Leaderboard

Seems to be Benkei on the kashira reading the fake subscription list at the Ataka barrier. The hat on the fuchi could hint to Yoshitsune in disguise. The other detail seems to be a barrow used for traveling. (print copied from Fujiarts.com)

Back in 2009 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York held an extraordinary and important exhibition called the Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868 [Held from October 21, 2009 to January 10, 2010]. The reason it was so extraordinary is because; One, this exhibition took over ten years to put together - in large part due to the incredible efforts of the organiser and curator Morihiro Ogawa. And secondly, the Japanese Agency of Cultural Affairs allowed over 200 works of Traditional Japanese Swords and Armor including 34 National Treasures, 64 Important Cultural Properties and 6 Important Art Objects from over sixty collections to leave Japan for the first time to form part of this one time exhibition. As an exhibition it was unparalleled to have so many important works from so many museums, shrines, temples and private collections in one place, even compared to anything ever done in Japan. As part of the exhibition, as is common practice, the MET released a catalogue of the exhibition by the currator of the exhibition, Morihiro Ogawa. The catalogue is over 368 pages and 16 years on from the exhibition is still available for sale, in its second print. You can still pick one up a first edition second hand, but a new copy retails for around $60 in paperback and over $200 in hard cover. Recently, I found a link to a free PDF copy of this catalogue on the MET's website: https://www.metmuseum.org/met-publications/art-of-the-samurai-Japanese-arms-and-armor-1156-1868 As a collective English book on the history of the Samurai and their omote dogu or "external equipment", explained through Japanese National Treasures and Important Cultural Objects I think it may be a first and is certainly second to none. With the bright photos and explanations for each piece I think it is a fabulous thing to have for reference (and enjoyment.) This in my opinion is one of the more important exhibitions and books in recent times on the subject. Grab a copy whilst the link still works.

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 have a single signed Echizen piece with a similarly constructed seppa-dai: Certainly uncommon for pieces from this area, though, so not suggesting yours could be Echizen. Damon

Hamano works typically feature taka iroe zogan like the example provided by Mikolaj above (beautiful piece btw). This means designs are typically carved notably in three dimensions as well as in multiple colours. Combinations of shibuichi or shakudo as a base contrasted with gold to create striking contrasts are typical of quality Hamano school works. Part of the design is usually raised whilst outlines and fine details are carved to create the three dimensional feeling. Whilst the material used does not in and of itself rule out authenticity, the lack of a three dimensional design means your piece lacks the style that is typical of quality Hamano school work. Moreover the quality of the work does not match up to high or even middle level Hamano school work in my opinion. Shozui's mei was of course reused in many gimei works as he was the founder of the Hamano school. Here are a few decent pieces of Hamano school stuff from my collection, images of which are already floating around on the forum in other threads to give you an idea... First, the item in my profile picture also signed "Shozui", but not papered. I would say it features a typical design for Shozui - Historical or folklore based, taka iroe zogan, etc. The unusual part of the design is the use of mother of pearl in the eye of the tengu which is atypical of Shozui's works: Next, here is a fuchigashira signed "Hamano Noriyuki" depciting the crossing of the Uji River: Lastly, my only papered piece, a fuchigashira featuring a three dimensional wave design that resembles the Omori school. The piece is signed "Seisendo Kashino Naonobu" who was a later student of the Hamano-Oguri school in Echigo province. I would like to submit this one for Tokubetsu Hozon assessment in the future to see if it passes: These pieces should give you an idea of what to look for in authentic Hamano school work. In fact, it is open ended as to whether even my first 2 examples would pass authentication as Shozui and Noriyuki were both elite artists. The mother of pearl eye in particular is something that I don't think exists in any authenticated Shozui piece. I do however still think it is a good example of Hamano school work based on the quality and style, even if it is gimei.

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.

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

If it is not 忠 (Tada), it could be 徳 (Toku).

I absolutely agree with Colin. I should also add that the Ford Hallam videos helped me a lot. This allowed us to understand how these things were made and what the difference is between them. Everything is always learned by comparison. For this money, I think it's a good tsuba.

Brian Tchernega did a wonderful presentation on tsukamaki. He brought tsuka dating from the muromachi period onward, and did a demonstration of a couple different wrapping styles. Some pretty incredible and old tsuka that he allowed us to admire. It was really cool to watch and be able to ask questions.

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

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.

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.

