Antti

As a newbie, I've noticed that it sometimes takes a certain time before one starts to appreciate certain schools. For me, Yagyu for example, has been getting more and more attractive over time. When it comes to Namban, I've never found a single attractive example. They always... try too hard with their ornate designs, which, in my eyes, end up looking somewhat cheap. But this is probably the first pleasing Namban tsuba I've seen! I especially like the very robust nakago hitsu ana, especially when compared to other Namban tsuba I've seen. Thanks for sharing Bernard.

Lately I've been trying to learn to attribute tsuba, so can I have a shot at it? Now if I would say this tsuba could be Higo, perhaps Higo Jingo, or at least has Higo Jingo influence, would I be completely wrong?

Im sure the more experienced guys around can help you with those. I should not speculate. I wonder if that is a plant the spider is on, or some kind of a flying insect. Tetsugendo has a pair of spider menuki for sale if that helps: http://www.tetsugendo.com/kodogu/M-115_SpiderWasp.html

As a newbie, I should probably stay quiet, but Lorenzo Amati made something very similar a while ago. He called the pattern "Yama no michi", the mountain road, and he wrote that they were typical Higo Fuchi/kashira. https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 0499_o.jpg (picture)

I sincerely hope I learn how to appreciate this tsuba one day.

You can also pay via PayPal if you're dealing with AoiArt. Just ask them about it. I'm a newbie as well, and have bought both of my tsuba from Aoi Art, and I've been really pleased with the service. I've also paid both tsuba with paypal. They also said that PayPal applies to both auction and the shop.

For what its worth, a tsuba that looks very similar to the first and third examples is listed in Nihonto Australia. http://www.nihonto.com.au/html/tsu384_skull_tsuba.html

As it says in my signature, I dont know anything about anything, but isnt this the mon used by the Toyotomi clan pre Edo, and by the imperial family?

I havent seen a tsuba like this before. I really like this! So is the center made of brass? I mean is there a brass plate covering the center on both sides over an iron core?

Thanks for the list and the books you recommended. These will be enough to get me going!

Thank you mr. Klein, Curran and Andrey for your answers. I'll certainly take a look at those Dai Token Ichi catalogues. As I said, I will invest in books next, but hopefully can still get a new tsuba before the end of the year, but we'll see. I was going to get the Haynes fittings index and some other books as well. I have around ten books about Japanese swords in general, but not a single one about tsuba in particular. First I'll try to find the books that have a lot of relevant information, but are not as expensive as those rare editions. Perhaps some comprehensive, all-around books about tsuba instead of editions with very detailed information about a very specific topic, like a specific school or something. Mr. Doffin seems to have some of those catalogues for sale so perhaps I will get one or two when I again manage to scrape some money together.

Thank you Curran for your insight. I remembered that this tsuba had some design similarities with your avatar. You posted some really nice tsuba. I especially like the first tsuba you posted, so elegant. I love the irregular hitsu anas and how seamlessly they blend into the design. By the way, does that small... "ring" have any significance. I mean the small loop in your first tsubas 5 o'clock and my tsubas 4 o'clock. You mentioned the lack of higher end tsuba. Although I see Juyo token swords for sale all the time, Ive only seen one Juyo token tsuba for sale somewhere. First I assumed that getting a Juyo token for a tsuba would be very rare, but perhaps people are just hanging onto them pretty tightly or selling them privately.

Thank you Christian! You mentioned it is good iron, but I've thought the late Edo iron tsuba were generally poorer quality "factory iron". So is this an exception? I hope in the future I will learn to recognize good and bad iron when I see it. Still working on it

Thank you mr. Stuart and mr. Doffin for sharing your wisdom, and thank you Mariusz for your flattering comment! I'll try to see if that book is available somewhere. Next few hundred bucks I manage to scratch together will go to books anyway. Oh yeah, and if anyone can give an age estimation of that tsuba I would really appreciate it. Im just being evasive and say mid-late Edo. Although I read somewhere that older Akasaka tsubas were about 4,5mm thick (as this one) and the later ones were usually thicker. However it doesnt really look that old at all. Can anyone help? Thanks!

Greetings, As my first purchase was not a total failure, I was encouraged to buy my second tsuba. Few months of saving and rummaging the internet, I found myself coming back to this particular example every time. But, questions first if I may. 1. Is there some kind of comprehensive catalogue of different Yagyu tsuba designs? Although I dont find them very aesthetically pleasing, I am very interested in learning more about them, and as their range of designs seems to be rather diverse, I was wondering if there was a website or a book that has a comprehensive collection of their designs? I think Ive seen this old book or catalogue somewhere with drawn Yagyu designs, but I cannot seem to find it now. 2. There are two terms I cannot seem to find a translation to. First is "kodai" (sometimes godai, or ko-dai), which is usually used with a school attribution, like kodai Higo, kodai Akasaka etc. They seem to be in the lower end of the price scale, so I am guessing its a negative attribute. I have a hunch that it may mean "Akasaka-style" or "Higo-style", so that the design is FROM a prestigeous school, but it was not made BY that school. Would this be correct? The second term is Ubu. Now I know it means something like unaltered, but could someone explain what it means if Tsuba is Ubu? If Nakago-ana has been altered for fitting, is it no longer Ubu? Or does it need a repatination or a restoration work of some kind to be considered not Ubu? 3. Thirdly, I would like to know about the popularity of this fine hobby. Could you tell me, if you can, is the number of people collecting Tosogu rising or falling? Is it now more popular than ever, or is has it been more popular in the past? Im sure it is very difficult to say, but if you have a gut feeling, I would appreciate it. I would assume it would be in correlation with sword collecting in general and Im sure the recent economic downturn has had its effect to it as well. 4. One more question about the prices of tsuba. Many of you have been collecting for a long time, so I would like to hear whether tsubas are less/more expensive than in the past. Inflation has occured surely, and the prices are probably in correlation with the number of people collecting (supply/demand), but again if you have a gut feeling about this I really would like to know. Okay now to the tsuba. To my amateurish eye, the condition seems to be excellent, the design very elegant and I find the color just beautiful. My favourite detail is that one branch that doesnt quite reach the rim. Akasaka (Mumei) Size: 71,5mm x 68mm x 4,5mm NBTHK Hozon origami

