Rich T

a few more

Hi all, yes we had a blast and thank you so very much to all the volunteers who helped out with the Shinsa room, and to Adrian for yet another sterling effort. I know first hand the boys in Japan were very happy with the efforts put in. Special thanks to Andy G, Rich T(V2) and Mike Smith for their tireless efforts. For those that attended, it was Kamakawi san that ran the excellent oshigata class, with Gordon translating and assisting. For anyone who has had the privilege of watching Kamakawi san under the pump with endless blades passing through the room for oshigata, you will know what I am saying when I say it is truly an amazing feat to behold. I have a couple of pics I have been sent as sadly all I got were the fittings that passed Shinsa so I will post a couple here.

LOL you of course you are correct Henry, I need my glasses checked I think. Well done on tracking down number 10. Rich

Yeah sorry about that, the last is a classic and genuine, I wrote that reply at 6am and had not had enough coffee, and did not open that last link, or didnt see it but it is a genuine item for sure. I believe (I may be wrong) that on the link Curran posted of the Zenzai blog is the Wakizashi tsuba (2nd from top) Ginza Choshuya had at the DTI for 5 Million Yen (maybe someone can confirm that ?) But that blog is run by one of the sales manages at Ginza Choshuya so he has access to many many fine items. I love that site too. They have some wicked Ko Shoami. Rich

hi Martin, how are you ? yes. I'd be more than confident in saying not one of those is a genuine Kaneie tsuba. The one Boris listed is the best and closest of the lot though the iron lacks true Kaneie characteristics. and seriously mate, do you think that if any of these dealers had a genuine Kaneie they'd list them for $750 roflmao........ At best, they are mostly Saga work. There maybe some late Aizu Shouami in there as well. That first one with the NTK paper does not even look like Kaneie work. Maybe Testunin at a stretch. it's a dog lol. None of these are genuine, yet they have the mei of the first or second Kaneie masters. Ergo - GIMEI. Cheers Rich

Maybe I have missed it, but not once have I seen mention of the dimensions of this tsuba ? These are important markers for identifying many tsuba and should always be added when asking for help. Height and width, as well and mimi and centre thickness. Anyway, for those of us who keenly observe Kaneie tsuba, we know that genuine Kaneie guards are thin, very thin. The mimi may reach 3 - 4 mm and are usually a little undulating, but at the seppa dai, the iron is mostly hovers about 2mm, give or take. And they do go under. Tsuba of 3mm thickness and up are not genuine Kaneie. We know that there were only 2 generations who are well documented. Besides Saga Kaneie, there are also many gimei pieces that are or should I say were made by Aizu Shoami artists and the likes. That is not to say they signed these pieces Kaneie, anyone could have done that at any time, it's just that the work looks for all the world like it was made by a Shoami artist. One tell tale sign for a false signature is the top (roof if you like) section of the Kan kanji of Kaneie. On genuine mei it is rounded and flows smoothly in a continuous arc. Many of the fakes have this stroke cut in 2 parts, and have a sharp bend or corner at the apex. This appears to be the case with this tsuba. Martin, who confirmed this tsuba you posted ? I have never seen this type of surface treatment on any Kaneie tsuba before. I would hesitate a guess it is a much later addition, based on the tiny pic it is hard to tell anything of course. Just a note on prices, 5 million yen would get you a small Kaneie. A proper sized large kaneie, I shudder to think but I know of one in Japan that was bought for over 25 mill yen some years back. It is housed in a Maki presentation box and was a gift from the 2nd Tokugawa to a person I forget for the moment. If you own the books that Henry has mentioned, this first thing apparent is that there are not many Kaneie tsuba regards as genuine by either of the only two Kaneie artists in existence. It is one of the reasons they are so revered, they are just so rare, and precious. Yet they keep turning up on Ebay and on these forums. Amazing lol. Cheers Rich

Hi all, I agree with Curran and Henry except for the 2nd (dragon) tsuba. It looks like mid Edô Kyôto Kinko work to me and if no particular group can be found, then most like Kyô Kinko. That's just my wild guess anyways lol Cheers Rich

Just to add to Ludolfs comments, the Yoshioka artisans were and still are seen as a close second to the Goto family during the mid to late Edo period. Their work can be very highly rated. Of course like everyone they had their bad days as well, but generally they are a class act and produced exceptional shakudo. cheers Rich

