Tsuba I made

[Teddy2808]

First time posting here and still very much a beginner made maybe 5 tsuba. Also big thanks to Ford Hallam for all the instruction he puts out online. Also if some of the info is self explanatory I copied a pasted my description from instagram.

It’s iron patinated black through a painstaking process of building a rust coat boiling for 5 minutes then scrubbing with a toothbrush then rinse and repeat 10 times.

The flower is inspired by a flower I saw on a tsuba by the renowned Goto Ichijo who was part of the Goto school which served the imperial family for over I think  17 generations.

It’s meant to be a simple understated piece of a simple flower in the wind so I decided not to date it in order to stay with the minimalistic approach.

All most of the engraving was done with a combination of two kebori(V)chisels along with a .5 mm nanako punch for the center of the flower which broke midway through leaving a somewhat messy result. Other than that I’m happy.

 

[Brian]

Very decent attempt, well done. I especially like the way you did the yasurime. Good luck with your future projects

[Teddy2808]

Thank you for your kindness Brian. I will post other tsuba I have done soon. I can’t believe I didn’t started using this forum sooner.

Teddy

[dimitri]

Congratulations, I find it very successful. Good luck for the future and looking forward to future achievements.

[Larason2]

Good first attempt! It's not easy, I know because I'm starting down the same road myself! Currently I'm still working on the wrought iron blank! Folding it five times is not an easy task! Keep up the good work!

[Matsunoki]

Well done Teddy. Thanks for posting.
Your “wind” is nicely done but it actually reminds me of a deluge of driving rain as sometimes depicted in woodblock prints. If you played around with just a few very small silver droplets scattered about???.

I really admire you taking this art form on. You are challenged on two fronts….the technical elements of forging/carving …..maybe inlay one day …..and then the challenges of capturing the unique way the Japanese craftsmen depict often very simple things. I hope you stick with it. Just take your time.

All the best.

Colin 

[Ed]

You did a good job. I wouldn't critique it but two things that I would offer for future endeavors 1) finish the center of the flower, 2) Carve the flower flowing with the wind. Your flower leans into the wind which is unnatural.  

 

Keep it up and good luck.

Ed

[Steves87]

Good job! I think it is very important to know what goes into making Tsuba, even the most basic of designs. When I hear people dismissing guards (mostly on the facebook), I wonder if they themselves have ever attempted to manufacture one. The time and effort required is not insignificant, and to dismiss a Tsuba that not only contains someone's skill (regardless of level), but has also lasted the element of time, is disrespectful. 

 

Attempting to make Tsuba is also highly educational within the area of recognising fake/cast Tsuba while purchasing. In experimenting with as many techniques as possible, you become aware of what hand made details should look like, and what is/isn't inlayed, but just gilded.

 

A few of my attempts below, not exactly top quality, but all cutting, filing, carving and inlay done by hand. 

[Spartancrest]

22 minutes ago, Steves87 said:

The time and effort required is not insignificant

I am proud to be a custodian of one of Stephen's pieces, [you can't say owner - we don't last as long as these little pieces of metal!]

He added the ten-zogan inlay after he took the images for his book (above image 3 & 5). I agree with Colin, some dot inlay would make your guard 'pop' Teddy.

There are a few good technique shows on YouTube.  Keep up the good work 

[DoTanuki yokai]

21 hours ago, Larason2 said:

Good first attempt! 

He is actually selling  Tsuba like this on  Reddit and the material is cut from sheet metal. 

For me it is like the guys selling urushi fauntain pens without a real primer abusing the lack of knowledge the customers have, not so different from what samurai monkey does. 
The message that is sent out to the customers and the lack of respect for the tradition of this arts is killing me inside. 
 

I gave my best to stay quiet but didn’t stand it, I don’t want to offend anyone or ruin your sales Teddy, just my point of view. 

[Teddy2808]

1 hour ago, DoTanuki yokai said:

He is actually selling  Tsuba like this on  Reddit and the material is cut from sheet metal. 

For me it is like the guys selling urushi fauntain pens without a real primer abusing the lack of knowledge the customers have, not so different from what samurai monkey does. 
The message that is sent out to the customers and the lack of respect for the tradition of this arts is killing me inside. 
 

I gave my best to stay quiet but didn’t stand it, I don’t want to offend anyone or ruin your sales Teddy, just my point of view. 

