1kinko

No, referring you (but not just you) to the references was not intended to be belittling but instructive, and believe it or not, you are not the only person reading these posts. As I stated, that document has some issues, but it covers territory, that if correct, may have relevance to the current discussion of where and when cast iron tsuba may have come from.

The honoki that Namakawa Heibei sells (and ships quickly) is also 2 matched planks, cut to curve, and dried. It carved very easily, unlike poplar.

I think you are suffering from the belittled syndrome because your interpretations have not been universally accepted. I didn’t have the website open when I posted the site name and figured it could be easily googled with the title provided. I don’t doubt that at least some nanban tsuba were made of cast iron although I don’t know how they could have been carved from cast iron and wouldn’t want to have to fit the nakago ana to any sword. They also would have required very intricate molds that would not survive, and would add lots of labor cost not required by forged steel. He also wonders why there are so many cast sword fittings. I must travel in the wrong circles as I have never seen or handled a cast iron or cast kinko fitting. Forged steel, yes, but cast iron, no. Even non-ferrous metals form air bubbles in molds and have porosities even when water cast. That’s one reason they are forged. Steel is simply easier to work with than cast iron. Pure iron, on the other hand, works very much like copper because it is soft like copper. Apart from bending like copper, a broken iron bar with its silicon inclusions might look like broken zuku iron to someone who doesn’t actually work with metals, but that’s just a possibility. Your translation is also different from mine, though I think we both used Google. My translation began with “In the description of the old Koi in this column…” and goes on to list “Kogi, Mekan, and Taku…” among other mysterious terms throughout. The term taku I assumed referred to tsuba but doesn’t appear in any online translations as tsuba.

Where did you get the idea that solid means cast? Menuki are made by uchidashi which could never be done on cast iron but all soft metal is initially cast, then forged. Please read the references regarding nanban tsuba made in China and exported to Japan. Note also that pig iron was imported into Japan.

Oceanonox- when your Japanese improves, please translate the articles you cited above and see if they make sense to you. They sure don’t make sense via Google Translate, and with one exception seem to make no mention of cast iron tsuba made in Japan during the Edo period or earlier.

My admittedly cursory reading of the online literature on tetsubin production suggests it was centered in the Tohoku region and more specifically to the village of Morioka. So why is there no reference to the Morioka School of tsuba makers? The only reference I’ve found to Morioka is a Tetsugendo tsuba (Christie’s), and while it certainly is Edo period, it certainly isn’t cast iron.

I suggest a read of Chinese Sword Guard Types, Characteristics, and Theory found online (7 April 2023) in Sword Encyclopedia (although the author is highly suspect). Interesting sections on Chinese swords guards, heavily inspired by Japanese design, exported to Japan, nanban, exported to Vietnam, Canton-gata and more. Just food for thought.

But, but, but Haig’s of Rochester is in the heart of Japanese culture country of the US and so knowledgeable that the 2-hitsu ana tsuba they are selling was pictured upside down like a sword guard on a western sword.

Yes, you are right.

Proof that jewelers and auction houses have no knowledge of kodogu or metallurgy.

Shoreline erosion prevention efforts with woven bags to hold stones?

Cast iron bottle opener?

The Marriott passkey didn’t work for me, no rates were displayed, and I thought there was a group discount if you supplied a keyword.

Probably, but haven’t made reservations yet:

Agreed. My point was more related to the proposition that Edo period tatara reached temperatures that produced molten iron/steel or “cast iron”.

I’ve melted a lot of copper but not iron. The melting point of copper is 1981F (1083C) and the melting point of iron is not 2000F, but 2802F (1539C). However, it takes a little higher temperature to actually pour molten metals, in my experience.

I wouldn’t want the job of handling ashes with chop sticks- though it could be a full time job.

Certainly not my forte, but Google says Tokugawa max katana length was 84.8 cm and wakisashi max 51.5 cm.

Yup, and kogai are usually made of shakudo or another copper alloy that had better be very sharp or it will surely bend thrusting it through the skull deep enough to label it as your kill. Oh, maybe there were cast iron kogai!

The backs are remarkably clean and look modern but the craftsmanship is very high, probably Meiji. I see layers of different alloys as well as either fire gilding or soldering, not necessarily true inlay.

Where’s the source for the assumption that kogai were worn by samurai going into battle? More speculation? And just how would a kogai be used to stitch anything and with what? I think the Japanese knew about needles since Chinese silk embroidery was an ancient art.

We need to see the other side.

Check out the FB site “Projects step by step-Katana forum”. Robert Lisnafali has shown remarkable restorations on rust exposed kinko tosogu and rust removal on helmets and menpo. He does a lot of microscopic work but when I asked about his methods he only mentioned Vulpex which is a “non-acid deep searching cleaner…”

Markus Sesko’s “Koshirae, Japanese Sword Mountings”, has quite a lot of information about early tsuka wrappings.

Well, once you know the amount of slag and other impurities remaining in your iron/steel then you have to be able to measure the content in 200 gm rather than pounds per square foot and account for the measurement error. All of the non-invasive methods I’ve found (regarding the composition of Japanese swords and helmets) only penetrate the surface in the nm to um range.