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Hello: I've been doing a series of crossword puzzles for entertainment with a slant toward learining and research. And I didn't want to leave out the tosogu folks. Please find attached a puzzle of easy to medium difficulty (mostly easy) just to exercise the brain pan for a few minutes. Other puzzles can be found in General Nihonto and Izakaya if you are interested. I found this topic to be the most difficult because of the number of alternate meanings and descriptions, so there may be more than one answer - just use the one that fits the puzzle. The puzzle can be downloaded or just viewed in the screenshots. Enjoy! John C. Crossword Puzzle_4_a Tosogu.docx

I am very suspicious. It lacks the typical Japanese precision in the gilt work. When you look closely a lot of the “gilding” looks like very careless restoration or maybe even paint. Look at the way it has “bled” beyond its intended area. I haven’t compared it to a lot of other Soten but to my eyes it’s dubious. Could be genuine but just tarted up. Personally I’d be asking them to have a closer look…..and I would not pay yet.

Good day everyone.. have a question regarding the swordsmith Takahashi Naganobu during the Edo period (circa 1830s-1860s) I have a pair of daishos by NAGANOBU (inscription) but is there anyway to know if they are from the same smith?? I've searched all over and I couldn't find a similar mei like I have.. sorry .. it is just OCD working in me. Only little titbit footnote was supposedly he never signed the same way twice ?? The papers Tokubetsu papers mention Takahashi Naganobu for the Katana, and Unshu ju Naganobu for the Wakizashi (as per the mei)Thanks for helping

ホ = HO = 小倉陸軍造兵廠第一製造所 = 1st Factory of Kokura Army Arsenal All the best, -Sam

Here’s a couple that I took. The only mantetsu that I’ve found here

Best to post in the For Sale section. Also, per the rules, a price is necessary. A nagasa (from tip of sword to mune-machi) measurement is very helpful. Some close up photos would help too. Close up pic of Mei (smith’s signature) would help with translation. Pic should be oriented with tip of blade facing up. As this is your first post, an introduction would be nice so we can welcome you into the group.

Actually as it's unsigned I think the 'Soten-style' wording is better than outright 'Soten school'. Strictly speaking these were made within the *Hikone Han, the Soten being a line of smiths within that area, the earliest ones signing their work. Becoming popular, later they were apparently emulated elsewhere in Japan. I have a smilar one, papered by the NBTHK as 'Hikone'. *Think of Hikone Castle, home of the Ii Daimyo family.

Dear Max. I don't see a problem with your tsuba. The auction house were optimistic likening it to lot 81 in the Goodman sale as that one is larger, signed and of better execution than yours, they would have been more truthful to compare it to this one, https://www.bonhams.com/auction/22472/lot/79/a-soten-style-tsuba-edo-period-19th-century/ Yours seems to have been mounted with consequent wear on the seppa dai but I can't see any red flags. Enjoy. All the best.

Dear Richard. I agree with Oliver that these are a nice pair of blades and that these are by the two different smiths. An examination of the three kani that the blades have in common suggests that they are by a different hand. Hawley supports the text that Oliver has supplied listing Unshu Takahashi Naganobu as a student of Tsunatoshi and working 1830 - 64 while Unshu Takahashi Ribei Naganobu, working at around the same time is the one for whom the brief note that 'he never signed the same way twice' is added. Looking at available papered examples on the internet I think I can see a pattern emerging where both these sets of kanji are echoed, also have a look at nakago jiri, again I think there are two styles. For what it is worth I take the remark about signature variations in Hawley to mean that he inscribed different things on his swords rather than that his handwriting, as it were, changed. (Given the change between kaisho and gyosho) If there are two smiths then for all the examples I have seen so far everyone assumes that their sword is by the most well known smith and hence the most valuable. Where biographies are given they are almost identical and probably from the same source. I have only done a fairly cursory search using easily available sources but if the nakago jiri on your swords are different then here are some possibilities for you to consider. 1 The same amith changed the way that he inscribed his signature and the nakago jiri that he produced, possible as a consequence of studying with Tsunatoshi and both your blades are by him but from different periods in his career. 2 Two smiths exist and you have a blade from each of them in your daisho. Have a dig around and see what you conclude. Of course it is possible that this conundrum has already been researched given the significance of Naganobu and that another member will come in with an authoritative answer. Hope that I haven't muddied the waters. All the best.

To confuse the matter, even when the tagane-ato have been punched and spread the metal into the nakago-ana in order to fit a particular blade, it is also possible that the metal could be filed back in order to fit a THICKER blade. This will result in heavy tagane-ato marks but little to no metal spread into the hole. Fitting a tsuba to a new blade therefore works both ways.

