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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/19/2022 in all areas

  1. 明治天皇御製 我國の為をつくせる人々の名もむさし野にとむる玉かき Poem from His Majesty, Emperor Meiji (roughly) May the souls of those who gave their lives for this country find peace here on the fields of Musashino
    3 points
  2. Well, while this is active I'll simply say I have a Tanrenjo blade in Shingunto koshirae with a mei similar to the one I illustrated back in 2020 (above). The sword is somewhat of a wreck and I've been 'gunna' write it up for some time now (there is a story!), but a certain teppou write up comes before that, so patience Ladies and Gentlemen... BaZZa aka Barry 'Gunnadoo' Thomas, Melbourne, Australia
    2 points
  3. Shuzan. 秀山 1915 to 1925, apparently. Look towards the bottom of the link. https://gotheborg.com/marks/satsuma.shtml
    2 points
  4. The old gentleman I bought these from is holding on to his father's kai-gunto. It is signed 特殊鋼以井戸秀俊作 which is Tokushu-kō motte Ido Hidetoshi saku. The first part, Tokushu-kō Motte is "Special Steel Mix". Best I have researched, and what I see in person is that it is a mix of stainless and carbon steel. He has owned all these swords for 35 years, when his father gave them to him. His father got the kai-gunto while fighting in Guadal-Canal. The others he got while stationed in Tokyo from 1945-1946.
    2 points
  5. Kozuka blade by Masahira to commemorate the 60th anniversary of NBTHK in Fukushima.
    2 points
  6. Not the same like yours but kind of close...
    2 points
  7. Gosh, just yesterday a RS with and unsigned blade was mentioned on another post...now you have picks of another one...amazing. In 50 years of collecting I have never seen mumei tangs in RS mounts and now ...2 in 2 days. Both mounts are 'low end' Seki RS mounts usually found on showato. Interesting. As they say, never say never with Japanese swords. Regards,
    2 points
  8. I would like to express my doubt concerning 4) as 'rising mist' (VARSHAVSKY collection). Mist or fog usually occurs parallel to the earth surface in nature, so unless the TSUBASHI did not intend the TSUBA to be seen in an unusual angle (which I have problems to imagine) I am not so sure about this interpretation. In other TSUBA mist or clouds are always depicted horizontally: I have seen rain depicted as big droplets (in KO-TOSHO TSUBA) or as fine parallel grooves, often in an angle, in later TSUBA.
    2 points
  9. I know some people might have very negative view on the old papers while others will have quite positive. I'd be somewhere in the middle grounds, I feel they are a one valid opinion given to the item. As far as "Jūyō" quality goes, I'd wager most very high quality items with old papers residing in Japan would have been already converted to the new NBTHK system. That is just following what I feel as common sense. Of course there could be that 1 in 1000 item that still comes out every now and then. Outside of Japan I would have bit more relaxed view on items however note that it might be incredibly difficult to tell when the item has left Japan. On sending tsuba and other fittings to modern NBTHK shinsa in Japan, note that current fee for Hozon is 17,000 yen (c.130€), and you'll need to add all the other expenses related to submission for that. I am not too well versed in tsuba market as I don't own single one nor look to buy one at the moment, however if I would be planning for an international submission of tsuba for shinsa, I would save it for good quality ones even at the basic Hozon level. If I would own a tsuba with green papers and it would be an ok one, I think I might not feel the need to send it for modern shinsa. Granted if I would be living in Japan I feel I might want multiple opinions from different organizations and people for my items, for learning and fun. I am just not a fan of sending expensive items internationally, and in modern day the costs are quite high (well tsuba can be shipped in smaller packages compared to swords ).
    2 points
  10. The examples I have seen did not include the Iyo Daijo title, but there is another one here: https://www-winners--auction-jp.translate.goog/productDetail/67404?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp
    2 points
  11. This appears to be a gendaito by Taira Sadashige, an excellent smith. 伊豫大掾平貞重作 - Iyo Daijo Taira Sadashige
    2 points
  12. Hi again guys, I'm not there as much as I would want to, but Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the kind words and such warm comments. To be honest, i think i even shed a few tears reading your posts. It really feels good to know and be friends with guys like you. We are a community and more, a family! I can't express how much reading you was comforting, so again, thank you deeply. I still haven't replied all the messages of support I have received and i apologize again for that, but rest assured I will. Last two weeks have been busy at work with the Covid situation and we keep having meetings on how to best manage the situation. Thank you again, I love you guys! JP
    2 points
  13. I see a few similar characteristics in this hamon to the NBTHK certified Mino Senjuin that I owned previously. Namely, this part. Also, I really like that habaki! Looks like it could be an older one.
