Curran

Ugh. As I cycle through 4 pairs of glasses, why do I feel I am next? Having been eagle eyed most of my life, I get exceptionally self angry when I miss things- yet hate wearing glasses a second longer than I must. Some of you have a much sharper sense than I do for parsing digital images.

"seller states in the description that it is 20th century" That is probably accurate. Personally, I doubt it is pre WWII.

I think, to some degree, I had that coming. I was ranting about the NBTHK too much, given my own disappointments. I'd previously considered the sukashi and questioned it, but reserved judgement until seeing it in hand. I've seen wider cuts in a lot of old pieces. The nakago ana, I felt was more recent filework from the inside. I see it a bit differently. One point against me is the kozuka ana and how wide it is spaced. I would have to consider if it were added later or original. If original, then I would have to reconsider if I was being a git trying to see it as a ko-tosho. I should put my NBTHK opinions away and try on focus on explaining what I see.

There is a difference between the shinsa team changing every few years, and the Extinction Level event shift somewhere around 2014. After all these years, I still don't know why or how it happened. In a given year, there will be a shinsa or two with some half intelligent results where I think "oh Wow, maybe there is some hope they will return to their Golden Age level". Then the next shinsa or two prove me wrong. It is like the one knowledgeable shinsa NBTHK emeritus judge below Juyo level came in, does a shinsa to keep his "retired but working" NBTHK status, and then leaves the rest of the year to the rubes. It has been over a decade now.

Not that unusual, but it is a particularly nice example.

Not sure why this tsuba is 'Tosho' instead of 'Ko-Tosho'. (a) Maybe the NBTHK sees something I don't. (b) Papers are from 2017. It might be a paradigm shift where 'Ko-Tosho' is now considered pre 1500? (c) Maybe the current NBTHK is just being gutless. Since about 2014, I've been less confident in NBTHK papers. To me, earlier papers mean (a). Since then, I seem to find a fair number of NBTHK papers are more (b) or (c). I finally got around to doing another shinsa after a few years pause. About 50% of the items [without previous papers] came back 'Horyu'... One of the mumei ones is a well known tsuba posted in a NBTHK publication.... Do I have to remind them what they wrote 20 years ago? so I think (c) is on the rise. What is the value of non-opinions? I really miss the (a) years. -Curran

Everyone: To keep it simple... There is the Higo Hirata school and then there is the Hirata Donin school. Higo Hirata (Hikozo and his line) = no cloissone Hirata Donin (and those after him) = extremely skilled goldwork and cloissone, Don't confuse the two.

Trust yourself more. Even if the signature on the fuchi proves to be false, -that is not uncommon. Overall, it looks like a nice koshirae that has probably been stored a little too long. Extremely nice looking wrap.

@JohnTo Thank you. This is why I cross=post things that I initially posted elsewhere. Places like here and the National Gardening Forum sometimes dig up things (pun) that surprise me when I thought I knew most of what there was to know about a topic. 'So... Tadanori became a term like John Doe, Dine-n-Dasher, or Honkie Love that one. Is it in modern parlance at all? I'm curious if my host family would recognize it. They helped a lot in researching the two Taira Tadanori poems on the Goto kozuka in the photo, and sent me information from the Prefecture museum.

...

Oh wow. Nice looking Owari rig. Very nice to see someone do up a koshirae that way. 13 or 14 years ago, I had a nice antique Owari rig with a kodai Yagyu on it. Sold the koshirae on to a NMB member, and I sometimes regret it. They were never commonplace, but you just don't see many Owari rigs anymore. Only among the more dedicated Iaido practicioners, (including John and Sachiko Prough: the friends, neighbors, and Iaido/naginata teachers that helped me really get into this nihonto hobby)

One of the Yagyu I showed didn't have modern NBTHK papers. I finally got around to sending it to shinsa, and got word that it papered to Hozon directly to Yagyu.

Afraid I agree with @ROKUJURO and @Dan tsuba on this one. I'm cautious to call a tsuba as cast, but that one is not at the same level as the one you shared to start this thread. I remember owning a partially burned tsuba in my second year collecting tsuba. I wasted a lot of time trying to improve that partially burned tsuba. Some things are just 'dead' and you should let them go as soon as possible.

Wow. Tsuba or a gong?

I went from not liking Hoan tsuba that much, to truly loving some of the early ones. The Hoan Juyo of the long eared rabbit has become a favorite. I'd probably have to sell off 10 tsuba to own it, but would do so.

background poem and depiction

I posted this elsewhere and think NMB would enjoy it too. Attached are 3 kozuka of same design -Taira Tadanori death waka on an arrow (under cherry tree)-. First to the right is Goto Tokujo. Middle one is his son Kenjo. The last one on the left in its own box is either later Goto main line or Goto sideline (my opinion). ----- Purpose of this is to see second photo where you can observe the design went from thinner but more intricate to progressively deeper larger relief and design. Some of the complexity lost…

ooffff.

As Jean said above. In addition to think Ko-tosho, Ko-kinko, and Ko-Katchushi, you rarely will see a honking large tachi tsuba that will clock in at 10mm. In all the years collecting, I have only owned one of those. I should have kept it.

95% on my end. Steve is probably higher.

The tsuba: signature on the left side of the seppa dai will read "Kane" and "Iye" The original Kaneiye is quite famous and later there would be a large body of artists that used the name to produce tsuba that were a reflection of his styling. This is not to say they are gimei (false signature), but rather that there are so many that it is hard to break them out by generation or personal name. Just more of a group name.

I don't remember seeing this one at Choshuya. Strong piece. Do we see twisted rope inlay any earlier than the 3rd gen in any of the earlier Higo schools? While I know the Kamiyoshi artists did this well, I cannot recall the earliest I have seen it in the older Higo schools. Just getting back from the NC mountains and catching up on a lot of posts that I have missed.

Nice clean little koshirae. Love the falling gold flecks in the lacquer.

@Charlie C that would be #4. Thank you for the consideration. Own 7 kozuka, and 4 are archery related.

@zanilu given the way it was lost from that one stroke, it is more likely inlaid than just lacquer filled and polished. Thank you for that image.