First I hear your point. Second cutting it from sheet metal has no disrespect for the tradition I recommend you watch Ford Hallam Hosa Kusa series to see this in action. He makes a Tsuba from a copper sheet blank and recommends that anyone does. I think it is better to get people more access to making tsuba and the other techniques involve than placing a significant barrier of casting in the process. Saying my Tsuba is made from “sheet metal” is completely misleading and just an attempt to discount my work to others when making it from “sheet metal” is accepted by the greatest authority in the making of tsuba. Even after I cut the blank out by hand with a jewelers saw for hours(not with a bandsaw or bench guillotine or a CNC like is “traditional”), I cold forge the blanks to get a slightly domed shape as should be done. Then I polish out hammer marks etc. Also I have made Tsuba from forged wrought iron but it’s expensive and not everyone can afford to do that themselves or afford the whole casting of alloys process. Maybe I should drop the craft altogether instead? I’m not made of money. I’m not a nihonto owner, I’m a student. Second I used to reach out to people and that was wrong. I do not do that anymore and I don’t take any commissions. I don’t have these for sale on Reddit and simply post progress now. I have almost every step documented and  it’s not some sort of scam. I’m not sure who samurai monkey is, but I’m not trying to take advantage of people. Three saying that I am killing the art is quite disrespectful in my opinion because other than the blank being made from sheet metal which is completely acceptable as explained earlier. Everything I do is as Ford explains on his channel. I don’t use electric gravers, I make my own chisels, I do everything by hand. I appreciate your concerns but i also have to disagree where yiu say at I’m killing the craft. I am just a young student who is trying to learn something new. I regret my previous marketing of my work but have not done that for months and only post for people interested.

[OceanoNox]

1 hour ago, DoTanuki yokai said:

For me it is like the guys selling urushi fauntain pens without a real primer abusing the lack of knowledge the customers have, not so different from what samurai monkey does. 

I don't follow you, since the other posts (on Reddit) show almost a step by step process: there is no misdirection here, I do not think any processes or methods are hidden.

[1kinko]

Not at all ready for prime time. Let’s be honest here- the “carving” is more like a scribble with a Dremel tool. To learn how to carve and inlay metals well takes years of practice and very few modern tsubashi can make a living at it. Neither Patrick Hastings nor Roman Urban were able to support their families, and they had spent the years to develop their skills. My advice is to start with copper. Although copper is more expensive than mild steel, it is far more forgiving of mistakes and takes a good patina easily, while a good patina on mild steel may take many trials. Mild steel plate does work very well for sukashi tsuba but learning the saw technique is critical there as well. Kevin Adams sukashi work was not accomplished overnight and, as far as I know, Kevin has also moved on to something that pays the bills. If this was a post about making a Japanese sword, people here would not be so polite. Practice, practice, practice.

[Larason2]

I think teddy's work is legitimate. He is right that it's not that easy to get wrought iron and fold it five times as was traditional, it is expensive in both wrought and propane/charcoal and takes hours! But I'm enjoying it, that's what matters. Cutting material from sheet stock while you're learning is also ok. Not every tsuba you make while learning has to be a national prize winner. His carving technique is still maturing, but this piece shows a lot of hard work and attention to detail. The surface texture and patination are great, and the carving of the characters is quite good for a beginner. It was also very well cut from the blank, and the fit of the nakago ana is excellent. It would probably feel great on a sword. It's time consuming to make a nanako punch, and the bits that were completed before the first one broke look very good. So Teddy is progressing very well for a beginner, and he is to be commended for the use of traditional methods and good attention to detail. There are areas that merit improvement, but I think that will come with time. This is still a huge step above the terrible cast or quickly made smithed tsubas that are much more common now. You'd be surprised to see some of Ford Hallam's early works! He's come a long way, and now he's a master.

[Teddy2808]

Darrell, I appreciate your critiques and yes my craving technique needs lots of work and practice . Although I’m yet to see a dremel version of a nanako punch or kebori chisel. I know my technique isn’t anything special but it is all done by hand. 
 

1 hour ago, Larason2 said:

His carving technique is still maturing, but this piece shows a lot of hard work and attention to detail.

Larason, I really appreciate your kind words. I appreciate that you can see the work that goes behind it! Obviously, I have much more maturing to do but it’s always nice to hear some encouragement.

