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Magic! I think the guard displays at least some of the "Lucky" treasures of the gods - Magic price for a little treasure! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takarabune#:~:text=The gods carry with them,巻き物 makimono)%2C the magic mallet The gods carry with them takaramono (宝物), or treasure things, including the hat of invisibility (隠れ笠, kakuregasa), rolls of brocade (織物, orimono), the inexhaustible purse (金袋 kanebukuro), the secret keys to the treasure shed of the gods (鍵 kagi), the scrolls of books of wisdom and life (巻き物 makimono), the magic mallet (小槌 kozuchi), the lucky raincoat (隠れ蓑, kakuremino), the robe of fairy feathers (羽衣, hagoromo), and the bag of fortune (布袋 nunobukuro).

Brian for me is the historical background, the detective work collecting not only items but wisdom and infos, and of course the „Vorfreude“ some kind of a collection philosophie. A „some“ pieces collection gives me many books, articles and pdf`s.. So I think collecting is „a fleet in being“ and makes you stronger every day.. Other words if you are tired of moving foreward, you NEED a hobby..

Georg, we had to thank you! Your Masayuki/Kiyomaro is an impressive sword with an excellent polish! In addition to the master, we were able to study two of his students: 2x Saito Kiyondo and 1x Minamoto (Suzuki) Masao. There is also a sword from the Hamabe school, the school where Kiyomaro was trained at the beginning of his career. Enclosed a bad photo of the table only (so as not to show any people...).

You will get some backlash for this statement - [I totally agree with it though! If a Samurai never wore it, it was never a tsuba - it was an art piece! ] This gives us a split - Do you like to collect "Art pieces in the shape of a tsuba" or "The real thing" [Yes I will get some backlash for that too!] Of course many real tsuba are works of art as well but for me a tsuba that has never been mounted or intended to be mounted has no "spirit" [JMHO] I just saw a very high end auction conclude with some crazy prices paid for the last lot of tsuba while other pieces sold for far less - I think some people just want to "win" regardless of what they are looking at. For those with bottomless pockets, The Inaugural Sale of the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection Achieved more than $22 Million at Bonhams in New York - and they had three such sales! [the prices were for the total contents of the sale not just the tsuba] https://www.bonhams....Japanese-art/?page=6 For me finding a neglected bushi tsuba at a bargain price is far more thrilling than pumping thousands of dollars into something someone else thinks is what I should get, but I don't really see the value in.

Hi Simon your images show the "ura" side - back side. Normally the "omote" side has the most detail. But I would concur that the piece is cast - hey I have seen a lot worse and it is a useful learning tool. Watch out for the ones with that "mushroom" top of the nakago-ana [cast in for adding sekigane] and the cast bubble/fault on the seppa-dai.

Quick thoughts, Tsuba: 1. Has to be bushi, has to have had or have a bushi connection. Evidence that it was once mounted. 2. Maker, good makers make good tsuba. Signed or unsigned is fine. Good tsuba are easier to kantei (same for swords, right?). 3. Material, any but has to have obvious quality. Has to have mass. 4. Art, composition, shape/design, obviously forged. 5. Size matters, 3" + . This is not to disparage smaller work, not at all, just personal preference. a) it isn't necessary to own something to appreciate it (sorry tsuba dealers). more: 6. Upper level work is much easier to research. Desire is the cause of suffering.

Hi Brian, the answer to this conundrum can (imo) be both very complex yet also very simple. It is best considered with no knowledge on the £price/value of whatever it is we are looking at. With the commercial aspect stripped away we can react more purely to the object sitting before us and that is then an honest “gut reaction” unswayed by £ or $. As a dealer for many years I was always interested to observe how potential customers approached objects. Some looked immediately at the price tag, others looked at the object first, often discussing it with no knowledge of the price. Of course value and price are different anyway but something can indeed be “high end” in £ but maybe not so high in our own unique undefined subconscious aesthetic/artistic preferences. The appreciation of any art form is a highly personal thing and it is very elusive when you try to articulate it. Something may tug at us very strongly (and we don’t know why) yet leave someone else totally unmoved. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. …..just some vague wanderings on a Sunday.

