Jake6500

Can't say I've ever sold anything on Yahoo Auctions but as a buyer I agree 100%, it can be very annoying. I recently thought I had won a nice tsuba with hozon papers but it was relisted at the last second for more than double what would have been my winning bid price... Not all sellers do it but when it happens to you on an item you really want, it can be very frustrating indeed.

Yeah, shipping on long items can be ridiculous. That said, if you're having modern koshirae made I believe they can be made divisible/separable to get around this problem. My next blade acquisition is either going to be a shinto katana (currently only have a shin-shinto blade) or a naginata of some kind. If the opportunity comes around, a shin-shinto naginata would be the best of both worlds. I am mainly a fittings collector but am slowly expanding my collection and my interests.

As other more knowledgeable members of the forum have said, best not to touch anything and get it to a professional. The only thing you could maybe try is removing some of the surface rust with a microfibre polishing cloth and some typewriter or paraffin oil as this is low risk and a part of basic maintenance. Do this for the blade but not the nakago (tang/handle). Interesting and coincidental timing but a dealer I know is actually selling a Bishu Osafune blade dated to the year 1492 on consignment right now... The price on it is 1,250,000 yen (About 8,000 USD) so your blade could be quite valuable after restoration and polishing. Your blade could potentially be a hundred years older than that or more according to Ray above, and in turn could be even more valuable.

That is a beautiful naginata... (I would like to get something like that for my own collection in the future!) Does it have koshirae or is this one blade only? If so, are you considering getting koshirae made? Expensive, I know... But I would say worth it

I've never purchased a blade through auction but use Yahoo auctions frequently for Tosogu. You can occasionally find some really nice, fairly high quality fittings on there (though it's a bit dead around the New Year) and if you're really lucky you might even be able to pick one up for a low price... Like the fuchigashira in my profile picture! I don't know how much you paid but assuming the price wasn't too high, it seems like a nice purchase to me. You mentioned the blade is large and I like choppers... Do you have the dimensions of it? Length and weight?

Definitely modern imo. Aside from all the other points made already, the seppa shape also seems unusually asymmetric if you focus on the right side... Though that might just be the angle of the photo messing with my head.

I can see how you thought rain. Wood is another possibility maybe. Nice tsuba, not my type of motif but definitely my type of aesthetic as a soft metal collector.

Wowww that is a breathtaking piece! I would not have guessed such an early date based on the style, an artist truly ahead of their time!

Wow! Very nice set you have added to your collection there! I will have to add the Komai school to my radar for future reference!

Just the fact someone would bid that much in the first place, and then even more so that the owner would turn it all down and relist the item lol

This reminds me of when archaeological conspiracy theorists use the line "The absence of evidence is not evidence absence..." to justify whacky nonsense like aliens building the pyramids. Maybe so, but it also isn't evidence of presence... I can't disprove the idea that Genghis Khan rode a unicorn or that he was buried in Iceland; but that doesn't mean I'm going to start a unicorn cult in Reykjavik.....

? Seriously? Whatttt

Jesus, I never bothered to check what it sold for

The very use of the term "ninja" amongst historians is highly contentious in and of itself. What even was a "ninja" and where did the concept come from? The weird mythologised blend of ikko-ikki peasant roots, espionage and what could bluntly be referred to as "magic" prompt many scholars of the period to avoid use of the term altogether. I cannot think of any equivalent class (real or mythologised) in Western culture... Maybe a DnD Paladin?

As a general rule in this hobby, when in doubt do nothing... Sorry I have nothing new to add to the discussion but Colin said all that needs to be said!

That Shozui tsuba is spectacular and will no doubt sell for more than my kidneys Dale

