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There is actually three types Dan, named Wangata (bowl), Goishi-gata (convex both sides), and Hoiteibara (concave both sides). Here are some collages of 4 guards that i have in my collection. (Also on my PD website posted earlier this month, or late last that mentions these names).

So, out of my collection of about 150 tsuba only a very (very) few are in a concave or convex shape. I figure for a master tsuba maker to forge that type of shape probably took a lot of extra work! Why was that concave or convex shape done? Was it to distribute the weight of the tsuba differently on the blade? Less weight towards the blade and more weight away from the blade for a concave shape. More weight towards the blade and less weight away from the blade for a convex shape. Or was it just an artistic choice by the craftsman? Anyway, I have included pictures of one of my concave and convex shape tsuba. When I purchased these tsuba I had no idea of their concave or convex shape, since no pictures showing that shape of the tsuba were shown and the seller did not describe the shape in his listing. Only when I received the tsuba and hefted them and placed my fingers over them, did I become aware of the concave or convex shape of the tsuba. I think it would be interesting if members could post pictures of what they have! Onward!

One I have never seen another like - not oval, but a Lens shaped Wangata with "Gama-hada" toad skin silver surface [not the best of this technique - the silver has "run" and not formed drops] and a couple of others.

Looks to be an early style field grade tassel, is the rest of the sword nice?

Here is my only tsuba fitting what you’re looking for, convex. Regards

濃州関住服部正廣作 Nōshū Seki-jū Hattori Masahiro saku.

My notes: Tsuba doesn't have the clear definition as in genuine Japanese shin-gunto parts. The flowers in all the parts look different than shin gunto cherry blossoms. Holes for the locking mechanism in tsuba and seppa are badly defined and made in different way that I've seen in any shin-gunto. Pommel doesn't look right in any shape or form. Knot loop and tassel are clearly recent production.

Here's the Kikuchi School's genealogy for future reference. Also from Sesko’s Signatures of Japanese Sword Fitting Artists pg.25.

Jake, I don’t think the first tsuba which you posted (from Aoi Art) is linked to the Kikuchi school, there is no artist listed with that name, and the style isn’t in keeping with the Kikuchi school, who specialised in katakiribori. In my opinion, it’s a Mito school tsuba with a fictitious mei. The second tsuba which you posted is by Kikuchi Tsunekatsu, the founder of the Kikuchi school. I had a quick look at the meikan and the kao looks good to me. Here’s some information about him from Sesko’s Signatures of Japanese Sword Fitting Artists: 24.1 Kikuchi Tsunekatsu (菊池序克), 1st gen. The founder of the Kikuchi school was Tsunekatsu, a student of Inagawa Naokatsu (稲川直克). He also received the character for „Katsu“ from the latter. He was born in the first year of Hōei (1704) and was called „Seijirō“ (清次郎). Because of his artistic background in the Inagawa school he worked mostly in shakudō with nanako ground and takabori-iroe ornamentations but his strong point was katakiribori. In his later years he entered priesthood and took the nyūdō-gō „Sōju“ (宗寿). Other pseudonyms of Tsunekatsu were „Sōryūken“ (草流軒) and „Gidōken“ (蟻洞軒). There are also works extant which are signed with the characters (常克) for „Tsunekatsu“ and it is assumed that they go back to his earlier years. In addition, we know a joint work (gassaku, 合作) with Naoharu (柳川直春, 1750-?), the 3rd gen. Yanagawa, which is signed with the supplement „made at the age of 60“. That means Tsunekatsu was also in direct contact with the Yanagawa school. His year of death is unknown but the latest extant information about his age mentions „made at the age of 64“. That means he was at least active until the Meiwa (1764-1772) era.

Don't wish to keep this going but I just received an email from Imazu-san ........ Dear Valued Customer, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by my poor health. Thanks to you, I am now feeling much better. We will resume normal business operations from tomorrow. We will also resume shipments to overseas customers, which have been delayed. We deeply apologize for any concern and inconvenience caused, and we ask for your understanding and forgiveness. We look forward to your continued support of Giheya. Sincerely, Imazu Atsuogi Hiraya

George everything I can see in the bad pics suggests it is WW2 sword. The tassel does look original and well used as does the Ito. The chuso buttons are often replaced as they are easily broken by the uninitiated. That replacement could be wartime or post. Pierced tsuba and central chuso hole on fuchi are typical signs of Type 94 but Kabuto-gane maybe not...but that's nothing. As for the blade ? .... need better pics, particularly of nakago and kissaki.