Wouldn't put too much faith in what is written in that book regarding all the steels, much of the knowledge regarding blades has been well and truly eclipsed. The Japanese produced their own high purity steels, there are some rather comprehensive articles on the various steels used below: https://ohmura--study-net.translate.goog/006.html?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB https://ohmura--stud...en-GB&_x_tr_sch=http

I am having a hard time articulating this, which is unusual for me. I appreciate many different schools, timeframes, imagery, aesthetics, iron characteristics...yet I can look at one high-end piece and it does not appeal to me as much as a lower-end piece and vice versa. Just some Sunday morning musings, with a cuppa. What say you?

For what it's worth, Nobuo Ogasawara wrote in the booklet "tsuba" that it should be observed mounted on a sword, since it's its primary purpose. I know there is a tsuba with a moon and the kashira has a bat on it: they are supposed to be mounted, so the bat looks like it's passing in front of the moon. In general, Mr. Ogawasara thinks one should look at tsuba as if the nakago ana was filled. On a personal note, I can appreciate the artistry of kinko work (there is a kashira somewhere that has a castle inlaid, with a bridge leading to it, pure insanity), but I really enjoy the simplicity of tosho and kachushi tsuba. More recently, I have gained a new appreciation of the Onin and Heianjo tsuba. In the end, I go for the nice textures in iron (at least I would, if I could spare the money). If anything, many kinko tsuba are, to me, a bit too much.

The inscription on the kogatana reads 小林伊勢守国輝 = Kobayashi Ise no Kami Kuniteru But keep in mind that signatures on kogatana are often more of a dedication and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Very well put, Colin. This is the heart of collecting in my opinion. Finding those items that speak to us in some arcane way. Personally I like tsuba that have nice patina, and depict something from the natural world. So I’ve got lots to choose from … I just hope to focus on recognizing quality, and keeping my collection/s focused. Cheers, -Sam

Well, Brian. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (darn it, Colin said the same thing a minute before I posted this-oh well!). Since I can only afford low end pieces, what appeals to me most is the motif. I try to purchase tsuba that have varying motifs and that were made in the Edo period, or perhaps before that period. Then, when I receive the tsuba, I study it and try to ascertain the school (because sometimes I have purchased tsuba and the order was canceled). Sometimes if I am lucky, the piece may have a mei. Then I try to research that and find out who made the tsuba. I learn new things from each of my tsuba! Each one of my tsuba is unique and a beautiful work of art (at least in my eyes!). Anyway, that’s what I do!

My father in law took me to an antique/gomi store here in Fukuoka. Some really great stuff, no pictures allowed though. I saw this tsuba for 3,000 yen and decided to buy it. The owner is a little old lady, sweet and a true salesman. David

El, I saw nothing in either Fuller's nor Dawson's books that specified Swedish rail steel, just simply "imported western steels". What I DID find was a reference to it in Leon Kapp & Yoshinndo Yoshihara's book "Modenr Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths, From 1868 to the Present.

Hey kawika, Tsuba looks good, and for about $21.00, that is a great deal! Looks like the inlay is missing or has been worn out over the years. Also looks to have had a copper filler (?) in one of the hitsu ana (holes alongside the center slot of the tsuba), but that is also missing. Heavy hand hit punch marks by the center slot of the tsuba. It is definetly hand forged. Mounted maybe more than once on a sword. You can tell that by the copper in the center slot of the tsuba. A great find for the price. My opinion! Enjoy!

A tsuba bottle opener? As seen on Mercari …

Does anyone have a copy of the book Military Swords of Japan, 1868-194 by Richard Fuller and Ron Gregory? I'm very interested in where the conclusion originated from that mill steel gendaito was "more commonly made of Swedish railroad steel" so any references with more context from the book would be highly appreciated. I can't get my hands on the book myself. (No shipping options) I'm researching a Showato that I have and a lot of my conclusions are pointing toward "Mill-steel gendaito" forged from mill steel (or more often) 19th century railway tracks made from Swedish steel. As often quoted by Fuller and Gregory. Being Swedish that has some extra significance to me and I'm trying not be biased by my hope that it could be. Therefore I'm deep diving into the historical sources, trying to find answers. I find a lot of contradictions in this area of research. This article from Ryujin swords mentions "The best ‘mill steel’ gendaito are made from mid-19th century railway tracks that were manufactured from Swedish steel and exported to Japan" It goes on to say that it was "blister steel" which had uneven carbon distribution and resulted in hada similar to tamahagane. My problem with this is that the Japanese started building their railway in 1872 and ramping up in the following years. This is the time when Bessemer steel started (1868), especially in Sweden with the start of Domnarvet ironworks (1972), focused on railroad production and most of the Japanese railroad would have been built with Bessmer steel, part of it from Sweden as they had 1/5th of the patent and were pioneering the commercialization of the British Bessmer invention. Bessemer steel were of very high quality with even distribution of carbon, which goes against the whole argument of formation of hada similar to tamahagane based on uneven carbon distribution? I'm digging through all English and Swedish sources I can find on the topic of steel exports, Japanese railroad in the 1800s and sword making. If you have any interesting sources, please share it here. ryujinswords-tang-stamps-2017-1218.pdf

