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Sorry Dale but I have to strongly disagree; donating to a museum, local or otherwise, is a terrible idea. If donated the tsuba might be put on display for a short time but then will be relegated to the basement where they will rot away. If the collection is important and the museum has a serious interest in and knowledge of Nihont, that's another story but common stuff and a common museum is a recipe for ruin. Tsuba and all other Nihonto art are best kept by collectors who appreciate and know how to preserve them. Grey

A big topic. There is not much in the way of definitive documentation on koshirae. There are a few books in Japanese on regional styles such as Satsuma. In contrast, there are many books about regional sword fittings makers that show metal parts and occasionally koshirae. Part of the problem is that relatively few koshirae were preserved or documented as koshirae fashions changed. Since there are a lot of gaps in the material record, it is difficult to describe trends or specific styles from the remaining intact examples. Over the history of the blade, the saya and tsuka were periodically discarded due to damage and wear, and the blade refitted with a new koshirae according to the taste of the then present owner. There is an article I wrote titled A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF Japanese SWORD MOUNTS OF THE LATE MUROMACHI THROUGH EDO PERIODS in the Downloads section under Member Articles. This gets into questions about koshirae differences by time period, class status, and level of formality. There is a bibliography with references for further reading. In other types of sword collecting, European and American swords for example, preservation of the mounts is considered as important as preservation of the blade, so more historical context is known, and can be correlated to time and place and class of user. A nihonto in new shirasaya on the other hand, tells us nothing about who used it or how it was mounted, unless that was separately documented. Part of the problem is the formation of specialist collectors for nihonto, tsuba and other fittings which has led to koshirae being taken apart to get at the metal bits. The downside is a loss of context and in some cases the destruction of a historic object. As a group dedicated to the preservation of the Japanese sword I think we nihonto collectors should consider choosing the western conservation approach in some cases, by keeping and stabilizing that old koshirae and sword blade together as a complete object.

Dear Hokke, The topic is a bit more nuanced that throwing a "yes +xx% price per marks" but much of this is due to the framing. There something better out there that captures the essence of your question in a period-accurate way and reframes it: A recorded kiritsuke mei inscribed on the nakago that allude to battle circumstances and defeating certain prized foes and nemesis. Once such blade, a Tokuju Osafune Motoshige, had the name of the son of a Daimyo it slayed inscribed on the tang along with who performed the deed during the Sengoku Jidai. The blade was retired subsequently and kept as a family treasure celebrating the deed. The inscription is ancient, and the act recorded in the archives of the family. Does this increase its value? Of course, in front of the right buyer. I would go as far as personally to consider chasing only this specific Motoshige if I wanted to make an exception for a mumei motoshige blade (there are enough signed ones - 56 to be precise - to target signed). In the NBHTK setsumei: In addition, this piece preserves a carved inscription (kiritsuke-mei) stating that on the 13th day of the 6th month of Eishō 18 (1521), Hayashi Motokatsu killed Kageharu, the youngest son of Asakura Sadakage of Echizen. However: Would I be interested in generic but verifiable "kill notches" without further context, per se? Not at all, to the contrary. There is little historical and provenance value in my eyes. For the same reason, Edo period cutting tests are also not my cup of tea. Why? Some introspection: perhaps because war is necessary, high-stakes, and epic in the human story arch, but death itself is a tragic byproduct. Remove the battle, the stakes, the heroes and the villains - and leave only death as a memory - well - it does not appeals to my personal sense of life aesthetics. The Motoshige with kiritsuke mei recounts the story of defeating a family nemesis. This fits in the arc of the human epic and adds an enchanting element. More generally, is provenance valuable? It can be everything - take the following provenance extreme case: A gimei Kotetsu blade belonging to one of the famous Shinsengumi with kirikomi with ironclad provenance documentation. This blade is likely to be extremely valuable and command in the mid-to-high six figure results at auction. The price is solely driven by the provenance in this case. Famous historical figures and Daimyo collections, romantic Bakumatsu ronin stories, all of these hold a special place of interest to many collectors and have market effects, and no wonders - these are genuine moments of history that create enchantment in the experience of collecting and studying history. Long live epic stories, Hoshi

And sure, I designed a simple 3D printed stand. The general idea was to make thing that holds the tsuba firmly but not draw attention away from the object.

