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Here are some phone pics of my latest work, this is my 4th attempt at making tsuba. The bronze original is in the V&A London online collection. The details are as follows. The project took 7 months to complete including choosing the design to inlay of the mei. The material is iron(not mild steel) I sent some 100 year old relic parker brothers and other Damascus shotgun barrels to a blacksmith who returned them as 1/4" iron plate. I made a pen and ink drawing adding the kogai hitsu ana. The design was xerox copied and transferred to the plate. I then pieced with a jewelry saw and sculpted with hammer and chisel gravers. Polished with files and finishing stones. The color is heat blue patina.

Great thread. I tend to focus on Higo and Owari, so will offer up an old Kanayama as my contribution. Interesting in that it is somewhat concave on one side. You can see it in the second photo, thought it would be more evident if photo was in winter light. That would seem to be a kantei point for some of the 1500s Kanayama.

Large plain iron papered as Muromachi Tosho

How early i dont know. Its Muromachi, Utilitarian, 2mm thickness. Like the design and also attracted to nakago ana that show changes in use. Just adds a bit more appeal, for me.

Hera are some of mine Tosho, cherry and plum blossoms Umetada, plum blossoms. Katchushi , kukurizaru under the rain Nobuie, Tortoise shell pattern with sakura. Nobuie, gourds, arabesque, clumps of bamboo leaves, and tortoise shell pattern on themimi I hope you enjoy them. Regards Luca

Two more, getting slightly earlier now into late Muromachi/Momoyama. A large and imposing Ko-Katchushi with a snowstorm design of equal ferocity. Beautifully composed despite its busy plate, the sign of a true master lost to time. Note the pronounced counterclockwise tilt of the form, an often seen feature of pre-Edo guards. Lastly we arrive back in early spring when the warabi, or bracken ferns emerge from the recently thawed earth (we call them fiddleheads where I'm from). A favorite motif of mine that instantly transports me this time of year, walks in the woods and foraging for these fleeting delicacies.

Here is a tsuba I recently picked up... (possibly Azuchi-Momoyama tsuba from Kaga?)

I'm told this thin and simple tsuba may be early tosho. Don't know enough to say one way or another, but it has grown on me.

I believe this to be the earliest tsuba in my collection; reported by the seller to be late Muromachi or early Momoyama. With that said, it’s mumei and not papered, so I’m really not sure.

Pretty much all I own, this should get the momentum going. Two Nidai Yamakichibei, both in his fully developed, individual style. First a spring theme Sakura and Ume accented by the matsukawabishi, a popular pattern on period textiles and commonly paired with floral desings. To me this piece radiates flower viewing vibes. The second shifts to a later season with a strong Autumnal feel. The drizzle motif (Shigure) and boars eye (Inome) are characteristic of this time of year. A masterpiece which leaves the viewer with a chill, you can feel and hear the rain, smell the crisp air and fallen leaves.

Please share some photos or commentary on early iron tosogu; be it wabi sabi aesthetics; yamakichibei; armor, early menuki, et cetera. One of mine to get started:

Paris, just an opinion but I would describe these as being of very modest quality and definitely not Goto. I do not think they depict a specific legend or story

The painted numbers are a type of control number. Looks like A (in Katakana) 15563. John C.

Hello. An interesting video worth watching. For those who missed it, I'd like to share it with you. Max.

I think this is my oldest, a KO-TOSHO (pre EDO JIDAI):

Experimenting with different light sources I think I hit the sweet spot. High intensity halogen bulb really brings out the hamon and hataraki. High Rez images https://drive.google...BsZ2JdRviaaxy5A6Pma3

Traditional Kintsugi bowl, mended with shimmering gold, offering a powerful reminder of the beauty found in healing and imperfection. Rooted in the wabi sabi philosophy, this bowl embodies the idea that brokenness is not a flaw but a source of strength and renewal. Sharing for enjoyment and peace. ETA: I believe the piece is around 100 years old, but not really sure. Kintsugi work is recent.

Looks like a Westerner's idea of a Kanji.

Bruce, that Yoshishige 良重 looks pretty good. Sesko has this one: YOSHISHIGE (良重), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Yoshishige” (良重), real name Komiyama Ryōzō (小宮山良造). He was born Meiji 35 (1902) January 19. and registered as Seki tosho Showa 17 (1942) November 1, living at Seki-machi, Tokiwa-cho. There is detail in my Naval swords #2, pages 26-29. The date on this sword looks to be Showa 18 (1943). His blades are typically signed ni-ji katana-mei. Of note, he is a Seki smith but one of his swords (1943) in good kaigunto koshirae has seppa stamped with TEC and Toyokawa anchor-in-sakura. https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/files/file/63-Japanese-naval-swords-swordsmiths-workshops-part-2/?do=getNewComment

Tom, here are the results.. https://www.christie...x?saleid=19342&lid=1 Best Peter

Good looking tsuba. Nice lines and shape, well done.

A personal “early” tsuba for me.. https://sword-auction.com/en/product/3692/af20513-鍔：無銘/

Interesting reference to Chinese culture which of course was directly linked to early Japanese culture. Here is some more information about the link between the story of Amaterasu and the Taiko drum: Konagaya, Hideyo.   University of Pennsylvania ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,  2007. 3260933. https://www.proquest...e=gscholar&cbl=18750 Finding articles with pertinent info has sure gotten harder without access to Jstor! Maybe I should pay for a subscription. Anyways, given your post and the knowledge imparted I now think that there might be two separate themes in this thread! Mason's example tsuba (and probably also his own tsuba given the resemblance in the two designs) seems to be about the story of Amaterasu in the Nihon Shoki whilst the other tsuba in the thread seem to be references to Chinese culture. I think the defining differences seem to be A) whether or not the Taiko is being played by a person? B) If the chicken is atop the drum it is a clear indication of the latter rather than the former?