https://www.jauce.co.../v1154908903?allow=1 Another Minatogawa kai gunto just came up for sale, but the kikumon is so poorly carved on the nakago.

Japanese Blacksmithing : Traditional Forging Methods for Knives, Swords, and Tools By Rudolf Dick Available on Nov 28, 2024 Discover the blacksmithing techniques used to make 10 traditional Japanese objects with insights from the artisans and rare glimpses inside their workshops. The art of blacksmithing and steel processing didn't reach Japan until more than 1,000 years after it was developed in the Western world. It is therefore all the more astonishing to see the high culture of forging that developed in the Land of the Rising Sun within a short period of time. This comprehensive reference book explains the traditional methods used by Japanese tool-, knife-, and swordsmiths and gives the reader a rare and unique look inside their workshops. Size: 6.5in x 9.0in | Pages: 160 | 175 color photos Binding: Hardback ISBN: 9780764368516 PRICE: $24.99 Link: Japanese Blacksmithing

I have the German book „Japanische Schmiedekunst“ and strongly recommend it. Dr. Rudolf Dick visited traditional blacksmith families and did a great job in documenting in word and pics the art of Japanese smithing. In 2015 he meet Gassan Sadatoshi and wrote a nice and informative Nihonto Chapter. I see the same pictures in the German book and in the new English book, so may be( almost ) identical..

Honestly great blade I’ve been looking for that smith for some time. Congratulations God Bless

Re Saturday: great to have had the chance to also see faces behind nicknames, despite I sometimes felt misplaced among so many knowledgeable people.

Here is a Google Drive link: https://drive.google...hwyT0BBS?usp=sharing Hopefully now more people would be able to admire the sword.

As soon as I find the time I will have a look at it. Rudolf Dick runs a big hardware store mainly for woodworkers, but also for knifemakers, musical instrument makers and more. He has an interest in Japanese crafts and offers quite an array of Japanese tools. His German language book is related to this.

Just took another look, no star anywhere or other numbers.

http://ohmura-study.net/006.html 刃物鍛冶の名人・千代鶴是秀は先述したように、スウェーデンのダンネモラ鉱山の鋼を専ら使い、国産の鋼は切れ味が悪くて使わな いと明言していた。 刀匠で後に刃物鍛冶になった長島宗則は「大正頃のヨーロッパの鋼は素晴らしかった」と述懐している。 河合綱商店が和鋼を基に成分規格を提示、スウェーデンのダンネモラ鉱山が産出する地鉄を使って英国のアンドリユー社が成分調整 した鋼を生産した。 千代鶴是秀が先鞭をつけた東郷ハガネの鉋（かんな）は、戦後僅かに残った在庫を使い、現在も鉋の最高級品として販売されている。 The master swordsmith 千代鶴是秀 Chiyozuru Korehide, as previously mentioned, exclusively used steel from the Dannemora mine in Sweden, and clearly stated that he would not use domestic steel due to its poor cutting performance. The swordsmith-turned-blade smith, 長島宗則 Munenori Nagashima, also reminisced, saying, “The European steel around the Taisho era was outstanding.” 河合綱商店 Kawai Tsuuna Shoten established a composition standard based on traditional Japanese steel (Wakou) and produced steel in cooperation with the Andrew Company in the UK, using base iron sourced from the Dannemora mine in Sweden. The 東郷ハガネ "Togo Hagane" planes 鉋( kanna), pioneered by 千代鶴是秀 Chiyozuru Korehide, were made using the limited post-war stock and are still sold today as top-grade planes.

