Yokoyama Kozuke Daijo Fujiwara Sukesada Katana

Submitted by Sylvain on Mon, 2015-07-13 12:56

Hi to everyone.

This is my last acquisition. I was abble to translate the mei by myself(thank you nihontoclub !). But I want to share it with you.

So, as a little game, try to find who is the swordsmith and the date (and Pete, let someone else answer, 'cause that's too easy for you...).

Nagasa: 71 cm
Hamon: choji midare
Era: shinto
Area: bizen

Sylvain


	#1Submitted by Sylvain on Wed, 2015-07-15 08:25. I guess it's for you Pete As nobody found the mei, I guess Pete can give the answer now (would you, please ?). Sylvain Login or register to post comments


	#2Submitted by saipan59 on Thu, 2015-07-16 02:35. Sukesada This one is common enough that I can do it without my wife's help: BISHUu OSAFUNE JUuNIN YOKOYAMA KOuZUKE DAIJOu FUJIWARA SUKESADA ENPO 5 NEN 2 GATSU KICHI NICHI (February 1678). Note that Sukesada is one of the more common for GIMEI... Pete Login or register to post comments


	#3Submitted by Sylvain on Thu, 2015-07-16 08:24. Don't think it's gimei Congratulations, Pete, you got it right once again for the mei translation. Maybe a small misinterptretation in the date ? Enpo 5 would be 1677, as the 1st year of Enpo begins in 1673. Regarding if it's gimei or not, my feeling is that it is definitly NOT a gimei: kozuke daijo sukesada gimei are often simple, like "name" and that's it. I have never seen gimei of that swordsmith which includes "name" + "place" + "date"; I have compared the mei with other ressources on the Internet, and that seems to be the genuine one. If you are interested, have a look on these two links: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/4063-yokoyama-kzuke-daijo-fujiwara-... http://www.sho-shin.com/shinto-bizen.html that one is interesting : http://nihontoclub.com/discussions/2014/10/31/Translation-Sword-mei-0 (look how bad the mei is carved in that thread, which makes me think that one is a gimei) all the features of the blade match the typical work of that swordsmith (hamon, hada, lenght, curvature, etc.). Anyway, to close the debate, the best way to know if it's gimei or not is to send the blade for a shinsa. I'm on my way to do so, so I'll do an update when beeing done. Sylvain Login or register to post comments


	#4Submitted by saipan59 on Thu, 2015-07-16 15:34. gimei comments Hi, I did not mean to imply that yours might be gimei. I am not an expert on Sukesada, so I really don't know. I just mentioned it for the benefit of other readers, to be careful with Sukesada, and certain other names that are commonly gimei. Another example: A sword dealer in Tokyo years ago told me that about 90% of (Bizen) Yasumitsu signatures are bad... I don't know if it's true, but it's something to be careful about. Perhaps some good advice to new folks might be: Learn how to choose a blade for it's fundamental quality, not for the name written on the nakago. I believe in a formal kantei, an expert will study the blade with the tsuka still in place, then look at the nakago last, to see if it matches. Another advice for new folks: Buy good-quality blades that are unsigned - then nobody can tell you it is gimei :-) . That almost sounds like a joke, but it is really a good plan. Most people will learn MORE by trying to figure out the school and smith without being told a name. And remember that a signature doesn't improve the quality of a blade. Pete Login or register to post comments

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