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Gabe, Close up, focused pictures in good lighting of the bare blade itself, please! Hoanh

Dear Gabe, Without close up, focused pictures in good lighting, nothing can be said about your sword. Please post pictures. Regards, Hoanh

Ed, That's quite alright. Look at it from the bright side: it's a real tsuba with some age, not a Chinese repro. I would definitely go with books and lots of reading before buying again, though. At some point, after lots of reading, you will probably look back at what you bought earlier on and say: "What an eye sore! What was I thinking?" It happens to all of us, present company included. Have fun reading! Regards, Hoanh

John and Jussi, You are right. Hirokuni Saku. Hoanh

Peter, The second kanji is very faint, but the mei almost looks like Kanekuni Saku. Regards, Hoanh

Thank you Barry. Knowing who it wasn't is almost as helpful as knowing who it was. Regards, Hoanh

The iron doesn't have the boldness associated with Owari tsuba. If I had to guess, I would guess Shoami. Disclaimer: I am venturing outside of my comfort zone... Hoanh

Ed, You might want to invest $200 in a book entitled "Japanese Sword Guards" by Sasano, available on Grey's website japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com. It's a wonderful book that will answer all of your questions. Regards, Hoanh

No, no, no.... Rust is not a good thing. By "bland," Mariusz meant absence of hammering marks, surface texture, iron bones, etc. Hoanh

Please sign your posts. I am no expert, but the iron and sukashi work look too "new" to be Muromachi -probably Edo-period. Hoanh

It's an authentic Edo-period tsuba, but in poor condition. It looks like it has been in a fire, but it could just be the photos... Hoanh

Joe, This is key to removing the handle: hold the sword handle at the very end (at the point as far away from the sword guard as possible). That way, you won't have to tap your wrist too hard. If you hold the handle near the sword guard, it will make it so much harder to remove the handle. Hope this tip helps. Regards, Hoanh

Josh, Great observation! I didn't catch that one. Thank you for sharing. Hoanh

The kanji pages of jssus.org is very helpful, too. http://www.jssus.org/nkp/index.html Regards, Hoanh

John, I believe I see a boshi turn back on both sides. So, your sword doesn't have a reshaped kissaki. There are a lot of Kanehiro listed. Although many of them are Mino sword smiths, some are not. For instance, in addition to Mino, I see Kanehiro listed from Echizen, Echigo, Hizen, etc. If you want to learn more about your sword, you will need to build up a library and read up on the characteristics of different time periods, traditions, schools, smiths, etc. Even with books, it's a long, tough road, but it's an important part of learning and collecting. There is no short cut. It's a process that I absolutely suck at, but am trying to improve. You will also need to check the mei (signature) against your reference library to see if you can find a smith that signs with two characters, with (nearly) identical kanji strokes, as what's on your sword. Also, your sword will need to be in decent polish for subtle features to be seen. Simply seeing the hamon is not enough, and in poor polish, the hada, an important part of the artistic appeal of Nihonto, cannot be seen. It's a steep learning curve, but it will make one appreciate Nihonto more than simple curiosity. You can use the "Search" button to find out what books are recommended to the beginning collector. I wish you lots of fun on your learning journey. Regards, Hoanh

Hoanh

Thank you Henry. It is indeed a wonderful write up and vivid interpretation of the tsuba's motif. It will take me a bit longer to digest everything you had written. David: It is a very nice tsuba and I have been the proud owner for a while now. As attractive as it looks in the pictures, it is much, much better in person. Although the tsuba was originally for sale on Grey's website, it came to me via a different route. Regards, Hoanh

Joe and Bruno, Brian Tschernega is in Seattle and he has his circle of collectors-friends. Perhaps, you might want to drop him an email and see where it takes you. Regards, Hoanh

From your description, it sounds like a naginata naoshi or wakizashi made in the style of a naginata naoshi. In either case, the slight thickening near the tip is normal. Can you get close up pictures of the boshi? I am interested in knowing if the boshi has a turn back? It will tell us something about the sword. I suspect that we will see a turn back on the boshi. Regards, Hoanh

Gentlemen, Going by the thread's thesis "What are namban tsuba," may I ask your take on the following tsuba, which was originally for sale on Grey's website? I hope Grey does not mind my using his pictures for educational purposes. Your candid thoughts are much appreciated. Regards, Hoanh

Ditto. Hoanh

Keith, Is it just the pictures, or does it seem like there are places where metal has flaked off the tsuba? The color balance is awefully off, too. Regards, Hoanh

Thank you Morita san. Regards, Hoanh

Kevin, I am most likely wrong, but the closest I can read the mei is Kanetora. I can find only one Kanetora of the Kiyomaro school, making this sword shinshinto. The second kanji was tough for me to read. Other than that, I don't have any more info for you. I am completely ignorant of shinshinto swords. Close up pictures of the hamon and boshi would be great. Regards, Hoanh

Thank you Christian. I was certain the seller would not guarantee the mei, but it's better for Kevin to hear from the seller than from us... Regards, Hoanh