One rare example where You can see the punched down iron (from E. Kremers book)

I think I can see the point. You’re wondering about where the material has gone. If You punch down the areas in question the metal is expanding to the inner space naturally. This rude hammering isn’t sufficient alone to get a correct adjustment to a tang. So after the hammering the inner sides of the nakago-ana are filed down again to get on the one hand the favoured fitting and and on the other hand smooth inner walls of the nakago-ana. At least by this filing process a part of the metal is lost indeed.

Maybe 2 smiths? NAGANOBU (永信), Keiō (慶応, 1865-1868), Izumo – “Naganobu” (永信), real name Takahashi Rihei (高橋利平), it is suspicious that is listed with the homonymic smith and first nam as Takahashi Naganobu who wrote his smith name with the characters (長信) and his first name Rihei with the characters (理兵衛), so maybe this is a double-entry NAGANOBU (長信), Tenpō (天保, 1830-1844), Izumo – “Unshū-jū Fuyuhiro (雲州住冬広), “Unshū Takahashi Naganobu” (雲州高橋長信), “Unshū-han Fujiwara Naganobu” (雲州藩藤原長信), “Un´yō-shi Takahashi Rōshi Fujiwara Naganobu” (雲州藩藤原長信聾司藤原長信), “Tōto ni oite Unshū-jū Takahashi Rihei Fuyuhiro Naganobu” (於東都雲州住高橋理兵衛冬広長信), “Edo Kōjimachi ni oite Unshū-han Takahashi Naganobu kore o saku” (於江都麹街雲州藩高橋長信作之, “made by Takahashi Nahanobu from the Unshū fief [= Matsue fief] in Edo´s Kōjimachi”), “Chōshinsai Fuyuhiro” (長信斎冬広), real name Takahashi Rihei (高橋理兵衛). He had studied under the 4th generation of the Izumo-based Fuyuhiro lineage (冬広) and was eventually adopted into the family whereupon he succeeded as 5th generation Izumo Fuyuhiro, the 17th generation after Wakasa Fuyuhiro (若狭冬広) who was the founder of the Fuyuhiro line. He used the gō Rōshi (聾司) and Chōshinsai (長信斎). By the way, the former gō means literally “the deaf officer. ” In the first year of Tenpō (天保, 1830) he went to Edo to study under Tsunatoshi and made his smith name Naganobu out of the first two characters of his pseudonym Chōshinsai (Naganobu is the Japanese reading of the characters Chōshin). At that time he lived in the Sannō district (山王) of Edo. Later he was hired by the Matsue fief (松江藩) of Izumo province which he signed using the colloquial name “Unshū fief” (雲州藩). With this employment he moved to the Edo residence of the fief which was located in Hirakawa (平河) in the Kōjimachi district – 743 –(麹町). However, in Genji one (元治, 1864) the fief ordered him back to Izumo because of the bakufu campaign against the Chōshū fief where he died on the 20th day of the fifth month of Meiji two (明治, 1869) at the age of 64. His workmanship is similar to Tsunatoshi’s. His blades show a magnificent sugata but he also made smaller blades with western-style refined steels. Most of his works are in the Bizen tradition. The jigane looks soft, the jihada is muji but tends sometimes to masame, and the hamon is a somewhat slanting ko-chōji-midare with hard and dark spots along the yakigashira. But he also applied a suguha or tōran-midare. Because of the gyaku-sujikai yasurime it is assumed that Takahashi Nakanobu was left-handed. Sometimes he signed in kaisho block script (楷書) on the omote and in gyōsho cursive script (行書) on the ura side, but in later years he also signed both sides in cursive or rather grass script. There is the urban legend going round that one of his blades cut through the barrel of a machine gun during World War II. jō-saku nice blades btw!

For folks interested in doing a crossword on tosogu, I posted one in that forum. Enjoy! I hope these are both fun and educational. Thank you for looking. John C.

Appears to be a blade by Naotane. Tanobe likes it referring to it being a masterpiece.

I wrote my opinion on that particular Tametsugu on another platform recently, my opinion might be bit controversial. Personally I am seeing obvious signs of mei removal and nakago seems to be repatinated, I would think this was originally a later katana. Of course for my data I will accept this as Tametsugu as NBTHK says so (I'll add note to myself though) but I would personally steer clear on a sword like this that I see as altered and problematic.

Any hints as to the origin are welcome.

