Martin

Hi all, I decided to rename this thread in order to get some opinions :D I doubt that it will reach 14 pages like our best viewed thread, but who knows :lol: I would be most satisfied with half of them :D As far as I researched, this Tsuba has a design of Matsu or Pine needles. Is it a common design on Fittings and does it have any special meaning (i.e. luck or transience)? cheers, Martin

Milt, yes, mine is far away from being comatose But I heard that some people put it on the window-sill (the one inside of course) next to a damp cloth and rub it with a cotton cloth from day to day. What does the "Patina Conjuring Dentist" think :lol: ? cheers, Martin

Hey Milt, that´s a really interesting and admirable job you´ve done so far ;o) I recently purchased a Momoyama period Kyo Sukashi Tsuba that in some small areas shows a worn-off patina (the bright steel shines through). Maybe it has been rubbed too intensively... Is there a slightly less intense way to build up the patina on these areas? I do not have a balcony here nor do I plan to hide it somewhere in the park opposite to my apartment :lol: Any helpful advice would be highly appreciated. cheers, Martin

Hi DK-Prof (?), did the seller tell you why he is "not entirely sure" that the NBTHK origami is "real" and what leads him to this conclusion? Sounds a bit strange. If the seller trades in Nihonto as a business I would expect him to guarantee for the authenticity of authentication papers ( :lol: ) or at least to find it out for you... cheers, Martin

Hi, thanks so far. So for what I understood (with my English ) it´s rather a feature than a "bug", yes? cheers, Martin

Hi all, could anybody please explain to me what exactly Hadatatsu is? I heard that it is some kind of "open" grain - but it is considered as a flaw? I could not really find any pictures showing Hadatatsu. Thanks for any help, Martin

Stephen, I certainly also asked Fred first as the Hawley doesn´t give any definite confirmation on that signature. And my question in the forum wasn´t intended to show any kind of suspiciousness towards Freds information (sorry if I left that impression). It´s just that I want to collect some additional opinions like I said as I do not have access to a big Nihonto library. cheers, Martin

Hi Ludolf, that´s not a game for me, no. I just want to get some additional opinions as the papers don´t tell anything about the generation - and where else if not in this forum would I have a better opportunity to get some profund and "expert" opinions? But many thanks for the helpful opinions from the other members Martin

Ludolf, guess from where the above pictures are... Martin

Grey, wow, that was fast What do you think about the generation? 2nd or 3rd? The Hawleys does not seem to help here... thanks, Martin

Hi all, Here is a blade signed "Ichi Hizen Dewa (no) Kami Fujiwara Yukihiro". Could anybody please help me to find out if this is the signature of the 2nd or 3rd generation Yukihiro? What I also saw is that the last Kanji on the pictured Nakago and the signature on the paper seems to be different. The written Kanji seems to be "Yuki Naga" in contrast to the picture that reads "Yuki Hiro". Any help with this will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance, Martin

Hi, just found the piece Ray´s Tsuba reminds me of: http://www.artswords.com/Kiyosukashi2.htm Also described as Kyo-Sukashi cheers, Martin

Hi all, I also recently saw some (Shin-Shinto) swords that had ubu-ha. Could anyone tell me what the purpose of this blunt area was/is ? cheers, Martin

Hi Ruslan, maybe this thread could be of interest to you: http://www.militaria.co.za/nihontomessa ... .php?t=857 It says, that sometimes Edo Jidai (Shinto/Shin Shinto) Katana would require a larger and often heavier (thicker) tsuba to balance a longer and heavier sword. cheers, Martin

thanks John!

Is there maybe also a source in Fujishiro Shinto Vol.? I may have access to this book over a friend of mine. cheers, Martin

Milt, good luck from me too. Keep us informed about the progress. BTW what school and age is this Tsuba (you added on 21.01.) attributed to? The Seppa-dai looks different and the walls are of a finer design compared to the "Kyo-Sukashi-Akasaka" one. cheers,

Hi Grey, thanks for the sources - but I wished I had them. I am fairly new to Nihonto and not equipped with the necessary reference books yet If anybody could provide me (via PM) with some quick digi-pix I´d be very grateful.

Hi, I try to find something about the Kambun-Shinto smith Kiyosada (signed: Musashi Kami Fujiwara Kiyosada). I have some info from Hawley´s already (KIY423) - but nothing more. Any information on that smith (i.e. from Fujishiro, Nihonto Koza) would be highly appreciated. cheers, Martin

Hi all, I´ve added some nice Auction catalogs about Japanese Woodblock Prints. Please have a look if you like: http://search.ebay.de/_W0QQsassZeskrimador8QQhtZ-1 cheers, Martin

many thanks for your comments to all.

Hi Steve, thanks for your comment. "Worksheet" was the term I was missing Your link shows worksheets used by the NTHK. What I once saw was a worksheet where certain parts to be "kanteyed" ( ) - for instance types of Boshi, Hada, Hamon etc. - were shown by pictures that you just have to tick. It looked very professionally made. Any ideas?

Hi, I am looking for a Kantei form where the specific features of a sword are already prepared and listed and just have to be ticked or filled out. Maybe there is a kind of template one can download somewhere. I once saw it somewhere but don´t remember where... I hope I could make myself understood cheers, Martin

Hi all, we had a similar discussion - even with some testicular (emmm statistical) information some time ago... :D http://www.militaria.co.za/nihontomessa ... ght=habaki cheers, Martin

there must be some opinions out there....