Justin

Thanks Luca. I noticed this tsuba for sale with a paper from 2016. This says Yoshiro. i see my tsuba as more ‘Yoshiro’ compared to this one. Perhaps NBTHK has had a change of policy and only assign Heianjo Zogan now?

Hi everyone, Hope you’re having a great day. i submitted the below tsuba to shinsa recently and it received Tokubetsu Hozon with a ‘Heianjo Zogan’ attribution. I thought it might come back as Yoshiro (or more optimistically Yoshiro Naomasa). https://tosogucollec...heianjo-zogan-tsuba/ I know Yoshiro is a branch of Heianjo, however would there be a reason the NBTHK stopped at just Heianjo? Thanks in advance for any feedback. Justin

Hoping someone can assist to translate this TH paper. Thanks in advance.

Arigatou gozaimasu Moriyama san.

Can anyone read the two characters after Goto on this old green paper. Thanks for your help.

Hi Piers, Hope you’re well. Unfortunately I cannot see the link. I receive an error. Can you please repost this. Thanks

Not exactly upcycling, more re-purposing an old printer’s cabinet and adding a display box to the top. Now all I have to do is fill it up 😊

Thanks very much Gentlemen.

Also this one. Any idea of the title? Thanks

Does anyone know the name of this book?

Hi Dale, I have this book and pages 246 and 248 are missing from my copy too. Must be a printing/numbering error. Cheers Justin

Thanks for posting this Mauro. Interesting to see the Shonai attribution. My tsuba is not papered, however it is almost identical to the one from Ginza Choshuya (in the picture above). I cannot read the description, so not sure if this mentions a paper or whether the Akita Shoami attribution is just this dealer’s view. Cheers Justin

Akita Shoami school

Good guess, but not Shonai

Further to my previous post, please see photos below for kantei #2. Shakudo tsuba with horizontal lines in gold and shakudo with water dragons done in gold. Two dragons on the front and one on the back. Wood bark pattern on the surface of the tsuba. Dimensions: 7.7 cm x 7.4 cm x 0.3 cm (at mimi). Thicker at the seppa dai. Any guesses on this one? Answer to be revealed on Monday.

Thanks for the guesses. My thought when I first saw this tsuba was Higo Kamiyoshi. The previous owner also thought it was Higo. He submitted it to NTHK and received something else, so he submitted it to the NBTHK, but received the same attribution as NTHK. Both attributions came back as SHOAMI. By the middle of the Edo period the Shoami style had lost much of its popularity. The rise of Bushu and Choshu tsuba, as well as the new kinko schools further reduced the prestige of the once great Shoami. They ended up copying the style of more popular schools and this is perhaps where the Higo influence came from (or Tosa Myochin or Akasaka perhaps). I enjoyed reading your comments and would like to put up another tsuba for kantei if you’re interested.

Kantei time!! This is a tsuba I’m selling at auction here in Melbourne, AUS on May 24th. I have NBTHK and NTHK papers attributing this tsuba to ................... ? Dimensions: 7.2 cm x 6.8 cm x 0.6 cm. Round mimi.

Bought several items from John over the years. Always great pieces and great service. Also had a chance to visit his gallery in Cairns in 2019. Many amazing items on display. John was kind enough to give my kids an antique American coin during the visit. One of my children has now become a coin collector thanks to John. All the best for the new year mate. Hope to see you again in Cairns post COVID.

How much does it cost to run the message board Brian? Perhaps we can do annual collection to cover the costs? I remember it wasn’t that much when Rich Turner was running it, but things might have changed over the years.

I used to own the shoki/oni Fuchi Kashira. Nice set. Hamano school I believe. I bought them out of Japan and had a craftsman make the custom box before they were posted. Great price, considering the box cost me $200

Just picked up the Kaneyama tsuba from Grev. Very nice guard. Some nice pieces left and the prices are very reasonable.

Thanks Piers. Strange that I cannot find any reference to him in Haynes. Have asked Bob if he has ever heard of him.

Looking for some help with this one. I read it as 木村紫芳, Kimura Shihō or Kimura Shiroi, however I'm probably wrong. Cannot find any reference to a tsuba artist by this name. Thanks in advance.

My surname is close. Perhaps we are distant relatives and I am eligible for some enheritance.