Martin

In Greece they call it Mati tis Thalassas (Eye of the ocean) and it symbolizes good luck.

... and was discussed here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3325&p=24611&hilit=omori#p24611 Cheers,

Rich, that definitely looks better than the original :D

Great picture Reinhard !

Hi Michael, congratualtions and many thanks for the information on the Tsuba subject. I think this is a very nice piece with great iron (if I recall the pictures I saw of it). But as for the Toso-Soran picture - it was Pete who suppied it so the credit belongs to him Cheers,

Hi Michael, have you finally found your guard ? I would be interested to know more about the motif (Axe and Matsukawabishi). Anyone able to add some information? Best,

Hi Reinhard, I agree with nearly all of your statements, but for what I know, cutting out Sukashi only by a Chisel was done mainly on really early thinner plate pieces (for instance Ko-Tosho Tsuba, that had Ko-Sukashi elements). The Sukashi walls there show dull/blunt edges. If you consider the Ji-Sukashi Tsuba from the Compton collection you posted, I can hardly imagine that the walls were just hammered out. Imagine the thickness of some early Akasaka pieces of 7mm and the amount of open work (air) in some pieces. Hammering out the Sukashi to its final stage would definitely be a hard task and would not leave those sharp edges (Kittate) Akasaka school work is known for. I therefore think, that filing was a subsequent, refining process after chiseling out the rough Sukashi design. And why shouldn´t this process has begun earlier than the "later Edo" period? I have seen early iron Higo pieces (finished in Migaki-Ji = polished surface), that were perfectly preserved and looked as if they were made "yesterday" (the other way around - modern copies of Kanayama Tsuba, that looked really old on first sight, is possible too). The Kantei of (well preserved) Tsuba can therefore rather be challenging My writings may have gone a little off topic (away from discussing Shans Tsuba) but I would nevertheless be interested in the thoughts of others on the process of creating Sukashi. Best,

Shan, I did not want to imply, that your Tsuba could be a 3rd Master piece by just showing them next to each other I think it is just helpful to compare the workmanship and design of a Ko-Akasaka Master to that of your piece. And why do you always insist that this is such an exceptionally poor quality piece? Try to enjoy it as it is... (and if that´s not possible - sell it !). Cheers,

Hi all, it might be helpful to see both pieces in direct comparison. The execution of the Mantis on Shans Tsuba is quite clumsy. It is hard to make out its head (compared to the Tadatora example) and the feet are also weakly designed. A Mantis in a most abstract form so to speak :D Nonetheless (having only the pictures to judge) I think it is not a modern copy. The shifting of the Hitsu-Ana is quite commonly seen in Akasaka works and does IMHO not indicate a poor attempt to imitate Akasaka school work. Not least the broadness of the Seppa-Dai and the insinuated semicircular areas at the top and bottom of the Nakago-Ana (prepared to fit the Tsuba to the blade with Sekigane / Kuchi-Beni) makes me guess this is late Akasaka (or Akasaka style) work. Ford, I would be interested in how you can differentiate between iron and steel from the pictures. And maybe another silly question : Is there maybe a connection between material (Steel or iron) and certain Tsuba schools? Best,

Hi all, okay, I also don´t think this is an early Akasaka piece. But my first guess would have been later Akasaka work so I am curious what makes you think it is only 50 years old .... Could you please elaborate on what you mean with poor steel quality and mis-proportion of Seppa-Dai? I think it is hard to judge a piece through pictures only - even if they are quite good. Shan, it would certainly be helpful to know the measures and thickness of the piece. Best,

