Ford Hallam

Soren, I appreciate what you wrote ; "I feel I have made a bargain in both tsuba and the acquired knowledge". I think that's the only sensible attitude we can adopt if we really want to delve into this vast subject. It really is an ongoing refining of seeing, feeling and understanding, but it is immensely satisfying :-) And thank you Curran, for your kind appreciation.

Ignoring the mei for a moment I'd begin by simply assessing the work alone. The ground is a fairly generic type and actually one of the quickest to apply, so perhaps not chosen for any aesthetic reason but merely efficiency. The kata-kiri work of the tree branch on the reverse is very dull and not at all anything very expressive or even particularly interesting. It feels almost like an afterthought to me. The kata-kiri on the front is similarly uninspiring and the rock and leaves looks very much like those seen on Yokoya work, not Nara school. The base of the tree, on the other hand looks like it draws its inspiration from Hamano work but is also indistinct and lacks any real presence or boldness that the subject ought to suggest. It's the anchor of the composition yet is a bit messy and poorly defined. The figure is competently carved but is it suggestive of the hand of one of the great masters? The face is appealing with its gentle expression and there are some pleasing shapes in the hands but as a flat profile image of the head it feels a bit basic, something any properly trained maker of the period would have been capable of. Great masters are so regarded precisely because their work does go beyond merely competent so as to suggest far more feeling and subtlety. To my eye this tsuba is not of sufficient quality to be considered the work of a top ranked artist in this tradition. But this is only my opinion, other eyes may well see things differently. regards Ford

Thank you, Roger.

As to the authenticity of your menuki I'd say they are fairly convincing but to be super critical perhaps just a little messy in the way the individual grains have significant metal 'smooshed' between them. On that point alone I'd be hesitant. A decent example none the less.

If you're interested in understanding more about nanako and its obvious connection to the millet technique this three part series on nanako might be useful too. In part three I discuss a nanako punch that has a hexagonal outer form, which you can see traces of on your example.

Hello Tlognaws You may find this film of the making of Tomei style millet of interest, the millet work itself begins at 7:40

I suppose I ought to add my own comments here also. Firstly I'd like to say that I genuinely appreciate the kindness, understanding and support so many have shown me. For those people who are, justifiably, not so inclined all I can say is that I regret that I have thus far been unable to get the book I had planned to the printers and delivered. Posting any sort of comment on Kickstarter has for some years now immediately drawn a flurry of vile and abusive personal messages, some even directed at my partner who has nothing to do with my book work at all. It has in fact gotten so bad that the actions of a number of named individuals have now referred to the police here in the UK with a view to issuing restraining orders. I've remained civil and calm in dealing with upset and angry people but ultimately there comes a point when nothing I can say will be enough and the stress and upset it was causing me personally was only making everything harder and much much worse. As I'm sure you all know I have devoted my life to my craft and to sharing my experience and knowledge through personal teaching, frequently for free in my own studio, the forum I established and the youtube channel which hosts over 100 hours of instructional film all available for free to everyone. This is what I do and who I am. I decided that I really needed to create the books that led to the Kickstarter project as a way to getting it all in a more usable and compact record. And to be clear, the Kickstarter project was for a single book, with a further 7 planned after that but as an entirely separate thing. The first book is on Metals, alloys and patination, a history and practical manual. The contents page of that book as well as two or three draft chapters were shared on kickstarter ages ago. I got caught up with going too far in my research and the project ultimately became a significant challenge. This started to happen as my health took a turn for the worse. For those of you who don't know I've essentially been disabled since 2001. The exact condition I live with is: There's more detailed info here if you're inclined to read more. A couple of heart attacks followed by a bout of covid led to a pretty serious decline in all aspects of my health, mental and physical, culminating last autumn in my having extensive medical investigations to alleviate my situation. Up until a couple of weeks ago I was down to less than 29% oxygen transfer through my lungs and walking 25 meters meant suffering pretty bad chest pains and awfully weak arms and legs, which then took 5 or ten minutes to recover from. As a result of the medical investigations I started a new treatment 10 days ago and while I'm only half way through working up to the dosages planned I was yesterday able to walk from my car to the studio without stopping and with very little chest pain. Only a distance of about 80 meters but already a significant improvement. I feel I still have a way to go yet but believe I will regain enough vitality and stamina to get back to the levels of work and intensity I once took for granted. The last 6 months have been particularly tough and I wasn't confidant things were going to improve at all. I'm still coming to terms with the reassessment of my condition and the hopeful prognosis now offered. I'm proud of the work I've done on the book and I will get it published, a Europe/Japan Educational Foundation has assured me of that support. But right now I'm having to concentrate of regaining some degree of wellbeing and doing what I can to support my family. This is why I am presently unable to continue work on tosogu, it's simply just too demanding, but instead have returned to my original trade as goldsmith. The jobs are easier and quicker so I can cope with that level of studio activity right now. I've decided to post this today, not by way of an excuse or to try and appease angry men, but to share the reality of what I'm dealing with with those of you who have continued to care, support and have faith in me. I don't like discussing such painful and personal matters like this in public but I feel I owe you this. I don't think there's much point in me returning to this thread or saying anything further. Thanks for reading and I'll be back in the game when I'm more able. All the best Ford

