Matsunoki

Eg……this blemish would not exist on a genuine Nanako front plate.

Both of these kozuka look like shiremono ie the front plate is a hand finished pressing with some weak gilding etc that is joined to a more substantial back plate. Probably no true inlay. Many were given outright fake mei that deceive because the back plate looks “right” ie its thick and the Mei looks good. The same “stamp” is reused for the front plate but minor imperfections or different degrees of finishing can create minor differences. Would need in hand to be sure.

I don’t think anyone is saying it’s not old. There are old fakes as well as modern fakes. Some fakes were made by copyists who had some manufacturing talent but they did not have the artistic flair and “feel” for the subject they were attempting. They took short cuts and made castings look like true inlay…..fools a lot of people. Thus tsuba has a small degree of technical merit, probably cast, hand finished and then coloured but I doubt it is mixed metal inlay…..probably clever multipatination (see Nagoya mono topic) but it is an artistic disaster. Would need it in hand to be more confident. imo.

Quick Look…..something seems very wrong with this one. Artistically it’s horrible. Looks flashy but….

The different colours are achieved via a boiling process in a carefully formulated patinating fluid (once they have been meticulously cleaned and prepared) The different alloys assume their respective oxide colours all at the same time due to their differing alloy compositions. Shakudo….bluey black, copper….reddish brown, shibuichi……greyish tones. Gold and silver do not react and retain their original colour. Thats a very brief outline of a very skilled and complex procedure.

It was me. Your original topic was an interesting one…..perceived shortage of kashira….possible reasons…..different types of kashira (or Kabuto gane) and their place in history etc but you lost me when you started talking about and imaging non Japanese scabbards, wood vs metal scabbards etc…..which were irrelevant to the topic (imo) , but that’s just me, no offence intended. Also worth remembering that there are very few pre Edo koshirae or even components thereof kicking around on the market compared to the more intricate Edo developments. You are going back over 400 years with massive changes in fashion in the meantime so no surprise that a lot has been lost to time in Japan for a variety of reasons.

To have a koshirae made you need to have all the hardware sorted first to ensure the woodwork is made to the correct dimensions and in the correct style. Plus you need to ensure the hardware fits the blade. Also it would be a waste of money to go to all that trouble and then use cheap modern fittings. Overall you are taking on an expensive task and meticulous planning and communication is needed. Is it really worth it? There is considerable scope for disappointment

Just a quick comment….remember during Edo, a great many swords were mounted with a “normal” fuchi paired with a highly polished black horn kashira. I think this was actually a requirement for formal wear in formal circumstances…..but others have far greater knowledge than me. I think many daisho were mounted this way. This could account for the perceived surplus of lonesome fuchi. Hopefully others will amplify.

Hi Calabrese I’m guessing it doesn’t! Removing urushi would likely cause a far worse appearance. Depends really on what it looks like in hand. I’ve seen varnished tsuba that look horrible and oiled tsuba that look quite subtle and appealing. The boiled linseed oil treatment can enhance and sometimes even out a patchy patina and can easily dislodge surface red rust without too much abrasion and with a little care. I wonder if the Samurai applied any type of rust prevention to the ironwork on their swords when being worn? With Japans humidity and often severe winters I would have thought they used something. Whatever was ok with them ought to be ok with us?? Dunno.

Another possible coating is a mixture of boiled linseed oil mixed with a little white spirit. Used to protect russet iron Kabuto, Menpo etc. It dries to a slightly shiny finish.

Lots of trouble yesterday. Slow or very slow or “give up”

To me it has much more of a Chinese feel but that is just an opinion based on artistic impression and not on expert knowledge.

