Daily Kantei #70

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.

36 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.

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 · #69

  1. Yasuhiro保弘62% called it
  2. Chikatsugu親次59% called it
  3. Taima当麻43% called it
  4. Hidemitsu秀光26% called it
  5. Kinju金重34% called it

52 judges bid

Top of yesterday's board

  1. 1
    atmow
    atmow当当当当当495
  2. 2Frugal Kanpaku当当当当当495
  3. 3Treacherous Hatamoto 30当当当当同466
  4. 4Passive-aggressive Kitsune当当当同同441
  5. 5Tardy Shogun当時当当当405
  6. 6Jim Qiu当当当能当405
  7. 7Grumpy Tengu当当能当当405
  8. 8Grumpy Yojimbo当当当当能392
  9. 9Chatty Kirin×当当同当380
  10. 10
    Koden
    Koden当当能同当380
  11. 11
    Baby Joe
    Baby Joe当当能同当380
  12. 12daniel当当当同能367
  13. 13
    Chan
    Chan当当当同能367
  14. 14Superstitious Hatamoto当当当同能367
  15. 15
    Steven Edmund
    Steven Edmund当当能同同351

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 is that tradition, daily. Five blades each day, every one 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 honors for near judgments. Streaks, a daily board, and a seat in the dojo for those who prove themselves.

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 walks from approachable to genuinely hard, and every reveal explains the blade in front of you. Kantei practice is how collectors have always trained the eye.
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 the record, not from opinion.