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Happy New Year to all! I'd appreciate any further information on the attached tsuba which I recently acquired please. I tried to read the signature and using Self and Hirose Japanese Art Signatures came up with sei, shi or kiyo (647) for the first character and possibly tane (823) for the second. However, there seems to be no such artists named Seitane or Shitane and the single Kiyotane given in Haynes (H 03356) has a different character. On the other hand, the third character looks remarkably like the bottom kao given in Haynes for Bairyuken Kiyonaga (H 03291)! I asked Robert Haynes for his opinion and he said the signature read Seiin and was unrecorded. He knew nothing further about him, but he thought it appears he might have been a student of the Goto Seijo School. (I have just found this School was discussed on here in January 2012!) If anyone can provide further light on the signature, that would be very helpful. Thanks and regards David

Sorry to be coming to this topic rather late, but the following comments may just be of interest. I have several tsuba with a rope mimi in my collection, but I have just acquired from Japan an unsigned tsuba (not fully sure what the design represents) with a looser rope that the other ones I have (see below). It is very similar to the two given at the start of this thread and thought perhaps to be Sado work. Looking further into Sado Island tsuba, I came across a couple of other threads on here relating to the Sado School. The very next tsuba I picked up to catalogue is the one below of three cranes (one with open beak) - also acquired from Japan. This double convex thin mimi tsuba is signed and amazingly and coincidentally the Province is Sashu (Sado). Although the artist's name is not so easy to discern, comparing to other signatures I am fairly confident that it reads Toshisada. Regards David

Thank you, Bruno! Apart from the metals, the kozuka depicted is virtually identical to mine and the information provided is similar to my own thoughts. Much appreciated! Regards David

Could anyone help me please with the significance (if any) of this kozuka? It appears to be a tethered hawk on a perch atop a decorated stand above a recumbent ferocious-looking shishi. The lengthy tether has many loops and tassels at the end. I thought it was an eagle at first - but a little research revealed that hawking/falconry was popular with samurai in Japan and are often depicted on a perch with a tether in paintings and prints. The hawk was considered a symbol of endurance and status, while the shishi, of course, is a symbol of strength, courage and protection. I couldn't find anything relating to a shishi being depicted with a hawk and whether the end of the stand actually is thrust into the shishi is hard to decide. It may simply be two favourite symbols used together to signify that the kozuka belonged to a brave elite samurai! I think the metal is perhaps sentoku or shinchu and there are copper highlights on the hawk, shishi, decoration and cords. If anyone has any ideas I'd be pleased to hear them. Thanks and regards David

I google translated the entry and it does not add anything more than is in the Haynes Index entry, except it just says mid-Edo.

Thank you for looking that up, Steve! Much appreciaterd! Interesting to see the page - I didn't know the book contained no images. Regards, David

I recently acquired a tsuba from a friend returning from Kamakura (attached) and had trouble finding the artist - though I could see he was living in Choshu. I had checked all the kundoku character variations with no luck, but neglected to check the single onduko combination since most of my signed tsuba are kun. Bob Haynes and Elliott Long gave me the correct reading - Yuji (Haynes H 12358). I haven't come across this name before in any of my signature books and there seems to be just a single source given for him In the Haynes Index. The source notes the signature is from a tsuba with grass and flowers design with a date of around 1800. My tsuba looks like ginko leaves and must surely be by the same chap. As I don't have Toso Kinko Jiten in my library (yet!) I wonder whether someone who does would be kind enough to look up the source and post a picture of the tsuba if possible please. The source is W–591–U-3. W signifies Wakayama, followed by the page number (591), the U (meaning Upper section of that page, and the name entry (3) found by counting all names on that page starting from the right and counting left (instructions from the Haynes Index). Thank you very much! Regards, David

Wow! What a find. Thanks so much for this info! Do you have any thoughts about the thicker rim at the top? Regards David

Thanks everyone for the comments and detective work! Amazing coincidence to have found a similar one - the auction one has gold leaves and looks a little bit finer than mine. And mine is not signed as the auction one is said to be (Mumei). The description is rather simple and says nothing about the "half-circle" lines? I did think at first the leaves might have been bamboo, but then thought that they were not quite right, as Richard noted. But then it begs the question - mine was actually bought in Japan just recently - so is it a copy or is it an unsigned version from the same chap or,...?! Regards David

