Leaderboard

I think the two holes are where two Yoshiro 'Mon' may have fallen out - even melted out if indeed the tsuba was in a fire but then the ategane would have been gone too? The size is consistent - these examples are Outer diameter 1.7cm Thickness 0.4cm but could vary slightly. The design on the guard looks to be a string of old coins not 'mon' [I believe we have seen another tsuba very much like Paris' example but I can't put my hands on it yet.] It could have looked like this [I think very attractive?] Check this Marcus Sesko thread https://markussesko....invincibility-tsuba/

I know we all like the romantic idea that swords were all owned by samurai, but the truth is that the vast majority were likely owned by merchants and others, unrelated to the samurai. Doesn't change the desirability of these swords in my books.

Dealer is saying if the bohi was Atobori it would not get Juyo. Personally I don't think this is correct if the blade is from a master smith and in otherwise excellent health. This particlar blade is papered to Norishige. All the evidence suggests it was a later carving possibly when it was shortened for aestheric or balance reasons. I cannot understand any instance whereby the bohi would end so cleanly at the hamachi if it was original. The literature also says horimono was rare for Norishige.

Here is a Showa era example on a katana from the smith Nagamitsu. It was likely a very special order. It is signed Bi zen (no) kuni ju nin ichi hara Naga Mitsu Kore tsukuru . It is undated. There are dragons on both sides set in lozenges as well as bohi. One dragon chases a fireball while the other clutches a sacred jewel. This item was brought back by my Uncle Ed from Japan. He was part of a team confiscating weapons after WW2. These are his pictures taken outside on his porch in 1996. Cheers, William G.

Looks copper to me with some verdigris forming?

Wooden? Are you certain? Sure don't look wooden in the image. Regards

Dear Paris. You may have somewhat missed the point. Finding tsuba labelled as tachi tsuba is not hard but for various reasons these descriptions are not always accurate. Example 1 Clearly the design works the way it is displayed, ie for a katana, so more properly described as tachi shaped. Example 2 Never described as a tachi tsuba, and for good reason. The hitsu ana are clearly original to the design so this would be for a handachi koshirae. Example 3 A recent tsuba of tachi form, most likely for handachi koshirae. Once again more properly described as tachi shaped, Example 4 The most interesting because it is made by tachikanagushi and the question is was it made as it is now or were the ryo hitsu added at a later date. (This site is worth visiting often if you want to learn about tsuba.) Worth noting that tachikanagushi is a group of makers most of whose output comes from the Muromachi period. You may find this thread interesting. All the best.

So far I have found 6 tachi by Norishige and only 1 of them has hi. This is Jūyō Bunkazai that is owned by Agency for Cultural Affairs. Then for comparison so far I have documented 74 suriage katana that are attributed to Norishige and 43 of them have hi. Unfortunately I cannot dig deep into the reasons why it is like this as it is beyond my expertise. However data on items would suggest that hi on Norishige tachi is quite rare thing, while it is actually quite common on suriage katana attributed towards Norishige.

Hey Ghoul (George), I finally found pictures of those tsuba that are attached to my daisho (man, I didn't even know I had those on my computer!) Anyway, just some interesting stuff I thought I would add here since I couldn't edit my previous post and add the pictures.

35, feels crazy that after being in the hobby for ages I am still in "youngish" group.

Definitely Yoshiaki.

Because TACHI are carried edge downwards.

Hello George i think it’s worth remembering that a great many Samurai were “poor”. Being a Samurai did not equate to immediate wealth….often quite the opposite. The fine koshirae and armours that we see in films/exhibitions/books etc were in reality owned and worn by the very small minority of those that enjoyed a high rank and/or considerable wealth. It follows therefore that many koshirae, in fact the vast majority, appear to be of modest quality sometimes assembled from a variety of mis-matched pieces. Also even a nice set of fittings (especially iron) can look pretty ordinary if neglected in a shed for more than 100 years. ….and these menuki are metal, most likely copper-as others have already said.

