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Hello Jake , as no one else has commented I will give you the bad news . There is no chance of these being Goto . The workmanship is just nowhere near good enough . You would expect the Shakudo to be a dark bluey black wheras yours are a coffee color . Sorry to ruin your day . Attached is one of my pieces signed Goto Deshi ( I forget the rest ) which will show you what the color should be like . Ian Brooks

Came across this guy the other day on TikTok. Watched a few of his videos, and find them very interesting. I think his name is Jesse Cunningham, and he is living in Shikoku, and working with/as a blacksmith. Although not strictly Nihonto related, they are making Tamahagane, and forging kitchen knives and chisels etc, using fairly traditional methods. Interesting life there too. He seems to entertain visiting tourists, and giving courses in making your own knife. Although stock is limited, what I saw was very well priced and attractively done. Lots of snippets showing forging, polishing etc etc. Doesn't seem to be headed towards sword making, but a very interesting account if you have TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@jessemadeinjapan Also on Instagram under https://www.instagram.com/jessethedeshi/ Here is a Youtube video. Looks like a really interesting outing for those visiting Japan who are able. Does anyone here know Jesse?

I suspect that the blade is not Japanese origin, because the mei looks strange.

For me it is a tsuba with character and obvious use (not workshop inflicted "age" chisel or punch marks) e.g. the "spirit" that Dale mentions above. Patina and the shape are very important to me and more often than not I prefer the cheaper shakudo tsuba with a brass rim (fukurin). The staggering diversity of what has been made means everyone will find something that appeals to them, whether they can afford it is another matter.

For me it is the art itself, the combination of design and workmanship. In all those years I saw a lot of Tsuba and interestingly most of them don’t appeal to me. I flip through the dealer’s sites or look at the offerings at meetings, but only a handful catch my eye. If I buy pieces it is out of interest or for studies. But every few years there’s one which arouse the ambition to possess them in a flash. I can’t tell why, maybe they look perfect to me. Those I esteem especially. Best, Florian

I am doubtful this one is authentic, however I am hopeful that the first one (signed Goto Senjo) is. The style is a closer match as is the mei and the overall quality. These 2 pieces signed "Goto" were bought in two separate auctions from two separate sellers so the authenticity of one should not affect the other. I've taken a few new photos of the first one with the horses which I'm optimistic about, hopefully I can get some opinions on its authenticity!

Rad, it looks like a sword but it is not of Japanese origin. There are many look-alikes on the market, unfortunately. Hope you did not pay much!

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.

I was wondering if anyone knew of a reputable source for antique Japanese coins? Ryu, oban, koban ect. I have a few ichibu nishukin and nishugin but would like to add some of the larger coins to my collection. Clark Smith has a few but the inventory does not update often.advance. These are the few I have now. Thanks in advace.

Threads never die, just servers! 謹作高山刀　Kinsaku Takayama-tō. 刀匠 Tōshō Swordsmith:　服部･正廣 Hattori Masahiro. 研師 Togishi Polisher:　福田･耕平 Fukuda Kōhei.

FYI, other Chinese fakes also use the same mei 田野圭仲. Samurai : r/Samurai (reddit.com) Hello can anyone help with translating this? Trying to find out if this is a fake or real. : r/language (reddit.com) Cheap "Antique" eBay Samurai Swords From China: Fake or Genuine? (youtube.com)

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.

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.

Old sources mention Go Yoshihiro and Norishige as natives of Etchu Province, with Go said to have died young. To me, It would seem highly improbable that he was a Yamato Senjuin smith. Name matching doesn't help us as the only signed and dated Yoshihiro blade (YOS143) doesn't match in characters to those of Go in ancient records, and the date (1343) is far off in time, moroever the records make no mention of a resemblance to the work of Go. What about the Yamato influence? The majority of Go's kitae is typically described as itame, often mixed with nagare or mokume. There is only one instance I could find where his kitae is partially blended with masame: the renowned Kabuto-Giri Go. I have also observed that certain works display his ichimai boshi with a subtle hakkikake flavor. Regarding influences, I've had in hand Go's with traits from three different attribution clusters: the Norishige cluster (Mokume/Matsukawa, complex jiba), the Masamune cluster (angular chickei, yubashiri, inazuma), and the Yukimitsu cluster (ko-itame in the Shintogo style). For Go, I have not personally handled an example where Shizu comes to mind, though the Kabuto-Giri Go is noted for this in the NBHTK setsumei record. It is essential to recognize that, while not all blades attributed to Go feature an ichimai boshi, its presence—when combined with the masterful traits typical of other top Soshu smiths—strongly leans toward an attribution to Go. Now where would such Yamato influence come from, if not Senjuin? We can have fun and speculate. We we might imagine the possibility that Shizu and Go, both supposedly active during the Kenmu era, experimented with one another's techniques while working alongside Yukimitsu, Masamune, and Norishige in the Kamakura atelier. However, this idea rests on many unsecured assumptions, including that Shizu apprenticed directly under the Soshu masters and that certain Soshu-den works displaying Yamato influence are accurately attributed to Go. Attribution is uncertain. As seen with signed works by Yukimitsu, his craftsmanship shows considerable variation, making him the prime candidate for pieces where distinguishing traits are less pronounced. His range spans from Shintogo-like hada with a gentle, shallow notare, to a flamboyant midareba incorporating gunome elements, even producing works approaching Hitatsura. This uncertainty is not limited to Yukimitsu. For instance, of the four extant signed tachi by Norishige, two exhibit a shintogo-like fine hada, a far different approach to Matsukawa. Nor was Matsukawa the exclusive domain of Norishige. Hata Chogi, of which we know very little, left us two works indistinguishable on a trait-basis from Norishige's signed tanto. It's wise to think in probabilities. Perhaps the Kabuto-Giri Go, with its distinct Yamato influence and ichimai boshi, was a masterwork of Shizu? We may never know for certain, as the hand behind it is never known for certain. I think that the key to thinking about attribution and influences is to think in probabilities. The best way is to go with the cannon of tradition. After in-hand examination, it could be 60% Go, 40% Shizu. This is certainly the most tractable way, but is the most accurate way? The alternative is going with the historical dark matter. Or in other words, incorporating the lost record. Imagine that it might be 45% Go, 35% Shizu, 4% Yukimitsu on a creative day, 1% the long lost Shintogo student Kuniyasu, and 15% a master whose name has left our records forever. Then replace all these probabilities with distributions encoding uncertainty and you start to reach the limits of useful abstraction. Not much of a means of knowledge advancement since there is no knowledge, only questions. The supreme quality of the Kabuti-Giri Go, however, is beyond doubt. An accepted attribution to a Soshu grandmaster of this caliber signifies the most masterful craftsmanship that reflects the pinnacle of the Soshu tradition, and one amongst the best Nihonto in existence. This brings a bit of nostalgia. Darcy would have enjoyed this thread. As he used to say, we don't have a time machine.

