Leaderboard

After looking for a YKB tsuba for a while, finally found something just perfect. I picked up this wonderful “Low-cross bar” YKB tsuba from Steve Waszak. Thought I’d share. About 7.1 x 6.7cm x 4mm. The tekkotsu and yakite are excellent.

I have a few but just picked up this Echizen Kinai piece recently. I like the concave petals.

IMHO its a fake. The figures are too stick-like and the mei is wobbly and all over the place. FYI attached is a mei on a kozuka I have. It is identical to my eye to a second kozuka I have with the same theme of people. BaZZa. Here is the kozuka - I apologise for the poor shot. I've been 'gunner' upgrade the hasty photos... And here is a mei that was on a kozuka on the internet some time ago: Here is that kozuka: And here is the text for the kozuka immediately above: Hosono Sozaemon Masamori (細野惣左衛門政守) worked in Kyoto in the early Edo period between Genroku and Kyoho (1688 – 1736) . He used Kebori and Katakiribori mixed with Hira Zogan and often filled the whole plate with his motives of landscapes and rural life. For his time he was quite progressive as he not only depicted sceneries which had been famous from history or favoured by the noble class but chose to show the life of the working class people. Thus we often see workers or farmers going after their daily job in his work. This Kozuka depicts the eight views of Omi province (today’s Shiga Prefecture) also called the eight views of Biwa lake as all the views concentrate around the southern side of the Biwa lake. The theme was derived from the Chinese ‘Eight Views of Xiaoxiang’ (11th century) and came to Japan in the 14th century when it was used in poetry by Konoe Masaie a prince of Hikone. Later it became a subject for artists like Suzuki Harunobe or Utagawa Hiroshige. I do apologise for the brevity of this post, but I have been late to put my two kozuka into a substantive article. Regards, BaZZa (aka Barry 'Gunnadoo' Thomas)

明珍式部 - Myochin Shikibu 紀宗定作 - Ki no Munesada saku

Thank you brett, great work! I would highly recommend reading the book "Honma talks" - I think Markus has a translation available. It gives many details on the "behind the scenes" of the Imperial collections an many other high-ranking collections. The challenge with Gyobutsu is that the majority of them do not have any designation from either the NBHTK or the Ministry of Culture. Items of great scholarly importance, such as a zaimei Masamune tanto, or a tachi signed by Kagemasa and Kagemitsu as joint work, or a Mitsutada with a complete long signature, and many others - are not documented anywhere else. it's crucial to keep track of these important and undocumented pieces. Even if they have lost their status post-war due to the tax regime change that ruined the Imperial family and its Junior branches, these blades do not carry any official designation and are thus the 'dark matter' of Nihonto. On another note, the post-Nambokucho blades in the collection can be eyebrow raising - there are many lower quality works there, and Honma remarks on this. One thing that is incredibly interesting: the vast majority of their holdings consists of signed blades, and with a clear statistical preference for Bizen and Yamashiro over Soshu, which perhaps reflects a certain disdain towards swords produced to the taste of the Kamakura warrior class. From the Meiji to the pre-war era, there was a great re-evaluation of schools such as Ko-Bizen, which has remarkably low origami valuation by the Hon'ami family compared to where they sit today in the elite hierarchy. Figures such as Imamura Chogi were instrumental in shifting the balance of taste amongst the elite. Honma Junji did not hold Imamura Chogi in high esteem, and takes a number of jabs at him in his book. Emperor Meiji's collection was probably the peak of the Imperial family's sword holding and accumulation. During the Meiji restoration, many great industrialist families heading the powerful Zaibatsu have gifted Emperor Meiji incredible blades. Best, Hoshi

The Baltimore antique arms show is a great show with multiple Japanese sword dealers there. There’s usually several tables with samurai suits of armor and lots of Japanese rifles and accessories. It’s at the Maryland state fairgrounds on Saturday March 21-22. https://www.baltimoreshow.com/ Tom

I would also insist on it getting NBTHK papers before it leaves Japan. Submit as is. Will the dealer accept responsibility for getting it papered, at your expense. If it fails allowing you to walk away?