There is also a sword club in Southern California that meets once a month in Gardena. Mike Yamasaki is usually the lecturer. The sword club's information is on Facebook: Nanka Token Kai. https://www.facebook...m/NankaTokenKaiSoCal

One of my HEIANJO TSUBA:

Not HIGO, but HEIANJO style.

Great show! Highlights for me were the Nanbokucho bizen presentation by the NBTHK. 2 TokuJu and 10 Juyo blades available for study. Other highlights included being able to study a Shintogo Kunimitsu tanto, various ichimonji blades, and an incredibly healthy Nakajima Rai. It was great to see fellow NMB members as well and put faces to names and grab lunch and dinner with a few of you.

I was optimistic about young collectors but now that's gone out the Window. I'm only talking UK here but sure more and more countries around the globe will zoom in on the subject. With what's going on in the UK at the moment and government shouting loud about knives and stop and search etc etc, its doomed. EMS now return blades back to sender in Japan that are on route to UK Anyways, don't want turn this into another Brit debate but its how i feel about younger collectors prospects of being involved and actually owning swords. Us older ones will hang on to what we have, then send to auction or pass stuff on to our kids should they want it. Understandably, they might decline.

Sunday bargain day today! Tsubas with boxes for $25 - great price for my sons collection. This weekend I was able to pickup a kabuto with menpo and box/stand for a song. Also a nice sculpted antique drawer box. The one i came back for today was a Kinmichi wakizashi - hozon papered with a Sunday discount. The show was awesome for Hizen collectors. Gordon Robson, Roger Robertshaw and Mike Yamasaki were literally within arms reach. Lots of papered Nidai Tadahiro at bargain prices.

Yes, I agree many Koto blades are atobori. Here is my example of a late Koto blade that was not atobori. This sword of mine is o-suriage but the bo-hi I think were original to the sword before it was shortened.

Even if a blade is ubu, it is no guarantee that the Hi was added later. Ato = after, later, Hori = carving. What is more important is the overall concept: is the swordsmith/school known for horimono? If so, are the Horimono/Hi similar in concept and execution with different blades from the smith/school? Then you can have some certainty. With certain swordsmiths I would be rather suspicious if the blade has a Hi, especially in the Shinto period. Many koto blades have hi that are atobori. I wouldn't pay too much attention to that.

For anyone in the UK the Royal Mail are banning all bladed items from April 22nd 2024. This Includes sharp scissors "You must not send any item that has a blade, in particular, ‘Bladed Articles’ as defined by the Criminal Justice Act 1988 or ‘Bladed Products’ as defined by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019. Such items include, but are not limited to, any knife blade, any kitchen knife (regardless of size or design), bread knives, knives that can be used for hobbies and trades (regardless of whether they are marketed as knives, for instance, utility knives and snap-off cutters), gardening and farming tools that have a blade, any trade tool that could commonly be described as a knife, butcher’s knives (including meat cleavers), cutlery knives, scissors with sharp edges, sporting equipment with a blade, replica and antique knives (including those used for re-enactment purposes), handmade and bespoke knives, open razors (where the blade is exposed), any axe, any sword, survival knives, or machete"

Hey Paris! I don't think it is a fake! Although it has obviously been overcleaned. Those deep tagane-ato (punch marks) couldn't be done on a cast tsuba, so it is not cast. It does appear like someone tried to drill a hole by the kogai hitsu-ana (the more 3 leaf clover looking hole). Anyway, I would consider it a "keeper". But that is just me! I am receiving a tsuba today. If you are interested, maybe I can share with you what kind of tsuba I buy (rusted, in bad shape, not expensive, not papered, and probably something that many collectors of tsuba wouldn't even consider worth buying !). Although I do not have a tsuba with the motif of the tsuba I bought in my collection! But hey, that is my fun in collecting tsuba!

https://www.namikawa-ltd.com

I had a problem with a crack that opened up and started to grow on a Shirasaya, it was getting bigger all the time. I think it's due to low humidity. The (admittedly very archaic) solution I found was to wrap a thin, rigid elastic band around the habaki, tightening it as much as possible and making several turns, so as to close the beginning of the crack. Since then, the crack has not widened. Emergency solution.