Having read the posts on tachi tsuba and Bob Hayne's interpretation in his Study book, I wonder about this one I recently acquired. Many tsuba in my collection have the main motif at the bottom or lower sides rather than at the top. (There may be a piece of inlay missing at bottom right). And since I haven't yet identified the plants I don't know whether they are leaves or flowers and whether they are upside down! At the top the rim is a bit thicker than at the other three lobes - so the plants might be growing out of the earth? At either side are two semi-circular grooves which appear to have been silver lined and which meet up with the rim. On the reverse there is only one on the left for some reason. An initial thought was that the tsuba lobes had been broken and rejoined, but this does not seem to be the case. So, I was wondering whether this tsuba may have started life for a tachi and then was repurposed for a katana with the hitsu added later? Size is H 8.4 cm, W 8 cm, T 4.1mm, weight 139gr. Any thoughts (and views on the plants/flowers) would be gratefully received. Thanks and regards David

Thanks, Dale! I'm not too far from Amsterdam, so might pop in there one day. I've also found your book, plus the one on the Met - so will order these. Regards David

Thanks for all your comments and ideas. I agree it is not a very fine specimen and does look a but rustic - that might fit in with my initial lightning interpretation! It is also fairly light (41gr) - the dimensions are 5.9x5.9 cm, and 3.4mm at rim. I will plough through some of my books and let you know if I come across anything resembling it! Regards David

Thank you, Steve. An avenue worth pursuing - though since there seems to be a letter Z (well, sort of!) then I don't think they can be trigrams in the hexagram sense. Regards David

Very interesting! Thank you, Mauro. I know Elliott and often look at the site, but had missed this one! Regards David

I have a second tsuba which I am unsure about. At top, bottom and one side are what is perhaps stylized lightning (sort of spiral square - raimon). At right is another symbol - which might be a stylized vajra? Around the rim on each plate side I.e. not the outside of the rim itself) and wavy lines or scrolls - which I thought might be clouds - in keeping with the lightning (bolts)? If anyone could shed any light on it then I'd be grateful. Thanks and regards David

I'd be grateful if anyone can help with the identification or meaning of the symbols on this tsuba, which has a shakudo rim and on both sides are groups of three (two a couple of times) stokes pointing to the middle (amida-yasuri-me?). I did find a tsuba with the same sukashi, though it is a different shape and with a different design. The description is that it is simply geometric decoration - but I feel there must be more to it. Thanks and regards David

I know I am a little late in this thread, but I came across it having just acquired (bought recently in Japan - not by me unfortunately!) a tsuba with identical sides. A search for same-sided tsuba brought me here and I thought my tsuba might be of interest to the discussion. The obverse has gold highlights, which are missing on the reverse. Having learned from this thread more about sanmai tsuba, I can see the thin outside layers quite clearly within the hitsu and seppadai - though I'm not sure the attached photo does them justice. Regards David

Your responses, George, prompted me to look at the back of all my other menuki to recall what was on the back. In virtually every case there is the small stem/root - presumably the kon as described by Sesko (and these were mainly bought from well-known auction houses in Germany and Austria with Japanese specialities and experts). In only a very few cases are there remnants on both sides of a wire fastening - and at least one of these has areas similar to what you show within the yellow box, and a couple still have the kon as well as the wire ends. Regarding the four I showed, I did try and upload a straight on image, but it seems I had reached my size limit! I thought it might be more important to see the wires. In fact only the one at top right has the kon. The other three do not appear to have had it removed. I'll try and upload the pic again. No - it won't let me do that. Let me try a screenshot - nope! Sorry! Just for info - these four were sent to a Dutch dealer friend of mine, who because he cannot travel to Japan at this time, gets consignments of all small things Japanese sent to him now and then by an antique dealer he knows over there and these were in the latest box (along with a tsuba). He thought I might be interested and indeed I was! I have learned something new and even though they might not be real menuki, they are still interesting objects for me! I appreciate your time and knowledge! Thanks and regards David