Hello everyone, i made a bid on a shakudo tsuba at an auction in Vienna today: https://www.zacke.at/auction/lot/1648-a-soten-school-gempei-wars-shakudo-tsuba/?lot=95268&sd=1# I thought it looked quite nice, but did not actually expect to win it. Before I make a payment however, I want to make sure the discription is accurate and it is not a cheaply made copy/ cast. The condition looks suspiciously good and The price estimate is also a bit low. any help is greatly appreciated

@Sami I have relocated your thread to the for sale section for edged weapons. As Mark has said above, an asking price is required by rule here. We do not allow fishing for high bids on this forum. Because you have no forum history, it may benefit you to include some images of the item next to a paper with your name and date - otherwise it might be hard to confirm the listing is legitimate for potential buyers. More photos of the item and measurements would also help. Best of luck, Regards, -Sam

Hi Peter, I think kitau - 鍛 "forged".

SOLD

They are made in two different ways….. 1. “Proper shakudo plate with proper mixed metal zogan or 2. shiremono pressings with just multi-patination onto a plain thin copper sheet ie as per many kozuka 1. are usually fine work and if recognised….expensive 2. Usually fool innocent eyes and are thus horribly overpriced and result in buyers remorse …..but sometimes you get lucky🙂

Rather than hijack another discussion, I borrowed this partial photo from another thread just for illustration. And please dismiss me if this has been discussed before. It's about the double cutouts around the nakago-ana in this tsuba, which create a "figure 8" shaped cavity. I see this from time to time, most often on Owari-sukashi tsuba but occasionally also on other iron sukashi tsuba, always on one side only. It's not clear to me that these chiselings alter the dimensions of the nakago opening itself. Does anyone know what these are for?

# 3 blades by Edo Mizuta Kunishige and a Padge of book showing the 3 different smiths that signed Yamashiro Daijo Right Ichizo center Denshichiro left Katsubei

All upside down. Edit them on your phone etc, and resave. That will lock the orientation. Then edit your post, and re-upload to get them the right way round.

And here is another example of the hidden nuances and politics of attributions and setsumei. During Tanobe-sensei's time at the NBTHK he (and other sources) was adamant that any attribution to Shizu means specifically Shizu Saburo Kaneuji; however reading between the lines (and here, explicitly stated) it's acknowledged that this does encompass a line of smiths distinct from Naoe Shizu who could theoretically be referred to as the Shizu-den, all considered more or less equivalent for the purposes of attribution. This is why, in most cases, a setsumei for a mumei Shizu blade will say that a sword "exhibits all the qualities of Shizu" but occasionally you'll see "exhibits clearly the workmanship of Shizu Saburo Kaneuji". This may be something that's always been the case, or it may be something that shifts depending on who is in charge of the Juyo panel; perhaps during Tanobe-sensei's tenure, he really did allow attributions to Shizu only for Shizu Saburo Kaneuji and lumped all others of that line in with Naoe Shizu.

Hi all, Just like to share my recent acquisition, a unique Mitokoro-mono by the 5th generation mainline head of the Goto school, Tokujo. He was the eldest son of Kujo, born in 1549 and passed away in 1631. After serving Oda Nobunaga, he became the court chisel master for Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum. Enjoy!

The large format Goto book is all Japanese. I think it was a limited # run. However, there is Markus Sesko's Tosogu Classroom book with quite a bit in English about the Goto boys. As for Goto Tokujo Mitokoromono, well- I don't know if I have ever seen a complete set before. I have seen mix n match between him, his father, and/or his son, but never a complete set by one guy.

If you contact Markus Sesko here on the forum he will send you the translation and have it laid out in both kanji and english for a VERY nominal fee.

Interesting you say this. I'm slowly working my way through the excellent Sesko KantoHibiSho volumes. Coincidentally, I just saw this oshigata and immediately it reminded me of the very active hamon, overall jiba and elongated boshi on the Tametsugu. Also has wide mihaba and elongated kissaki. The opinion piece on that particular wakizashi also suggested a later generation work in the style of Shizu. The low starting price was a bit of a red flag and maybe reflects some issues with the blade like the ones Jussi suggests.

Kobayashi Taigen was born 1938 in Shenyang, China and raised in a Buddhist monastery from the time he was six years old. In 1975 he became successor of abbot Miyanishi Genshō at Ōbai-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, Kyōto. He is a prolific calligrapher and maker of tea bowels and bamboo tea scoops for traditional tea ceremony (chanoyu). This Enso painting has the inscription "Inexhaustible (無尽蔵)," which is part of a wisdom poem attributed to the Sixth Patriarch of Ch'an Buddhism Hui-Neng. Zen practice seeks to free the mind from dualistic, discriminating thinking. However, "not one thing" or "nothingness" is not equated with emptiness. Rather, with a mind emancipated from delusion, the possibilities become truly inexhaustible. Mu ichimotsu chu Mujinzo 無一物中無尽蔵 In nothingness, there is inexhaustible abundance What an apt inscription to accompany an Enso--the circle that is at once empty and full. Kobayashi's work is characteristically and consistently elegant, as in his "Ichi," with a beautiful flying white brush technique.

