MauroP

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.

A watch case repurposed as tsuba is far better that a jingasa repurposed as tsuba....

Hi, it could well be inome - 猪目 (boar's eye), not an aoi leaf.

Two more transcriptions need to be confirmed (sorry, there are still a few others on the list). HGK3 竹茎透 鐔 ＊ takekuki sukashi tsuba 丸形 鉄地 地透 ＊ maru-gata tetsu-ji ji-sukashi 無銘 尾張興 ＊ mumei Owari-kō 昭和辛亥年秋 ＊ Shōwa kanoto-i-nen aki [1971, autumn] 寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō) The kanji written on the box looks different from 茎. Is it a variant form, or is it a completely different character? The second kanji I am uncertain about is 興 in 尾張興. What does it mean in this context? HGK4 初代 友善 ＊ shodai Tomoyoshi 龍透 鐔 ＊ ryū sukashi tsuba 竪丸形 鉄地肉 ＊ tatemaru-gata tetsu-ji niku- 形 銘 一柳友善作 ＊ bori mei Ichiryū Tomoyoshi saku 初代 ★也力作 ＊ shodai ??? nari risaku 昭和辛亥初月日 ＊ Shōwa kanoto-i toshihazuki no bi [1971, a day in january] 寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō) One kanji here seems to elude my understanding. Thank you for your help.

Let me add Markus Sesko's Signatures of Japanese Sword Fittings Artists. I love paper books, but having it as a searchable file makes it my first choice. A must have.

Not costly at all, but not so easy make them professionally looking. Often on modern tsuba sekigane are too big or very simple shaped.

Usually that not-so-refined tsuba get a Shōami attribution (sadly).

Fully agree. Hard to judge the signature, but at least the sekigane are real.

Thank you so much, Steve and Koichi. The romaji transcription for 面白元作之珍重 should be omoshiro gensaku no chinchō, right?

HGK2 尾張透 ＊ Owari sukashi 四方花形文 鐔 ＊ shihō hanagata-mon tsuba 撫角形 鉄地 四方透 ＊ nadekaku-gata tetsu-ji shihō sukashi 無銘 尾張透 ＊ mumei Owari sukashi 時代 室町時代 ＊ jidai Muromachi jidai 出来宜矣板★ ＊ dekī yoroshi ?? 昭和庚戌年晩秋 ＊ Shōwa kanoe-inu-nen banshū [1970, late autumn] 寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō) Here, I am a bit perplexed by the repetition of the word jidai in the third column. I would also appreciate any confirmation of my transcription of the fourth column, as the last kanji still eludes me.

Dear NMB members, I apologize for once again asking for your help in transcribing and translating some tsuba hakogaki by Satō Kanzan. HGK1 甲冑師作 ＊ katchūshi saku 五方小透 鐔 ＊ gohō ko-sukashi tsuba 変り木瓜形 鉄 ＊ kawari-mokkō-gata tetsu 地 五方小透 ＊ ji gohō ko-sukashi 無銘 甲冑師 ＊ mumei katchūshi ★★★作之珍重 ＊ ??? no chinchō 昭和己酉晩秋 ＊ Shōwa tsuchinoto-tori banshū [1969, late autumn] 寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō) I am unable to recognize the first two (or perhaps three) kanji in the fourth column on the inside of the box.