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Daily Kantei #84

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.

19 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 · #83

  1. Tomoyuki友行65% called it
  2. Kuniyoshi國吉64% called it
  3. Morimitsu盛光18% called it
  4. Unsho雲生16% called it
  5. Shigekuni重國19% called it

51 judges bid

Top of yesterday's board

  1. 1DKR当当当当同466
  2. 2Grumpy Oni当当当当同466
  3. 3Reyes L.当当当当同466
  4. 4
    Hoshi
    Hoshi当当当同同441
  5. 5
    Marikatsu
    Marikatsu当当同同同416
  6. 6Introverted Sohei当当能同当380
  7. 7Thomas Schirrwitz当当同能当380
  8. 8Mirapetras当当能当同376
  9. 9Klee当時当同同351
  10. 10Zoglet当当同能同351
  11. 11Brooding Kagemusha当当能同同351
  12. 12
    Atmow
    Atmow当当同能同351
  13. 13
    Lkytal
    Lkytal時当同当同351
  14. 14Tony Jmartin当当時同同341
  15. 15
    George C.
    George C.当当時同同341

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.