Hi! Reading from top to bottom, right to left, this looks like 函冬君子...? 君子(Junzi, a core concept in Confucianism, roughly "gentleman", but really almost like "knight" in the western context, in the sense that 君子 are known for their high moral principles and many virtues, say benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, what they call the five constant virtues, 仁义礼智信, which Japanese people also occasionally say, also the word 君子 sometimes gets swapped with 侍たるもの(he who is worthy to be a true samurai) in a Japanese context) are for sure, corresponding to the orchid theme ( orchid being the gentleman in flowers, 君子花), but I'm not sure what 函冬 is, perhaps 寒冬(harsh winter)? 函 and 寒 have the same pronunciation, and oftentimes homophones are interchangeable in old Chinese, although much, much more in Japanese. And orchids are not really known for winter durability, that's for the three friends of winter, pine trees, bamboo trees and plum trees, so that's a little confusing. I'm going to my weekly cursive one-on-one class in two days.....after avoiding it for a whole month, so maybe I can ask my teacher what this says, she graduated as a cursive major from one of the best art schools here. (I'm still a little shy to ask her over WeChat orz)

I received my tsuba a few minutes ago as stated: Scheduled delivery date - Wednesday, 13/05/2026. Updated yesterday to 14/05/26 Very well packed with the papers and box The tsuba was wrapped in tissue inside the box with a pillow (normally a no no) but in this case there was no damage 8 pages (what a pain for the auction house) with an interesting comment: This artworks are exempt from Reciprocal Tariffs' under chapter 99 Secondary Classification 9903.01.32, as informational materials. These goods are ART antiques and more than 100 years old. HS code: 9705100090 I was surprised that I didn't have to pay import duty A very nice Kanayama tsuba, good condition with a lovely patina, with papers, just so pleased I wish the best to other buyers from this auction and I hope you are as happy as me with your purchase

Hi! This is really hard, but I'm on it. This could take a little while though for I'm helping many others doing something else at the same time orz This reads "緑雖千種草 香只一枝蘭 乙巳仲夏" from top to bottom, right to left, ChatGPT's translation seems fine. (though used the wrong quantifier 株 instead of 枝 somehow) 乙巳(1665)仲夏(mid-summer) is just a date in the Chinese sexagenary cycle, incidentally last year 2025 is also the year of 乙巳, the next year of 乙巳 is going to be 2085. This is signed 黄檗木庵山僧戯筆. I might try to understand what the red seals/stamps said under, maybe later orz 黄檗(Ōbaku or Huangbo) is Mu'an's school of Zen(Ch'an), 木庵 is Mu'an, 山僧 means a monk living in the woods, a humble way to refer oneself usually by Zen monks, 戯筆 means "wrote/drawn playfully", one of many ways to sign one's work, and Mu'an used many other, like 題 ("inscripted"), 手題 ("hand inscripted", not that others are not by hand though), 自題 ("self inscripted"), 敬題 ("inscripted respectfully"), 並題("inscripted also", ususally in drawings), 戯墨並題 ("played with ink and also inscripted"), 書 ("wrote"), 敬書 ("wrote respectfully"), 謹書 (literally "wrote carefully", but really it's "wrote respectfully", too) and many, many other...... Not sure what this two words are orz The Chinese poem "緑雖千種草 香只一枝蘭" is perhaps Mu'an's creation because this has 0 hits on the Chinese internet, but Ogata Kenzan, a later-day artist and brother of Ogata Kōrin of Rinpa used it in one of his works. See the Chinese poem "緑雖千種草 香只一枝蘭" written in the red rectangle area on Ogata Kenzan's work. Hope this helps! Baby Joe

Good that you asked before buying . It is a Chinese fake .

Not long ago, a number of tsuba popped up on the local internet auction. Time to time I like to go through topics here or in the corresponding sales section, but I couldn't say that I am a tsuba man. Yet one particular tsuba from that batch caught my eye by its simple elegance. So I bid on it and won. It arrived, but for some time I had no time to take photos. Tsuba seems to be slightly damaged in one place, yet I like it like it is. So I decided to share it here. Also, if someone could tell me more about it it would be great. The diameter of this tsuba is 65mm.

Please please Santa I would really like this for Christmas! https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/miyao-a-fine-parcel-gilt-bronze-okimono-of-a-tsub-12-c-9dfc5ad8c7

Two almost identical other than the nakago-ana: One in the Met. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/35193 what I find odd is the shape of the Met's example nakago-ana, too sharp for its age and little to no wear? https://eirakudo.shop/tosogu/tsuba/detail/324249/ a papered piece as Katchūshi I also see these on some auction sites - makes me think many are Edo revival pieces.