If you really want to learn, go to the show, or any show for that matter. You cannot tell anything from looking at images online, and trying to learn that way, it is a waste of time and makes for a bad set of eyes. Take Pete's suggestion up and go and see these things in hand, THEN you will have a better idea of what you are looking at. Doing that over the years not only teaches you what is good and what is not, it also aids in being able to then see quality in images. If in doubt, buy papered items, at least you are assured they are the real deal. As a last note, I guess if you like the price of those menuki, you won't be rushing out to spend a 2K on a proper set, because Good menuki start at that price though you can get lucky, but if buying from a store, and papered, expect to pay high prices for quality. 10 $100 fittings = a $1000 collection of junk. Rich

Not cempletely uncommon, I believe these items were made for the tourist trade in the Bakamatsu period and later. I have an interesting maki-e kozuka. I would guess this to be a late Bakamatsu or Meiji piece. The work is quite nice, the detail good, though I suspect it was made as an export piece. There are also of course several sets of same coated fittings about as well. I doubt myself any self repecting samurai would want to wear these types of kodogu, however, things were pretty grim in the Bakamatsu period so who really knows for sure. Cheers Rich

Hey Brian, thanks for that, yeah it is a great design. Nice size of 82mm also. Rich

I'll add this Ko Shoami to the list as well as it is a relatively new one and in beautiful condition. Cheers Rich

Thanks Fred. I have had the Ko Shoami for about 2 years, the Tosho for not much less and the Owari nly for about 2 months. The Ko Shoami is published as a Nidai Tadamasa in Shumi no Tsuba - Go-hyaku Sugata by Nakamura Tessei. I agreed with the NBTHK though, with Ko Shoami. Rich

I would not call that Kamakura bori, or anything close, jeez I love Wiki lol, that's Late Edo Kinko work of some kind. I am not sure which card design is which on my tsuba, but there are only 3 elements, not 4 in it. Mitsukawabishi, boke (in the form of Kamon) and either Ya (arrows) or Inome or a combination of both. I'l have to check what the NBTHK thought again. Rich

LOL, I still only see 3 of those 4, if I squint hard and take 4 extra drinks. In regards to your tsuba, I would think it far too late to be Kamakura Bori, also, the work is all wrong. My guess would be Choushu or something similar. Cheers Rich

Hi all, it's been a while since I have made a serious post here, I see some interesting items in here, even some I used to own lol. Here are my 4 current favourite items. Ko Toshô Tonbo sukashi - early to mid Muromachi period. Ko Kinkô Tonbo Kozuka - late Muromachi period Ko Shôami Sukashi - Momoyama period. Owari Sukashi - Momoyama period.

God, I am ever so glad I got out of forums. I feel sorry for you Brian............... Rich

The original tsuba in this thread is signed 美濃住光仲 Mino Ju Mitsunaka. There are many tsuba of varying quality from the early to mid Edo period signed this way, by Mitsunobu, Mitsunaka and others. This one looks rather tired don't you think ? The other tsuba may be designated as Ko Kinko, but I tend to think it is later and probably Kyo Kanagu Shi. Just my thoughts. cheers Rich

Is it me, or does the mei look like it follows the arc of the Fuchi wall ?????? Goto artisans would sign neatly in a straight line I think. This looks like it has been added later. Just an observation. Rich

Cheers Bob, much appreciated. Rich

Hi all, I just amended a post of mine, where I unfortunately miss quoted Fred Weissberg. The comments I made were in one of the SF Taikai posts from this year. I stated that it was the first time in years the show had sold out. This is very wrong and in fact, the show sells out every year. It was in fact the Fastest the show had ever sold out. So my apologies to all and especially Fred for the inaccurate facts. Fred I know does an amazing job putting all this together and the last think I wanted to do and demine that work in any way. He deserves massive praise and a hearty congratulations. Ok, back now to regular viewing and apologies once again. Cheers Rich

Dear Morita san, I will receive the document later this week or early next week so as soon as I have it, I will scan and send you the information. Kind regards Richard

Dear Morita san, thank you very much. That is great. Do you have any idea of the other sections ? I am wondering who the author of this document may be, so I can work out how old it is. It may just be an old store document or a dealer. Cheers and thanks again Rich

Hi all, I have an origami I need help with please. This writing can get tricky at the best of times. I can see clearly Kenjou in the upper left side of the text. I can also see Yuki at the top of the next line and Menuki at the bottom of the same line, so I guess that left side is describing the theme. I think the bits in between are 色繪 - Iroe 雪 - Yuki - snow 笹 - ささ bamboo grass 籔柑子 - Yabukoji or Mikan (蜜柑 mandarin) 目貫 - Menuki This is typical for this theme. Fruit trees and Bamboo covered in snow. The little bit below and the sections to the right I am having trouble with. Cheers Rich

Have a fantastic birthday Brian, hope you have a great day and stellar year. Rich