I think one of the big giveaways that this is gimei is in the fingers on the fuchi. Granted this is no doubt even smaller than the pictures make it look, fine details like fingers and hands are often a good way to tell the overall quality of works and the fingers here seem to lack the finesse of a master craftsman. Not sure I agree with Kirill either, overall I do not get the Hamano school vibe from these pieces. I can see where this idea has come from as both the Hamano and Mito schools were influenced by the earlier Nara and Goto schools making them stylistically similar. Both schools were known for using iroe takazogan like in these examples on a shibuichi, shakudo or in this case an iron base. One of the characteristic elements of Hamano work that you would often see in Hamano pieces and which you wouldn't generally see in Mito school work are expressive gold eyes. Mito work generally features thinner eyes more characteristic of the Nara school which I think this set (and the higher quality tsuba example) align with. You see these eyes in some late Hamano school pieces too so this is by no means conclusive one way or the other, but it does give some indication. Mito work is also known for its "soft" style whereas Hamano school work often includes more powerful, striking contrasts. The colour combinations featured in the kashira of this set give off more of a Mito vibe to me as the parasol (specifically the colour/metal choice) seems to soften the contrast of the mixed-metal design. On the flip side, the contrast between iron and gold on the robe of what I presume is a court minister(?) in the fuchi does resemble the type of takazogan contrast you would see in both Mito and Hamano school work, so it is hard to definitively rule one way or the other. Both schools also feature takanikubori prominently like that seen in this set.

As a regular resident of the Tosogu section I just purchased my first blade (about 2-3 hours ago at time of writing this post) and wanted to share with the forum! The blade is a hozon certified kinnoto (imperial royalist sword) from the Gassan school dated August 1863 by Unzenshi Sadahide. It is a very large katana with a 75cm blade and 27cm nakago. The blade has a lot of weight and thickness to it, I'd say about twice as heavy as an average katana. Aside from the size and heritage of the sword, I really like the lengthy kissaki as well. The blade should make for a fun koshirae project in the future! Let me know your thoughts, I am still a novice when it comes to blades! Here are a few photos:

I will be looking into getting a better camera soon, as well as some lighting... I just purchased my first blade today (literally about 2 hours ago) and will need the appropriate light to fully enjoy the fine details after all! Edit: Link to thread https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/54033-gassan-school-sadahide-kinnoto-first-blade/

Branching out from my usual lane in the Tosogu section... For Cody's knowledge, would it be fair to assume based on the mei that this is likely an example of a shinto sword (sword dating to the early/mid Edo period circa 1596-1780) or even more precisely if this is a Tadatsuna sword, that this blade would have been produced in the Osaka area? From what I read online there is another Tokubetsu Hozon certified blade out there with an identical inscription dated to the 7th year of Houei (1710). This would be the prolific (but talented) second generation Tadatsuna, not the first.

Interesting example Jack, It's always interesting to see how Japanese artisans - the majority of which would never have encountered a tiger before - present tigers in their work. The example you've linked attempts to portray tigers through a realist lens which makes it an interesting case study that deviates from some other Edo Period examples that adopt a more surrealist approach. Yurakusai Sekibun for example produced a large variety of tiger tosogu along the realist-surrealist spectrum, some of which appear more cartoonish and many of which have exaggerated rounded features.

Hey Tosogu fans, I'm doing my usual thing and creating this thread to share my latest acquisition with the forum. I recently picked up this pair of tiger menuki on Jauce signed Hamano Noriyuki! The menuki are uncertified however they seem to match the Hamano school stylistically. A fine detail that caught my attention and convinced me to bid for these was the different purities of gold used in the stripes of the tigers distinguishing them from each other. Here is an enlarged photo of the signature from the original auction listing, followed by a photo of my own taken from my phone camera. Apologies for the less than stellar quality!

I'll see if I can find an opportunity to do a scan rather than a photograph some time in the near future and will upload the result here for you! Thanks again for the great resource!

Hey Mauro, Thanks for compiling these. I recently purchased a tsuba that appears to also have a hakogaki by Kanzan. You may recall seeing my thread about it a couple months ago... Figure I would re-post it all here and you can assess whether it is a close enough match to add to your compilation! Translation: 鐔 - Tsuba 七宝紋所之図 – Shippo, mondokoro no zu (figure of family crests) 朧銀磨地 – Oborogin, migakiji 七宝紋散 – Shippo mon chirashi 金覆輪 珍品也 – Kin fukurin, rare item 無銘 平田彦四郎 – Mumei, Hirata Hikoshiro (attribution) 昭和壬子年秋吉日 – Showa Mizunoe-Ne year (1972), autumn, a lucky day 寒山誌 – Kanzan wrote.

I don't think it actually has anything to do with your kozuka Luca, but it sort of reminds me of the kusari and fundo on a kusarigama.