何-- 姿の小野ハ秋--　在?の淋しき風の音すれ Not quite enough to get it, but some allusion to the "Aname" nozarashi theme mentioned in the thread below? I'm not sure about the bits in red. I'm taking a leap with these, but given the theme and the reference to Ono (Ono no Komachi, I think), its leading me to think it is talking about the apocryphal story of Ariwara Narihira finding the skull of his former lover Ono no Komachi in a field.

Looks promising to me.

Hi Dave, It looks like some of your pictures are not coming through. This sword will undoubtedly spark some discussion. Some swords with this tang stamp have been posted here before, here is one example, here is another. The fittings also fall into a known pattern, see also here, and here. There is evidence that various patterns of crude Japanese-style swords were made in China, Java, and other places outside of Japan during the war for Japanese or collaborator forces. There is also evidence that fake Japanese swords were made during and immediately after the war (and ever since) by enterprising individuals to sell as souvenirs to GIs. Without provenance or conformity to one of the known "patterns," it's hard to tell the difference between the two. Search for threads on "island swords."

Ohmura has a picture of a Tenshōzan 天照山 dirk. http://ohmura-study.net/741.html

Interesting, your tsuba seems a lot more similar stylistically to the first example... As you said, not much similarity to mine. I did find these examples of Kozuka by "Kikuchi Tsunesada", circa 1800 that has a similar design and style to my tsuba (shishi lion/tiger, katakiribori) Now I don't know what to think! Are these two different branches of the Kikuchi lineage?

So I have been doing some research into different schools and I came upon an interesting tsuba from the kikuchi school. I was wondering if anyone had any additional information about the Kikuchi school artisans/lineage as I am curious about the particular artisan who created this piece. I am particularly interested in knowing if this is an example of musume-bori from a female artisan. Any help would be appreciated. https://www.aoijapan...sui/#google_vignette

Nice job on the high resolution photos, @Lewis B. They show a lot of detail.

@dwmc great spot! But that one's on me, I actually mirrored the image to help me notice anything odd. Thanks for all the thoughts everyone, much appreciated! I'm hoping I can buy this one 🤞

Dear Ryan. The blade is in what is known as shirasaya, a plain wood resting mount. This is a mount made to protect and preserve the blade much later than the date of the blade itself but dating the shirasaya is almost impossible, for waht it's orth I would think this one is more recent than the 1940s. You have an interesting piece and it is worth looking after. Have a read of the Care and Maintenance link under the FAQ tab at the top of the page. All the best.

Hello, Agree with above..100% fake unfortunately… Regards, Paul.

I presented the Senjuin katana at the Bring and Tell session at this weekends NBTHK-EB meeting. It was well received and the overwhelming consensus was that if I wanted to submit for Juyo, to avoid risk of further degradation that might be inflicted by another polish and send it as is. The 'delicate' sugata suggest the blade was late 13th Century early 14th Century at the latest, putting it in the late Kamakura era. While Go Yoshihiro (its historical attribution) is unlikely, I feel it has enough features in common with the Echizen Yoshihiro group (based on a Juyo SY katana) that it could come back as a named blade, most likely Senjuin Yoshihiro, if accepted for Shinsa. Someone also suggested the typical Senjuin jihada is more roughly forged and that would fit with the weak Senjuin attribution mentioned here. According to Kazuo Tokuno a group of smiths relocated from Yamato to Hokuriku on the Northern Coast and incorporated elements of Soshu style swordmaking to their traditional Yamatoden origins. There was a Senjuin Yoshihiro in the late 13th Century and a signed/dated piece from 1343. The earlier Senjuin Yoshihiro is said to have been born around 1280 and was Go's father, and that the later dated blade could be by the same Smith. The postulated dates fit this hypothesis. Another hypothesis by Honami Kozon is that Go was not a Soshu smith at all but one of the Senjuin Yoshihiro group who adopted some of the Soshu style. I added a more high rez images to my Google Drive and I hope these give a good impression. The detail in the blade is highlighted by the macro lens and use of appropriate lighting. I found a cheap Ikea LED, with integrated lens to disperse the light, to be really good for these images and Nihonto in general. Offset high intensity halogen was my preferred light for visualising the hataraki. Enjoy. https://drive.google...j-eZWYtgSKfamVWFUlsO

Derek, UCHIKO is powdered polishing stone (UCHIGUMORI stone), so if fine enough (= good quality), it will increase the shiny appearance. If bad qualiy (= coarse), it will scratch the blade.

