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Brass blackens with certain conditions, one of them being sulphur in the air, this would affect worn areas of a tsuba but not the parts still gilded. This is why the menuki would resist patination, they are usually gilded as well.

Greetings all, this was my gunto pick up from the Chicago Sword Show in a bundle deal with a 1500's yari + edo period pole. Picked up a Wakizashi in leather wrapped gunto mounts with a type 98 tsuba, leather seppa and a plain wooden ribbed tsuka wrapped in leather. Seems overall quite humble mounts. The blade is ubu but unsigned mumei and came with NTHK papers attributing it to Nobutaka 1711-1715. Nothing amazing but a nice little package of an blade with some age, in nice polish, some nice bohi and an nice hamon design that shows its wavy flair at the top half of the blade towards a thick boshi. Were mounts like this late war or just an affordable option throughout?

It's definitely 浜野(𡌛)随宣, with a variant of 宣 that isn't part of the MS font set. 宣 has a million readings: nobu, nori, yoshi, yori, etc... but none of these are in Wakayama. So... its either an obscure Hamano smith, or someone faking a Hamano name.

It is indeed in the catalog. Item No. 12 (wakizashi), p. 32-33.

Not "宣" (Nobu) Piers?

The double looped thing on the front of the tsuba is a swivel that I think was used for the rope held by the groom who led the horse. The four sausage-shaped items are metal tubes that were tied to the legs of the saddle as attachment points for breast-strap and crupper-strap that stopped the saddle moving forward or backword. I have a complete Edo period harness which has a girth of hemp strings sewn side by side and an iron ring at one end and a long single string at the other. Apparently earlier girths were of folded cloth that were passed under a horizontal strap sewn to the lower saddle flap, then passed between the two saddle-flaps to emerge through a hole at the top of the upper flap when it tied around the front of the saddle tree. It was this arrangement that is being referred two in the tale of the two generals crossing the river to reach the enemy during the Gempei wars. The rear L shaped thing looks like a metal / lacquered wood strip attached to the lower edge of the lowest saddle flap to take the rubbing of the girth. The long wavy strip may be an old style girth, but my set includes two thick hemp ropes, about 5 or 6m long with tassels on each end and they maybe be these. For a long time these ropes were a complete mystery, being far too heavy to be for leading the horse. I asked several yabusame riders about them and drew blank looks. However, I finally found their use - they were used to pass under the horse's belly in the stables and were tied to a beam above the stall to stop the horses lying down. Ian Bottomley

They are quite common.

Brian, 27 ounces at 15 inches worth about AU$80,000. My other passion ! Chris

In 300 years this will be a very interesting piece, and at this point they may even let it into Japan!

This is unfortunately nothing new. Many fields are plagued with people who often have the best of intentions but no intent of expending any effort. The world is crawling with experts having completed ardourous six week letter courses or video classes. Often in some old field not taught in "modern" learning institutions like martial arts, meditation or old crafts like sword polishing. Our ancestors took their skills very seriously and many reached levels in their arts beyond anything seen in the industrialized world since. The only good defense against growing ignorance is knowledge, the internet is a good tool for it but it often feels like showeling s**t against the tide. Cest la vie.

Thanks. I guess I'll go with either Yukinori or Yukinobu. Grey

Gendaitō in Rinji Seishiki Koshirae made by Hiromasa, his real name is Kamematsu Toriō (1908-1953). Nice Choji-midare of Bizen-school. I have never seen this color combination on a Rinji Seishiki Koshirae before.

The museum has it as Yamashiro no kuni Nishijin ni sumu Umetada Anyway why is he stealing a Kinai design? https://www.catawiki.com/l/15451427-iron-sukashi-tsuba-dragon-echizen-kinai-Japan-17th-18th-century

山城 国 西陣住 埋忠 Definitely Umetada but not 100% confident on the place name. I think the full signature is Yamashiro kuni, Nishijin ju, Umetada.

