Hokke

Jean, it would only affect one side because only one side was "exposed" to open air. If the tsuba was in a lined box as many are, the side facing up would oxidize far more quickly than the side facing down. Light has little to no effect unless it is direct sunlight causing an increase in temperature in combination with a more humid environment. I am very interested to hear why you believe brass and other alloys cannot oxidize though.

This world in all it splendor and horror boils down to two things: Choices and consequences. I dont believe, nor do I think you are implying that you posses an ability that the average human does not. You said it yourself in your post, "you learn to let it go". This happens through conditioning over time, the more you exercise the choices, the faster you develop the skill. Are there people who are unable to regiulate their emotion.....sure, but the are the exception, not the rule. I wholeheartedly but respectfully disagree in your statement that "laws are for those who can't control themselves" because except in rare cases, control is ALWAYS a choice. Everyday we hear people say, "he/she MADE me so mad" and think nothing of the statement because it's common to hear. But in reality it's a lie, no one MAKES you anything unless its a life or death situation and even THEN it's a choice. Lastly, I think we can both agree that the spoken word is FAR more impactful than the written one. So, the idea that a written word has the ability alter a mental state is even more incredible. No, the problem is that we as a species have capitulated to the idea that words are harmful, much like the common idea that not knowing where we come from MUST mean there is a higher power at work. Just because an idea is accepted as a common belief does not make it true.

the exposure to oxygen is likely the cause as Colin alluded to. Exposure to open air in a humid environment will accelerate the reaction converting brass to brass oxide. Interestingly enough, the oxide layer serves a purpose by making the base metal more resistant to chemical reaction.

I agree, however, words that make up our laws are words for the purpose of construction. Allowing words to alter your mental state is another issue entirely, IMO.

While I can appreciate the desire to problem solve and bring the temperature down, this is another "entitlement" and "feelings" issue. We are ALL adults here and I have read no indication of minors being corrupted by the content on this forum. At the end of the day, Brian is the arbiter of what content is permitted on this forum. This forum is not required to grant any level of freedom of speech. People really need to get their "feelings" in check and stop whining. Someone says hitler or ejaculating and everyone looses their minds. Its ridiculous. That said, it IS important for Brian to maintain a level of decorum if this site is to maintain a reputation of learning and appreciation. Content deemed to be in conflict should just be deleted. There doesnt need to be discussion as it only serves to light the inevitable dumpster fire. We are guests here and all we can do as members is HOPE that content censoring is made equally across the forum and members. We are not "entitled" to anything else. They're words people, only words.......it's one thing to prevent words from being viewed to maintain an atmosphere, it a WHOLE OTHER THING to actually be offended by them.

I actually considered this but always viewed ishime as a flattened texture not raised to a dome. The texture on this tsuba looks more like a samegawa pattern with the nodes in no order and varying in size.

and the plot thickens...... kidding aside, this is exactly the kind of content we as enthusiasts and collectors need. All too often these discussions happen behind closed doors and away from open ears. Legitimate business people will NEVER have an issue discussing their policies and admitting their errors. If someone's work is quality and their reputation intact, it will survive the occasional magnifying glass. On the other hand, illegitimate business people usually either crumble under the pressure and are never heard from again or they turn everything into a witch hunt and blame the system. We shall see........

yes Jean, you are correct, my eye missed it so I now understand the confusion. i was dealing with two terms and misspelling one of them. What I meant to write (without the misspelling) was: Thank you Jean, i appreciate the expansion on terminology. Im familiar with san mai as a term, I was just unaware how it shows itself in tsuba construction. That said, the mei is visible on the tsuba, and that is what I was calling attention to. The depth and angular presentation of the mei is (for me) consistent with casting. It was not carved with a chisel. if this tsuba were hammered into a mold, the edges of the mei would show rounding on the edge and not be so crisp. Sorry for the confusion

What bothers me about this tsuba is the mei. It is too uniform in depth and the edges to crisp. It does not look carved or chiseled. The other elements of the design I could see being the result of having hammered this plate into a patterned mold, but the mei.....i have problems with that one. I dont know if this was a test from John to see the opinions and thats why no further info has been provided, but as it stands, im sticking with cast repro, modern made.