Hi Richard, I have actually just ordered a couple of boxes from a Japanese box maker who made them according to my whishes. I gave him the measures of the box and he delivers the following parts. 1) the box itself 2) an insert set consisting of a wooden plate covered with silk fabric (that has a good contrast to the Tsuba color) and a small sheet of the same fabric I received a sample of both a box and the fabric beforehand and was very pleased with the results. For completing the (custom fitted) box to accomodate a Tsuba, I draw the otline of the Nakago-Ana of the Tsuba on a wooden plate (thickness corresponding to the Tsubas thickness) and cut it out. This will be the Heso (pin to hold the Tsuba at the Nakago-Ana). Then I drill 2 holes through the Heso and the main insert plate and connect them with a cord. To hide the cord on the Heso, I cut a small line to accomodate the cord on the front side. The small fabric is fixed (glued) to the Heso before tying the cord (on the back of the main insert plate). This construction is very solid and you won´t have an issue with those nails used for the cheap boxes, that can scratch a Tsuba. I just finished my first box and added some pictures. My contact person actually is a lady from Japan who made all the arrangements and communication with the box maker. She is wonderful to deal with and speaks an excellent English. I can highly recommend their boxes and am very pleased with the result. The prices are VERY fair too I think (at 3.600 JY for one box). I will be happy to provide the contact details. Cheers, Martin

Hi Colin, came along a quite similar Tsuba to yours and thought I´d post it. It is described as Echizen. http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h130128084

Hi Lorenzo, thanks for the link. But is this really Keshikomi Zogan? I can´t see the inlay standing out in high relief. It seems to me that the inlay and plate was 'polished' to a plain surface (as seen in Kaga school). Best,

This is indeed an interesting discussion. Are there maybe any (close-up) pictures available on how Keshikomi Zogan work look like? I can hardly recognize the Zogan 'standing out' in the pictures, that Richard supplied. Best,

Hi all, well I am glad that others also doubt a casting job here... So my eyes still seem to work... :D To be honest I have actually seen far more 'scary' and worse designs than this one.... Best,

Hi Colin, my I ask what makes you think this is a cast Tsuba? Best,

I don´t know this piece, but I would say neither Tosho nor Katchushi But I guess, that´s not what you wanted to hear... :D

Hi all, I have also seen this piece in hands and have to admit it is a REAL beauty. I guess it is very hard to take good pictures of it due to its DEEP black color. Congratulations once again on this one Markus. Good eye !! Cheers,

Hi Peter, some times you have to work a little to actually detect those "nests" of red rust. Here is a very good article on hoe to proceed: http://home.earthlink.net/~jggilbert/Cleaning.htm Best,

Did a little Internet research about the "eight views": http://some-landscapes.blogspot.com/200 ... ivers.html http://www.hanga.com/series.cfm?ID=31

Nice and interesting Tsuba Reinhard, I second Fords observations that the chiseled bevel on the inner edge of the rim is seen in Akasaka works. If there is no indication for an 'added' Dotte-like Mimi I do not think it was modified later. As for the design, I see the crescent moon, a clove (I miss the wels catfish :D ), pine tree, geese, huts and a pagoda. This would fit to the Akasaka call, but I am a little hesitating due to the shape of the Hitsu-Ana. Akasaka works most often have classical, rounded (and thoroughly designed) Hitsu-Ana. Nevertheless, my guess would be Akasaka work too. Thanks for an interesting Kantei Reinhard! Cheers,

This kind of Mokko shape as well as the shape of the Hitsu-Ana makes me think of Higo (Shimizu). There are several quite similar examples (with only one bigger hole at the bottom) in the Shimizu book of Mitsuru Ito. Just an alternative thought here... Best,

John, I think Joly and now you hit the nail right on the head. What we should always look for as collectors is quality and beauty. Of course this is much harder to come by the more we go back in time... Almost all long year collectors tell you: Try to collect only the best (and typical examples from a school). Better one very good piece per year (or even after more years of saving up) than 30 average ones. I know this can be sometimes hard, but I guess it´s true. Cheers,

The fact that this piece shows a somehow complex design (with quite a lot Sukashi elements) I would hesitate to call it Ko-Tosho. As Richard stated above Ko-Tosho pieces were futhermore (I guess one could say always) Maru Gata. It might be possible, that the shape was altered to its Mokko form during time (maybe due to damage of the rim) but that´s just one possibility. It could also be a later copy of a Katchu-Shi piece. As for the surface - I also think that its roughness was caused by (severe) rust. Cheers,

Hi all, have a look here: http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/forum/ "This forum is going to close. Basically, I have had enough. It is all too hard. Thank you everyone, for participating and reading. I hope you got SOME enjoyment out of it. Also note, I have also closed the Tosogu.com blog, and the Nihonto kanji pages. These will not return to the net. Kind regards. Richard Turner." Best,