My mistake, it's not the same book; i confused it with the Kiyomaro/Kotetsu exhibition. Sorry for that.

Sorry John yes it is one of the very few with a signature Hokuunsai Mitsutomo at least that is the museums take on it. Even enlarged it is difficult to make out.

Finger in the air Choshu for number 7 based on shape and theme. It looks like there might be the remains of a signature on this one - it might just be my eye making something out of nothing but, if so, a close up might help. I've tried magnifying the picture but it just goes fuzzy.

Dear Dale. An interesting group, some of which I guess will have to end up as generic. However number 5 might be Kumagai, compare here, http://www.nihonto.us/HIGO JINGO 2 LD.htm You don't indicate thickness but if thin number 2 might be an early plate with later decorative additions. 16 Echizen Kinai? I am sure others will have ideas for you. All the best.

Congratulations Georg, this has been a thrilling saga to follow from afar. And well done to you, very few non sword enthusiasts would follow it through this far and this well. Exceptional!

I like the NAMAKO shape as well. Here are two of mine:

Bruce, looks like a '98 with blackened fittings that shows sign of age.

I'd be happy to give it a home too.

Colin, i think you are correct. Unfortunately really tired!

Ah yes. The Mino Taikan.... a book I shouldn't have sold. Been a while since I saw one.

Not wishing to offend the writer of this article, especially as he has made a great effort to write in English, but it is perhaps 50 to 60% accurate, and the rest is, well, colorful to put it diplomatically. If you read it in that spirit, then it is an enjoyable read. I will not go into detail, but the first paragraph sets the tone. The Mongols never had matchlocks at the time of the invasions. What they had was a kind of sling-shot mortar or grenade, filled with black powder on a fuse, called a Tetsu-bau/hau, confusingly read as 'Teppo' or gun by many people in Japan. Possibly the first word for gun, teppo, referred back through the Chinese to explosive bundles of any kind.　See a Tetsu-hau illustrated here: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/蒙古襲来絵詞#/media/ファイル:Mōko_Shūrai_Ekotoba.jpg

Wow! It looks original, showing as much wear as the rest of the tsuba. Might very well lend some evidence that SMR had a shop making fittings, as some have suspected for a while. On another note, what the heck would cause that much wear to a tsuba? It looks like it was dragged behind a truck on a black-top road.

See...now you spoiled my plans, I even got all dressed up for it. Mark

Mark, looks like you pulled off a great and successful show under the most difficult of circumstances. Well done, and congrats! Oneday I'll make it over.

My advice (and some will be a repeat of what Mark just said) when looking at dealer blades is ‘go slow’. If you don’t know the proper way to draw a blade from shirasaya or saya, ASK. Do it slowly and considerately. Ask to see a blade. Even if a dealer assumes you will look at the blades because that is why he brought them, I think they appreciate you acknowledging them first. When looking at a bare blade, and you need to turn it toward a light to get a better view, LOOK AROUND FIRST. Be aware of your surroundings. Can’t tell you the number of times someone has been a little ‘loose’ when handling a blade or kinda moving it around a lot. I never want to be the one doing that or on the receiving end of someone doing that. Also, don’t approach a table too closely when someone is actively looking at a blade. No reason to sneak up on them. I always to try to not talk while holding/viewing a blade unless the dealer asks me a question. First, I’m trying to enjoy it. Second, I don’t want to be spitting all over a dealers blade while it is close to my face. Plenty of time for questions and discussion after it is safely on the table. Pick blades up slowly and put them back down even more slowly and carefully. My rule of thumb is “it belongs to someone else until I hand them the money”. Ask questions. Most dealers are more than generous with information. And finally, and I feel silly even saying this, but a “thank you for letting me see your blades” is always in good order. This is from a buyer point of view. I’ll let the dealers chime in if there is anything they would recommend.

Hello I have acquired a small collection of Tsubas and I have no knowledge of what type or age they are. Thank you for any information.

This is an armor that Dave Thatcher has made some notes on.