Thank you Jean, i appreciate the expansion on terminology. Im familiar with san mei as a term, I was just unaware how it shows itself in tsuba construction. I have much to research on this method

I mentioned the mei not as a direct response to the question John asked, but as one of this features that led me to believe this item was cast, which is the opinion I gave initially. So when I asked John for additional info on this item it was with that in mind. If san mei tsuba present like the one pictured, I would have learned something, which brings us back to your participation here; what exactly is the purpose of it besides pushing your claims from other threads now locked? Have you asked ANYTHING from John by the way? Nope, only grounded in assuming and figuring things right? Additionally, I made no inquiry as to the construction of this tsuba; I asked him from what it was made, as in composition. Lastly, I don't "hate" you......talk about "limited thinking" indeed. Can you even define hate intelligently or do you assume and figure the meaning of that word as well?

Wow, assuming and figuring....ok, so then whats your point exactly, because you seem to KNOW very little on this particular item? I dont know anything about John, I haven't been here long enough or interacted with him and thus would never presume his knowledge level, but I DO know a persons rank here is ZERO reflection on knowledge. A member could post exclusively in the izakaya and achieve a veteran rank. I am asking the questions because I am curious and genuinely want to know. I thought that was the whole point of a forum? Im not professing an expertise in this thread, where as you seem to have assumed and figured quite a lot. If the mei on a san mei tsuba presents as the one here, I would be very interested to know more, you know, to learn. You seem to be using this opportunity to press your baseless claims, which seems to me, to be the opposite of learning.

Wait a minute.....hold up John C - Could you please give a bit more info on this piece please. When do you believe this was made and from what material? Has this been described as something other than a modern reproduction?

Looks to me like the wax used to cast this piece was not cleaned up with care

Or perhaps the box was found and the president actually opened it find out what the fuss was all about. Since he is unlikely a nihonto guy, he made some snide frenchy remark and taped it back up to get it out the door. Either way, I hope it finds its home unscathed.

I am of the opinion they would have adopted it immediately. Ignore for a moment that a hydraulic press means electricity and that in turn changes EVERYTHING, but let's assume a press was somehow made with bamboo and a waterfall. From the standpoint of efficiency in time and labor, it would have been quite difficult NOT to adopt it. I think what we would have seen is bamboo waterfall press builders experimenting with design just as sword smiths did, and thus, it would have been just another tool in the box.

It's an interesting question to me. Which came first.....the art or the craft? The simple answer has to be craft, if only out of necessity. Tamahagane as we all know is a steel made from rather crude iron sand. It seems logical that beauty and art were never in the foreground in feudal Japan. We see different schools manufacture their blades in different ways which is what gives us the identifying features we prize today. However, I think the main purpose of experimenting with construction techniques was always in an effort to find a more superior design and one of the side effects was the amazing hada characteristics we love. The video you posted makes me wonder what designs would have come from 1100AD forward if they had access to a better iron in those days. Steel is steel, its properties are finite, so there is only so much you can do with it, but the Japanese have a long history of very purposeful and creative thinking. It makes me think of the spanish when they were looting the world of gold and silver. In South America they set up refining camps to convert the ore into useable billets. When these camps were discovered centuries later they would usually find a pit of platinum nearby. The spanish didnt know what the stuff was, they only knew it couldn't be refined like gold and silver, so they discarded it like slag. I think we often downplay and romanticize what it was to live in those early days, truth is, I cannot imagine it. But what is clear is the constant push for innovation in a world filled with unknowns.

Im certainly no christian, but even I find this theory fascinating, if only from a sociological perspective. Outlaw ANYTHING and you will ALWAYS have those who find a way to navigate around those laws. Humans.....what a species

It also seems the hanko stamps over the reg number and text are washed out and lack detail.

Ouch, that is really careless. I hope you at least admonished the seller for his packaging.

I noticed this as well, but since I am unversed in foundation stone work and its appearance, I hope it is either consistent with course stones or it's just the pictures and lighting.

That's what I assumed perhaps, but the dealer didnt mention anything about any kizu when I inquired and it's a reputable dealer. Im hoping whatever the reason will be fairly evident when it arrives.

Ah yes, thank you sir, that is in fact what I meant to write.

find someone in your area that has an xrf metal tester. It is harmless to the object being scanned and will give you a full breakdown of composition. A regular jeweler will likely be unhelpful unless they have XRF. Without the ability to hold the menuki in hand and examine it front and back with magnification the only other option would be acid testing which cannot be done with damaging the menuki.