Geraint

Dear Bojan. I can't ell from the photo whether this is some sort of skin wrapping or a lacquer texture technique. If is is a wrapping then the seam would usually be on the back and often marked by a thin line, is this so for yours? All the best.

Better than that Jean, he forged it two years before he was born.

Dear Grev. I note that everyone is going down the photo route, may I put in a vote for an oshigata? There are several benefits to this process and it is something I would encourage you to have a go at for yourself. I do mine with very basic kit, a variety of pencils, rubbers cut to shape, several old fashioned phone books and a great deal of patience. The process makes you study the blade as nothing else does and at the end of it, albeit after a few goes, you have an attractive thing which when framed is not only a great way of displaying your sword but is also a great reminder when the time comes for you to pass it on to it's next custodian. If you do decide to have a go I'd love to see the results. All the best.

Dear Neil. I think that Joe may be suggesting that the script is not sosho. Gordon, you headed the post with a reference to an old tsuka, Ray has posted a link which illustrates an old tsuka, I think this one is just plain worn out. All the best.

Dear Dale, Please allow me to be the first to point out that you need to add your name to your posts. Oh, and a picture would be nice for this one. Looking forward to it. Al the best

Dear Stu. This link will tell you more, http://www.shibuiswords.com/tsuba.htm#nagoya There is not a great deal of information out there that I have been able to track down, be glad if anyone else comes up with something. All the best.

Dear Donny, Not, I think, from Ian's reference but from the Tokyo Museum collection. Kudos to Ian for spotting this one!

Dear Mark, This does look like a nice find. What makes you conclude that the hi are ato bori? I'm curious. All the best

That's a very pretty little shinshinto yari Grant. Given it's age perhaps the nakago has not been cleaned? Enjoy.

Dear Stu, You might also look up Nagoyamono. Have a look at this one. http://www.nihonto.us/NAGOYAMONO%20TSUBA.htm All the best.

Hi All. Just come across this and thought you might like to see it if you haven't already. http://www.samuraisword.com/nihonto_c/Hozon/Jumyo/index.htm I wonder if they were associated at one time? Just in case you miss it, scroll down for the description of the koshirae and the signature of the artist on the fuchi. All the best.

Hi Neil, Whoever told you the sword was Soten may have miscommunicated. Soten is a school of tsuba makers and I couldn't comment based on your pictures. We will all want to see a view of the whole sword with the tsuka and tsuba removed. Please do some shots and give us some more measurements. A full frontal picture of the tsuba will also help us to give you more information. Looking forward to seeing what you have got. All the best.

Dear Chris, Like you I think this a very nice sword.. Midare utsuri according to the oshigata. Placing of the mei suggests suriage but well finished nakago jiri. O-kissaki, when and where would you think this was made? Enjoy!

Dear Chris, The purbha type hilt you reference is actually also quite common in Japanese art, though not so often found as a hilt. Have a look at the horimono on the sword here, http://yakiba.com/kat_yasatsugu.htm I think the design traveled with Buddhism to Japan. All the best.

Not too much to add to the information already linked by Peter but here is the scan of the translation of the catalogue, hope it is of some interest. All the best.

Dear Joe, You can perhaps imagine what it was like to have each of these blades in hand. As is often the case I wish I could go back and have the chance again having learned more in the meantime. All the best

Dear Maximilian. I thought the name rang a bell and have now had time to find the reference. A sword by him appears in an exhibition called. "The Beauty of Shinsakuto". The exhibition was brought to the UK and the catalogue has a translation. I can scan the translation if that would help. The sword by him was a copy of the Nakatsukasa Masamune. The exhibition was fabulous and the Token Society hosted a visit by Sumitani Masamine who brought along some works for us to view. I don't think I will ever forget examining an omi yari of his with him standing just beside me. For any gendai collector the catalogue would be a joy, I see that Grey had one but it's gone, http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b347-gendai-nihonto-no-seika-translation Let me know if a scan would help. All the best.

Er, Jeff? A picture or two would make this easier...........? All the best.

For what it's worth I think the koshirae is simply a handachi, all the fittings seem to be consistent. All the best.

Hi Mark. Hard to see much in the photos regarding hamon, boshi etc. but what I do see is a wakizashi in some plain but rather nice mounts that will look much better after some TLC. I can see little to suggest that this is anything other than a mumei sword of original length. Hope that helps. All the best.

Dear Bazza. Interesting example but when I look as closely as the rubbish photos will allow I think I see that the smaller links are identical except that the silver and gold cranes are reversed. I am guessing that this makes them stampings rather than anything more significant. I have a menu holder from the period which looks the business but is a stamping so my guess is that the vogue in the West for Japanese metalwork was serviced partly by tosogu craftsmen who transferred their skills and partly by entrepreneurs who used more industrial techniques to supply the demand. My Father in law collected vesta cases and had a superb Japanese one which was clearly worked by a tosogu artist. The case was iron with a crane among rocks and plants in top quality soft metal. Alas not even a photo survives as he sold the collection at auction. All the best.

Dear Peter, I think we were assuming that the key fret was sukashi but clearly it is not. Nice tsuba! All the best.

Dear Bruno. In my reprint edition the tsuba you have is described exactly but numbered as 937. Regrettably it is not illustrated, one of many that did not make it into the illustrations in the book. I do not know why the lists should be at odds with each other but in any event you have a very attractive tsuba! All the best.

Surely the toppai kabuto with double mabizashi, which the auction description fails to mention, is at least unusual....no? Are we talking about that or about the shikami? (Which I too have learned about for the first time.) All the best

Dear Bruno. Matthew Garbutt was one of the small circle of Japanese art collectors who contributed to the 1915 exhibition, Japanese Art and Handicraft. He is listed as one of the four collectors of metalwork along with Naunton, Hawksham and Joly, who contributed to the exhibition which was held in aid of the Red Cross. The catalogue is universally known as the Red Cross catalogue and a reprint was produced in 1976. He lent one sword to the exhibition, a tanto in what are described as Hamano mounts but it is not illustrated. Garbutt contributed to many publications including those mentioned by Thierry. I have a volume called "Japanese Craft Materials and their Applications", in which he has a paper on "Military Works in Old Japan". He was a member of the Japan Society and FRIBA. If you have a reference number or picture of your tsuba I will see if I can find it in the catalogue. Hope this helps. All the best