Maybe email the Christies salesroom listed on your catalogue and ask them to send a copy? You never know...they might reply... Regards.

Recently had a call from a dealer who informed me he had purchased from the family of the soldier who had fetched this sword back from Burma .. It as never been on the market and came complete with its original leather field covers for the saya and Tsuka plus the original sword knot and leather sword hanger plus its original leather foul weather cover .. Waiting for the soldiers personnel papers to come which also includes his pay book plus some badges … the Tsuka cover was gently removed to remove it to read the tang .. which does reveal a long inscription which dates the sword to a day in August 1863 the blade as hardly any bend to it and is in good original polish plus the sword also came with a Mon attached which I believe is to the Matsukawa clan … I have been informed by a good friend the the smith is Kunimasa.. Any more information regarding this sword would be greatly appreciated . Many thanks Gareth

Hello Any thoughts about this piece being a Yanone or Yari please. At first sight and considering the Nagasa measuring 18 cm, one should call it a spearhead. But the kerakubi is rather small (1,2 cm diameter), the blade is very flat and the nakago has a square cross section. Unsigned, shortened nakago and one mekugi-ana near the end. Thanks in advance.

Hi Eric, Kunitoki Horikawa was a student of Kunihiro Horikawa, who is considered the founder of the Shintō period, having trained such outstanding apprentices as Kuniyasu Horikawa, Kunisyu Echigo-Mamoru, Kuniji Dewa-Osumi and Masahiro Osumi. Kunitoki is thought to have been a swordsmith who was a stand-in for Kunihiro, as few of his works have survived. Few pieces of Kunitoki inscriptions remain, making it a valuable source of information. So if you find a Blade from him, thats rare. Tom

https://iidakoendo.com/3140/ https://wakeidou.com/pages/624/ Found 2 sites, think the first one gives better info about the swordsmith himself.

A nice varitation of the clasped hands sarute, found on this Gunboards Thread.

Samurai Homer in the bath by Darth19 on DeviantArt

Probably not what you were thinking. Surprised me. https://www.christie...?ldp_breadcrumb=back

Thanks for the detailed image of the mei. It does look close to a TokuJu Kuniyoshi mei (attached here for reference) plus the workmanship is consistent and so is the jigane quality. I think it has a good chance of papering just by the little we have seen here.

Yes, i suppose so, likely once sat on a single handed Uchigatana. Cheers

It was! Actually, I can make out a 2 but that's it. The good news is that a serial number adds to its legitimacy. @Bruce Pennington John C.

Skateboarding was fun when I was young…at 40 years old my heart is there but not the falling down repeatedly part. lol

A better pic of the hamon

I hope this is what you and Bruce were after, is this the number? its all I could see on the nakago mune.

Thanks John just posted it on the translation section .. Can only guess what these stains are if this sword could only talk !!!! not sure on the sword bag that came with it being a type of heavy duty cotton … Gareth

Under the cover which has not been seen since the cover was fitted all those years ago

All fittings are stamped 24 plus the tsuba as a small makers stamp

I

He is breaking the door and carrying his shield with his left arm. Ref. Lyon Collection : Print : Fan Kuai (樊噲) breaking down a door in the Emperor's palace from the series <i>Kan-So gundan</i> (<i>Military Tales of the Han and Chu</i> - 漢楚軍談). [1827c Kunisada Fan Kuai] (woodblockprints.org)

Hi Sam yes it’s pretty cool. Pigeon one side fan other side ( another reason to suspect it’s not genuine ! )

You end up with a statue of the Lawgiver. John C.

For reference here's my Murakami F/K set:

Some nihonto are described as having "shirake like effects." But to go so far as calling these "effects" "shirake utsuri" is another matter. When evaluating features of a sword as part of determining quality (quality being the 2nd step in kantei according to Sato) a number of questions should come to mind. Is this feature intentional? Is this feature incidental? Is this feature accidental? Is this feature cosmetic? https://markussesko....i-2-jigane-jihada-3/ Regards

Shikkake School never produced utsuri it's a mistake in the description (usual for this site) here a list of schools which produced utsuri NIE UTSURI Awataguchi Rai Taima Hôjôji SHIRAKE UTSURI Kanabo Sengo (faible) Shiga (Yamada Seki) Akasaka Senjuin Zenjo Seki Kanemoto Seki Kanesada Hachiya Kanefusa Kanetsune Gassan Fujishima Uda Motoshige Omiya (faible) Kongobei Miike Yukihira Takada Naminohira JIFU UTSURI Ohara Ukai MIDARE et CHOJI UTSURI Ko Bizen Ichimonji Osafune Yoshii Hatakeda Wake no Sho, Nitta no Shô BO UTSURI Osafune Aoe, en Nanbokuchô avec quelques éléments midare Yasuyoshi (Sa) Mihara DAN UTSURI Niô

Hi again Mark, If framed keep out of any direct light and florescence behind UV glass and with rag matting pref glazed. They will fade and loose their vibrance. I have several. Also u may find they were printed after 1875 but before 1900. I believe the emperor banned kabuki after the refomation for a period of time. His history should be readily avail on internet. EdF

saiha is a redone edge, yakinaoshi is the process that produces the saiha. They mean the same thing, basically.