Leave it for 3 days and see if its any better then. Maybe swollen with the water.

Hello, I obtained my third learning Tsuba from Japan. A large one. (86mm L x 84mm W x 4mm T / inches = 3.39 L x 3.30 W x 0.16 T) (weight 162 gram) Since I am a newbie and want to learn, I would be happy with all possible info! (Is it a fake?/Period?/Age?/Design?/School?/Remarks?/Opignion?/value?) This large Tsuba has much ware/damage, when the ware becomes a problem for a collector? Has this tsuba too much ware for your collection or is it an interesting piece? How does this reflects on a fair price estimation? How would you value this piece? (The Tsuba is mine and there is no sale or auction going on) Kind regards and thanks for sharing!

Difficult to say without the sword in-hand. The danger of this rust in the hamon is that you don't know how deep it goes, leading to the danger of a fukure, maybe now or in the future. It is a weakened area, which you don't want in the hamon. You mentioned iaido, as does the auction description in several places. Is this your intent for this blade? Dan K

These are so obviously metal and NOT wood

here is a link to info on the Vegas show. There will be several knowledgeable people in attendance https://www.vegasswordshow.com/ you can contact me if you have questions nixe@bright.net

In 33 years of collecting have never seen or even heard of wooden menuki. But when it comes to things nihonto that doesn't necessarily mean anything as almost always there are exceptions. If I had to "guess" I would say that these are copper based. Going a step further .... I'd even say these menuki might be from the Nara school. As for a non invasive test perhaps someone else might chime in? Regards

Thanks, David. I suspect that the cover has the attribution written on it. I'm going to pass on this one, as a spectacular and powerful Ohno (my first) that was just offered to me is now in the process of being purchased from Choshuyo. It is a Karuma motif identical to the one on your website, but a bit earlier and easily mistaken for a thickish Kanayama. Probably late Momoyama based on features including abundant tekkotsu and a very rustic appearance. The Karuma itself is sunken by 3 mm from the 7 mm rim, which is quite dramatic. Ohno are massive in that way in their appearance.

Maybe someone can help my memory here, Who was the smith/s on the two Tokubetsu Juyo swords in the Bizen Display? Cheers, -Sam edit: Got the answer = Osafune Kanemitsu !

In a real battle, however, it would be 100x better than nothing at all! It could save your life!!! ((Even after 400 years!)

Thank you for your reply. I had already seen some minor damage to the saya. But a clean cut of 0.4 inch and quite deep. I had never seen that before on one of my saya. So I found it a bit strange, I wondered what could have caused it, but yes surely normal wear damage. I tried to take a better photo

My NBTHK papered Ono tsuba. Dimensions 71.3 mm x 71.0 mm, thickness at seppa-dai 4.5 mm, at mimi 7.5 mm. Regards Luca

I started collecting them when I was about 22. In those days, good Shin- Gunto katana were about £175+ exceptional ones perhaps £250 !Those were the days .

Was thinking this looking at the San Francisco pic earlier. Id say about 55, Young uns dont have the spare cash to waste

Just got home from the SF sword show, and I saw a few people, probably around 18, showing some real interest. An encouraging sign!

The overhead lighting in the room is not perfect. But thankfully many dealers have their own lights for their display. Many of the swords are in amazing polish. So even in not ideal lighting, much activity can still be seen. I remember last year there was some purple light overhead, and that was really bad for viewing - I feel it’s better this year. I hope to meet some fellow forum members today! I’ll be in a green cap with a yellow 0 on it. Please say hello! And apologies in advance for my perpetual social awkwardness All the best, -Sam

The patina does look faked, looks like mostly red and brown rust, with a line of less rusted metal running down the nakago (maybe, can't really tell with the picture quality).

