Lorenzo

Hello. I have read and appreciated the article on Yamashiro Tenpo school here: http://www.users.on.net/~coxm/8.%20tsuba%20ii.html and many thanks to who wrote it. I would like now to know if a member of this board own one, or if someone can say about the steel construction. Was yamashiro tenpo tsuba made of one plate of steel only? Was it layered steel? Thank you.

Your pistol has a lot of interesting features! I enjoyed a lot reading about this; I found very interesting the style of the wood! And the tiny box. Can you please share a detail image of that box? Many thanks to Piers for the reference books... I'll do some research to try to get a copy of the first one mentioned A Japanese matchlock pistol his called hinawa-ju as well or it has another name

Link

Welcome from a fellow TSKSR practitioner

You could buy that kind of sword for that money, but you really shouldn't use it for practical purpose, whatever it is iaido or battodo. It is very easy to ruin a Japanese sword, and we now aren't really owner of something made hundred years ago just because we spend money on it; hopefully, a shinto period katana will survive you and me, and will be still there in many years from now. The reason is because it is not intended to be used any more, and just to be studied and preserved with care. Please consider to use a practical sword instead.

Happy new year of the Tiger to all of you

Another (rather small ) yari tanto for sell here: http://www.tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/a00114.html

How was these mounted? I mean; some picture of a old mounted tsuka to see if there was same or brocade or something else? Being the fuchigashira see through, lends to interesting visual effect

Yes please Time ago I find this blog with lot of pictures of new produced tansu, worth a browse to see some pics. http://www.tansu.jp/

Anyone knows what sort wood those are make of? I am interested in the aspect about keeping constant humidity; my house is almost an open space, all walls are very cold and produce a lot of nasty molds

It surely is an interesting object.

You say it is inlayed? Seems a thick drawing on skin instead. I have never seen this kind of "sukashi" drawing on skin; it seems snake and not same to me For the way it is done (contour traced) and the surface hosting it (skin) it makes me thing about a tattoo... an "irezumi saya" :D

That's what I was trying to say

Aoi art itself has another longer one here with less "artificial" aspect in my opinion: http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/wakizashi/05237.html

I have a set; I sent you a PM.

It happened to me too, with a katanakake from Japan. Sword rack = part of weapon Solved with a couple (probably around 20 to be honest) of phone calls.

Always nice to be able to see faces of people we talk to on the internet. I like this, thank you Guido. I am going to change my avatar.

Thank you for your valuable words Curran. That is exactly what I wished to know; seems so hard to me to find a reading key for higo sukashi work attribution.. not easy to me at all but the challenge is very interesting. Thank you again. Thank you so much my friend

Hat off for you, Guido. I had to learn the hard way, but now thanks to you I learnt and hopefully I will learn much more. My total respect and admiration

Thank you John . You are correct, that kanji reads Kamiyoshi. It is quite difficult to me to understand the attribution though.. Anyone has a better picture please? Searching for Kamiyoshi I can find other tsuba, but not pieces similar to the example posted (with the sakura(??) cut out)

I am trying to study higo sukashi tsuba and on the various examples I find on the internet I got in this: I like the piece, but I can't understand who made it. Nishigaki perhaps? It was published here I was also searching for a better picture of this example or a similar one, if someone has a book to scan I will be thankful

I recognize just one of the bald heads :D which one is Guido?

Amazing and moving story. Thanks for sharing.

Wonderful Guido ... thank you so much

Thank you Ian, I didn't see that part of text before... stupid me It now makes sense why I find tool wrappings using 藤まき. I would be interested in this case to know the baleen kanji as well please