ミ一二九 41st series 満鐵鍛造之 with 南 inspection mark 昭和癸未春 1943 Spring

Here you go

Looks like "HOホ " to me, upside down

Sorry, I know I'm not John, but if there is a back layer it's counted, so 32. Just like the 5 petal sakura on police swords vs the 10 (5 with back layer) on army swords.

He was a professor of chemistry whom I always found fascinating, aside from his early website on Japanese swords. My passion for biology and chemistry has grown so much that I am now a tutor in these subjects.

丸形鉄地地透 – Round shape, iron base, open work 無銘尾張 – Mumei, Owari 昭和丁未年夏 – Showa Hinoto-Hitsuji year (1967), summer 寒山 - Kanzan

The upper part of the omote side is not taken in the pictures. I guessed the untaken characters in blue font. 能登守 – Noto no kami 帝室技藝員菅原包則八十四歳作 – Made by an Imperial Household Artist Sugawara Kanenori, 84 years old. 飯野吉三郎君 – Mr. Iino Kichisaburo 君万歳 – Long live you. 大正二年十二月吉日 – Taisho 2nd year (1913), a day in 12th month FYI: 飯野吉三郎 - Wikipedia

i will say this, im bloody jelious of your photographic skills. i have been taking pics of swords for years and i wish mine was as good as yours.

A photo for those without the book:

Not much Mauro. Tsuruoka mentions a Kihei with possible affiliations to the Echizen Umemura family, but info is sparse.

Greetings to All, Recently, I acquired a rather rusty tsuba as part of a deal for a Washida tsuba with another collector. This piece was thrown into the arrangement by the seller to meet the requested price range. Despite its condition, it showed some promise. The tsuba is signed Kyozan Mitsunaka + (Kao) ({嚮山 光中(花押)}) in kin-zogan. Based on the pictures, it appeared to feature brass hira-zogan of peonies and arabesques. Despite the rust, none of the inlays seemed to be missing - testament to the craftsmanship. The subject and execution also align well with works by Washida Mitsunaka or the Washida school. Seeing its potential, I decided to accept the deal, and both tsuba landed on my desk. Believing the piece was worth restoring, I sent it to Manuel @C0D for restoration, and I wasn't disappointed. Manuel did an outstanding job removing the rust and re-patinating the brass. If Manuel would like to elaborate on the restoration process, I would welcome it. The gamble paid off, as the final result is quite pleasing. As you can see, the tsuba has been brought back to life: I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Regards, Luca P.S. I have to thank Manuel for allowing me to use the pictures he made.

Hi Thomas. It could definetly be Washida (probaly from the workshop of the 4th generation Mitsunaka) even though they usually come with a silver fukurin in the inome sukashi. Here is one from my collection It is identical to two NBTHK papered one that are attributed to Washida and Washida den. It could also be Kaga Yoshiro. The iron looks like typical Washida. If you could zoom on the the arabesque leaves there are some differences on how they are inlayed between Washida and Yoshiro. Take a look at Section A.6 of this pdf file: Here is another one from my collection of uncertain attribution for which I am leaning toward Yoshiro rather than Washida due to the inlay used in the leaves. I hope it helps Regards Luca

Also similar to mine: Tsuba with design of peonies and arabesques Washida Mitsunaka (Japanese, 1830–1889) School: Shonai School (Japanese)JapaneseEdo period1847 Medium/Technique Main material: iron; other metals: silver; shakudo plugs; decorative technique: hirazogan Dimensions Overall: 8.4 x 8.1 x 0.3 cm (3 5/16 x 3 3/16 x 1/8 in.) William Sturgis Bigelow Collection Accession Number 11.12197 Signed Shonai no ju Washida Mitsunaka, with a kao; Koka yon hinoto-hitsuji natsu juhassai saku 庄内住鷲田光中（花押）弘化四丁未夏十八歳作 Provenance By 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 - d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911) NOTES: [1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/11916

Thank you for entrusting me with this restoration, at first it looked quite serious but after removing the oxidation I found that the original patina underneath was pretty much untouched by corrosion, also the zogan was rock solid in position, a testament to the quality of the work from this tsubashi. So I just had to make a new patina on the brass and stabilize the iron patina. It was a pleasure bringing back to life this excellent work.

I've come very late to this very sad topic. I first started making contact with Rich when he set up and ran the nmb, so a long time ago. He was always friendly, very helpful and enthusiastic. As a novice I could not have asked for a better mentor. I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to find out. Belated but none the less my sincere condolences to Rich's family. RIP Dr. Stein