Deez77

Nice buy, Stephen. Could you show the ura as well?

Hi Soren, Another similar piece currently available (no attribution made): https://page.auction.../auction/b1071963644 Regards Damon

Oh wow, Dale! That's a very flashy one. A lot of extra work seems to have gone into that piece when compared to the others with similar motif, although I'm most impressed with how the cord is depicted entering the ojime in the example I shared. Nice find, though. Damon

Thanks Dale and Grev. I'm also going through my copy of Henri Joly's Legend in Japanese Art to see if I can come up with something. Nothing yet. I've taken better pictures in natural lighting and applied a bit of contrast to highlight the fine details.

This one is a head scratcher. A very unusual, one-off piece from Kinai. After looking closely, I can see what look like bonsai tree in various states of growth, maybe some sort of danjiri or the likes, something that might be a grave, some kind of spool with what looks like rope or thread 🤷🏼‍♂️. And how about those 5 lozenges? I can't figure out the overall theme that all of these things relate to. Is it life, death, and funerals? What do you all think? Appreciate any ideas. Damon

Thanks Larason, the tsuba had a very strong and unpleasant smell. It made me think of some kind of polish. My thoughts are that the coating is something that someone added in modern times.

Thank you both for your input. Would you happen to have an idea what those iron "scars" are? I've not seen this on examples from this school before and am not sure how it would happen to begin with. The paper that accompanied the tsuba stated (translated from Japanese): "This work uses well forged jigane Two overlapping circles （輪違）are cleverly inserted into the marugata shape Kitaehada appears in the mimi, signed tsuba

Hi Florian, I've never had the tsuba mounted and don't have any saya on hand to show how it might look mounted. Here are the two side by side for perspective. Here are the measurements: Left tsuba Height 75.4mm Width 67.6mm Seppa dai area full 59.8mm Seppa dai area partial 49mm Right tsuba Height 75.9mm Width 76.8mm Seppa dai area 42.3mm You're right, Florian. The seppa dai area is quite large when compared with the other tsuba of basically the same size.

Another interesting overlapping circles piece, also signed Echizen Kinai like the original one I posted in this thread. This one had some kind of a polish or something applied (to darken I presume) that I've gently tried to remove. It also has some "scars" in the iron that somehow make me wonder if the piece is authentic and not cast. It's not a feature I can say I've ever seen in Kinai tsuba. Here in it's current state. Here is what it looked like when I got it. Damon

Thanks a lot for your input, Steve. I have seen some of his hakogaki with the red seals as well, as you mentioned. Btw, here is the tsuba the hakogaki is in reference to. Many thanks Damon

Wow Steve! This is great. Thank you very much. I wonder if anyone might be able to speak regarding the authenticity that the hakogaki is genuine Kanzan based on the images. Damon

Hello friends, Would someone be kind enough to try and provide a translation of the following hakogaki (which I believe is by kanzan sato)? I appreciate all your help. Damon

Anyone fancy a tsuba-themed necktie clip? I think that's what it is. https://page.auction.../auction/k1102000396 Damon

Thank you, Matt. I'll have to see if I can find examples of that kitaehada on tsuba.

Thank you very much for that, Matt. I'm curious about the reference to "kataehada" and if there is another, equivalent word, but one that more closely related to tsuba...maybe tekkotsu? Or is that something else? Damon

Hi all, Would anyone be able to provide a translation of the below selected part of this "appraisal"? Online translation provides a sense of what it says, but it becomes less clear from about the mid-point on. Here is the full certificate from a fairly obscure group, for reference. Many thanks Damon

Thank you, Steve. I should have thought to plug in the kanji into the nmb search. I appreciate your input.

Hi all, I have seen pieces floating around with "appraisals" from this group, but am not familiar with them. Can anyone speak from experience (good or bad) as to the quality/accuracy/legitimacy of these papers? Example provided below. 日本刀装具研究会 Japanese Sword Fitting Study Group I appreciate your input. Damon

Hi Dale, Here's another example with a nice description (translation below). Hope it helps. https://www.choshuya.co.jp/senrigan/祇園守透図鐔　銘　越前住記内作/鍔/記内 "The Gion Mamoru crest is the design used for the amulet of Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto. It is said that Christians used this crest as a cover because of its cross structure. The author is a master among the various generations of Kinai, who are honorably called Nikunai. The densely packed iron ground without clumps is made into a meat carving, and the surface is given a change in inflection and fine stone joints are applied to give it a moist texture. A cross is formed in the center and a pattern is arranged to hide it." Damon

How about tsuba on a kozuka-menuki set. Pretty cool. https://page.auction.../auction/x1097863234 Damon

I really like that motif of tsuba. Pretty interesting to see it used as a lid in this example. There's a beautiful example currently for sale. Very pricey, though. https://page.auction.../auction/g1098643200 Damon

Oh, what a nice find, Dale. 👏

Hi all, Anyone fancy a tsuba belt buckle? https://www.ebay.com...r=artemis&media=COPY Damon

Thank you Grev. The Tokugawa mon tsuba is even better in hand than the images portrayed...and for a very reasonable price. Excellent customer service and A+ experience all around. Much appreciated. Damon

Hi all, A decent fuchi kashira set currently available here: https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/q1094817983 Damon