Gaku-B6 shown
Gaku-B1
Commentary
This is the only unique die among all examples studied. It's paired with Gaku-A1 (which is more often found with Gaku-B2), and this piece is the earliest die state of A1 that I've found (shown on the left here).
I believe it's possible that this die pairing represents one of the first Gaku ichibu struck. As discussed under Gaku-A1, the unusual calligraphy leads me to believe it's the most likely candidate for the first A die, and since this is paired with an earlier die state of A1, I believe this may be among the first strikes. It's also worth noting that it's very well-centered compared to many other examples, suggesting a bit more care in its production, though more examples would be needed to draw any legitimate conclusions about strike quality,
Stats
Total Found: 1/32 (3%)
Paired with:
- Gaku-A1 (1/1)
Kirimon stamp on:
- Side A (1/1)
B1 Diagnostics
Top Left Dot in Border
Ichi Top and Bottom Off-Center
Ichi Top and Bottom Off-Center
In the top left, the corner dot collides with the left solid border.
Ichi Top and Bottom Off-Center
Ichi Top and Bottom Off-Center
Ichi Top and Bottom Off-Center
The top portion of "ichi" is skewed to the left, and the bottom is to the right. These two elements are typically centered.
Stroke 3 Below 4
Ichi Top and Bottom Off-Center
Stroke 3 Below 4
The bottom edge of stroke 3 in "bu" is visibly lower than the end of stroke 4.
Gaku-B2
Commentary
The overall calligraphy style here is very similar to Gaku-B1, but small details make it clear that this is a different die. The dots in the border are generally very crowded with many of them overlapping, especially on the left side.
Stats
Total Found: 4/32 (12%)
Paired with:
- Gaku-A1 (4/4)
Kirimon stamp on:
- Side A (4/4)
B2 Diagnostics
Gap Between Characters
Smushed Bottom Right Dot
Gap Between Characters
There's a relatively large gap between "ichi" and "bu."
Blunt Stroke 1 End
Smushed Bottom Right Dot
Gap Between Characters
The left end of stroke 1 in "bu" is blunt with no curve.
Smushed Bottom Right Dot
Smushed Bottom Right Dot
Smushed Bottom Right Dot
The bottom right corner dot is smushed between the other dots.
Gaku-B3
Commentary
Every example I've seen with this die has been very mushy with textured fields. It seems to be larger than most dies and very little of the outer dot border is visible on these examples. While this is one of the easiest B dies to identify, it's also commonly not fully struck; every example above has at least one of the selected diagnostics too poorly struck to identify.
Stats
Total Found: 4/32 (12%)
Paired with:
- Gaku-A2 (2/4)
- Gaku-A3 (2/4)
Kirimon stamp on:
- Side A (4/4)
B3 Diagnostics
Left Side of Ichi
Downward Bend on Stroke 2
Bottom of Ichi to Right
The top portion is connected to the left end of the horizontal stroke in "ichi," and this area touches the dot border.
Bottom of Ichi to Right
Downward Bend on Stroke 2
Bottom of Ichi to Right
The end of the bottom portion of "ichi" is very far to the right, near the end of the horizontal stroke if you were to draw a vertical line between them.
Downward Bend on Stroke 2
Downward Bend on Stroke 2
Downward Bend on Stroke 2
Stroke 2 of "bu" has a slight downward curve.
Gaku-B4
Commentary
This is probably one of the more distinctive B dies in overall calligraphy style. The top portion of "ichi" is very short and condensed compared to the other dies, and "bu" is very angular. The example on the right is graded MS62 by PCGS, suggesting that the amount of detail visible in the top portion of "ichi" may be all that was on the die to begin with. Most show much more detail and separation of strokes in this area.
Stats
Total Found: 2/32 (6%)
Paired with:
- Gaku-A4 (2/2)
Kirimon stamp on:
- Side A (2/2)
B4 Diagnostics
Top Disconnected from Ichi
Top Disconnected from Ichi
Top Disconnected from Ichi
The top portion is fully disconnected from the horizontal stroke in "ichi" with a large gap between the two.
Wide Horizontal Stroke
Top Disconnected from Ichi
Top Disconnected from Ichi
The horizontal stroke in "ichi" is very wide, almost touching the dot border on both ends..
Right Angle in Bu
Top Disconnected from Ichi
Right Angle in Bu
Stroke 3 of "bu" has a sharp right angle.