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.

Old green papers are as you were told unreliable. That being said this is not a smith prone to fakes, I would rest easy that this is authentic. Looking forward to more pictures, and please don't lay a freshly polished blade on a bare table top - too many chances for a scratch... -t

https://artplatform....tions?artistID=A3718 Get your kick..

What a wonderful response. It's hard to argue against your thought process and to not think in probabilities. I especially echo your nostalgic reference to Darcy. His educated and insightful contributions are sorely missed.

PM sent, Thank you.

Late to the game on this one and I'm just getting familiar with the Takayama forge and their swords. Mal had a section on the forge in his Japanese Naval Swords, which was published after this thread. Just updating in case someone reads the thread doing research. Their blades were mostly in naval fittings, but some are found in army koshirae. Concerning the narrow blade tip, I don't think all the blades made by the forge had the stereotypical Takayama style. Most of the posts I'm finding online don't show the whole blade, just nakago, but I'm pretty sure I've seen a few with normal, narrower tips. On Ujifusa, so far, I haven't seen another. There is this one made by Ujinaga: @mecox

Must say, his videos make me want to pack up and move to that area tomorrow. What a stunning area, streams to swim in, woods and a really cute dog. Akiya life is really tempting, even with all the pitfalls. He's really talented too. What a pleasant couple. His blacksmithing course making your own knife is now on my list of things to do oneday.

This takayama forge blade seems to have two smiths at the bottom? Is it saying that the blade was made by 2 smiths? Masano and ? Oops, found the translation: Anyway here are the translations for the inscription. 謹作高山刀 – Respectfully made Takayama-To 刀匠 石原正直 – Sword smith: Ishihara Masanao 研師 木村忠兼 – Polisher: Kimura Tadakane by @Nobody on this January 2009 post.

The unusual 田野 may be playing with characters. Reverse these two and you get 野田 = Noda The famous early Edo smith. Noda Hankei, also known as Noda Zenshiro Kiyotaka. NB 圭 Kei may also be playing on this same suggestion, sound-wise.

I promise everyone. This is the one time that I actually spelled wakizashi wrong.

1. You are correct, this first purports to be by the famous Gassan smith Sadakazu 2. The second is gimei (fake inscription) of Etchu Norishige

A Takayama-to is somewhat collectible by Showato standards. They have an interesting story, but are not considered traditionally made. They were made using a chromium/vanadium steel alloy and were called "anti-rust steel" and were commonly used by the Navy (which is backed up by the fact that it is in navy mounts). If you want to see another, I have one myself that you could see (as well as other wartime and antique nihonto).

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

All of your photos are upside down but this appears to be at Takayama-to blade by Masanao. https://www.google.c...rome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

I can’t believe I forgot to post photos of the nakago. Here are some I have

I can only repeat and emphasize what Thomas has already written. An impressive blade with a very good polish. Absolutely excellent. And you were not out of place. This feeling is absolutely normal and not a mistake. I assure you that there were some who knew even less about Kiyomaro or quality criteria than you. When it comes to this, you can't learn something like that from books or even from the Internet. You only learn and understand something like that in practice with the blade in your hand. Of course it is very helpful if there is someone there who can explain something to you. And that is exactly what events like this are good for! You did everything right. You didn't fall into any traps. That alone is an achievement that most people wouldn't be able to achieve straight away. So from me again: Thank you very much for your willingness to make the blade accessible to an interested group of people.

the very few swords especially made by Masanao, were particularly attractive. thank you for sharing Gerry!

Ran across the above book today and had not heard anything mentioned about it. I did find on this forum a German language book by the same author. Not sure if this is an English translation of it or an entirely new book. A New Book For German Collectors Maybe someone can compare the table of contents of the German book to the English book? Hint: @vajo

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.

Boars eye form as a decoration on fittings goes back into early koto as others have mentioned, but perhaps I was too “generous” with the age estimate because they are certainly very late and the quality is not exciting..I change my estimate to Meiji or modern.

The pic with tsuba looks early war and he looks to have done some blades then with 2 holes. Early on he did produce for Takayama forge, but he was probably working in Seki. I think he was likely working independently, filled orders and sold other work. Probably after blades were made they could have been fitted in army or navy mounts. A number of these tosho also moved to different forges/companies. Does your sword have a stamp e.g. Sho/sakura? But I think pretty sure to be Showato ....but I havent seen it.

The bit above is hard to see but looks like “Takayama to”. Some discussion here:

The smith seems to be UjiFusa