Its a fun blade with fun sugata... there used to be an orikaeshi mei, probably to some koto Bizen, and it probably was so crazy they took it out with even papering the blade. Strangely enough it has distinctive grouping so it kind of goes as Oei Bizen style, not more popular ones like Kanemitsu. Yet, shinshinto probably. The quality of work itself appears to be decent, its easy to observe, so I personally kind of like it. The only thing is the resale value like indicated above. This is kind of stuff which can be difficult to sell at a sword show... But if you buy for yourself, then it should be an enjoyable sword. Usually this is a bad advice often for the first time buyer, but its not a bad first time sword at all, and I would not mind owning something like that personally. The only thing I would advise is getting it papered. Even just one day NTHK NPO shinsa in Tokyo. It does not seem to be Yokoyama Bizen line. Might be someone following Chounsai Tsunatoshi.

Colin can you access Jauce in the UK? https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1221335764 Most things on Yahoo can be found on Jauce - just substitute the last set of numbers from Yahoo [in this case t1221335764]

The story of Tokyo in the 20th century post Meiji Restoration is as much a story about Japan as it is about the city. This video documentary by NHK captures the story beautifully and with the help of video footage from the day captures the spirit of Tokyo - the city that is first to meet the rising sun.

If it's considered genuine, and the seller seems to imply that it is...you know the end price is going to be 10-20X what the current price is, right? Condition doesn't worry me, pieces at that leave were often not made to be mounted or used, they were high class even back then. I haven't seen modern fakes of this sort of work, but that doesn't imply that they don't exist. Someone could ask the seller if they guarantee it would paper.

I think that one would be easier to call Kaen. I honestly try not to get caught up in semantics, and just stick to hakikake to prevent argument.

As I shared in your other post, this appears to be 阿州住藤原利平 - Ashū ju Fujiwara Toshihira.

Let's add this for completeness https://world-seiyudo.com/product/ko-050819/

Some great tsuba popping up in an old thread. It is a popular theme with me, so I have (or had) a few. Being a Higo lover, I'm loving MIchael's two Jingo.

Guess I’m late to the party but I’m just discovering the fusion that is Sōden Bizen. Nanbokucho piece around 70cm with a 3cm / 2.65cm width. Morikage’s “Chikakage style”

Hit a minor milestone today, as I found a 4th blade painted "45". We've had some triples so far, but this is the first fourth. It's a Toyosuke blade with the small circled anchor. On auction at this eBay page. She's asking kaigunto price of $2,200 which is a bit over market price for a souvenir. I sent a message to her. We'll see if she responds.

Hi @M Ubertini, I'm going to relocate this to the TOSOGU section. That's where most of the tsuba and fittings people hang out; and they will like to see this one. Lovely looking piece, congratulations! -Sam

Dear Max, the first question that comes to my mind is why they didn't polish and certify it directly with the possibility of having a greater profit? The simplest answer is that it's not worth it and I'll try to explain why: Sugata and hada seem Shinshinto to me. If you combine Shinshinto/suriage/mumei from a collecting point of view you will get a blade that has no appeal, they would have no profit in polishing and certifying it, they prefer that the buyer requests it and bears the costs and risks. Remind that the costs of polishing and certification do not add up directly as a value... polishing makes the blade more attractive and sellable, certification increases attractiveness as it gives more certainty to the buyer and in some cases can increase value of the blade even considerably, therefore these evaluations are made individually on a case-by-case basis. Regarding the conditions, I seem to see little machi considering the reference period, it makes me think that the blade has already seen several polishes. The fundamental point however remains why you have to buy a blade... if you looking for a display blade it could be fine if you like it, if you intend to study nihonto more in depth I would honestly suggest to look at something else, in any case the asking price + polishing + certification seems high to me...for that price you can find some very nice wakizashi. All the best Giordy

Many thanks. I reached out the Bob as the listing says they are made to order. Hopefully he can supply to Germany in a reasonable time.

