Lorenzo

Ah Piers, can I ask you to invite out for a dinner the 3 girls on your link above the next time we meet there? I count on it

What a coincidence Piers, asked just yesterday to Katayama san what was about that spear. He said it was done by an Hiroshima tosho named Mikami and a knife maker named Hashimoto

Beautiful.

Ciao Mauro, benvenuto.

Sorry Christian, you are right. I should have read and studied more. Now that I diid my homeworks, I can say that this certanly is not a tourist item. No tourist could have ever chosen that out of the widely available hamamono, for sure. Please.... It's incredible to me we are even discussing about this paperweight. I don't want to be rude with the person who opened the topic, but he shouldn't be fooled as well.

You can relax; they are authentic and probably the age is correct too. If they are painted it's to make them look prettier, not older. Start washing them with dish soap. It's good for degreasing. Then make some honest picture and upload it here. Hear you then

I do have seen some nanako poorly done, indeed; this is not the worst. This particular case isn't easy to judge with those pictures, but I can't think of any reason to cast a fuchi, cut it and then solder it. As you ask about my work, I never did nanako on a kodogu. I did few test plates however; both in copper and in mild steel. If I would have to do that on a tsuba it would be only for personal choice and not behind customers request; my head hurts in just thinking how much time it would require to train to do the job in an acceptable way... :? If you are interested in my work drop me a PM, don't want to change the subject of the discussion

Jean, you forgot chinese

Poor Kanshiro is probably turning in his grave now. How on earth can you attribute this doodle to Nishigaki? That's embarrassing.

Cast? Please... Second picture, fuchi seen from the bottom. Clearly visible silver solder all around the tenjo-gane. Evident copper reinforcement on the mune. Third picture. Fuchi; the soldered joint is all around and vertical on the mune. The kashira quality match the fuchi, so I assume they was made by the same person (hence the kashira isn't cast as well). Now, let's discuss the quality (or lack of). The whole fact the soldered joint is so clearly visible on the top is by itself a sign of lower quality; the carvings are aligned to that. The colour is strange, it could be caused by the pictures or the set is way too waxed (or lacquered, or painted, or worse). When you receive the set please make some new pictures under natural (sun) light.

Chris, not this year results but the previous ones yes. I stand my opinion.

In my opinion Ford is well above level. He went so far and he is unreachable now. Show me a single work of a living contemporary artist who can compete with him and I'll apologize. Having said that, I remember about mukansa and I'd like to ask a question about something not clear; who is declaring mukansa and ningen kokuho as for today? I am sorry for hijacking your thread Ford.

Ford you got good at photoshop too!! Beautiful collage

I don't see a clear link to nanban but I can understand why the person who suggested you that could think it.

Just google the mei http://www.japansword.co.jp/tuba.htm Shakudo not, shibuichi it is (said yoda). Your pictures makes it look more brown than the photo on the website linked. In any case it don't look shakudo.

And we don't even need steel. I did it in silver :lol:

Isn't this another misconception :?

Do the colours of the picture are accurate? Or is it dark brown with yellow encrustations?

Of course. And the artist would have seen it and not left the error there.

Ford gives me the hint to detail my early suggestion. I said satsuma because artists living there was influenced by Higo artists (directly confining countries) but the piece shows some satsuma traits as well (taganemei). Last week I was fooled by a tsuba I considered to be Nishigaki. Shape was "nishigaki-esque" (like Ford's utsushi) but there was a dragon surrounding it, and it was papered as Satsuma. I've no other reliable source of satsuma tsuba so I can't give a more detailed reply.

Ed, remember my opinions are, as I wrote, just my opinions Said that; I believe that "bubble" is a defect of the casting process.

Older pieces shows times to times squared holes, but in this case I think the shape of both is an aesthetic choice.

Powerful looking amaryu tsuba, congratulations. First time I've seen a kozuka-hitsu shaped like a gourd. Provenance... :? Satsuma..?

Ed, 3 points: 1) top right of the second picture, look at the mimi and there is a sort of hole there. 2) sekigane looks integral with the tsuba and not made in soft metal as they should be 3) "nanako" style punch marks in iron are unusual.

If the first piece really is iron, I would say cast.