Martin

Hi all, could it be possible that the students of the school signed on the opposite side? Just a thought... Best,

Hi Henry, I can just make a guess with my most limited (iow non existent :D ) knowledge of the Japanese language. My guess would be "Sa forged this with Namban Tetsu". Cheers,

Henry, "Namban tetsu" literally means "forein steel". It is sometimes mentioned on the Nakago of swords made of foreign iron, that was brought to Japan from abroad. Best,

Hi Milt, this is a classical Akasaka design (Shiguretei), but I think the piece posted is a copy. The Mimi is not rounded (an indicator for Akasaka school work) and the Seppa-Dai (its symmetry) looks weakly executed. In my opinion (only based on the pictures) this is a late copy of a very famous Akasaka design. Cheers,

Ford, I can only second the above thoughts. I have also been very much enjoying your profound contributions and will surely miss them... I understand your frustration especially when there is so much time involved in trying to share your knowledge. But I think we should not take things too seriously. You *may* have offended some people, but you have educated all the others at the same time.... Fortunately there is PMing :D Best,

Well here is the original writer... :D I did not at all want to imply, that I observed Nioi on my Tsuba.... It was - just as Milt said - a comparison of the sparkling effect this Tsuba shows in sunlight. IMO Fords remarks are most convincing, reflect the opinions of nearly all Tsuba collectors and don´t need any further questioning.

Dear Ford, that would be really great Thanks,

All, this thread is very much worth reading, thank you. May I just add a question in this context, that has occupied me for quite some time. What factors exactly determine the color of the Patina of an iron (or steel :D ) Tsuba? Is it the composition of the plate or rather the technique / or fluids used in the patination process? Thanks,

Dear Ford, I would also be interested in these shop details. Do they prepare the box and just leave a plain wooden Heso (with some fabric) for accomodation? Best,

Hi Jean-Luc, well here is the piece Milt is talking about I guess (taken from Selected Fine Japanese Swords from European NBTHK Collections). I would also say this could very well be a Yagyu design, but the signature (although I can´t read it) makes me a little hesitating. Yagyu Tsuba are unsigned in most cases and they often exhibit a kind of sanded surface (which is quite difficult to make out due to the condition of this piece though...). Cheers,

Thanks so much to you all And Brian, I´ve actually been at those pages mentioned by you.... But it was like searching for a needle in haystack. Guess I´m a Tosoguphile and LinguaJaponicaphob :D Cheers,

I give up... And I guess I will go and check our local language school for any Japanese classes Don´t even know how to proceed correctly here. Do I have to first count the strokes for each Kanji and then try to look them up in a dictionary? Cheers,

Thanks very much Koichi-San. I will now give it a try and stop the time... :D Cheers,

Dear all, may I kindly ask for your translation assistance concerning the second part of this Tsuba box inscription. What I managed to translate (and even this took me some time... :lol: ) is the upper, single row part: Katchu Shi Tsuba I would be very grateful for anybody´s help. Best,

It´s a type of Ishime-Ji (stone surface), maybe ocean sand/surface in this case... Have a look here too: http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/forum/ ... .php?id=65

Same strange Tagane marks here... I don´t know if it´s just me, but I think the Seppa-Dai on Milt´s piece with its 3 different coloration and the Tagane not even touching the Nakago-Ana seems a little strange...

Lorenzo, maybe this is just an optical illusion... I played a little with the picture and the placement of the Seppa-Dai seems to be almost identical on both sides... The outline of the Seppa-Dai is a little irregular on the Ura but maybe this was done to keep a certain space to the wave motive that comes pretty close to the Seppa-Dai (like a border)...

Brian, I wonder though, why the Nakago-Ana is 'centered' on the Omote while it is not on the Ura... Maybe the Seppa-Dai (on the second picture) was incised to accomodate the Fuchi... (like in the attached Kiku-Sukashi). But then again it had to be wrongly mounted once... Just a thought...

Hmmm, the Kogai-Hitsu looks early (pre Edo) to me, whereas the motive not.... How was the gold applied to the surface Milt? Nunome, Suritukezogan (metal inlayed by pressing into a thin carved line) or maybe just paint? Pictures are too small to tell. I would guess this is a Ko-Kinko pre Edo Tsuba with the Kozuka Hitsu widened at a later point in time. Best,

Hi Guido, very nice piece I especially like how delicately the Ume tree branches and blossoms are worked out. As for the Nanako, there are various ways it can be executed (i.e. concentrical, vertical, horizontal, diagonal). I have seen this vertical execution of the Nanako quite often in Ko-Kinko pieces. I have to wonder though, why the Seppa-Dai on the Ura looks a little 'misplaced' (not centered in relation to the Nakago-Ana). Considering the theme, I would be interested to learn more about it. All I know is that an ape trying to catch the reflection of the moon in water is depicted quite often in Japanese art. Any additional stories and/or background information? So I guess this finally is the first step in Guido's metamorphosis to become Tsuba guy :D Well done Guido,

Is this also a variation of Matsukawabishi? What do you think?

Hi Paul, so let´s call it a Yaraidoshi :lol: Best,

Hi all, It´s pretty common in some countries that ebay items are being blocked this way. But there is a simple workaround. Just go to your browsers language settings and choose English as your main language (in Firefox I had to completely remove German from the list). You will then be able to access those items again Hope this helps... best,

Hi Jean, I really don´t know Maybe it was the work of one of his students and therefore without a Kakihan/Kao and on the other side... But that´s just me guessing... I also really did not find a Mei of him without a Kao/Kakihan and therefore this at least does not seem to be a *typical* signature. Best,

I think what Reinhard tries to point out is that the Mei on my piece is odd, and the one on Ken´s piece is made to deceive. Even if my piece should turn out to be Gimei, the workmanship is what I actually would expect from this school. It´s gorgeous and I love it :D I made some new high resolution pictures of the workmanship. So have a look if you like. http://www.toban-art.de/img/omori/omori2.html But they still can´t be compared with the visual impression when the piece is in hand. Thanks for the educational discussion all. best,