was true. Eventually traded it back to the seller.

maybe not the case here, but it should definitely be clarified before putting money into it though.

 

 

Brian

[John A Stuart]

Yes, That was what I understood. That this sword had been shortened from the tip back. John

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Hi Brian and John,

 

Yes, if that's the case then this is obviously one to avoid.

 

But....that kissaki and the relative position of the hi really does look untouched to me so I think that Simon should ask for more info and pictures before writing it off entirely.

 

As Brian says, however, the unaltered position of the hi doesn't always guarantee a boshi if the post-war owners have, say, used the sword to toast muffins in a fire using the kissaki!

 

Simon