Is that boshi normal?

[Soten_Fan]

Hello everybody,

 

I could use some help regarding a blade that I am considering purchasing. It is a mumei nambokucho wakizashi with an o-kissaki. The part that troubling me is the boshi. What is unusual about it, is that the hamon after the yokote starts at a much lower point compared to the hamon of the rest of the blade. I have heard of hamon that changes from suguha to midare after the yokote, but in this case the hamon doesn't just change shape, it starts from a lower point. I don't have photos of the blade, but I made the following drawing to illustrate my point.

 

 

My questions are:

 

1) I have read that a hamon which changes after the yokote is a shinto characteristic whereas in koto blades it stays consistent. Does that mean it cannot be nambokucho?

2) Why does it start so low after the yokote? I haven't seen this case illustrated anywhere.

 

Thanks in advance for your help. Another unusual characteristic of this blade is that at one side it has a narrow suguha and the other one a much thicker one.

 

[cabowen]

Quite unusual and suspicious for a variety of reasons. I would let this one float on by....

[Soten_Fan]

But what could have happened to this blade to cause this? I can't think of a reason.. Maybe it was the maker's whim to apply the clay in such a manner?

 

[Marius]

Are you sure you see the boshi, not the effects of a lousy kesho polish?

[Thekirsh]

I cant remember the correct term but what about the possibility of this being shortened from the tip and then retempered?

Wakizashi lengh now would make sense.

Simon K

[Marius]

If you have only pictures, it might be a purely optical effect. Look at the attached picture - it seems we have a reverse situation here, but that is just an illusion - in reality the boshi is a continuation of the hamon.

[Soten_Fan]

It does have that reverse effect!

 

Well, anyway I am meeting the dealer tomorrow and I will pay particular attention examining the boshi. I will try to view it carefully from all angles to make sure that a hamon is there and it is not just polishing tricks. Speaking of tricks, how is that reverse effect achieved? Does the polisher switch from kensho to sashikomi at the boshi?

 

Also can somebody please answer my other question? If a hamon changes shape after the yokote, does it mean for sure that it is a shinto and not a koto blade? I am asking because the dealer thinks it is a nambokucho blade.

 

Cheers

[Marius]

Dimitri, this effect is due to different angles and the reflection of light from them. As to the re-tempering of a part of a sword, read here (it is called yaki-tsugi):

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/flaws.html

 

Determining if the sword is a koto or shinto with boshi as one of the criteria: boshi on koto follows the hamon, ie. if the hamon is irregular, so will be the boshi. In the case of sugu hamon the boshi will have no irregularities (except hakikake etc. in some cases). But this is just one of quite a few rules of the thumb.

 

Do you have Nagayama's book?

[pcfarrar]

Also can somebody please answer my other question? If a hamon changes shape after the yokote, does it mean for sure that it is a shinto and not a koto blade? I am asking because the dealer thinks it is a nambokucho blade.

 

Is the dealer in question Don Bayney? If so I doubt there is anything wrong with the sword. Also is the sword suriage?

[Soten_Fan]

The blade is suriage and I do have the book in question. The dealer is trustworthy as I have bought from him before.

 

The boshi though is indeed unusual and I will have fun examining it in detail today. It is all part of the learning curve.

 

[markturner]

So Dimitri, are you the new proud owner? I wonder if it was the sword I think it was? We want pictures if so!

 

Rgds, Mark

[Soten_Fan]

Guys, as you said it was all an illusion... There was absolutely nothing wrong with the blade. The hamon continued normally after the yokote as it should be expected. And on top of that, it did not even change shape. It stayed as a subtle elegant suguha. So it was a koto blade after all. A beautiful blade with tight hada, no kizu, and a magnificent o-kissaki (you know how hard they are to come across). It was all dressed in a fabulous koshirae, with an awesome saya of lacquered same.

 

But... But, somebody beat me to it..

 

This sword was in the shop for less than 3 weeks and 3 people were really interested in it. The lucky buyer hasn't even seen the blade yet! He bought it because of the saya. Apparently it will allow him to create a daisho with a katana he already has. You see, it is not your average same-wrapped saya. It is made entirely of the largest nodules. I started counting the 'king' nudules in the saya, and me and the dealer concluded that more than 70-80 rayfish died to create that one saya :D :D

 

Well, I believe that the lucky buyer will be happy when he finds out that there is a pretty decent blade under this koshirae.

 

I didn't leave empty-handed though. I purchased an echizen school hira-zukuri waki with a wild, almost hitatsura-like hamon, in a pretty decent koshirae.

 

[Geraint]

Hi Dimitri,

 

I bet we all have tales about the one that got away. A sign in a local antique shop points out that you always remember the things you should have bought......., I am also sure that they get better and better as memory plays it's usual tricks. Perhaps a thread for the Itzakaya?

 

Glad that you found a little something to ease the pain though.