Gaku-B5
Commentary
This is one of the most difficult B dies to attribute. It has very few unique features. Even the three diagnostics pulled out aren't overly helpful; the first and third can be found on other dies, and the second is fairly ambiguous. This one is more a process of elimination to attribute.
Stats
Total Found: 2/32 (6%)
Paired with:
- Gaku-A5 (2/2)
Kirimon stamp on:
- Side A (1/2)
- Side B (1/2)
B5 Diagnostics
Small Gap at Top of Ichi
Positioning of Bu Strokes
Small Gap at Top of Ichi
There's a small gap between the top portion and the horizontal line of "ichi."
Style of Bottom of Ichi
Positioning of Bu Strokes
Small Gap at Top of Ichi
The center line on the bottom part of "ichi" extends further to the right than normal.
Positioning of Bu Strokes
Positioning of Bu Strokes
Positioning of Bu Strokes
The bottom ends of stroke 1 and 2 in "bu" are in line.
Gaku-B6
Commentary
Similar to B5, this die has very few unique characteristics. The positioning of the strokes in "bu" is the key element to attribution - this is the only die I've seen where the ends are noticeably different, as described below.
Stats
Total Found: 4/32 (12%)
Paired with:
- Gaku-A6 (4/4)
Kirimon stamp on:
- Side A (4/4)
B6 Diagnostics
Top Connected Near Center
Large Flourish on Bu Stroke 1
Top Connected Near Center
The top portion is connected near the center of the horizontal stroke in "ichi."
Positioning of Bu Strokes
Large Flourish on Bu Stroke 1
Top Connected Near Center
The bottom ends of stroke 1 and 2 in "bu" are not in line; 1 ends significantly above 2.
Large Flourish on Bu Stroke 1
Large Flourish on Bu Stroke 1
Large Flourish on Bu Stroke 1
Stroke 1 of "bu" has a fairly large flourish at the end.
Gaku-B7
Commentary
When I was putting this page together, I discovered that I had actually misattributed a B7 die as B8 in my initial study. It was paired with A8, and all A8 pieces I'd found were paired with B8. The calligraphy was pretty similar, so I wrote down B8 and moved on. It wasn't until pulling out diagnostics that I realized it was actually A8 paired with B7. What I find most interesting is that the order wasn't changed by this discovery. I had already placed A7 and B7 as second to last in the series based on calligraphy style, and the pairing of A8 with B7 confirmed that these two die pairings were used in sequence. This is also one of very few examples of die overlap linking multiple A and B dies together.
Stats
Total Found: 5/32 (16%)
Paired with:
- Gaku-A7 (4/5)
- Gaku-A8 (1/5)
Kirimon stamp on:
- Side A (3/5)
- Side B (2/5)
B7 Diagnostics
Smushed Top Left Dot
Smushed Top Left Dot
Smushed Top Left Dot
The top left corner dot is very cut off and smushed into the border.
Slanted Ichi
Smushed Top Left Dot
Smushed Top Left Dot
The horizontal stroke of "ichi" is noticeably slanted.
Closed Bu
Smushed Top Left Dot
Closed Bu
The bottom of strokes 3 and 4 in "bu" meet, fully closing the bottom of the character.
Gaku-B8
Commentary
As with Gaku-A8, this is the most common B die. The size of the dots in the inner border is the most distinctive characteristic, as all other known B dies have much smaller dots.
The example on the right may show a re-engraving of the die on the left end of stroke 1 in "bu." Notice that on the other examples, this stroke touches the dot border, while the piece on the left seems to have a faint outline that touches the border and a more distinct stroke that doesn't. I haven't found any other examples match this, so I'm not sure if it's a re-engraving or just a strange strike.
Also note the kirimon stamp. On the left example above, you can see that there's a die break in the kirimon stamp where the incuse circle is broken (at 12 o'clock as struck). Of the ten examples, nine use this same kirimon stamp, and one uses a different stamp (or, perhaps, the same die before the break occurred).
Stats
Total Found: 10/32 (31%)
Paired with:
- Gaku-A8 (10/10)
Kirimon stamp on:
- Side A (7/10)
- Side B (3/10)
B8 Diagnostics
Large Dots in Border
Large Dots in Border
Large Dots in Border
The dots in the border are much larger than on other dies, resulting in only nine dots across the top.
Dot by Ichi
Large Dots in Border
Large Dots in Border
There's a small dot near the right end of "ichi."
Dot by Bu
Large Dots in Border
Dot by Bu
There's a small dot to the right of "bu."