MauroP

I don't think this type of pattern has anything to do with stars, and it seems the NBTHK shinsa panel doesn't think so either.

Hi Lucian, I've found quite a few tsuba depicting General Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, all signed Bushū jū Masafusa (武州住正房). As you already pointed out, the differences in both the quality of the carving and the signatures make it likely that "Masafusa" was more of a workshop name than a single master. Since he wasn't Nobuie or Kaneie, however, it's quite possible that little attention has been paid to these discrepancies.

The style of the first tsuba makes me think of Aizu-Shōami or the Nara school. The motif could represent three of the Rokkasen, the Six Poetry Immortals (a daishō set would presumably depict all six). The second tsuba, with its mokume-ji, doesn't fully convince me. The unusual shape of the hitsu-ana and the very simple sukashi design could suggest a modern production.

Thank you, everyone, for your input. I suppose I'll have to find a way to live with the uncertainties of "paleographic" interpretation by adding a note and choosing the least speculative reading of the text. BTW, I greatly appreciate the willingness to acknowledge uncertainty that even the great Satō Kanzan sometimes showed in his appraisals. If only today's shinsa panels would follow his example...

The asymmetry is possibly due to a parallax distortion effect in the photo, but my impression was also that it isn't Hayashi.

Let's bring a little order to this discussion: - nobody here (well, almost nobody...) believes that iron tsuba were ever cast during the Edo period; - Dale is simply suggesting that identifying a cast tsuba is a tricky business, and that finding one should be considered an unfortunate occurrence; - if it turns out to be cast (in the Meiji period or later), then a price of one-tenth of what you paid is more than fair...

Nice Kyō-kanagushi daisho, but not even close to Mino Gotō quality, IMHO.

Agree on early Edo, but an Akasaka attribution could eventually fit even better.

70000 JPY is not exactly a bargain, especially since you also have to add a 20% intermediation fee. Moreover, the hakogaki by Satō Kanzan was likely written for a different tsuba, as it describes a kawari-gata (unusual-shaped) guard.

The signature is indeed Sashū jū Yoshitaka saku, but written 佐州住 好古作.

Are you sure? It looks very "nunome-ish" from the pic...

Owary? Why not?... could be something else? Of course. Does it have some prominent tekkotsu? Then Kanayama (... but it's just a kind of Owari). Shōami? You can't go too off if you say Shōami. Could be Akasaka or Kyō? Far less likely. Better pics could help? I don't think so, in this case.

Wow, Manuel, now I'm far less sure I could tell an old Yagyū from a modern utsushi...

Dear Koichi and Piers, thank you for your support. I now clearly understand that my project was far beyond my capabilities. Each additional difficulty, however, has forced me to reflect on the complexity and cultural value of these hakogaki, and on how unfortunate it is that they are so undervalued as art objects in their own right. While this compilation may prove less useful than I had hoped for the transcription/translation of these calligraphies, I nevertheless hope it will contribute to the preservation of Satō-sensei hakogaki and help prevent the associated tsuba from being randomly distributed among other kiribako. I have a few more requests for help, and I'm about to release the final draft (I promise, regardless of what condition it's in...).

The second kanji should be 乾; still unable to find a suitable candidate for the first one.