Opinions On My Antique Sword

S

swordnoob

Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Messages
25
Total length 29 1/2" approx 75cm
Overall blade length 26 3/4" approx 68cm
Cutting edge 21" approx 53.5cm

After aggressively researching this specimen. I was determine that this is a Ko-dachi.

The signature reads...
備前國住助包 BIZEN KUNI JU SUKEKANE

The name on the otherside is KUNISUGU

I got the reference of Hawley SUK #163 and TK #309

The swords dates to the Kamakura Period - Koan Era AD 1278 - 1288. Ichimonji school Fukuoka


I welcome any and all opinions and surely anyone who has images or links to images of the said swordsmith and/ or other examples of similar work. Thanks everyone. I suppose I can't add images...yet???
 
http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/103_0728_zpsee0a8b16.jpg.html

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/signed_zpsccb9ac94.jpg.html

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/103_0727_zps80d4407a.jpg.html

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/103_0718_zps8f79fbf0.jpg.html

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/103_0715_zps0764eb1d.jpg.html

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/103_0731_zpsd9d3f4f7.jpg.html

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/kodchitang_zps64e235ee.jpg.html
http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/103_0717_zps8c391578.jpg.html

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/Colorenhancedfamilyname_zps479077e8.jpg.html







Rat Finkenstein said:
upload pics to photobucket or imgur or the like, post them here.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
 
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Not sure what I can do about that. According to the text at the bottom of this page. I do not have permission to attach files. When do I get that ability? I already went and made a photo bucket account, and went through that process. I am having a heck of a time on this forum. Maybe one of the mod's can help me out here? If someone PM's me with an email I can send them a proper photo, but that is entirely up to that person. Thanks all for your help so far.
 
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I have looked at your photos but am hesitant to post as you will likely not want to hear what I have to say.

The tsuba is cast, the rest of the koshirae is mediocre at best.

The sword is neither the Ko-Bizen or Ichimonji Sukekane. Why, 1. both of these smiths made tachi, so if you had a wakizashi it would have been cut down and the mei lost. 2. The kanji characters do not match known good examples. 3. And neither signed with a six character mei.

Your mei is certainly gimei unless there was possibly a later sukekane smith who is unrecorded.

As for the Kunitsugu mei, there are too many smiths who used this mei and the sword doesn't warrant to even begin looking at all of them.

Though there is no full length photo, the nakago and overall sugata would seem to indicate it being in the Bizen style.

Hope this is helpful, and remember this is only my humble opinion, but it is worth every bit of what you paid for it.
 
@SC - I did find this. I have a local expert looking at this in the next week or so. I also will be posting new photos once I get it back out of my SDB.I have been told in several location that in more words my pictures suck. The tsuba was also confirmed to be cast. True they made Tachi, the older signature is on the tachi side and the KUNISUGU is on the ura side.

This website offers a possible six figure signature...but we must wait for better pictures I am afraid.

http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/SUK163

I appreciate your time and efforts looking at this.
 
the older signature is on the tachi side
Click to expand...
Your sword is not a tachi nor has it been shortened. It is an ubu wakizshi.

I went back and re-read the info and I was reading and typing too fast. The comment "3. And neither signed with a six character mei." was written in haste. The five character reference is related to distinguishing Ko-Bizen from Ichimonji. It is generally accepted that the five character mei is regarded as Ko-Bizen, six Ichimonji. Though as with most of this stuff, that is not set in stone either.

However, I will stick with comments 1 & 2 as well as my overall opinion that this is neither Ichimonji Sukekane nor kamakura period.

But again, it could be a Bizen Sukekane from a later time period. There were many, many Bizen smith's.

Hope you prove me wrong :-)
 
New Photos, let me know if this helps any...if not let me know what I can do to improve them.


http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/FullKodachi_zps9c0c67a0.jpg.html[IMG]

[IMG]http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/Hamon_zps10fec780.jpg.html[IMG]

[IMG]http://s942.photobucket.com/user/ancientnoob/media/Measure_zpsd9bb4235.jpg.html[IMG]
 
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