It was made by 月山貞一 SADAKAZU (貞一), Genji (元治, 1864-1865), Settsu – “Gassan Unryūshi Sadakazu” (月山雲龍子貞一), “Naniwa ni oite Kinpō-jōhen Gassan Sadakazu kore o tsukuru” (於浪花金宝城辺月山貞一造之), “Gassan Sadakazu” (月山貞一), “Gassan Hayato Minamoto Sadakazu tsukuru”(月山隼人源貞一造), “Naniwa-jū Gassan Unryūshi Minamoto Sadakazu” (浪華住月山雲龍子源貞一), “Naniwa-jū Gassan Yagorō Sadakazu seitan hori-dōsaku” (浪華住月山弥五 郎貞一精鍛彫同作, “carefully forged and carvings engraved by Gassan Yagorō Sadakazu from Naniwa”), “Dainippon Gassan Sadakazu horimono-dōsaku” (大日本月山貞一彫物同作), real name Gassan Yagorō (月山弥五郎), he was born in the second month of Tenpō seven (天保, 1836) in the village of Sugoshi (須越) in Ōmi´s Inugami district (犬上), he was adopted by Gassan Sadayoshi (貞吉) at the age of seven and was appointed teishitsu-gigei´in (帝室技芸員) in Meiji 39 (明治, 1906), this rank was about the predecessor of the modern ningen-kokuhō and Sadakazu was besides of Miyamoto Kanenori (宮本包則) the only swordsmith who held this important rank, his gō were Kōkensai (光顕斎), Unryūshi (雲龍子), and Suiyūshi (水勇子), he died on July 11th 1918 at the age of 84, we know dated blades from the third year of Kaei (嘉永, 1850) – he was 15 years old at that time – until his year of death in 1918, that means he was about 70 years active as a swordsmith, he mastered all traditions and is considered together with Honjō Yoshitane (本荘義胤) and Kurihara Nobuhide (栗原信秀) as the greatest horimono artists of the bakumatsu and early gendaitō era, he also played an important role in the transmission of the craft of sword forging to the later gendaitō smiths, so some count Suishinshi Masahide as founder, and Gassan Sadakazu als last great master of the shinshintō, his blades have a rather long nagasa, a shallow sori, a wide mihaba, and a chū or an ō-kissaki, that means altogether a magnificent shape, but also some sugata in the style of the early Muromachi period are known, blades made during the Keiō era (慶応, 1865-1868) are especially large, he made many copies of kotō works and worked after the ban on wearing swords also for the military where more narrow and shorter blades were in demand, he forged the ayasugu-hada of the Gassan school, a masame of the Yamato tradition, or also a mokume, ko-mokume, or itame, the hamon is a beautiful chōji-midare in nioi-deki with a narrow yakihaba and long ashi in the style of the Ōei-Bizen school (応永備前), a ko-chōji-midare in ko-nie-deki, a chū-suguha-hotsure in the style of the Yamashiro tradition, or a gunome-midare with thick nie and nioi and plentiful hataraki in the style of the Sōshū tradition, the bōshi is maru, midare-komi or yakitsume, various horimono are known, for example dragons, dragon and a plum tree, ken-maki-ryū, waterfall, Fudō-Myōō, bonji and many more, all done very elaborate and skilful, some remind of horimono of Ikkanshi Tadatsuna (一竿子忠綱), his tangs are long and carefully finished, they have a kurijiri and sujikaiyasurime with keshō, during the Keiō and Meiji eras he signed with a characteristical koku´in, in Taishō five (1916) he forged a tachi on the occasion of the enthronement of emperor Yoshihito (嘉仁, 1879-1926), jōjō-saku。

The Italian auction company Czerny's has the Tsuba collection of R. E. Haynes up for an online auction that ends 18th March 2026. Auction catalogue with apparently a total of 267 lots up here: https://www.czernys.com/asta-158/?c=321

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

There have been a few requests for this topic, so let's have a go at it, shall we? Maybe @PNSSHOGUN, John, could create a Primer with the basics? I know this is out of the blue, so no worries if it's not possible at the moment. I will browse previous threads for useful info and link them here, in the meantime. I'll start with this chart created by Ernie @Stegel. Lots of detail, so might need to zoom in for specifics. Tassel Examples - Ohmura Website GENERAL GRADE TASSELS Generals Rank Tassel - Paul G Generals Tassels - David Flynn NAVY Legendary Zig-Zag Stich Kaigunto Tassel - PNSSHOGUN Unique Metal Tassel End; Navy Tassel - PNSSHOGUN "LATE WAR" ALL BROWN TASSELS All Brown Tassel for Gunzoku - Nick Komiya, Warrelics Breaking News on the All Brown Tassel - Bruce Pennington, NMB NORTH CHINA RAILWAY POLICE TASSEL - BROWN/TAN Help With Blade, Tassel, and Fittings - Michaelr NCO LEATHER TASSELS Another Leather Tassel Question [has some manufacturing info] - John C MISCELLANEOUS Cut Tassel Discussion - DWMC KYUGUNTO SWORD KNOTS These pages are from Dawson's book. {Posting for now. Will update as we go. Please feel free to post links or items that would add to the educational value of the thread}

Fukurokuju is often depicted with a scroll, and the pyramid shaped item on the fuchi is his backpack? Anyway, check him out and see what you think. All the best.