I have to say I'm with Jean on this one. The gilding caught my eye immediately, with it's odd colour. Looking closely we can clearly see un under-layer of copper. This means it's electroplated, First a flash coat of copper which bonds well to iron and then a light coat of gold. This is not an Edo period processes, needless to say Apart from the excess flash Kyle has circled there's an area of roughness on the edge of that hitsu, bottom left, that doesn't make sense in terms of the filed ground but is the sort of casting flaw that result from the breakdown of the investment mould at high temperature. Similarly there's a fair amount of poorly defined carving on the dragons body, where have all the scales gone? And finally theres and area of mould seam still visible inside the nakago-ana at the top. Perhaps they didn't have a suitable needle file to get in there.... Someone has gone to some length to make this copy, imo, but filing up a reasonable casting isn't a big deal, it's fairly basic procedure in the trade, so relying on obvious rubber mould seam traces to identify fakes is not reliable. But these are merely my own observations, for what they're worth.

An interesting collection in terms of spread and even if they're ultimately beyond full restoration the corrosion will at least provide valuable information regarding the iron structure and processing. For that information alone I'd be prepared to work on them.

As others have indicated, this is a fine piece of work. The base metal does appear to be shibuichi but as pointed out the surface has been completely altered. To return this piece to its former glory will require complete and very exacting repolishing and repatination. It's all possible and I believe the results would be spectacular. It won't be an easy or cheap job though.

My bad, Dale, sorry, late at night and tired eyes. Your assessment seems perfectly correct this morning. I've bought a few similarly heavily corroded pieces in the past, simply to remove the corrosion product to examine the iron structure. It can be a very enlightening study.

sorry to be the bad cop, as it seems to be my burden... But, it appears that the seki-gane are of the same metal, cast steel/iron as the body of the tsuba.....

No doubt a symptom of Covid induced social isolation

These appear to be Kudan. Although traditionally a kudan is described as a human faced cow, they're considered auspicious creatures and they cannot tell a lie. The kudan became very popular in folk mythology during the late 19th century but there are references to the creature going back as early as the Heian period.

Cheers Glen perhaps I should post some images of my reference library, the books on ancient iron and steel, and rust, alone would make the iron tsuba chaps weak at the knees

I hesitate to write the following but I trust the sensible and considered approach most of the members here have towards their treasure in their care so... A relatively safe DIY option you could use sodium bicarbonate, or even baking powder. It's mildly alkaline and very mildly abrasive, very mildly, but it does actually have the ability to dissolve some corrosion products. The only caution I would offer is that it not be left on the patinated surface for longer than a couple of seconds as it will break down the patina and make it dull and eventually begin to really stain it. I'd suggest using a tiny amount (literally a few grains) on the tip of a damp toothpick. Rub only the actual corrosion and rinse under warm running water often. Once you reach a stage you're happy with or wish to stop at rinse very well with soapy water, pat dry and warm with a hairdryer until just too hot to handle comfortably. Have tissue on hand to blot up any water that may bubble out from under inlays. When completely free of moisture apply a little renaissance wax sparingly and gently buff to a soft glow as it cools. It's tough to get a good gloss on cold renaissance wax. Having offered this remedy I should also point out that sometimes certain problems are best left well alone, let sleeping dogs lie and all that. For example, I know of a fabulous fuchi kashira set of shishi by a big name Yokoya master that has a couple of tiny green, almost malachite like, beads of verdigris on the shibuichi of the shishi's body. These are impossible to fake and are evidence of decent age, they are not terribly ugly and removing them will leave a pink spot instead. So they remain and are appreciated as part of the overall piece and are part of its context.

