Geraint

Hi John. Curious as to what leads you to this smith. The sword was advertised as Soshu and with nothing more than the first two kanji it seems like a bit of a jump to a Bizen smith, especially as they widely signed with either Bizen or Bishu before the name. I would think that Andy would have spotted a Soden Bizen sword......... Something more you have found out? All the best.

Brian, mightn't it be worth adding these two and any others we can gather to the Articles section? I know a lot of older threads lose some of their worth because the images linked to them disappear after a time and this one is sure to re occur. Just a thought.

Hi Bernard. To answer you first question: because that is the way the tsuba would be when mounted on a tachi which were worn cutting edge down. Your second question is more difficult from these pictures, my guess would be that two different techniques have been used, hon zogan or true inlay for most of it and perhaps nunome zogan for the crosses as you describe them. If under a magnifying glass you can see a cross hatched surface where the gold appears worn then that would indicate nunome zogan. As it is much more on the surface then it is more likely to wear over time. Hope this helps.

Hi J Greene. As for the first sword, it appears to be a genuine blade with the remains of a koshirae. The snap fitting is not unusual for the leather combat cover which was added for use in WWII. The hilt is missing menuki but the fuchi and kashira are genuine as is the tsuba. The blade does not seem to have lost much of its tip so perhaps worth showing in hand to someone who can advise you but it seems to be a shinto sword, not a showato. As far as I can tell your link has images of the fittings but not the blade, post some more of the blade, as clear as you can, and you might get some more opinions. Have fun.

Ah Hoanh. Thank you for this. I had not realised how important my collection was, all those mumei blades! :D

I see why Stefan suggest partial gilding and not true inlay but I think that may be the photograph; top edge on the second image I think I see some very small losses which would indicate true zogan. Bernard this is turning into a very enjoyable collection of tsuba, thank you for sharing them with us. All the best.

Well, I am going to suggest the lid for a Koro.......

Welcome Bernard! An interesting tsuba. It appears that the kogai hitsu has been completely lined in shakudo which is unusual. As you will know from your research tsuba are almost always flat, thought they may well taper either from the edge towards the centre or the other way. I would suggest that this dished tsuba is an unusual example, the marks covering the seppa dai at the centre of the tsuba could suggest a Namban connection, tsuba influenced by European styles. Others far more knowledgeable than I will no doubt chip in but I find this an interesting piece. Enjoy.

Hi Brandon. Stu and George are on the money but you suggest that hanging onto this one for a better blade might be a plan. Two things spring to mind; in spite of our conception of shingunto as being mass produced they really were not if that is taken to mean interchangeable parts, you could be a long time looking for a blade that this koshirae will fit, or you could end up having to do some work to adapt it to fit which would leave you with a blade evidently remounted. It can be done of course but probably not a good plan. Why not sell this one on and buy that better blade complete with it's own mounts? Have fun.

Hi Ken. If the blade is mid Muromachi then that would be a little late for the tachi/katana transition so katana mei would be expected by then I think. All the best.

Hi Mick. I believe there is a European dirk blade polished and mounted as a tanto in the Armouries at Leeds. I am sure that Ian will know much more. All the best.

Ah! Thanks for the link Peter. That would also explain the variation in quality which is evident in examples such as this one, http://www.ryujinswords.com/mihara.htm It would be interesting to know how, why and when these were produced...........

Hi Mike, Tony is right about the kurikata but if you keep your eyes open you will find quite a few of this type of fitting around. They crop up with some regularity and although I have no evidence to support my feeling it is that they are very late fittngs, produced en mass. They are however Japanese fittings. All the best.

Just a thought, are you certain that they are solid cast metal? From time to time menuki do seem to appear with the back filled with different substances, if this is a later koshirae as you suggest and as it seems to be, I would have expected pressed metal menuki if anything...........?

Hi Kurt While nt exactly answering your question you might find the suggestions from this site interesting. http://members.chello.nl/tfujimot/ All the best.

Ah, Jean. Oil on troubled water?

Hi Jason. You are right, this is a huge topic. If you have not already come across this site, http://www.japaneseswordindex.com then it is a useful starting place. Another good beginning would be to really look at the tsuba illustrated in some of the better books, have a look here for these, http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/about. When I say really look I do mean just that, take your time, come back to the images time and again, understand the way the tsuba was produced and the detail of surface and patination. I suppose a simple answer to your question might be, great artistry, great materials and great execution but I realise that begs the question a bit. Some collectors really see greatness in iron tsuba while some prefer kinko. Whatever you chose to study Ebay is not likely to be the best place to see high quality stuff and a lot of looking will 'get your eye in' Sword shows and society meets are great because you can get a good look at what other collectors are enthusing about and there is nothing like study in hand, especially with someone who can point out to you what they see. I am confident that many members will chime in with their ideas. Whatever you chose to do it will be great fun. All the best.

Hi Christophe, I have bought from Alan and he has been nothing less than totally reliable. If you are interested e mail him and I am sure he will help you out. Regards.

Hi Tom. Not sure where in the UK you are but you made it to Birmingham so hopefully you are within reach of the Northern Token Society, if much to the South then the Token Society of Great Britain meets in London. Chances for you to meet others and see some good stuff plus expose yourself, (perhaps I should reword that?) to some really knowledgable opinions and maybe even some stuff for your collection. If you are in the South West give me a PM.

One turned up in a local auction in full koshirae and it was very good. The finish on the fittings still slightly off but very close and the blade looked at first glance like a poorly repolished showato. The hada was much finer than usual copies and the whole thing would easily fool a new collector. In hand it was relatively straight forward to spot but using on line images would be tough. few years from now when they have acquired a little age........

Hi Donny. What makes you think the blade is Koto? Cheers.

Hi David, Just to close the loop from your original question,you are correct to assume that this is an Army parade sabre, usually found with a chrome plated blade with an acid etched hamon on better quality ones. Yours seems to be in nice order. The source you need is probably Ohmura's Gunto site. Cheers

Hi Kurt. I am not sure that you should jump to the conclusion that this is a kao but it certainly looks like a kanji. I can't make it out but perhaps if you take a rubbing and try turning it around you might recognise it. It is not unheard of for a smith to use the mune of the nakago to add information but I don't think that will apply to this sword, especially if it is kazu uchimono. Perhaps some sort of assembly mark or something like that. Let us know what you find out. All the best.

Hi Junichi. These are beautiful. Looking at the two Kanasugi examples you say that there is etching on the top of Mt Fuji and that the snow cap is shibuichi. Is what I am seeing the result of very fine textured lines on the lower slopes and a small irregular area left free of these before the snow cap? I ask because it looks almost as if three metals have been used but I am guessing that that is the effect of the light that the artist were using. Many thanks.

And very nice koshirae from my point of view. Enjoy.