Soshin

Yes, the design of the tsuba is an extremely popular three paulownia leaves. I purchased this tsuba from a hardcore Higo tsuba collector to round out and complete my Higo Tsuba section of my Tosogu collection. He was thinking that it is the work of the fifth generation Hayashi master, but I don't have enough knowledge and experience to make that specific of an attribution. On my website (www.tsubaotaku.com) I am going to label it as "Hayashi Ippa Tsuba (林一派鐔)". I hope you find this additional information helpful for your study. 　

@Iaido dude for sword fittings I am using an array of three compact fluorescent lights with a white screen filter made by interfit. I have two of these light setups, one in a landscape and the other in a portrait format. Here is a photo of my birthday tsuba. I was terribly busy with the cleanup and water damage remediation in my basement from the aquarium leak. I was luckily it did not result in a fish death. All fish have been rehoused. For swords I use a different setup using a single fluorescent tube light. It does a wonderful job most of the time on the shorter swords, but if the sword is too long it has its limitations.

That is great news! You are incredibly lucky! I had to pay a lot of money for my Kanayama tsuba...

Thanks Jean C. Yes, I have done this before for some tsuba, but for this one I decided to use a plain white background as the patina of the iron is dark and rich in color. Here is an example I did that was once in my collection.

I was taking some better photos of the tsuba this afternoon during today's minivacation, before I was pulled away from the photo editing due to a home emergency. Don't worry, I didn't lose a fish, but sadly I no longer have a home aquarium.

I just wanted to share this quick photo of a new tsuba I picked up for my birthday. I haven't had a chance to photograph it and this photo was taken by the previous owner. The iron feels very nice in hand and design motif a classic one with an interesting variation. I will take some of my own photos later. Feel free to discuss it politely.

I had submitted two swords to the shinsa on day number two. One sword is a signed katana and the other is a signed and dated tanto. Both passed NTHK shinsa!

This sword was sent to the NTHK shinsa during the Orlando show. I have a few more bad photos to share. I cannot setup for any new bad photos as I am back at work today and need to take my car in for service as the air conditioner stopped over the weekend. I need to do this before I start work.

Okay, I still need to do more reading. Thank you for the information.

Thank you @Brian. It is a great sword. I have unpacked it and another Japanese sword (tantō) I submitted both came back undamaged from the flights to and from Orlando via Southwest airlines. I am very happy.

Here is the worksheet result of the NTHK shinsa and the sword passed. This is the unofficial attribution a later generation of Kanemoto of Mino Provience (後代兼元　美濃) circa Tenshō (天正) Era from July 1573 through December 1592. This would mean the sword was likely the work of the 3rd Kanemoto also known as the 2rd Magoroku master. What is official is what will be written on the final Kanteisho. He would have been the student of this swordsmith artist: Kanemoto - KAN1570 | Nihonto Club. I talked to @Ray Singer before and after the shinsa and he was accurate on his call that it would pass and the details of the attribution.

The polisher was Woody Hall more information can be found here: (ANTIQUE Japanese NIHONTO - Home (bushidojapaneseswords.com)).

I wanted to update this quite old thread from 2021. @John A Stuart and @Rich S made some good points above. I had a new art polished done on this sword (see photo below). It will be entering the NTHK shinsa on Saturday afternoon at the Orlando Show. Wish me luck.

All the above tsuba are poor quality modern Chinese reproductions.

I am very much looking forward to my vacation and attending the show and NTHK shinsa next weekend. I have just packed up everything that I will be bringing to the show this afternoon.

My padded gun case is filled with what I am going to bring to the show and/or shinsa. I am very much looking forward to both the show and the NTHK shinsa.

It is an appraisal paper not a research paper or any other type of academic document. This is not a realistic expectation for any appraisal system. Does the PCGS or NGC do this with every coin they grade?

Jimi-san, Well even if it is technically a modern made tsuba, it still could have some age to it. Thinking about Japanese history the modern period began in 1868 with the Meiji Restoration. I once had a nice Shinto wakazashi in a younger handachi koshirea that dated from the very end of the Edo Period to early Meiji Period. The tsuba it had was thin at the rim thickened nicely toward the seppa-dai and was made of very well forged iron. Tsuba had only been mounted once on the sword it was currently on. The other fittings were matching and made of iron as well except the menuki. On a side note, I have a few modern but all excellent quality and traditionally made tsuba in my collection.

Jimi-san, I am longer in business as a Japanese antiques dealer and the business Rain Dragon Fine Arts is permanently closed. I have no commercial interests. Looks like a nice modern tsuba in my opinion done in an older Edo Period style. I was not sure from the photos (nakago looks strange like it has not been mounted on a sword), but the video confirmed it for me. It would look nice mounted on a modern Japanese sword in my opinion.

Genuinely nice sword thanks for sharing. I am not at all knowledge about these more modern Japanese swords. Chris Bowen is the expert on Gendaitō (現代刀) in my opinion. I have aways been amazed by his level of knowledge about these more modern Nihontō (日本刀).

Clever idea to have a space to answer questions about the upcoming NTHK shinsa at the Orlando Show on June 21-23, 2024. I will be submitting one sword to this upcoming shinsa and attending the show all three days.

Thanks for the additional information about the type of gun pictured. This is helpful. The Inoue-Ryu (school of gunnery) and other schools of marksmanship used in the Edo Period would be an interesting discussion. More off topic discussion.... Don't think the zogan is post Edo but it is of higher quality and condition is nice. The oxidation on the silver and wear on the brass inlays is consistent with the Edo Period dating and many other higher quality examples I have seen. The workmanship of the iron plate nicely highlights the skill of the tsuba maker to forge iron with different contrasting surface textures. I have seen similar high-quality inlays of mixed soft metal inlays on a papered Aizu Shoami tsuba I once had in my collection. The plate mental of that tsuba didn't have the same dynamic textures and iron bones as the plate of this tsuba. This is what drawing me towards the Ko-Nara Ryūha (古奈良流派) versus Aizu Shōmai Ryūha (会津正阿弥流派).

Hello everyone on the Tanegashima / Teppo / Hinawaju discussion form. This is my first post on this group. I was reviewing the handwritten notes about a new tsuba I added to my collection at the Baltimore Antique Arms show last month whose subject is a pistol and its accessories. I was able to see some nice antique Japanese pistols while at the show and this likely influenced me to get this tsuba. The notes made by the previous owner are below. Here is the tsuba. Here is a composite of both sides to show both the pistol and all its accessories. Any additional information about the pistol would be helpful as it might make dating this unsigned tsuba easier. Thank you.

I remember years ago being told and reading not to clean the inside surfaces of the sukashi of tsuba. It would be messing with age determination of tsuba much like cleaning the nakago of a Japanese sword.

A downvote on the message board is just a mark of disagreement based upon the conclusions stated in that specific post. It should not be viewed as any type of personal attack period. All personal attacks are not permitted here. Here is an article I have read years ago about cast-iron reproductions of tsuba made in Japan (cast iron (ksky.ne.jp)). Cast-iron reproduction tsuba with exceptionally large open work designs are weak and nonfunctional as indicated in the linked article. I really cannot be sure 100% @GeorgeLuucas until I examine your tsuba in hand to confirm, but based upon the photos provide it looks to be forged iron tsuba that does show some age-appropriate (for an antique from the Edo Period) surface damage caused by rust that has since been removed and the surface patina stabilized. I once had a cast-iron reproduction of a tsuba that was a convincing fake (it fooled me, the original owner, and the dealer who sold it to me) until you examined it very closely in hand and noticed the weight of (lack of weight) the tsuba you cannot be 100% sure of anything.