I did spot one cast copy and possibly two guards made for replica tachi mounts. The rest are looking OK and there are one or two I would like myself! Just a suggestion, but as we are really just temporary custodians of these things - any thought of donating them to a local museum? Along with the story of how they were found would add local value to them and keep them together. [Like I say just a suggestion]

Concept. Hydrangea example. Look at the ‘coffee bean’ leaf tip. Oak leaf examples. Row 2 from right,No.4 ’Nakagawa Kashiwa’

Florian, as far as I know, the above described technique has nothing to do with YAKITE KUSARASHI (or KUSARAKASHI) but it is the way to create TSUBA with a shallow design as in KAMAKURA BORI or HOAN style. Removing URUSHI after the etching is no problem as it is an organic substance. Not much heat is necessary to get rid of it. I once discussed YAKITE SHITATE and YAKITE KUSARASHI with Ford, and we shared the opinion that all information available on these techniques lacked metallurgical knowledge and were written/posted as assumptions only. But it is safe to say that YAKITE KUSARASHI is a chemical treatment of iron TSUBA using heat and acidic substances at the same time to speed up artificial corrosion on the surface. Depending on the nature of the used iron, different surface structures can be achieved. It is important to note that these processes do not necessarily need pure or concentrated acids as we know them in the West. If time was not important, natural sources of acids work as well. We know this from other cultures where etching has been a standard technique on weapons for hundreds of years.

Hi! The last two characters are 靖国 (usually read as Yasukuni). 和平以靖国 might read something like 和平を以って国を靖んずる in Japanese (to make the country peaceful/well with peace). Edited: random(?) fact, 靖 and 安 are both Yasu in Japanese with similar meaning and usage, so......

Rieker: Sorry to say both are reproductions. The tells are 1) the numbered habaki - the Japanese didn't do that; 2) the western Damascus style steel - not usually a Japanese technique; 3) the sharp ending to the bohi (groove) stopping in the wrong place; 4) the hamon appears to be acid etched or ground on. Price on each would be 50-100 dollars to someone into cosplay or a wall display. Regards, John C.

Good taste - one I would go for as well. - - what Mauro said! not a gazillion miles from this?

SOLD! With donation made to the board. Will archive in a day or two. Thanks to the buyer, and to those who showed interest, All the best, -Sam

I haven’t found a detailed description of yakite-kusarakashi yet. Even Markus Sesko’s book gives only a vague account. This technique was used by some schools like Hoan. Knowing it is an European invention and together with my own experience with etchings (artistic prints) I guess the vital process as follows: The surface of the plain Tsuba is covered with lacquer to prevent a corrosion by acid. Either the motif is painted on a Tsuba or the piece is completely covered with lacquer and the motif is scratched in (for example an amida yasurime). Then it is put into an acid bath (I suppose it was hanged into a small canister containing the etchant) and the acid affects all uncovered areas of the metal. Note that the corrosion deepens uniformly irrespective of the width of the openings. After a certain time the Tsuba is taken out of the etchant, remnants of acid are washed off and the cavities form now a relief with sharp ridges. Thus at least the yakite process will smooth the surface and incidentally the lacquer is removed by burning (or does it flake off?). This seems logic because recently I read on this board that urushi can’t be dissolved with chemicals. There are also pieces on which acid has been dropped randomly directly onto the surface to get a more weathered look (i.e. more sabi). I hope I understood the procedure correctly but I don’t know neither which acid was used (I used sulphuric acid) nor the time which is necessary to corrode an iron Tsuba in this way (I only etched plates of soft metals like copper and zinc). Maybe someone has more detailed information? Thank You in advance!

Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : Tanto Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Hisakatsu Saku Kore (久勝作之) Showa Ju Ichi Hinoe Nezumi Doshi Roku Gatsu Hi (昭和十一丙子歳六八月日); Year of the Rat June 1936 Hoju" 宝珠 (wish-fulfilling jewel). A pearl with flames that is supposed to grant the owner his wishes. Papered or not and by whom? : not papered, not necessary Era/Age : Showa 11 -> 1936 Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Shirasaya Nagasa/Blade Length : 16,2 cm Sori : 0 mm Hamon Type : Suguha Jihada : Ko-Itame Other Hataraki Visible : - Flaws : Little rust spot on Mune Sword Location : Germany Will ship to : EU (Unfortunately no longer in the U.S.) Payment Methods Accepted : Paypal Price and Currency : €1200 + shpping Other Info and Full Description : Takeshima Hisakatsu was born as Takeshima Masao on February 28, 1909. From 1926, he studied the art of sword forging under Horii Toshihide and in 1934 founded his own forging center in Yamaguchi Prefecture. His artistic name was Suiryusai. He was the winner of the Shinsaku Nihonto Daikyoshinkai Yushusho and the 1st Nihonto Denrankai Tokusen, as well as the Honorary President Award in 1935. The following year, in 1936, he won the Minister’s Prize at the 2nd competition. In 1938, he joined the South Manchuria Railway Co., Ltd. (SMR), headquartered in Dalian, China, and together with Wakabayashi Shigetsugu oversaw the production of Koa Isshin blades. In 1958 he resumed the art of sword forging in his hometown. ¥ 1,5 TK-513, Jo Saku by Akihide This is a beautiful Talisman Tanto. It has been polished (the Ubu-ha is gone), but there is a small rust spot on the mune. Since the original wooden box was destroyed, I commissioned a calligrapher in Japan to create a sayagaki. Sayagaki: 御守護刀 Go Shugo Tō - Protective blade; 於石城山道場造之 Oite Iwaki Yama/Zan Dōjō Tsukuru kore - Made at the Iwaki Mountain Dōjō Hisakatsu has made a few of these tanto; I have 7 in my database. In the NMB you'll find more information about other Talisman Tanto made by Hisakatsu. https://www.Japanese-sword-katana.jp/未分類/1410-3043.htm

The 12th Orlando Japanese Arts, Collectibles & Sword Show (June 26–28, 2026) continues to grow and improve every year, and this year is shaping up to be the biggest and strongest yet. This year’s featured exhibition is “Masterpieces of the Yamato Tradition,” with a special educational display curated by Ray Singer and Joe Forcine highlighting important examples from one of the most influential traditions in Nihonto history. The dealer room is shaping up to be the strongest yet: 41 table holders spread across 60+ tables Dealers and exhibitors traveling from 12 states Seven first-time exhibitors, which means fresh inventory and new material that attendees likely haven’t seen before That combination of established dealers and new faces should make for an especially strong buying, selling, and networking weekend. In addition to swords, there will be: Tsuba roundtables Sword etiquette presentations Toyama-ryu demonstrations Hōzōin-ryū sōjutsu demonstrations Bonsai and ikebana exhibitions And plenty of opportunities to talk swords with fellow collectors from around the country One of the things that makes Orlando particularly easy is logistics: the venue is just minutes from Orlando International Airport, with hotel shuttle service available. Event Details: June 26–28, 2026 DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Airport Orlando, Florida The hotel room block closes in 11 days, so if you’re thinking about attending, now is the time to lock things in. More details here: Orlando Sword Show If you’ve never attended, this is an excellent year to start. If you’ve been before, expect a bigger room, fresh material, and one of the best educational displays the show has hosted. Hope to see many of you there.

Hello Nihonto Fans, Yes, me again 😁 My second purchase this weekend! 117 gram - iron 7,8 x 7,8 x 0,40 cm All info and comments are welcome (as always 😉)

This doesn't look right. It is either low end WWII war time or a fake. Grey

Hi! This reads 但(closer to although/albeit than but/however)大磨上無銘(Osuriage Mumei)也(kind of like "this is"). 刃長(hacho)貳(formal "two")尺(shaku)参(formal "three")寸(sun)八(eight)分(bun)半(half, or in this context "and half")有之(formal "this has"). (Characters are overlapping a little so I made this↑) 昭和(Showa)癸丑("Mizunotoushi" in the sexagenary cycle, 1973 in this context)年(year)弥生(Yayoi/March). This was really hard! I'm not sure if this is genuine Kanzan Sensei's sayagaki, but whoever wrote this I guess made a tiny mistake when writing top half of 癸, and they just went with it. The bottom half of 癸 (天) and 丑年 below it are very recognizable, so it's X丑 in the sexagenary cycle, 癸丑 being the most likely option. The rest of the translation is very good. Hope this helps! Baby Joe

I know. Can you take me back to the 20th Century, when I still had belief and faith in institutions of learning and of government?

A little snapshot of my "Fake Archive" around this serial number range. Disclaimer: I record these with much less diligence than genuine examples. I primarily just like to get the serial number and what makes it fake. This faker seems to really like the serial numbers 7, 2, 1, and 0. -Sam (Columns in order left to right: Serial# - Tsuka and pattern - tsuba material - ferrule material - ferrule stamps - Scabbard # and notes - source - Notes.)

Just a guess, 蓋好資料之一也 (Kedashi ko-shiryo no hitotsu nari) – Probably, it is one of good examples. 金象嵌 銘曰 ＊ kin-zogan mei iwaku

Taking / displaying heads is well documented.