This is an beautiful gendaito by Hizen Yoshitada which really shows the tradition of the Hizen Tadayoshi school in modern times. The Tadayoshi school was one of the preeminent groups of swordsmiths working during the Edo period, and maintained the high standards of quality during that time. This sword is by the gendai smith Kinoshita Yoshitada, who was a rikugun jumei tosho smith during the Showa period who won 1st seat in the 1941 shinsakuto competition. The hada is a fine ko-itame absolutely covered in ji-nie which reminds of the konuka-hada the Tadayoshi school was renowned for. The hamon is a beautifully executed suguha with deep ashi and yo (again, in the Tadayoshi style). The sword is in shirasaya with koppa-maki and has a gold foil habaki. The nakago is well signed and has been maintained in excellent condition. The Yoshitada also has an accompanying shin-gunto koshirae with smooth green saya. Mei: Hizen (no) kuni junin Yoshitada kore o tsukuru Nengo: Showa ju shichi nen ni gatsu Nagasa: 60.8cm Moto-haba: 3.2cm Sori: 1.4cm Kasane: 0.78cm $3,600 + shipping & PayPal

https://www.japanese...dindex.com/emura.htm

emura saku. gendai smith, medium rated. still got the cosmalin grease too

Steve, Nobody is somebody around here! He has phrased it in such a way that it is impossible to be sure whether that is a four character name or a combination of name and number. These four characters could be read from left to right or right to left, changing it totally. 二 can be a number (2) or part of a name, as in Shoji above. ロ can be the sound 'ro', used a as a counter, (イ,ロ,ハ = 1,2,3) or it can be kuchi (a mouth), i.e. part of a name, etc. So, with no other context it could even be 2 Oda (Ro) for example, if some rank, or bunk, or cabin is meant. So there are various possible readings depending on what the original writer meant. With no other context, Nobody's answer is the safest.

I am not sure what the characters mean. If they mean a name, it may be 口田小二 – Kuchida/Kuchita Shoji.

Just in case @Jacques D. missed it. Plus an added bonus from a TJ Norishige. Classic Namazu IMHO Plus an added bonus from a TJ Norishige. Classic Namazu IMHO

Jacques, those are totally different from the examples you posted previously and which were highlighted by Colin. In this recent batch there is no “Rai hada” in that there is no shingane showing. The previous ones clearly have shingane as they are the large dark areas (the ones that you suggested showed chikei). Read the Markus Sesko’s article: Rai hada is a different colour to the kawagane and it’s equivalent in Aoe blades is Namazu hada, which looks different to the surrounding metal and has the quality of cat fish skin. What you have highlighted immediately above are not chikei nor shingane, just some rougher grain/ small kitae ware or perhaps as Uwe says, ji nie in the example with the more consistent grain.

Dear Jacques, Nagayama describes chikei as black(Page 87), Sesko describes chikei as blackish, the NBTHK say, that chikei are dark. You see chikei as white. That can only mean, that you have more and better information than the majority. Please, share your knowledge with us. At least I want to know... Uwe G. PS: I would descibe the white lines as jinie due to the lamination.

Well, I cannot blame Eddy for taking a break. An enormous amount of work goes in putting these together and, despite various exhortations, the European cohorts from the U.K., France, Germany etc are not turning up. There are probably 500-600 serious students across these countries and we cannot seem to muster them. Even the Netherlands can do better in summoning more attendees…. It is a pity “Lewis” that you started late with all of this and missed the first two events. They were stronger, especially the first one, with the stupendously good exhibition of members’ TokuJu and Juyo blades and Tosogu which far outshone the items for sale back then. it is a real pity as this event had the potential to be a great mini DTI, but it is our fault - the collectors, members etc who are very vocal on NMB but cannot be perturbed to go to Utrecht. And our colleagues in the US traverse a whole continent to attend their gun and militaria shows…. We just don’t have it in us to travel for the hobby. A few hardcore fans do it, but a show like that is not sustainable with only 50 regulars.

I came across a picture of this beauty! Isn’t this pure art?

