Home » Forums » Japanese Swords & Fittings » Nihonto

Nihonto: Info Needed - Give It Your Best Shot...

Submitted by Ancientnoob on Tue, 2014-04-22 01:07

First off I would like to express my gratitude to those who provide this site free of charge and those who offer their services to folks like myself. I have received several opinions and learned quite a bit trying to research my sword. I am beginning to realize that the nihonto study is a life long endeavor, governed by educated opinions and exposure to high end swords. For the "new guys" just breaking into the field, ID'ing a sword is a daunting task, and the possibility exists that a concrete undisputed attribution may or may not obtainable. After nearly 2 months of aggressive study and reading the few texts I have, I almost feel like I know less now then when I first held the blade. I must admit I feel over my head.

I have received several opinions all similar but none concrete. I purchased the sword on a "sweet heart" deal from an elder comrade of mine. The sword was surrendered to Allied Forces in occupied Japan. I would appreciate any and all attempts to ID the piece. Ideally I would like to know as much as possible about the sword. I would also like you folks to know I have absolutely no commercial interest in the sword and is a piece I would like to pass to my infant son in the very distant future.

Zaimei-備前國住助包

Uramei-國次

Nagasa: 53.2 cm

Nakago: 14.7 cm

Kissaki: 3.2 cm

Kasane: 0.6 cm

Mihaba: 2.4 cm (center of the blade)

Sori: 1.8 cm

Thanks all,

Nathan

fullkodachi_op...
hamon_opt.jpg
uramei_opt.jpg
characters.jpg
‹ Questionalbe tanto Fujishiro's Nihon Toko Jiten translation ›

#1Submitted by Ancientnoob on Fri, 2014-05-16 18:44.

Anyone?

Is there anyone here who can or will make comment. Is this a dead board?

Nathan
#2Submitted by kazarena on Fri, 2014-05-16 20:13.

Hi Nathan, Sorry, I've been

Hi Nathan,

Sorry, I've been busy lately and it's hard to come up with better answers than you already received on NMB. I'll try to look into the books over weekend.

Stan
#3Submitted by Ancientnoob on Sun, 2014-05-18 01:55.

Thanks!

Stan,
I welcome any and all opinions. I am wondering if it is possible or not to narrow down the exact years of the smith(s), and maybe get a description of the Hamon and other activities that are still visible in this out of polish blade. Maybe if I can get it down to a smith or school, I can compare with like works. Take your time, I am in no rush. I am very grateful for your time and effort.

Nathan
#4Submitted by kazarena on Sun, 2014-05-18 21:47.

Observations

Hi Nathan,

Few observations about your sword:

  1. It's not Kamakura. I would say it's late Koto at the earliest.
  2. For the purpose of appraisal signatures can be ignored. It's not Ko-Bizen or Ichimonji Sukekane.
  3. Not sure about the role of the second signature (Kunitsugu).
  4. It wasn't shortened. The nakago looks ubu and it looks late Koto - early Shinto.
  5. Mune (the blunt side of the sword) appears to be altered (filed down deeper) closer to the base/handle area, as if there was some damage done to it and it was repaired by making a deeper curve. This confuses the attribution by period as it makes the sugata look older. Or maybe there was no damage and it was intentional.

Good luck with your research and don't give up - it may take a decade to find out something new about your sword. I would try to answer the following questions:

  1. What does the second signature mean?
  2. Traits of what school/smith does the sword exhibit? (I can't answer this question just from looking at the pictures. In fact I wouldn't be much better if looking at it in person either :-) )

Either way, don't expect to find a 'great' and ancient sword. It's not.

Regards,
Stan