I got a surprise, didn't think I'd manage to get this close while I was checking koshirae examples for you. This sword was featured in Tokyo National Museum Uchigatana-goshirae exhibition which I think is the best resource for uchigatana koshirae of this time period. This sword is actually recorded in records of Katakura family (片倉). It seems they became Date retainers in 1532. This particular sword was actually wielded by Katakura Shigetsuna in Osaka summer campaign in 1615. And in the book it is written that this koshirae dates not older than 1615 but the tsuba is actually older piece that was fitted to this sword. However it is mentioned that the koshirae might be made in later years of Shigetsunas life and not in 1615. It is also mentioned that kurikata and kaerizuno are different and probably show local style. One problem with very old complete koshirae is that usually the ones that have been preserved have been owned by high level people and might not be comparable what your average person would wield. Or they might be very plain battlefield koshirae which I personally like.

https://nihonto.com/nakai-koshirae/

The problem with those adhesives is they are most effective bonding two flat surfaces. They hold well when pulling those surfaces apart but they are far less effective when it comes to shearing force.

Golden rule that applies to all antiques/works of art etc…….of any variety…. No repair is far better than bodged repair🙂 I suspect I am “teaching granny”……🙂

According to Ford Hallam, the finer AMIDA YASURI was not chiseled, but scraped with a sharp tool. Another YAMAKICHI BEI: A following YAKITE KUSARASHI treatment is very likely.

Some interesting ones. That cloisonné one would do well on an auction, international bidders seem to like them.

Dear Rieker. The same answer applies I'm afraid. Not Japanese and not old. Hope this doesn't put you off altogether and that you are not into them for too much. Have a look at the dealer section toward the bottom of the menu and check out some of the swords there. All the best.

I like the Dote-mimi - I think Jean may be right about a revival piece, this one from the Edo era - no Dote-mimi though. Anyone know the plant the leaf represents? We still need a scientific non-invasive method to date iron. - Though even this may not be indicative of when the tsuba was fashioned from the iron - how we get around that would seem difficult. I guess you can test the patina age?? But what then if the piece has been cleaned back to bare metal? These questions keep us interested in the subject of tsuba and not having all the answers keeps our "little grey cells" active!

I think that your reading is correct. The nuance of "... saku ka" is conjecture rather than doubt.

The Suikōsha was established in 1876. 水交社

Hi Dan, I think you mean 'mitsu'

Thank you all for the additional comments and discussion. Jean, the point you bring up is very interesting and something to give a lot of thought to. Outside of this blade, if a Smith was good enough to copy another how could one tell? The owner of the blade, is and was fully aware that this blade is gimei. He just wants to know what he has. I think this is an interesting piece worthy of investigation. I'm hoping he will meet up with a forum member to get a better idea or at least good photos to share

I don't think this can disproof the genuinity of the sayagaki.

Hello there! Is this: * (ko-)katchūshi ? * muromachi... edo... * ... Some numbers: 87 gram - iron 7,40 x 7,14 x 0,50 (rim) - 0,30 (seppa) Just let your comments flow! Thanks!

Unfortunately true even in Japan. Many of the museums mean well, but they simply don't have the budget to hire an expert to take care of each of their various categories of exhibits, especially when said exhibits may spend the better part of the year sitting in a basement or warehouse instead of bringing in visitors and funds.

Gents, thanks for your patience. I am back from a trip. All sold menuki are now packed and will be shipped tomorrow, Tuesday 12th May. Apologies for the delay and thank you for your purchase

Hi Florian, Interesting topic. My understanding with Hoan tsuba is that he would "paint" on the motif with urushi, and then place the guard in an acid bath so that the surface of the piece around the urushi-covered areas would be affected, leaving the motif raised above the surrounding plate surface. The term often used for his tsuba is "yakite kusarashi," which implies that there is also an application of heat in some manner. However, some argue that attempting to apply heat to the surface of a tsuba to achieve "melty" effects doesn't really work, and that the surfaces that present with melted-looking areas are achieved via the acid treatments, only. I do wonder how much there is in the old ways of metal working in Japan that we do not know about or have access to.

I would like to post here some pictures related to shark skin. I hope that someone will find it helpfull.

Hi Lex, looking at the KANTEISHO, I think I can read NAGASA: 2 SHAKU 0.9 SUN which would roughly match 63,4 cm

Jeff , it is hard to judge blades when you are holding them in your hands , even more difficult from photos and almost impossible from crummy photos like these . You can see almost no hada or hamon in the photos . I doubt that even Mr Tanobe himself could tell you much from these photos .