Good timing reviving this thread as I actually just purchased another fuchigashira set with (I think) this same theme. Again in the Hamano style, signed Hamano Naoyuki (Kao) Not sure if it is authentic or gimei as it has never been submitted to shinsa but I think the quality is there... I'll have a better idea once it arrives (currently still in Japan) but it was part of a wider collection from a seller I consider reliable. Picked up a couple other nice pieces from said collection that I'll probably make a separate thread for in a couple weeks time.

Many of us would appreciate some photos of the tables and show if possible.

昭和二十年二 – Showa 20th year (1945), 2 The last “2” must be folloed by month and day which are not taken in the picture.

Posting this as I think there are guys who will appreciate the info. From the Sacramento Newsletter: "Hello members and friends, Happy New Year all, we hope your 2026 has started off well!! Stay healthy and safe this year!!! Leon Kapp has completed the latest chapter update on the Albert Yamanaka Nihonto Newsletter Series Volume 4 Newsletter 06. Here is the link to this update: Link to Article attached below Leon says this issue has a lot about important Shinto smiths and a year of the Tokugawa Jikki with lots of swords being exchanged. Please enjoy the read!! YAMANAKA V4 NL06.docx.pdf

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.

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 similar 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.

Date is Tenshō 4 = 1576 The "double-two" is intended to be a replacement for the character for "four" (四), because the word for four is a homonym for the word for death (shi), and is therefore considered bad luck and is often avoided in inscriptions.

One thing to bear in mind….. usually it is better to leave something unrestored than to restore it badly (that applies both aesthetically and financially) Bad restoration can leap at your eyes far more harshly than the consequences of the passing of time. Also be careful when using modern materials especially glues that do not allow a second chance.

The attribution is to Sue-Sa 末左. NBTHK started adding 大左一門 in brackets around latter part of 2016 I believe. I think this was possibly done because people did not understand what Sue-Sa meant as an attribution and had misconceptions and thinking it was meaning Muromachi. Now perhaps in this style people will understand it better as a Nanbokuchō attribution.

Hizen is a good call, in my opinion.

We must distinguish between the oldest physical manuscript copy and the oldest content. The oldest manuscript copy of the Ki'ami Bon Mei Zukushi is from the early Muromachi period.

Hi Howard, your cabinet is, as you say, Japanese and dating from the mid Meiji period when such things gained enormous popularity with both the gaijin in Japan and worldwide via a buoyant export market. Some can be mind boggling quality. Yes I have (now retired) spent years restoring such things (as a hobby, not a business) for some of the UK dealers. Missing inlay is obligatory on these! I used to actually carve whatever was necessary….be it shell or coral or ivory etc but it is very time consuming and therefore rather expensive. You need a specialist workshop set-up. I doubt you will find anyone to actually carve replacements nowadays but another trick is to search for simpler panels (made in their 1000s) and very often heavily damaged and thus very cheap. It is sometimes possible to “harvest” elements of inlay that can be adapted far more easily to either fit in or even stuck straight over the top of missing areas. Flowers, leaves etc are common and thus quite straightforward. Faces are a real pain, they hardly ever fit, usually looking the wrong way or the wrong size which usually means a lot of hard work or a vaguely acceptable compromise. The best advice I can offer is to look for panels (auctions etc) in the hope of “do it yourself” repairs.

Maybe you already know that tsuba with the very same design: from https://tsuba-kanshou.hatenablog.jp/entry/d385ea903371e9967804aebacba147c3

Despite the fuzzy shots I get a strong feeling (especially from the classical Chinese clothing) of Chōhi and the oath in the peach garden. Three Kingdoms. https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/桃園の誓い

Shozui, founder of the Hamano school. FK signed Otsuryuken Shozui , Mandarin duck and reed . Hakogaki by Torigoye Sensei , published "Toso Soran"

Hello! I honestly do not share the opinion that many people have about the Soten school. Since I once purchased a shakudo Soten tsuba myself, I spent a considerable amount of time researching the subject and made a huge number of comparisons (1000+) in order to understand it properly. I am always surprised when I see statements of this kind… What exactly do you expect to see in these papers? Practically all tsuba signed “Soten” are identified in the papers as belonging to the Soten school. And what does “copy” even mean here? This is unquestionably an original 19-century piece. The fact that it was not made by Soten himself does not make it a copy. There were many craftsmen working within this school, and there was a tradition of signing tsuba with the same signature, and almost all of them receive NBTHK papers. Only a small number of Soten school tsuba have distinctive signatures like these: https://nihonto.com/1-01-23/ https://nihonto.com/juyo-tsuba-by-nomura-kanenori-野村包教/ I can also say that this is normal not only for the Soten school, but generally for other schools as well, especially when it comes to gilding. In almost any work you can find inaccuracies, and with gilding this happens much more often. Many people, I’m sure, know these Ishiguro Masaaki menuki - there’s a nuance there too, yet everyone is perfectly calm about it) As for this tsuba, I believe it was made in the Soten style. Geraint provided a good example.