Thanks….yes found it on Dale’s link to Jauce👍. (Never been on that site before!) they do not mention the alloy/metal that it is made from and the first thing that struck me was that the faceplate looked like it had been overcleaned at some point. It is a totally different colour to the back (that in itself may not be problem as many kozuka are made from different alloy plates) but imo it is shibuichi judging from the backplate colour. Also the copper colour in the design looks weak…..but that could be a trick of the light. It is an amusing composition but not technically challenging. i don’t think it’s a modern fake I will leave the Mei to those that have far greater expertise than me. maybe ask seller what it is made from? his Haynes entry…..

I bought this one https://togishi.com/store/p39/Large__Polishers_Uchiko_Ball_.html , you must look from time to time in the shop.

Not sure if this is the best I can get but here Thanks, I'll try finding way to leave a comment. Is it the mei that is suspicious?

Gimei buy it if you like it Don’t expect to find treasures in the rough

i waited 6 months for a wakizashi once, so it happens.

I would really be asking the seller if they guarantee it would pass shinsa. If they say yes, you are (more) safe. It's a gorgeous piece even if gimei.

Can you show a couple of high res images? (we cannot access yahoo auctions in uk)

Yes, I'm aware this would go over 100,000 yen and that's why I'm being cautious. Looking at this piece my mind ran like: The seller seems to have been selling very nice tosogu with papers or some other kind of certification at least recently, and for this kozuka they even show the page about Hosono Sozaemon Masamori so I assume the seller knows what they are selling... but why not paper it and then sell? Though it could be just because they don't have time to paper it... Or is this the auction's pitfall of "Too good to be true?" But... but... but... Everything is unsure but one thing I think is: Yes, it is beautiful.

I have just picked this book up from Markus Sesko and am about to start reading it... thank you for the recommendation. Really enjoying reading Dr Honma's appraisals too at the moment. 100% - hopefully we can keep a track of them in the new tools being created by this community.

One of my concerns about pieces like this is that it doesn’t have papers. If it is genuine, then I would be surprised that the owner has not had it papered yet. On the other hand, it is a really beautiful piece, which also caught my eye…

Found this video entitled MacArthur's Japan from 1949 - it is a very fine time capsule of Japan after WWII from the American perspective.

I emailed them about the SSN thing because I had the same concerns. There’s no need for it as a buyer. They replied and said that I could just write N/A or something to that effect.

I know Raymond Yan had a folding one for sale recently. Might be worth shooting him a message to see if he has a line on any.

Chuho Sou (宙宝宗宇, 1759-1838) was the 418th chief priest of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto. His Buddhist name was Chuho, his given name was Sou, and he was known as Shogetsu (昇月), which means "Rising Moon." He trained under Sokudo Soki, the 406th bishop of Daitokuji Temple and was a highly revered Japanese Zen master, calligrapher, potter, and tea connoisseur. Chuho admired and was influenced by his contemporary Jiun Onko. In his usual powerful hand, Chuho has brushed 壺中 (right to left), practically reinventing the first character. This phrase translates most directly as "Inside the Jar" or "In the Pot." However, the meaning runs deeper than the literal translation. In Zen and ancient Chinese lore, 壺中 (kochū) carries the connotation of "a different world within," "a microcosm," or "a reality outside of normal time and space." This meaning comes from the legendary Chinese tale of the "Jar Gourd Heaven" (壶天). In this story, a man follows an immortal into a small gourd and discovers a vast, magical palace inside—a complete world within. Therefore, 壺中 often implies a state of enlightenment where the vast universe is contained in a single object, or where the duality generated by distinctions between inside and outside, large and small, cease to exist. It evokes the Zen principle of "the infinite in the finite." I can't make out these particular seals since there isn't a lot of documentation online. Usually, The MET archive has very good translations and annotation, but it doesn't have any works by Chuho Sou. Signature: Daitokuji Chuho Sou

Gotō School (後藤) Kibei-Line (喜兵衛) Kyoto and Kaga Mitsunari, c.1719-1759 worked for the Kibei line of the Goto school. He became the 6th generation master or head of this branch. He was the son of Jōha (5th master). Over the span of his career he signed his works as Mitsuaki (光昭), Mitsunari (光生), Mitsuyori (光寄), Magojūrō (孫十郎) and also a variant character for Nari “成” as seen on this kozuka, Mitsunari (光成).

