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Daily Kantei #97

Five Juyo blades a day, the same set for everyone. Study the oshigata and the description, place one bid per blade, and see where you stand on the day's board.

32 judges have bid today

The hamon of a katana by Kagemitsu, Osafune school

Today's specimen

One blade, five names, 90 seconds. Study the oshigata and the description, then place your bid.

New to kantei?

Start with Beginner Kantei: three blades a day, no clock. Each name shows its school and tradition (or era).

Begin with Beginner Kantei

Practice kantei

New to it? Start in the dojo by matching each blade to one of the five traditions. 3 free rounds a day, full reveal every time.

Yesterday · #96

  1. Kiyotsuna清綱57% called it
  2. Yasutsugu安次43% called it
  3. Nobumitsu信光45% called it
  4. Kunikiyo國清4% called it
  5. Kanesada包貞26% called it

47 judges bid

Top of yesterday's board

  1. 1
    Koden
    Koden当当当当当495
  2. 2DKR当当当同当470
  3. 3
    晓风君
    晓风君当当当時当395
  4. 4Thomas Schirrwitz当当当時当395
  5. 5
    Lkytal
    Lkytal当×当同当380
  6. 6Jim当当時同当370
  7. 7Klee当当当同能367
  8. 8
    Lewes Mutsu
    Lewes Mutsu当×当能当315
  9. 9Grumpy Tengu当当時能当305
  10. 10Zoglet当当当能能302
  11. 11Introverted Sohei当当当能能302
  12. 12Tardy Sohei×当当当能302
  13. 13
    Reis Mourad the Younger II
    Reis Mourad the Younger II当×時同当280
  14. 14
    Marikatsu
    Marikatsu時当当同能277
  15. 15
    Scogg
    Scogg当当能同能277

会所The Club

Players talk over each day's blades in the Club once they have judged them: what they saw, and why they bid as they did.

What is kantei?

Kantei (鑑定) is the connoisseur’s discipline of judging a blade on its workmanship alone: reading the steel, the temper line, and the shape, then naming the school and the smith. Japanese sword journals have run it as a reader’s exercise for decades. The journal prints the evidence, collectors send in their attributions, and the answer follows with the next issue.

The Daily Kantei runs that exercise every day. Five blades, each a designated Jūyō Tōken. Study the oshigata and the description, place one bid per blade with 90 seconds on the clock, and the traditional verdicts grade your eye: atari (当り) for the exact maker, lesser verdicts for near judgments. You keep a streak and a place on the day's board, and a strong day earns a seat in the dojo.

Questions

Is it free to play?
Yes. The daily five are free with an account. Ranked play in the dojo is for members.
Do I need to be an expert?
No. Each day's set runs from approachable to hard, and every reveal explains the blade. Collectors have always trained the eye this way.
Where do the blades come from?
Every blade served is a designated Jūyō Tōken: a sword judged historically important, with a published record. The answers come from that record.