I got it! Thank you so much for your time.

Hi Derek, no, would just leave it alone. As mentioned above, its observable. I didn't mean it was a disaster or anything, just that the polish looks like it could be better. Many blades out there that have a polish that could be better. Some dealers known to take short cuts and cut costs with polishing blades, as well as owners.

I tried use a Japanese AI tool, still doesn't make too much sense but maybe can help you fill some blanks

Should be Kikuchi Masahira (菊地正平) but there is no such smith listed in Wakayama's index. There are two Masahiras, but neither of them use the name Kikuchi. One is a Shōami artist, and the other uses the gō of Tetsugendō. So I'm a bit skeptical of the name. The inscription/poem also eludes me 骨---無---波---誰と too many blanks that need filling in, but some musing on bones, as you can guess just by looking at the theme without knowing any of the characters. I don't know if that orphaned bit of writing on the right side is part of the poem, or if it is something else (name of the poet, for example).

Thank you for the information everyone. I look forward expanding the rabbit hole of collecting antique Nihonto. And new thanks

I wonder how long is the nakago as this may explain much.most souvenir swords not all mind you were suriage or hot cut at 9 inches +/- .my suspicion is they were originally Takayama 2nd design originally before being cut to fit standard length koshirai. Imo.

I have seen a small number of officer gunto with a screw/bolt. Seems like it would be a post-war addition to a sword missing the mekugi. But no way to know.

This does have the appearance that suggests war kaigunto. At first, I was thinking something custom, but I can't say I've ever seen any without the daiseppa that weren't late war. The large seki stamp has been seen as late as 1944, so it's feasible. Masahiro must have been a prolific smith. I have 26 of his blades on file.

dont be lead astray but uneducated words, everything show in these pictures is just modern repro s**t, full stop the end. its not Japanese, its not evan pre 1980's. you have failed to educate yourself with books before buying. thats not a gamble its being uneducated

Dave, in addition to the ones Robert pointed out above, read this one. It got buried in the middle of a thread. WW2 Japanese sword Marking

Several of the images at the link below incorporate tsuba as part of the design. 天照山鍛錬場作 = Tenshōzan Tanrenjō. 光明寺裏山の天照山鍛錬所

Its a very difficult to answer, from images. You mention shiny. I'm concerned there is something amiss in the nio-guchi that don't look like its polished correctly (the way it blends, unsubtle). There's a polisher from Oz that sometimes comes here, he will be the guy to ask. Id say its not polished correctly, but that's from images. Actually, from the vid, I'm sure its not polished as good as it could be. The word harsh, springs to mind, Guess it all depends what you can live with.

A polish can only be truly appreciated blade in hand

Brian, Hattori Masahiro. Sometimes the late war kai gunto lack the rising sun seppa and the fittings resemble the set up found on the souvenir swords. Conway

Play with the angle of the light. Maybe you can get a better shot?!

Lost image from June 30, 2023

According to the document, it became clear that the red characters are 長井 - Nagai.

Two videos of the exhibit from a good channel: Part 1: Part 2:

Hello all. I will be continuing to offer items from my collection at the next Birmingham Arms Fair. As I have said before, I am not a dealer and am selling purely to return to collecting Meiji Artworks. This Arms Fair is my sole outlet but I’m always happy to meet up elsewhere if necessary. Obviously more relevant to UK residents. All will be priced to sell and they include a sumptuously mounted Tachi, finely mounted Tanto, Wakizashi and Aikuchi plus many tsuba, menuki and kozuka etc. Most blades are in good original Japanese polish, some with papers. None have been messed around with! I will add more detailed descriptions in a few days but for now…… All the best. Colin