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

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.

The mounts themselves appear to be original and of good quality, as you would expect with the Suya stamp. Suya Shoten was known to have supplied Koshirae for a number of Imperial clients, and Gassan Sadakazu was a Teishitsu Gigei-in. The blade itself is somewhat uninspiring for a Gassan work, but that could be the photos.

Sesson Shūkei (雪村周継 1504-1589) was a Muromachi Period Soto Zen monk and self-taught artist who is considered the most distinguished and individualistic talent among the numerous painters who worked in the style of Sesshū, the 15th-century artist considered the greatest of the Japanese suiboku-ga (“water-ink”) painters. The two are referred to as "Sesshū of the west, Sesson of the east". He studied the paintings of Shūbun (a suiboku-ga artist active in the first half of the 15th century) and later, from 1533, those of Sesshū and called himself Sesson Shūkei in tribute to the two masters. He worked in a dramatic style that generally accentuated idiosyncrasy, humor, and exaggeration in his approach to subjects, whether figural or landscape. This sansuiga (ink landscape painting) work is an excellent example of his almost calligraphic brushwork style. The boatmen are depicted in a sunset scene, but the foreground is indistinct, abstract, a bit ominous, and filled with yugen (mystery). He juxtaposes heavy black ink and different shades of grey wash. Although unsigned, the seal in this work is similar to one that appears in his self-portrait, which is a Japanese national treasure. Similar example Seal comparison

Hi guys this was on katana I brought couple years ago. No signature though.

Maybe message Raymond Yan on FB. He seems to have a steady supply of them at good prices, and lists them on one of the groups. https://www.facebook.com/raymond.yan.950241

We have separate thread for crests only? https://www.behance.net/gallery/41878025/5000-MON-Japanese-FAMILY-CRESTS p. 274

@hddennis Hi Howard without doubt these cabinets were made in workshops by teams of specialists. There would be cabinet makers, lacquerers, carvers etc…..all specialist in their own fields. However one constant was the quality overall. You would not find poor quality flowers (no matter how many of them were needed) on a good quality cabinet. They might not be the same species of flower or the same material but they would all be constant quality. The Japanese would not usually spoil the ship for a ha’peth of tar.Having said that quality did drop and corners were cut in later Meiji all in the pursuit of $$ So imo the remaining flower that you show next to the bird is later. Your cabinet is a large one of complex construction with many quite good inlaid lacquer panels. When new it would have been quite a sight and very expensive. Another option you might want to explore is whether you could find a plastic moulder who could run you off a batch of these possibly even with a mother of pearl effect (as seen in many buttons) He could use the remaining good ones to create a mould. Or maybe even have a go yourself using some of the resin moulding stuff that is available nowadays….but that is way outside of my knowledge! Good luck!

Just as a point of interest on the marks, the two seen above on 11157 (possibly Koide) start arond 9536 and are the only ones seen until around 12000 or 13000 when the marks changed location to the guard. Prior to that, there were 6 or 7 different marks used in several different configurations. We now have 49 on file. John C.

I have a piece with a similar wavy shape around seppa dai, but not the hitsu anas. One person mentioned to me mine was possibly Nanban with a bit of Hizen influence if that makes sense… Jason

I first was thinking the bling was hurting your eyes, as it does many...but still I enjoy Inside is a very sturdy nambokucho blade with a length just a hair short of katana. The nakago is a keisho style o-suriage.

@CarstairsCowboy Please see no malice in my previous comments. I only shared references to help you evaluate your blade. As others have already mentioned, I think there are two important points to keep in mind: - A gimei sword can still be a piece of very fine craftsmanship. - More importantly, this is your family treasure, and it was likely the treasured possession of a Japanese family decades ago as well. Depending on the time, energy, and money you are willing to invest, you could certainly have the sword polished and have a new habaki and shirasaya made. Personally, I would not worry too much about the fittings, but again, this is entirely a personal decision. In the end, it is completely up to you.

A question to ask yourself is "why do I like it?". It may be worth owning it to figure out the answer. Here are some common approaches that provide a focus to collecting and help sort out your direction: Category collecting (one example of everything) Collecting certain themes Collecting high quality Collecting certain time periods Collecting certain schools or artists Something that may be helpful is to track tsuba you like on Yahoo Japan to get an idea of price vs. availablility vs. condition. It is also a place to test your eye to see if you can spot the reproductions and modern fakes. Right now there seems to be a good selection of antique tsuba at reasonable prices. Finding out what you like is a journey or process. Discernment and taste will develop over time.