Jean, with regard to Ibota wax specifically "...ibota wax has a distinctive chromatographic profile containing a series of long-chain fatty acids with even numbers of carbon atoms, the most abundant being hexacosanoic acid " Václav Pitthard, Sabine Stanek, Martina Griesser, Christiane Jordan, Silvia Miklin-Kniefacz & Richard Miklin (2016) The technical investigation of an eighteenth-century Chinese imperial carved lacquer screen and its role in developing an appropriate conservation treatment, Studies in Conservation, 61:sup3, 97-108, DOI: 10.1080/00393630.2016.1227117

To be blunt, this tsuba bothers me. I would suggest disregarding the mei for starters as it really bear no similarity to the meikan examples and doesn't really even look all that confident on its own terms. The kara-kusa pattern appears to be etched as does the reverse and while we do see etched designs in some work, Jakushi and a few Higo pieces...it's not really that common. My general impression is that this is a work by an amateur, quite possibly modern. As to oil on verdigris, well it wont remove or eliminate it at all. It may conceal it by making the green less visible as it is soaked by the oil but the corrosion continues. In fact as oil is essentially a fatty acid this in combination with the copper present acting as a catalyst the corrosive effect is accelerated, resulting in a product conservators call copper soaps. Incidentally, Ibota wax, when it inevitably breaks down, causes the same problems. So I'd suggest not oiling soft metal, or even iron for that matter.

Why thank you

It's amazing! After looking at tsuba, somewhat obsessively, for going on 40 years now I was beginning to think perhaps I'd seen most types and designs....and then this pops up And like buses, not just one. It's a brilliant concept, I can just imagine a Samurai putting on his 'drinking tsuba' before going out on the lash on a well earned night off. I need one now, myself. And how about a matching pair of menuki? https://www.aoijapan.com/menuki-mumei-sake-bottle/

The book appears to be volume one of the two part Tsuba Kansho Jiten by Sato and Wakayama. I have the 1977 edition and the upper tsuba is shown on page 173, alone. I imagine there's another edition that included this design tsuba.

Thank you Roger, it's always heartening to hear that one's efforts are appreciated.

Hi Roger, thank you for asking. I'm doing better but the nasty little bout of covid I had in January continues to hobble me. But I've recently had a fair bit of medical support and am looking forward to a somewhat easier lung function and I'm learning to pace my efforts more sensibly so that I can stay the race, so to speak. And thanks Dale, I certainly do intend to stick around, lots of work yet to do and things to learn.

I suppose the question for you, Dale, is are you retro, vintage or authentically antique? Personally I feel somewhat vintage in need of restoration

Not give give anyone pointers on faking great age on a tosho tsuba but the most efficient way is to start with already severely corroded 2 or 3mm mild steel plate. This sort of material is readily available from scrap yards or in old abandoned farm buildings and doesn't really take many years of exposure to the elements to create. The 'appearance of age' is a great deceiver. Strip all the rust off in a dilute bath of hydrochloric acid, cut out your patterns and with the judicial use of a jeweller pendant-drill hand piece or dremmel tool and suitable ball burs the freshly cut edges can be quite quickly and effectively shaped to simulated the corrosion pattern of the rest of the plate. And finish by applying a new patina. I actually made two this way in a day many years ago when living on a farm in Cornwall. I added sekigane, beat them about a bit and left them in a stone wall for a year. Then I recovered them and 'restored' them. They fooled two prominent London dealers at the time, when friend of mine presented them for appraisal. My point is, it's really not difficult or time consuming to create this sort of object, and in some parts of the world even $50 a week might keep a family fed. So it's absolutely worth doing if the internet makes their sale a possibility. Obviously the papered Higo fakes I make are more time consuming and require a bit more expertise but I manage to get really good money for them....so Maybe I should diversify and do Umetada now, probably better money.