I also saw this tsuba few days ago, as part of my "Check Aoi Art for new items"-routine. Just like my compatriot who started this topic, I was also somewhat baffled about this tsuba. It just didnt find it aesthetically appealing in any way, and there are plenty of Muromachi-period iron tsuba that I find very charming. So when I saw the price it did surprise me as well. There are many things that Ive learned to appreciate during my life, despite the initial lack of appeal, but this just doesnt work for me. Also trying to learn to appreciate something just because a serious connoisseur should, is something that I find a bit repulsive. And as the taste of aesthetics is highly subjective, I'ts not even necessary. But again, what do I know.

Hello Takamatsu! So nice to see someone else is also starting to collect tsuba! I bought my first few months so its nice to see someone else in the same stage.

Ah now I understand. I thought 5 Ninbuchi meant that you have 5 people working for you, put it meant "a salary for 5 people". Okay makes much more sense now. Thanks! (edit) One more time, here are two more picture of the tsuba, showing the true color.

I wonder was he a sword polisher for the shogunate for 5 koku, and then made tsuba on the side to make extra earnings, or was making tsuba also part of his job where just got paid 5 koku. Or did he polish swords and make tsuba as his job, and got an extra 5 koku as a stipend from Bakufu for being an "expert". Just wondering if 6 ryo = 6 koku = a typical annual wage for a laborer = One hungry Masahiro Its just that the Aoi Art papers state that he "got job from Tokugawa family treatment 5 Ninbuchi (he was a master of 5 person). I also wonder if he ever had a precognitive experience where he saw two americans and a finn talking about his wages in an almost magic-like electronic network some 250 years after he had died.

James thank you so much! This information is most interesting! An expert of the Shogunate... Here I thought a beginner entering a forum such as this one wouldnt be easy but the community here has been beyond words helpful and understanding!

I will add mr. Morita and mr. Piantanida to my list of personal heros. The translation by mr. Morita seems to match the Aoi Art attribution "At kyoho era, he was born at Takeya family's son / was called Masaoki (Masaki? -A). Now if the tsuba I found is made by the same person, and there is something on him in the Haynes book, this will be even more interesting! Thanks again!

I must say it is quite a community you have here! Thank you so much mr. Klein and Christian for your invaluable work! I will add a photo, a closeup of the signature next to the example in your book. (EDIT) Oh my goodness. I think I might have found a tsuba by the same maker! Google to the rescue! The site lists him as "Juchiku"! Is this the same signature! What do you think? This is from a german site, where this tsuba was sold. The description says: Sign.: Tobu ju (Edo) Juchiku.. Edo, 18. Jh., vgl. H 04018.0. Ø 7,5 cm, D 4,4 mm. Holzdose. "H 04018.0." is a reference to Haynes' books right? Could some kind soul look him up?

Thank you again everyone for your input! Soshin, as I said I've strolled through the 40 pages of topics in the tosogu forum and saw so many topics where a beginner had bought one of those cast tsuba from eBay. Some of them were so bad that even I could tell they were fakes. Usually by looking at the seppa dai, which looked somehow soft, and the nakago ana was the wrong shape. That is why I decided to stay the hell away from ebay, I've never liked the site anyway to be honest. I think all the topics in the forum really helped to avoid certain mistakes! I am also familiar with your site, and it is part of my browser bookmark-collection. Your rather flattering comments about the tsuba really made me feel good about the purchase, and gave me some confidence to continue studying these pieces. Although if you find the tsuba attractive, I think I had some beginner's luck. Although I like the design, I was pretty sure the experienced collectors would not, or would have found it to be rather common. It would be nice to hear about the signature as Curran said. I state again that I cannot read the NBTHK papers, and the info I've provided is from the Aoi Art estimation papers. I really appreciate all input and thank you for searching your books!

It would be most interesting to hear more about the subject from the literature. My books dont include any expensive "out-of-print" pieces, so Ive just tried to find everything I can from the Internet. Mainly from the shibuiswords.com and such. Again thank you for sharing your wisdom. The idea that my first tsuba purchase was not a disaster really lifted weight from my shoulders.

Thank you so much Chrstian for your input. I am glad to hear my first purchase was not a total failure! More info from the Tsuba and the maker. I will also supply a picture of the papers. Mei: Toshichiku Size: 7,79 x 7,16 x 0,51cm Jidai: Edo period Meiwa Era Few things from Aoi Art papers (sic). Toshichiku was called Masaoki and real name was Iemon. At kyoho era, he was born at Takeya family's son. His family accompanied with Oda Nobunaga at Muramachi period. He got a job from Tokugawa family treatment 5 Ninbuchi (master of 5 person), and also he liked to make tsuba. At the time he was well known polisher. ------------------ Thanks Geraint for your input as well. So the the marks are made to... umm, how to say this, to "stretch" the steel a bit to make it fit. Interesting! And yes I have contracted this disease, which is frightening. As I wrote to the new member introduction section, I fear this new interest will guarantee I will stay broke forever, and the scary thing is, I dont even care.