ROKUJURO

Thank you John, very interesting! But as I wrote above, traditionally made TSUBA do not contain carbon in a useful amount, so this method might not work. I have tested damaged TSUBA (19th century) for their carbon content, and it was Zero with my method. With the TATARA method, a wide range of iron-carbon alloys is produced. That goes from cast iron with more than 3 % of carbon down to pure iron without carbon - and every percentage inbetween.

I would not exclude that completely. There might have been single occasions where this was done for reasons we don't know..

Deanna, as far as I know, the smith only makes one MEKUGI-ANA in a location that is most likely correct in his experience. In many cases, the TSUKA can be adapted to this. If it does not fit, there are two ways: Either the blade is brought back to the TOSHO to make a second MEKUGI-ANA, or the TSUKA maker does this himself, keeping the dimensions as close as possible. In early times, MEKUGI-ANA were always punched. So if the blade was already finished, but a second MEKUGI-ANA was needed, it was wrapped in some fabric or rags. This was then soaked in water to make sure only the NAKAGO was heated up, preventing the blade from loosing its hardness.

Dale, when you look at these later added signatures, you will find that they are not cut deeply. If you are careful, you can work on cast iron without breaking it. It is not really hard but brittle at the same time, depending on the force applied. I will try and post samples of this process in the near future. On the other side, it is only little work to anneal/temper a finished cast TSUBA, especially in an industrial production line.

It is frightening how good these reproductions can be! With modern silicone forming and die casting technology, it is not as much work as it used to be with the "lost mold" process, so they can indeed flood the market.

Paul, if you used a non-reflecting dark background for better contrast and light from the side, I would perhaps be able to help. With these photos, I can only guess MUNENAGA (?)

Thank you Dirk, for the extensive information! However, I have questions concerning some lines in the text: .....Around 1975 (Showa 50), he began considering creating the base metal for tsuba by blowing iron sand. Prior to that, he experimented with Western iron and collected reclaimed iron from the Edo period, which he then commissioned a swordsmith to roll into sheet form for his tsuba crafts..... What could the author (who wrote that? Is it a translation?) have meant by "blowing iron sand"? Perhaps processing in a blast furnace? And "rolling steel into sheet form" cannot be done in a forge! I suspect that either the writer did not know what he was talking about, or the translation was done incorrectly.

Steven, it is a school/tradition that signed their KATANA with TACHI MEI.....

Mark, there is no clay application for the tempering (= YAKIMODOSHI). This is only done before hardening (= YAKIIRE). What you call "temper line" is in fact the hardening line (= HAMON). Generally, clay application is mostly done with one side of the blade at a time (there are videos on that on YouTube). In this case the HAMON may not be symmetrical on both sides. However, some smiths took great care in producing almost "mirrored" HAMON. Japanese nouns do not have a plural form, so it is always TANTO (not Tantos)

And for your statement Jacques.

Thank you Piers, Uwe was friendly enough to translate that for me from the TSUBA's description that came from the TOKUGAWA museum. I think this is just another 'picture' this design might be called (....TSUBA theme is called “残雪” (ZANSETSU = remaining snow ). I can easily understand it, but it seems it is not frequently seen so.

Does not look to be of (traditional) Japanese origin to me, but I may be wrong as so often....

Jay, it is a difficult task to judge a TSUBA from images alone, but as you have it in hand, you may be able to get a relevant assessment. If you imagine how the carving on TSUBA of this style are made, you will find that the tools used leave typical traces. In your case, the chisels (= TAGANE) used to cut the design of mountains and water (SANSUI) will leave a smooth surface in the lines. Now when you use a magnification glass you can judge by yourself if these grooves have a "sandy" surface (which would be a hint towards cast technique) or if they look cut by a sharp tool. As the TSUBA does not look 'old' from its general appearance, you could exclude corrosion/rust having caused a rough surface. All openings in a TSUBA can be reworked and smoothed-out after the production, so in case one does not find traces for cast technique there, this does not mean so much. But in my experience, the design cut with TAGANE is never reworked so looking carefully at how the TSUBA was actually made will teach you a lot about its origin and age. The small gold (or brass) embellishments can be applied on a cast TSUBA blank and are no evidence for a hand-forged TSUBA. THIS THREAD BELONGS IN THE TOSOGU SECTION!

Ah, this is good to know as it changes the view!

Kirill, what about that blade? Does it have an ICHIMAI BOSHI? Where is the exhibition or salesroom?

Why are the name and address of this polisher such a secret?

Hi John, C14 dating would not be possible for dating iron TSUBA as it is a specific method for dating organic matter. In addition to that, the carbon content of TSUBA iron (in case you could isolate it) is especially low (just traces, if at all).

I think we mean the same. The article is probably not well translated. KIZU are damages, and not necessarily caused by "normal" forging. They are no proof of repeated folding and fire-welding, but can accidentally happen in that process.

To me, this looks as if the BOHI were in the JI rather than in the SHINOGI-JI? If I am seeing this correctly, the BOHI might have been added later in an attempt to conceal a bad KIZU that appeared while polishing.

The blade is TACHI-MEI.

Kai, you can adjust the size of your photos so they can appear here on the forum! Two of these images are better than before. I think it will become an attractive TSUBA when properly restored.

Unfortunately, I am unable to capture the HAMON in a cell phone photo. I will probably need a special set-up for it as there is almost no HADORI. The SUGUHA HAMON (very slightly MIDARE) widens from 5 mm at the HAMACHI to 14 mm just below the YOKOTE. SAKIHABA is 19 mm there, so the HAMON covers the JI completely. NAGASA is 470 mm. A bit special: The KAERI has a 70 mm long turn-back on the MUNE.

The second one doesn't look exactly like a TANTO TSUBA.......

Thank you gentlemen, for your comments. I gather from it that ICHIMAI BÔSHI is not so specific for a school or tradition. If I succeed in taking good photos for a KANTEI, I might try again with this specific blade.

Might well be a good sword but on these photos there is no detail that I could see.