Bob M.

Hi, See page 5 of the 'What are your favourite fittings ' thread on this forum a few weeks ago . Original design was Toshinaga - many adaptions since of hugely varying quality - some chinese knock-offs - all the usual for a popular theme....

If a straight edge is applied to the image , it will be seen that both parts of the design are in almost exact register with each other - this strongly suggests 'extracts' from an overall shippo pattern . The two pieces of design should be read together and not as two seperate elements .

Hi Ludolf , Thanks for the info. - will be useful..... Regards

Hi , Some iron tsubas to add to the collection....

Hi, Can anybody help with finding some information about the arikawa school of fittings makers working in the first half of the 19th Cent. ? The attached example is signed Saneyoshi , Haynes ref. H 08001.0 . Another example of this school featured in the Bonhams auction Part 1 of the Edward Wrangham Collection , held in November 2010. John Stuart has kindly provided info. that this school is a branch of Mito and engaged in plate preparation as well as in finished pieces . Thanks !

Regarding the maker/signatory of Sadakazu blades , nearly all manufactured after Sadakazu's appointment to the imperial household ranks were at best dai-saku works with his son. There is little doubt that most were also signed by Sadakatsu on his behalf . The comparison of a Sadakatsu mei to a Sadakazu signature , at least in terms of style and execution, is therefore a valid one. Also one should look behind the signature at the quality of the filing marks - I suggest that this does not come up to standard on the blade in question. Regards

Hi Fred, I am quite familiar with the small higo piece , having owned it for the last eight or nine years . I recently sold approx. 100 tsubas through Christies in London and this was one of them . Inevitably when selling a large number of pieces , there are 2 or 3 items that you regret losing after the sale has concluded and this is certainly one of those . Although not a large piece , the workmanship is very good - under magnification , it is possible to still see remnants of inscribed pattern markings - and when viewed almost edge on , the regularity of piercing is also nicely done. Funnily enough I puchased the tsuba from a collector in Florida all those years ago - ironic it should be back on sale there after a ' vacation ' in the U.K. I hope you find it to be a good addition to your collection !

Info. now received , thank you.

Hi, Does anyone know if the NBTHK are holding their sword/fittings competition this year , and the relevant dates ? Thanks !

Relevant ?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2636 Might the above help ? Regards

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/sear ... 06118ae07f Follow above link to the sale catalogue/lots if interested First half of sale is Netsuke Second half includes Tosugu/Swords ( including a few of my bits and pieces )

Just to mention that Christies have an e-catalogue posted for the New York sale on March 24. Go to their site and click on calendar....

Old versus new is a debate that has gone on probably since the days of cave painters . A few points that occur : Pace of change appears to depend on popular acceptance - in music , compare the rapid changes occuring in the 'music of the people' through music hall, ragtime, jazz , etc etc., to the much slower changes in opera , the preferred option of the upper classes . This can be seen as a parallel to Nihonto where the elite of Japanese society more or less dictated ( by their patronage ) developments in sword style . The majority of sword users would have had very little say in the type of blades that they could either afford or were issued with . Modern swordsmiths/fittings makers have the same problems as their predecessors - they have to produce commercially viable items . I am certain that a lot of the modern artists would be willing to make more experimental pieces but ultimately take the tried and tested route . There seems to be a strange paradox that those most able financially to take chances ( mukansa level and above ) are almost stopped by their status from doing so . Also the amount of money that they would require for making a 'non-typical' piece means that this type of work would not be in the public arena - therefore much less chance of widespread acceptance . Can we break out of the spiral ? As collectors , do we want to ?

Hi everyone , Maybe a daft question , but would it be possible, paticularly with the tsuba in question , that the design was carved in and then the tsuba itself being used as the mould ? If the brass was very hot , it should flow into the grooves - maybe fluxed (?) to help with adhesion . Possibly done by immersion of the tsuba into a small bath of molten brass ? Don't know if such a technique would be possible - Ford? Cleaning up the rest of the tsuba afterwards could be a bit of a problem though , although there might also be compounds about that can be used to dissuade adherence on parts of the iron .

One of my mistakes - bought about six years ago on ebay - also kept as a reminder....

Hi, In answer to your question regarding plant life , this looks like an orchid to me ( just don't ask which variety ). Whilst not a rare theme for a tsuba , it is considerably less common than images of the Iris . Nicely done ! Regards

Hi John, From what I can see , looking at the seal only, closest to Issando Joi - whether an adaption of his or someone's attempt to copy, I wouldn't know... Regards

Collectors tend to use a number of different justifications for making a nihonto 'investment'. ' As soon as I saw it , I knew it was destiny ' - to oneself. ' I am protecting it for future generations ' - to ease a guilty consience . ' If you want that new handbag/dress/bathroom then it's only fair that I have a tsuba/tanto/juyo ' - to the boss . ' If I hadn't spent the money on this , then it would have been wasted on something with no residual value ' - like that car that desperately needs replacing . We all know realistically that there is not much chance as a collector of making money from nihonto - where the heart rules the head , there seldom is. If the head rules ,then where is the passion ? You are then in big danger of being the person who : ' Knows the cost of everything , but the value of nothing '

Hello All, I will be attending Japantag 2008 in Dusseldorf - June14th , is anyone on the board also going ? Has anybody been to it before? If so, any highlights/tips ? Regards Bob Morrison

Hi Milt & John, Very nice tsuba - was watching it also - I agree about papers , but the biggest problem for me was the small area of damage , centrally placed . I know that that would be the first thing I would see every time I looked at it . That being the case , I would rather put $2500 or so towards something else . Would I be correct in assuming that the signature would have been applied before the tsuba was adjusted to allow for mounting - there seemed to be a distortion of the bottom character caused by the punch? This could tend to suggest that the sig. was contemporaneous with manufacture ? Obviously this does not rule out the signature being applied years later etc. but just a thought... Regards

Amateur work from Japan ? From a topic posted before you signed up - sorry if you've already seen it... Thought to be a fantasy piece from the 1960s/70s - good fun when shown in it's box, bridge side up.... Must get around to photographing/posting a few more tsuba . Regards Bob M.

Obviously , please disregard last comment...

Pics as promised. Don't know what I am doing wrong here - the pics should be small enough to upload onto the posting - approx 530x530/82Kb each. Will try again but any suggestions ?

Hi John , Steve , Ford , Will try to upload some images of the tsuba mentioned by Steve as being sold on ebay last year . At the time the plaques were thought to be of pewter . Should be useful to compare...