Ashū - province (area) Fujiwara - clan name Toshihira - swordsmith art name

I think i found its brother... HERE Slightly different but with same markings..... HERE I suspect that it may be a mass produced tourist piece in the Indo-Persian, and Afghani styles. My parents also bought similar items in Colombo Ceylon, now Sri Lanka Found It ! This style is called the Modern kirpan and is carried by Sikhs. It had traditionally been the full size tulwar sword but reduced to a size of 18inches or less in the 20th century . More info ....HERE

I have made the best experience with Kelly Schmidt: kschmidt1127@gmail.com

I recommend contacting Robert Hughes. He lives in Kamakura and he’s @Keichodo.

Would this be considered Yosegane work? These were part of the Samurai Museum in Berlin event last year. The tanto tsuba was especially nice and sold by Paul Kremers. These should be Umetada which was the subject of the tosogu session.

Had an enquiry asking for different pics to Aoi. Usually would go out in the back yard in the light but since moving im now overlooked so dont want look like a nutter in the back yard. Mostly taken under the lights of my 90s style kitchen, hope these suffice a bit better, not really good at sword photography.

I am looking to buy Type 95 Guntō variations in good condition. I hope to buy each variant, take photographs for my document project in the downloads section, and then resell them to buy another. So please understand that I will be reselling these swords; an arrangement can be made where I sell them right back to you for the same price (and I cover all shipping). Budget 5k USD and under. This is a "long term" project, and I do not expect this to accomplish this quickly All the best, -Sam Variation 1 (Early Copper Hilt horseshoe Saya plug) Variation 1 (Copper Hilt straight Saya plug) Variation 2 Suya Variation 2 Iijima Variation 2 Gifu Variation 3 Variation 4 Variation 5 (nagoya aluminum side latch) Variation 6 (Unfullered Aluminum Suya) Variation 7 (Fullered Wood Handle) Variation 8 Variation 9 (Jinsen)

Piers, that one looks really early! These are mostly called SAOTOME style, but perhaps made by the BUSHU ITO school.

It must be a typo. --> Tomokiyo

Some rudimentary menuki but I love them!

光長 - Mitsunaga

I booked my hotel and flights back in January. I did run into an issue with the discount airline I originally used, but fortunately I was able to rebook and resolve everything at no additional cost. I’m very much looking forward to the Chicago show. I’ll be attending all three days and staying for two nights at the Hyatt, where I was able to secure the special show rate. I plan to bring three or four tsuba from my collection for display, sale, or trade. They will be shown at the New York Token Kai club table. Each piece has been with me for many years, and I’ll provide a short write‑up for each tsuba on display.

長陽 = Chōyō, an alternative name for Nagato province X城: This one's tricky, but let me speculate a bit: I suspect the first character is a variant form of 灞 (see here; not quite an exact match, but very close). If we go with that, the reading would be Ha-jō – perhaps a reference to Hagi castle (Hagi-jō 萩城)? 知清彫 = carved by Masakiyo

A bit of necromancy to revive this thread. I have added a few data points to my initial slides, reformated the citations, so the reader can see what paper/book was used in each slide. Some of the data is not only in bar graphs, but with bell curves as well, with the addition of period and smith names on the curve. Also, with his permission, I added @Jussi Ekholm's data on koto, also with bell curves for tachi and katana, to see if there were some trends in sizes over time (this is a reaction to very uninformed video by Matt Easton about why Japanese warriors did not use very long swords). Unfortunately, the file is larger than 3 MB. @Brian, would you like me to send the updated file to replace the initial one?

I was inspired by Katana case shi and had a local manufacturer make me such a showcase Dustproof doors - I have my blades displayed in a showcase for a long time without oil and since we are a inland country, there is no problem with the blades at all