[rematron]

Hi Teddy,

 

I appreciate you posting this.  We all have to start somewhere.  Personally, I find it inspiring when people post their creations regardless of skill level.  Getting set up to do this kind of work is an endeavor in itself and what you have done makes it seem more obtainable to me who hasn't even started yet but would like to some day.  Keep it up!

 

My best,

Jeremy

[1kinko]

Teddy- suggest you look at my reply under Wanted to Buy.

[Teddy2808]

On 6/20/2023 at 12:27 PM, 1kinko said:

Teddy- suggest you look at my reply under Wanted to Buy.

Thanks I’ve been trying to track down copies but it’s very hard to find.

[Xander Chia]

On 6/19/2023 at 8:15 PM, DoTanuki yokai said:

He is actually selling  Tsuba like this on  Reddit and the material is cut from sheet metal. 

For me it is like the guys selling urushi fauntain pens without a real primer abusing the lack of knowledge the customers have, not so different from what samurai monkey does. 
The message that is sent out to the customers and the lack of respect for the tradition of this arts is killing me inside. 
 

I gave my best to stay quiet but didn’t stand it, I don’t want to offend anyone or ruin your sales Teddy, just my point of view. 

I think the main issue Christian was trying to bring up is the fact that Teddy was selling his tsuba. Of course Teddy has also mentioned that he has stopped selling them which was not known beforehand.

[DoTanuki yokai]

My main issue is less about teddy but more about myself and the customers, me that thought of the customers as young Collectors of Japanese art but I think they are JSA practitioners that look for something unique and don’t  know much about the art itself. 
The alternatives for customers are not so much if they don’t want to do modification on antique Tsuba. 
So I want to apologize and I knew I should not wrote it in the first place. 
I don’t want to disencurage anyone from doing what makes him happy. 

[Larason2]

I don't understand what's wrong with Teddy trying to sell a tsuba? They're still vastly superior to most replica tsuba out there. It's pretty clear he's not trying to sell them as originals. It's not a lack of respect for the art if he spends hours on each piece recreating original techniques. Having them be traditional wrought iron is nice, but it's not that easy to get some!

[Xander Chia]

48 minutes ago, Larason2 said:

I don't understand what's wrong with Teddy trying to sell a tsuba? They're still vastly superior to most replica tsuba out there. It's pretty clear he's not trying to sell them as originals. It's not a lack of respect for the art if he spends hours on each piece recreating original techniques. Having them be traditional wrought iron is nice, but it's not that easy to get some!

I might be misinterpreting things but doing a quick search on reddit, it seems like there may be a bit of confusion due to Teddy’s earlier reddit posts. Some of them include wrought iron tsuba. The later posts have iron tsuba made from blanks but it wasn’t clearly stated that they are not the same as the ones in the earlier posts. At least that’s what I think is going on.

[GeorgeLuucas]

I’ve interacted with Teddy on Reddit several times. He’s always been forthcoming and helpful to me and other posters. He’s generally just committed to learning about tosogu, and what better way than to try it 

 

For what it’s worth - A lot of folks on the Reddit forums focus on modern production katanas. Nihonto don’t show up as often, and there’s only about 70 members in the tosogu subreddit. I think it’s a pretty cool prospect to some people to add some home-made flair to their new production swords. 

 

Welcome to the forum Teddy! Personally I look forward to seeing your work

[Xander Chia]

5 hours ago, Xander Chia said:

I might be misinterpreting things but doing a quick search on reddit, it seems like there may be a bit of confusion due to Teddy’s earlier reddit posts. Some of them include wrought iron tsuba. The later posts have iron tsuba made from blanks but it wasn’t clearly stated that they are not the same as the ones in the earlier posts. At least that’s what I think is going on.

I completely missed a few posts on reddit that were of greater importance to the argument that is going on here. Quite a bit to read, will continue after my sleep.

[Xander Chia]

While I don’t know the full story, I still don’t think either of you should be insulting each other’s works. All of us here are trying to learn, that includes attempting to create our own items. Whether due to time, money, or whatever other constraints there may be I understand that not everyone can do things 100% traditionally.

 

I am ok with people selling their works as long as the materials and methods are clearly stated. I however don’t agree with how much they are being sold for and have a hard time seeing how the prices are justified. To clarify, this is not the fault of Teddy, as I am sure there are many others who produce inferior works using less traditional methods and selling their items equal to or more than what Teddy is asking for.