Baba Tsugukiyo

Georg, I also thank you for sharing your journey with us. I have found it both educational and stimulating to follow your pilgrimage. I tend to ignore individuals when they are bound to negativity for whatever reasons. It states to your character that you spent the time to acknowledge some of that negativity in a very positive manner. Well Done. I am in utter amazement that you found the blade and then, as a novice, had the patience of an experienced Nihonto collector in your search for the knowledge needed to proceed. Also, congratulations, you are now the proud caretaker of a most extraordinary sword. Warm Regards,

I'm pleased to let all know today the blade arrived back home with me (among the Hokke Ichijo -> https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/33001-tachi-bringback/ ). So roughly four years later now the journey of the blade ended where it began. Had spent probably 10 minutes of looking at the steel and then put it back in the shirasaya. Will need to find some more time to look at in detail. Not being an expert, but especially having the as well freshly polished Hokke Ichijo blade aside even to beginners such as me the much more life one can see in the Masayuki is obvious. And what I really realized and wasn't much aware in 2019 was the super complex cross section (I'm very certain there is a nihonto term for that but for the lack of even knowing the correct term for this in my mother tongue forgive me for calling it this way) of the blade that actually changes various times. At least to me this appeared as a very complex overall geometry. When I find time I'll do some more pictures. Seeing how bad I am compared to those who have way more experience in taking pictures of blades .

I'll not resubmit my sword. It is just a certificate, and does a Masayuki/Kiyomaro blade absolutely need Juyo papers? Even if it would influence its potential value it wouldn't matter to me since I'll be keeping it anyway. Plus, to be honest, after more than three years of it out of hands I am really highly looking forward to see it again .

I was informed today that its submission to the 68th Juyo Shinsa was not successful, it did not make it. At first I was a bit disappointed, because it would had been the icing on the cake, but three hours later now I don't feel bad about this any more. It would had been nice to know why it didn't make it - was it the machiokuri they didn't like, any flaws that I had not seen or noticed, or didn't they like the fact that I had the sayagaki added prior to their Juyo shinsa, or would they simply not give out Juyo papers on first submission to Juyo ... I don't know and will most likely never find out. As I though had mentioned in this thread already: I rather have the sword exactly as it is, machiokuri and with cutting test but no Juyo papers than without machiokuri, cutting test but Juyo papers. The cutting test and the obviously old machiokuri tell so much more on its history and add to the item itself what a simple certificate dating 180 years after it was made can never compensate. The best part of this thread therefore is very close: to get it back into my hands. I'll give it another update when this is finally achieved. Oh, and by the way: it will be accompanied back home by the Tachi which the NBHTK attributed to Hokke-Ichijō, so even two items to look forward to.

This I think is part of the problem that we have in trying to figure out what is going to go Juyo because people automatically assume it means pretty blade, and it doesn't. This is a pretty blade. However there is exactly one Yamato Shizu Juyo Token that is below 61cm and is not a naginata naoshi or a tanto. It was made roughly 30 years ago at the nadir of selection criteria for Juyo Token. This tells you that short Yamato Shizu are very poor candidates for passing Juyo. And the one that passed 30 years ago ris not likely to go now. And adding 5cm to it would not guarantee it. Because there are only 9 all time that are 66cm and lower by this school that passed. If you want to be comfortable saying Juyo guarantee the criteria are a lot higher: there was an ubu 92 cm Motoshige last year or the year before, signed and dated and good condition. Now that you can guarantee and you can even say "should pass Tokuju easily" because it is actually unique. There are two other ubu Motoshige tachi and they are 71cm (Tokuju) and 110cm (Juyo Bunkazai but unsigned). So that tells you that you can probably have a sure thing that the 92cm signed and dated ubu one will go Tokuju as it stands alone for what it is. People submit a lot of things that have no chance because they don't have their heads wrapped around the correct criteria. Pretty is one of them (that is, one of the correct ones) but on its own carries zero weight. Like the world's best running back with no offensive line, on his own, he is going nowhere. The incorrect perception that a blade is a good candidate for Juyo PLUS the incorrect weight given to Juyo in the pricing equation PLUS lack of knowledge of how many lie below the surface, leads people to the statement that "those are some pretty good deals" and usually it's just the perception of a pretty good deal. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. But you need the perception in order to make the sale for sure. So in this case, you have to know what you are buying and not buy on any hopes for anything more than what you see or that it is worth more than you paid for. Then you will be safe and happy.

“infinite wisdumb” sent me this image: The result = What also caught my eye was the rear end of the spider - now why would Mother Nature go to the trouble of making a spiders bottom look like some very scary "Golliwog" [no racist intent] Or a negative of Harpo Marx?