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I tried use a Japanese AI tool, still doesn't make too much sense but maybe can help you fill some blanks

Thank you Steve, very interesting, I'll try dig more on that

During my last trip in Japan I found this nice nozarashi themed painting, but the translation is way too hard for me, can someone be of assistance?

I think i remember seeing that bust at old NBTHK museum, before they moved to the new location, so i think most likely it's in the new museum https://maps.app.goo.gl/NmUZRNhaapaCiXHt7

If anyone of you guys is going DTI this year and wish to say hi and see this tsuba and another one of mine in hand just drop me a message

No, there's no kozuka slot. The saya Is plain with horn koiguchi, kurikata and kaerizuno, kojiri Is missing

Yes, everything is lacquered, there's also traces on the seppa. Probably that's why it preserved so well

Bushū-jū Masatsune (武州住正恒)

Here's some more pics, also one of the blade inside, from the sugata it's most likely a late Kamakura tachi. It has a very unique and interesting utsuri as well, still under study

I should post most of my collection, but i selected a few pieces: Ko-tosho, big, early and unaltered Onin, big and unaltered without much loss of zogan And my pride, tensho koshirae from late Muromachi with its original blade still inside. All lacquered black, simple iron tsuba with most of urushi still in place

From Venice's Museum of Oriental Art

Do you have a specific blade you're looking for or any good nihonto will do? I have a papered hirazukuri wakizashi well in that range

They look like small tekkotsu to me

I think that's the area with rust

The Naohiro of this topic is actually 5th generation, the one of your link his predecessor NAOHIRO (直弘), 4th gen., Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Saitama – “Minamoto Naohiro saku” (源直弘作), “Musashi no Kuni Ōmiya-jū Minamoto Naohiro saku” (武蔵国大宮住源直弘作), real name Matsubara Eiichi (松原英一), born May 5th 1924, student of Juō Naohiro (寿王直弘) NAOHIRO (直弘), 5th gen., Heisei (平成, 1989- ), Saitama – “Kei´un Naohiro” (慶雲直弘) “Hiroshi tsukuru” (寛造), “Hiroshi kore o tsukuru” (寛造之), real name Kojima Hiroshi (小島寛), born January 22nd 1957, he studied under his father, the 3rd gen. Juō Naohiro (寿王直弘), and under the 4th gen. Naohiro, his older brother, by becoming independent in 1981 he received the name Naohiro from his senior fellow students, he uses the gō Kei´un (慶雲) and signs sometimes also just with his first name Hiroshi (寛) which is read “Kan” by its Sino-Japanese reading

Here's the publication that shows that Yoshihara Kuniie was ranked best of the East (highlighted), best of the West was Gassan Sadamitsu, that later changed his name in Gassan Sadaichi and became Living National Treasure. I also want to spend a word about Chris, despite being new on the forum i know him personally and he's reliable, helped me many times purchasing and exporting blades from Japan.

Thank you, being an amateur tsubashi is not a big deal for me to make also the plates 😄

NBTHK published the results and with my surprise i'm the only foreigner in the category. To be just one step from a prize as a foreigner and amateur is at the same time making me proud and pushes me to improve even more! Results in Japanese: 2024年度現代刀職展「研磨・刀身彫・彫金・外装の部」審査結果一覧.pdf Results translated in english with Google Translate: ENG2024年度現代刀職展「研磨・刀身彫・彫金・外装の部」審査結果一覧 .pdf

Sorry that translation is for the other tsuba, this one is signed "Soten sei" Is made in roughly the style of Soten, but clearly not good enough to be genuine

Chosu Hagi ju Tomohisa saku Chrisantemum flower and leaves Chosu Hagi school, late Edo period

A tansu i made to keep my tsuba in order, the tsuba-shaped plates roughly depict what's inside each drawer

i quote directly Markus Sesko's description: "It bears on the side with the mei the inscription “un wa ten ni ari” (運有天, “Fate lies with heaven”), the ura side of this piece bears the Buddhist prayer “Namu Myôhô Renge Kyô” (南無妙法蓮華経, “Glory to the Sutra of the Lotus of the Supreme Law”)."

This is the original one I actually have some better pictures of this tsuba but i've been asked not to share them around. Of course in comparison with the original mine is still many steps below.

Thank you all for your kind words, especially Marius Here's also a short video that shows better also the tapering of the thickness https://drive.google...kPv/view?usp=sharing

Thank you all! This is an utsushi of an existing tsuba by Nobuie