One of the problems answering this is that so many swords nowadays have had their koshirae “messed with”….changed by western owners to suit their own tastes, tsuba taken off to sell separately, tsuka Ito replaced in some inappropriate garish colours etc etc My collecting always tried to focus on swords in full koshirae that were not messed with ie in the same condition as it was owned by its last Edo period Japanese owner be they Samurai, merchant or whatever. So based on the experience that close to 200 swords over 40+ years has given me…… Tanto, Aikuchi, Hamidashi et al……usually the koshirae would be an attempt to keep metals, colours and themes “en suite” .Not necessarily by the same maker but at least a harmonious ensemble sometimes carrying the same theme as well as the same alloys When you get to wakizashi…these can be more “mixed” in theme and also the alloys used. Usually because samurai could only afford what they could afford. Many wakizashi are one half of a daisho and those would usually have a more consistent alloy appearance ….iron with iron, copper with copper etc. Many wakizashi were owned by merchants and these will usually have more luxurious “en suite” koshirae where the alloys appear similar and maybe also the themes. Long swords however were predominantly the privilege of Samurai and depended more on what could be afforded (and what fashion/laws dictated). By and large I’m sure the desire would be to have matching alloys/iron to give that harmonious appearance and if budgets allowed, common themes also. Tachi by and large were mounted in en-suite metals and themes. The above is just a very high level brief view based on my own collecting experiences…..others will have differing opinions and experiences.

Imo “fake” is the wrong word especially regarding this koshirae. The quality is too good. A better phrase would be “school of Teruhide” ie to recognise that we cannot be totally sure how many artists were involved. Whoever they were they were collaborating on making this set. None of the Mei on this have been added later. There is no fakery involved. As for the hay day…..dubious signatures have been a feature of most aspects of Japanese Art throughout history going back many hundreds of years. That includes swords and the associated fittings. As soon as a “genius” appeared on the scene others (often with considerable talent) started to “copy”, often while the genius was still alive and working! Sometimes it is obvious that a piece cannot be “right” but other times it is not quite so straightforward. It is an aspect of Japanese Art that we have to live with. It frustrates many, doesn’t bother me.🙂 (quality is quality)

?kata Kiri ha zukuri? ie Shinogi zukuri one side, Kiri ha zukuri the other. Not unheard of.

Hi Victor Without a doubt, the Omori signature was carved by a variety of different hands over the years and on a variety of different quality workmanship but to my eyes, which are old, this set looks like it is possibly by the same talented hand and was made as an en-suite set at the same time. I don’t think we know exactly what went on in some of these workshops….a bit like with swords….students signing work made by the master, students making and signing works with the masters name etc etc. I am also sceptical about the authentication of fittings. I have seen some dodgy stuff given Hozon and higher papers In the Mei examples shown by Mauro above there a large number of obvious differences in various kanji. I am not sure if they are all meant to be Teruhide “authenticated” or just a random selection of Omori mei. Victor, you have a great eye……do you think they are by the same hand or by various Omori “students” working to pull together a wonderful koshirae within an acceptable timeframe. For a single artist to make all of these would indeed take a very long time if working alone.

If we ignore the question re authenticity of the Mei and just look at that stunning work…..it is absolutely beautiful and in my opinion just about the finest quality. Whoever made that en-suite set was staggeringly talented. As for the Mei…..others are far more qualified to offer an opinion because personally I never pay much attention to signatures…….but that workmanship, well, it speaks for itself I only wish it was for sale🙂

What a strange one. As said, the Mei looks reasonably well cut (but I’m not a calligraphy expert) but the seppadai suggests to me that it’s actually been mounted, more than once.

Can we see the actual workmanship/design on the other components please? Looks a very nice koshirae with a popular theme.

Off for large parts of today as well. Hey-Ho.

Lex, wishing you the very best of luck…but really luck doesn’t come into it. Build and retain a solid reputation and you will do well.

Same here. “Server not found”. Off air for long periods yesterday.

Just to be clear, it is possible to relocate a yokote. It is a directional change in the use of the stones that can create that razor sharp line.

Ok,thanks. Obviously easier to see in hand than on that image. How about the Ha?

Nothing wrong with my eye. I still cannot see a boshi. What I can see is marked with a red line in this image.