Jake6500

Colin is right, developing an eye for quality is priority number 1 in this hobby. High standards and an eye for quality lead to a collection of appreciating assets... That said 400 Euro or so for your tsuba seems like a decent price to me. I don't think you did too bad at all.

I think this might be it Geraint. Didn't realise before that the fuchi is showing a backpack rather than an open scroll.

On a serious note, probably reading the Buddhist sutra's based on the fuchi (Sanskrit?)

Hi Mauro, I had considered this with my other fuchigashira above that I posted back in April. You can see how the fuchi in both sets shows an unusual, seemingly foreign armour that seems more characteristic of China or Korea. That said, the content of the kashira and the bow in the mouth more or less makes it clear that the depiction is of Kajiwara Kagesue. The new set does not include the bow in the mouth which does leave the door open to alternate possibilities but I couldn't say for sure and given the similarities, I am unsure. Another notable difference however is the fact that this new set features a polearm of some kind on the warriors back, so perhaps you could be right. It's funny you should mention the 3 Kingdoms, another piece I purchased from the same collection, also signed Hamano Naoyuki depicts Liu Bei's crossing of the river during his retreat at the battle of Changban Bridge. Here it is below:

I don't know enough about Soten school works to add too much to the discussion beyond what has already been said... What I will say is that I think there is a consensus amongst most if not everyone here that the tsuba is authentic in the sense that it is antique, not modern and is "Soten style" making the description of the auction house mostly accurate. Anyone who disagrees with this, feel free to reply and correct me but this seems to be a point of agreement amongst everyone. The disagreement seemingly comes from whether we view this as low or medium quality work and by extension its price point or value. Unfortunately I can't view the original listing as it is no longer available now that the auction is done, but I'd say if you haven't paid a lot you probably got a good deal. Going off the screenshots you and Colin uploaded I can see some of the mild gilding flaws Colin has pointed to, but I can also see some fine details such as the fine lines in the armor / pauldrons, etc. All in all it doesn't seem like a bad pickup to me. I think Colin has high standards (which is a good thing in this hobby!) Of course, it also depends how much you paid. As I can't see the full tsuba I'm not even going to try to give a value estimation.

Thanks for the reassurance Brian. I am still kind of shocked at the relatively low price I paid for the pieces in this collection. Even if the piece is determined to be gimei, the price I paid would still be decent at only 70,000 yen or so. There is one other Naoyuki piece as well as two Ichinomiya Tsunenao pieces I managed to nab from the same collection. I'll make a separate thread about them soon.

Hamano works typically feature taka iroe zogan like the example provided by Mikolaj above (beautiful piece btw). This means designs are typically carved notably in three dimensions as well as in multiple colours. Combinations of shibuichi or shakudo as a base contrasted with gold to create striking contrasts are typical of quality Hamano school works. Part of the design is usually raised whilst outlines and fine details are carved to create the three dimensional feeling. Whilst the material used does not in and of itself rule out authenticity, the lack of a three dimensional design means your piece lacks the style that is typical of quality Hamano school work. Moreover the quality of the work does not match up to high or even middle level Hamano school work in my opinion. Shozui's mei was of course reused in many gimei works as he was the founder of the Hamano school. Here are a few decent pieces of Hamano school stuff from my collection, images of which are already floating around on the forum in other threads to give you an idea... First, the item in my profile picture also signed "Shozui", but not papered. I would say it features a typical design for Shozui - Historical or folklore based, taka iroe zogan, etc. The unusual part of the design is the use of mother of pearl in the eye of the tengu which is atypical of Shozui's works: Next, here is a fuchigashira signed "Hamano Noriyuki" depciting the crossing of the Uji River: Lastly, my only papered piece, a fuchigashira featuring a three dimensional wave design that resembles the Omori school. The piece is signed "Seisendo Kashino Naonobu" who was a later student of the Hamano-Oguri school in Echigo province. I would like to submit this one for Tokubetsu Hozon assessment in the future to see if it passes: These pieces should give you an idea of what to look for in authentic Hamano school work. In fact, it is open ended as to whether even my first 2 examples would pass authentication as Shozui and Noriyuki were both elite artists. The mother of pearl eye in particular is something that I don't think exists in any authenticated Shozui piece. I do however still think it is a good example of Hamano school work based on the quality and style, even if it is gimei.

Good timing reviving this thread as I actually just purchased another fuchigashira set with (I think) this same theme. Again in the Hamano style, signed Hamano Naoyuki (Kao) Not sure if it is authentic or gimei as it has never been submitted to shinsa but I think the quality is there... I'll have a better idea once it arrives (currently still in Japan) but it was part of a wider collection from a seller I consider reliable. Picked up a couple other nice pieces from said collection that I'll probably make a separate thread for in a couple weeks time.

I did see that version and thought it was unusual. Apparently the Janome kamon also is believed to have some association with archery which might explain this. Keep in mind Dave that kamon were adopted and used by a variety of families over the years. It is unlikely that your naginata has any direct connection to the Kato family but rather is more likely from a late Edo Period family that adopted the kamon later. Still pretty cool though!

I believe this might be Kato Kiyomasa's mon... It can appear in a couple different forms and I believe this is one of them. https://symbolikon.com/downloads/kato-kiyomasa-Japanese-symbol/ The kamon is "Snakes eye" or "Janome" 蛇の目

As amazing as they can be to look at, I'm not really a huge Soten fan precisely for this reason! They're like sensory overload haha

Bit unusual to revive a thread after more than a year (almost 2!) but, I like this tsuba Dan. For the price, it seems like a great pickup...

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