    1 point
  14. Very cool! Thanks for sharing this. Have any closer pictures of the hamon? I'd like to compare it with a mino senjuin I had.
    1 point
  15. Hello everyone. This sword was found under the floor in an abandoned house. I think the number is useful for information.
    1 point
  16. Just acquired this okimono couple and would like to know the name of the artist and age please. I'd also like opinions on what the man might have been holding in his right hand so I could find a suitable replacement. I believe she has a lantern for night fishing and it's my opinion that he is holding a fishing basket so maybe he held a pole in his right hand? Howard Dennis
    1 point
  17. @Kiipu Thomas Here is my 小倉陸軍造兵廠 gunto, date 昭和十九年六月,no star.
    1 point
  18. So now we have @paulatim with a mumei RS, @BANGBANGSAN that had an mumei RS. Now we can add mine to the short list. Plus, mine has the celluloid same' as well. This one is getting very strange.
    1 point
  19. This Kanji should be 國泰 instead of 國奏
    1 point
  20. Thomas, vielen Dank! Ich freue mich darauf!
    1 point
  21. Hello Ckaiserca, Very nice koshirae ...congratulation. I have not seen this design very often on kodogu….but more often on chinese porcelain…. That is what i found about its symbol In Japan, its crowing, associated with the raucousness of the deities, who lured Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun, out of the cave where she had been hiding. Courage is the virtue that the Japanese (like other Far Eastern peoples) attribute to the rooster. The white cockerel as an auspicious symbol Japanese Shinto or shrine tradition likely has its origin in Taoist practices that filtered through from the Chinese court during the Tang dynasty and Nara periods. Chickens are thought of as errand messengers of the gods at the Isonokami Shrine where many sacred roosters are seen roaming. Thanks for showing us Daniel
    1 point
  22. So if this is unusual, that makes 3 out of 4 that are unusual. The fourth being the "last ditch" NCO.
    1 point
  23. Is anyone else seeing 桃川 Momokawa/Tosen?
    1 point
  24. Also just realized this has the celluloid same. So the RS and my Emura both have celluloid same. I've learned something tonight.
    1 point
  25. That's a tough one, I would lean to Showato. The sharkskin wrapping is commonly found on swords from the later stage of the war.
    1 point
  26. Piers, Originals from Sasano's hakobaki note were not provided... so besides a possible "misstep" by Sasano, it's also possible that there was an error made by Sotheby's after they translated and interpreted Sasano's words.
    1 point
  27. I'm with you on that one Jean. which is why I suggested maybe rain? ... of the torrential downpour type maybe? Otherwise, vertical "mist" doesn't make too much sense. Varshavsky was quoting a Sotheby's listing from: Professor A. Z. Freeman and the Phyllis Sharpe Memorial collections sale by Sotheby’s in April 1997 as №11 on pp. 12-13. was The tsuba even had hakobaki papers from Sasano. Varshavsky even suggests that these vertical bars with rounded ends could represent "scholar's scrolls", as described by Merilly Baird. That seems more plausible to me than mist, but then again, is it OK to cast doubt on something Sasano wrote about a particular tsuba's motif? I'll edit the summary to include this alternate view from Varshavsky.
    1 point
  28. "So where do we go from here?" I can hear you asking. Well, you could keep it as is, or find someone who can research and rebuild the missing parts. They were all handmade, so it's unlikely you will find a secondhand pan cover/lid will fit exactly. I would suggest printing out the information so far, on a small label for example, and attaching it to the underneath of the stand, etc. (For future generations, or for yourself when your memory fades!) If your husband is interested, you could start collecting the small accoutrements that a samurai gunner would carry, such as a firestarter kit, a Doran accessories waist pouch/box, matchcord, ballbag, ball mold, etc., even some simple armor bits. Live firing is an option in the US, but you'd need to get the bisen screw seal and overall barrel integrity checked first. Oh, the angle on the tape measure now suggests that the bore is over 2 cm, i.e. an O-zutsu big gun. 2.1 cm is 15 Monme' and 2.2 is 20 Monme'. 15 Monme' would mean the weight of the lead ball is 56.25 g, and 20 Monme' 75 g.
    1 point
  29. Although I have not come across the word Soemei before, it reminds me of Hi and Soebi, a groove in a blade, and a groove with a parallel groove, in other words, an accompanying thing alongside. The dictionary looks back to ancient Greece and Rome, and suggests agnomen and cognomen, second or third names, nicknames, honorary names, etc.
