Kanenaga

We suppose Dale's tsuba is an amateur attempt to recreate the famous Shoami tsuba on the Kasen koshirae.....

Piers, Could you kindly explain what your tsuba is depicting?

A horse of a different color .......?

Here's a (later) Jingo version of tea-ceremony items. I'm guessing that the plant is.... Tea?

Thanks for the translation, Tom. And congratulations on the Keith Austin Nobuhira daisho pair. I never met him, but heard many stories. A real piece of history.

Gendai utsushi of a classic Higo design. Maker is Naruki Issei, I think. Perhaps someone could read the full mei and hakogaki for me?

Amazing collection with some very nice things. Does anyone know more about this person?

Here are a few pics of the NBTHK-AB educational lecture and hands-on display. Sixteen sunnobi tanto, some big names (Bizen Kanemitsu, Rai Kunimitsu, Shizu Kaneuji, Mino Kanemoto, Sengo Muramasa), many of them Juyo Token. The session leaders shown are (from left) James Lawson, Fred Weissberg, Bob Benson, Mike Yamasaki, and a camera crew from NHK.

Got it now. Thanks.

Recognizing that prices of things are not static but flow with the general economies, this listing is still a precious document and I for one would like to see it in spreadsheet format. Unfortunately, the link does not work for me.

My fave: Shigeo Fukushi -- The Art Appreciation of Japanese Sword Fittings. 417pp. 2012. Soft cover. 6,000 JY. 300+ items photographed in color with each theme explained both in Japanese (more) and English (less, but adequate). Table of contents in English, but no index. I got my copy from the NBTHK Sword Museum in Tokyo. Not sure where to point online. Perhaps one of our "agents" in Tokyo could get it. Les

Is this an awkward time to ask about the Tosogu Classroom series?

I met Ogawa-sensei by accident while visiting the Boston Museum of Fine Arts some years ago. At that time, he was curator of the sword collections at the Met, MFA, and LACMA. He seems to have a somewhat negative reputation in the US, I don't know why. He has always been gracious to me, gave me and several sword-friends a personal tour of his landmark exhibition at the Met in 2010 -- IMHO one of the greatest exhibitions of Japanese swords ever, 25 national treasure blades and other top stuff gathered together from all over Japan: https://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9780300142051?browse=1&mtype=B https://www.abebooks.com/Art-Samurai-Japanese-Arms-Armor-1156-1868/30037750546/bd?cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Textbook-_-product_id=COM9780300142051USED-_-keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsIenttLS9gIVfz6tBh1JlAEYEAQYAyABEgLDsfD_BwE However, I do not know about his present whereabouts or availability for consultation.

I've dealt with Mike a few times over the years and I've always found him to be straight-up about what he is selling, and easy to deal with. He does not make excessive or inappropriate claims about his items. The prospective buyer should pay attention to what is not said in the description. Les

Les

FWIW, this looks to me like something that could be attributable to kodai Jingo (i.e., Higo), or a late, derivative Jingo subgroup like Kumagai or Tsuboi. Les

Does anyone know how this tanto finished up?

This is an interesting piece. The NBTHK paper does say "Tametsugu," and it surely must have been tried at Juyo and failed, one reason perhaps being that the horimono appear to be ato-bori. Les

This is very distressing news. I don't know how he is regarded in the diplomatic world, but Guido is well known and widely respected in this little sword world we inhabit, and has the most delightful sense of humor. We wish him a complete recovery. Les

Soshu Akihiro -- 14th century, no?

I've been told this distinctive type of mounting is referred to as "Ainu" koshirae, meaning made in (lower) Japan for the Ainu market. There is a typical example on permanent display in the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park, labelled ":Ainu koshirae." This daisho is a particularly nice set.

Self, J and Hirose, N: Japanese Art Signatures. Bamboo Publishing Ltd., London, 1987. This little book seems not to be very well known, but it's my go-to for translating mei. It doesn't deal with stroke count, instead teaches image-recognition based on radicals, and is focused specifically and exclusively on signatures, so it deals with a (somewhat) restricted range of kanji. In addition to the actual artnames, it has very helpful sections on how to analyze a signature, and on how to read numbers, dates, places, ages, family/clan names, and titles. Most of the content is relevant to swords, though it does pay attention also to metal workers, lacquer artists, and netsuke carvers. It was OOP for a long time, and hard to find, but it was reprinted in softcover in 2006. Not dirt cheap, but recommended if, like me, you are image-oriented and mainly want to learn about reading signatures. https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Art-Signatures-Handbook-Practical/dp/1891640097

I have to gently disagree with Tom. Many people did hear the word. The exhibition room was packed, I doubt it could have accommodated many more. People lined up 5 and 6 deep in front of each item to see these wonderful fittings up close, and to hold Juyo swords in hand for study. What better for the NBTHK-AB to be doing than to promote this extraordinary educational activity equal to or superior to what one can see in Japan? Yes, it is necessary to get up and go to something like this, but how many comparable opportunities will there be? No one should believe they can sit at home and expect an experience of this extraordinary value to be delivered by DoorDash. All of us who attended are deeply grateful to those who offered their treasures for display. Les PS: And, for Peter: There was at least one fine Sendai katana offered in the sale room.

When mounted on a tachi -- as its ancestors were intended to do -- won't the gorinto(?) be upside down?

Mark, was this a katana?