Probably a cast TSUBA. Photos should have been oriented cutting edge upwards.

People might or might not have realised that Royal Mail / Parcelforce recently amended their rules specifying that antiques are excluded from the shipping ban. See below. Of course, you will need to provide plenty of documentation and evidence about why an item is an antique and what its purpose is (presumably a collectible). Since antiques are being treated as “restricted blades” by RoyalMail/Parcelforce, they will need to meet certain shipment / packaging conditions. See bottom of text below. So, let us stop complaining please and let us adapt and evolve. As humans, we have kept adapting to difficult conditions - we might not like them but we have found ways. ———————————————— Prohibited Bladed Items Hunting/combat/survival type knives, daggers, movie knives that promote violence (such as Rambo or Crocodile Dundee style knives), replica fighting knives, throwing knives, machetes, swords, fantasy knives, knives with images or words that suggest use for violence, stiletto knives, battle axes, open razors/folding razors and any similar items are prohibited and cannot be sent . Also see Weapons The following are not prohibited and will instead be treated as Restricted Bladed Items, provided the only intended use is one of the permitted uses listed below: Bladed items that are: commonly used for sporting activities; commonly used for religious or ceremonial purposes (must be blunted); sgian dubhs (must be blunted and for ornamental purposes); being sent to a recognised museum; commonly used in historical re-enactment (must be blunted); commonly used in theatrical productions (must be blunted); and antiques. Note: in order to avoid your item being treated as prohibited, in the event of any checks it would be helpful to include supporting documentation to enable us to verify the relevant permitted use listed above. Restricted Bladed Items Prohibited Bladed Items cannot be sent. However, other Knives or Blades as defined by s141A Criminal Justice Act 1988 or ‘Bladed Products’ as defined by s41 of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 can be sent, provided certain conditions are met. These include but are not limited to any knife or knife blade, including cutlery knives, bread knives, knives that can be used for hobbies and trades (for instance, utility knives and snap-off cutters, gardening, camping, lock knives, bushcraft and farming tools with a blade or any other trade tool that could commonly be described as a knife), butcher knives (including meat cleavers), felling axes and razor blades. These items may only be sent using the Royal Mail Tracked Age Verification service; this service is only available through Royal Mail Click & Drop Items must be packaged appropriately so items present no risk to employees, other postal items or recipients. Wrap heavy cardboard around sharp edges and points, strong enough to ensure that the contents do not pierce the outer packaging. Wrap each item with cushioning material and place in a suitable outer container such as a padded envelope. The sender's name and return address must be clearly visible on the outer packaging. The outer packaging must be clearly marked to indicate a bladed item is enclosed and that it must not be handed to someone aged under 18. Note: this excludes folding pocket knives where the cutting edge of its blade does not exceed 3 inches (7.62cm) or razor blades permanently enclosed in a cartridge or housing where less than 2mm is exposed which can be sent without using Age verification service. Please Note: It is the senders’ responsibility to ensure compliance with the law. The following links to the legislation and guidance may assist but Royal Mail prohibitions and restrictions regarding the sending of bladed items must also be followed: Criminal Justice Act 1988 Offensive Weapons Act 2019 Statutory guidance: Offensive Weapons Act 2019

For anyone just starting out my motto would be "Low and Learn" - I have to agree with Dan. Start off by not spending big money on something that as a beginner, you really don't know much about. Personally I don't know anyone who is born knowing a "good" tsuba from a "bad" one, it is something you need to learn. Something else to consider is that there are many sellers who also don't know what they are selling - this is a double edged sword [not nihonto obviously ] You can get real bargains at times simply because the person selling does not know what he has. Equally you can find sellers who have an inflated view of what something is worth. What we really need is to learn what something is worth not what it costs - I can show hundreds of tsuba valued by the sellers at hundreds or thousands of dollars but those same pieces may not have the value of the metal they are made from. So buying a $600 tsuba does not assure you it is worth that. Worth is also something of a personal viewpoint, it is not what someone else says it is, as much as what you 'feel'.