Hi Gareth! Thanks for the added pics of the black painted tsuba/seppa. I'll add a link of this to the Black Painted gunto thread. There are no swords specific to the Navy landing forces. But they would have been navy swords, not army, which the Type 3, or Rinji seishiki model is. That is an urban legend that got started decades ago. The tassel, if indeed all brown, indicates this sword was carried by the civilian branch of the army called Gunzoku. They wore military uniforms with Gunzoku rank and carried swords commensurate with their rank. You can read about the Rinji model here: Unveiling the Rinji seishiki Sword 1940 and History of the Mislabeled Type 3 About the Gunzoku brown tassel: The all-brown Tassel

Benjamin, you cannot increase the density of a metal with mechanical methods. The density of steel is always 7,85, and very small variation would only be possible by using special alloying metals like tungsten or cobalt. In theory, large quantities of a lighter metal like titanium would make the steel less dense, but that would show only in the last figures. Just to mention it, intense hammering does not make the steel harder....

Low rez Iphone image in ambient lighting + LED

和泉守兼重 Izumi no kami Kaneshige 特別保存刀剣 Tokubetsu Hozon Izumi no Kami Kaneshige was an influential swordsmith active in the early Edo period and is well-known as the master of Nagasone Kotetsu 長曽祢虎徹. Born in Echizen Province (越前国 、present-day northeastern Fukui Prefecture), he moved to Edo around the beginning of the Kan'ei era (1624–1644) and became a court swordsmith for the Tōdō family in Ise Province (modern Mie Prefecture). There is a legend that he was introduced to the Tōdō family with the help of the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, who was a personal acquaintance of Kaneshige. It is said that the two swords beloved by Musashi were inscribed with the signature "Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kaneshige," but their current whereabouts are unknown. Regarding the workmanship, Kaneshige's swords typically feature a shallow curvature with straight hamon or gunome-midare patterns. Some blades exhibit a Mino-style undulating wave pattern mixed with pointed shapes. The steel used is characterized by a combination of "koitamehada" (small itame pattern) and "masamehada" (straight grain), showing influences from the style of the first-generation Echizen Yasutsugu. The signatures found on his works include "Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kaneshige," "Izumi Daijō Fujiwara Kaneshige," and "Kazusa no Suke Kaneshige." Price: 18,900 USD included shipping. NAGASA：70.8cm MOTOHABA：3.1cm MOTOKASANE：7mm SAKIHABA：2.15cm SAKIKASANE：5mm If you want more detail photo . plz PM me ro send Email: kevinkuo0419@gmail.com

Here is a partial translation of the Tanobe Sayagaki: 和州千手院　大磨上無銘而細身小鋒ノ華奢な形態ヲ呈し板目刃寄リニ 流レル肌合ニ地沸厚ク地景入リ刃文ハ直調小互乃目ガ草ニ乱レテ盛ン ニ沸付キテ輝キ砂流、金筋ガ頻リニ絡ミ随所ニ湯走リガ形成サレ更ニ火 炎帽子トナルナド大和傳ト相州傳ノ折衷的ナ感ノ出来口ヲ示候　古来他 四派ニ見ナヒ程ニ盛ンニ乱レタ者ヲ同派ニ極メル傾向ニアリ其意味カラ 所伝ハ妥当也 刃長貮尺寸四分半　歳甲辰菊月探山識花押 "Washu (Yamato) Senjuin: O-suriage-mumei, it has a slender and delicate shape. (Jigane is based on) itame with nagare-hada (running pattern) along the hamon. (It is covered with) thick ji-nie and chikei. The hamon is sugu-cho with tasteful ko-gunome midare and full of shiny nie, sunagashi and kinsuji. Yubashiri is formed here and there, and even more, boshi is Kaen. It shows an eclectic feel of both the Yamato-den and Soshu-den. There has long been a tendency to attribute Senjuin to styles with midare-ba with rich hataraki not seen in the other four schools of Yamato-den, so the identification of this sword as Senjuin is appropriate. Edge length 2 shaku sun 4 bu han (a half) Date Kinoe Tatsu (2024) Kiku zuki (September ) Tanzan wrote kao. "

That would indicate the WARRIOR stamp was not that of a sword fitting shop then?

This sword has now been sold. Thankyou to everyone who showed an interest.

Utsuri: light coloured. Antai (space between habuchi and utsuri): dark