    1 point
  30. Hello Grey, Asai/Azai is Tadatsuna's own last name, and forms a part of his own signature on some swords. In Nobunaga's time there were several branches of the Asai/Azai, some who didn't face the same fate as the Azai who were persecuted by Nobunaga. Nowadays it is a relatively common last name. Uji means a kind of aristocratic clan name, much the same way that Fujiwara and Tachibana are clan names. Hopefully the above makes sense.
    1 point
  31. OK, unless there are any more options to add, I think it's SUMMARY time And again, these associations are not absolutes. I'm just trying to find distinguishing characteristics and differences... 1- long skinny, 2 sticks, with square ends: JOGI (measuring sticks/rulers) 2- thicker, 2 sticks, with square ends, side by side or crossing each other: HYOSHIGI 拍子木 (clappers/rhythm sticks)... which has connections to kabuki and battle signaling. 3- not sure if these would look much different from# 1 or 2, but presumably they would be perfectly parallel and level or also involve some perpendicular sticks too: SANGI 算木(counting sticks) like these maybe: an Owari example from Sasano stating "cross braces (Sangi)": 4- vertical parallel bars with with rounded ends (maybe a key feature here?), has two possible interpretations so far: a) NIBIKI (RISING MIST BANDS). This is how Sasano described these first two tsuba examples sold at Sotheby's. *Jean Collin notes in a post below, that "mist" is typically represented by horizontal bars that have a "flowing" connection to each other, and provided the third image (below) as an example. b) SCHOLAR'S SCROLLS. Sergei Varshavsky suggested this alternate explanation for the VERTICAL BARS with rounded ends, by referring to descriptions in "Symbols of Japan", by Merilly Baird. VERTICAL AND SEPARATE: HORIZONTAL AND FLOWING: 5- more than two and up to 8, staggered "blocks", that are touching/connected (usually accompanied by some type of garden or pond motif): YATSUHASHI wood plank walking bridges And just to totally mess with everyone, what the heck are these "I-beam" sukashi? from Yamakichibei?
    1 point
  32. Dont feel bad Bruce, i cant remember last week let alone last year...lol 😂😢
    1 point
  33. 1 point
  34. 豊佐 - Toyosuke Ref.
    1 point
  35. Just a drop or 2 of oil on the fingertips, while handling the tang and rubbing a little will stop the active rust. Nothing more than that needed unless the rust is thick and flaking (unusual)
    1 point
  36. Yes, I agree 100%, this is what matters most. In this case, I think I’m buying a genuine sword from late Muromachi, with official NBTHK Hozon paper, that has no fatal flaws, and is aesthetically pleasing for me 😊. If this simple statement is valid, then I’m the happiest man alive… Just thinking what this sword has seen over the centuries, is mind blowing. I am fully aware that this is definitely not a high quality sword, but that is not what I’m after 😉. To sum it up, I think it’s fair to say that the fact the blade is properly signed (not just the two kanji “Sukesada”) and is also dated suggests that this is no Kazu-uchi mono, but rather a reasonably well made, average quality, sword. According to the vendor (I asked AFTER I committed to buy) to summarize, the work is clearly not Kazu-uchi mono. Also according to him, the Koshirae may be Edo, and the tsukamaki in particular seems modern. Also he thinks the sword has never applied for Tokubetsu Hozon. There we go guys, thanks a lot for all the inputs, much appreciated.
    1 point
  37. I think that is just the photographs using a flash.
    1 point
  38. Cool to see this published in the most recent Token Bijutsu magazine
    1 point
  39. Personally, I think it looks great ... and how could you not put those menuki together with that fuchi & kashira? I also like that you chose a more reserved tsuba to balance things out. Congrats!
    1 point
  40. Hi everyone, I'm thinking about staring my own personal collection of Japanese blades. Any pointers as to how to go about it? I go to shows and get to see private collections every now and then. I'd like to collect examples that are worth holding on to regardless of condition, as long as there have no fatal flaws. The collectors I know on Cape Cod have very deep pockets. They just buy and never sell which doesn't work for me as I don't have a blank budget. Any tips and/or tricks would be helpful. I'm new here and frankly don't know much. I do know that authentic shinsha origami are a plus to have. Best, Khalid
    1 point
  41. Polish looks fantastic. I'm glad you restored it, even if some curmudgeons gave you an earful.
    1 point
  42. This one has red laquer on the Kerakubi too...
    1 point
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