Here are the backs of the "menuki" and plates. The top left (3.8cm) is solid and has a small wire remnant at left, with one wire squarish pin in the plate (3.9cm). The one at top right (4cm) has one central post (?) with no wire attached, the plate (3.5cm) has one squarish pin. Bottom left (3.5cm) is solid and has two wires, the plate (3.5) also has a single thicker square pin. Bottom right (4cm) has two wires projecting - though I think it is actually one long wire that appears to run through a sort of tube; the plate (3.8cm) has a thicker pin which seems to have been slit at the end. Regards David

Ah - thank you! That certainly fits the bill I think. I collect tsuba and other sword fittings, and am unfamiliar with the inside of tobacco pouches etc. I'll remove the objects from the board and send a photo of the backs for interest. I think, though, my "menuki" would be rather small to be the decorative outer piece. I will give measurements. Thanks and regards David

Sorry to come to this topic so late - but there were one or two interesting things said and I thought a) some of you might be interested in the images below, and b) someone might be able to give me more info. I have just obtained four menuki (one hollow, two solid, and one undetermined at present as I have not yet removed the shishi) with what I presume are back plates. I have not been able to find out much about these apart from one solitary "ad". Markus Sesko in his discussion of menuki in his Handbook of Sword Fittings and related Terms alludes to the kon (root, small stem on the back of some menuki) which is a remnant of the earlier makoto-meuki (true menuki) which combined the function of menuki and mekugi. Pure ornamental menuki without attached mekugi were then called sora-menuki (empty/imitation menuki). Hawley in his 600 Japanese sword fittings terms notes that the mekugi was an earlier term for menuki - a bamboo peg/metal rivet to hold the blade tang to the hilt. In the ear;y days, the rivet consisted of male and female pieces the heads of which had decorative carvings in the Tokugawa period. he further says that the menuki was a rivet made of metal - the decorative fitting to be put over the rivet on the side of the hilt. So far so good and all known! But - where do these plates come in? If they are meant to be behind the menuki they would be visible since they are not the same size. I have never seen such plates. The shishi menuki has still attached at the back two strong wires at either side which go right through the board which displays them. I have quite a few menuki and I have never seen any with such wires, though some look as if they might have been present at some time. I assume the wires would go through the holes in the plates. but would they also go through the tang with the plate on the other side, or would they just go through the hilt and sit between the inner edge or side of the hilt and the tang? Thanks and regards David

For those interested - I asked Robert Hayes/Elliott Long what they made of the signature. The reply was that it was Eiju - no. H 00436 in the Haynes Index. His family name was Takase and he was from Mito in Hitachi Province, later Edo. Apparently he was a low grade retainer of the Matsudaira Daimyo of Mito and a student of the first Taizan Motozane. His art names were Furyuken and Izaemon and he was active c 1775-1800. He signed tsuba at age 61 and 64. I have tried to look up the shosho/variant characters for Eiju, Mito, Takase, his art names etc - but have not been very successful! Tsuba on the web by this chap do not seem to show evidence of the fine perforations at bottom of my tsuba and the styles seem very different! Regards David

I would appreciate some help in deciphering a tsuba signature that I believe is in sosho. I think the last character on the right is JU which probably implies that the two characters above are either a town or province. But apart from that.... I have looked through Sesko's signatures book - though few are in sosho - and also the variant characters shown in Self and Hirose's book on signatures. But no luck. And suggested readings would be welcome! Thanks and regards David

I finally got around to ordering kissakai's two books from Lulu. Unfortunately, they didn't arrive (probably because, as a Scotsman, I tried to get away with normal post!). When I eventually "complained" to Lulu and waited a bit longer, they then reprinted the books and shipped them by express mail and they arrived today, two days after being shipped. I have to say that the quality of them both is outstanding and I can't wait to go through them in detail. Thanks for plugging them, Grev! Regards David

Thanks for all the thoughts. Gunto tsuba do often have a notch though not usually in the seppa-dai - although there was an example of this posted on here some years ago I found. But gunto tsuba are usually brass I believe and not this shape. Regards David