Michel D

Dear Morita San, Thank you very much for your prompt answer and for all the translations you provide to NMB.

Hello everyone, Here is a kozuka with, may be, a poem. Could anyone translate what is written? Thak you very much in advance for those who will tackle with this.

Hello Guido, Serge is a close friend and maybe I'm biaised...Having said that, he is known for his honesty and humility, he always strived to share his knowledge. While I am not sure for his first book, I am as regards his Shinto, Shinshinto and Koto books: He requested and got permission fromTsuruta san but also NBTHK to include various pictures and oshigatas. By no means I want here to trigger a personnal war, just clarify :) It's always a pleasure to read yours comments and your humour.

Hello dear NMB members, I just gave a ring to Serge: There is a copyright, so that PDF file is not legal, to say the least. For your information, this is the very first edition, the later ones have been amended and improved. Serge also publied very valuable works on Koto, Shinto and Shinshinto blades. Though written in French (nobody is perfect), they are worth reading. Jean, hope you won't hate me since I replied before you (the modarators are no longer whet they used to be! ).

Hello Morita San, Finally, it came to an end! Thank you very much for your kind help which, with Stepen's, has erased my frustation and allowed me to increase my little knowledge and understanding of making out mei. No doubt I'll again knock the good door when in need! Thank you again :)

"A long travel always start with a first step forwards" Thank you Steve, for your help . Kamogawa upper part is consistent with the north location of the working shop location of this kinko. What about the kanji 遥 above 住(Ju)?. I was there last week in Kyoto area, I should have asked Following up the mei of the fuchi kashira given above in a link, I have searched 洛北 with Kyoto 京都 added on google maps: unsurprisingly, the results is the northern part of Kyoto and, if you enlarge the Kamogawa river( 鴨川) to the north, you will find 賀茂川! Again, Steve, congratulations! Typically, I love deciphering tsuba mei but I clearly met my limits here. Well, looking forward the expertise of NMB members for the remaining part of the mei. Thank you very much again

Hi all, Moderator, please delete the previous post, I had not completed! Thanks to Stephen, I was able to find two names matching the search in Haynes reference book.Though the prononciation is slightly different, Rôgetsutei, the kanjis are the same. The inlay work and the mei writing match this exemple: http://www.tokka.biz/fittings/FK143.html My feeling is that it's Haynes 11242.0, Yasusada, name Rogetsutei, ca 1750 who was working in Kyoto...not really Mito Your comments are welcome, not to say the translation of the full mei. Thank you very much in advance.

No Jean, Just an auction in France at a very attractive price but received it recently. I was at the DTI and saw many wonderful pieces. Also in Mishima at the Sano Museum for the Bizen Swords exhibition: no words for that; for those being in Tokyo, it's about a 45 mn trip by Shinkansen and really worth visiting. Being the first one when I came early in the morning and was luckily lent the exhibition book which was very convenient and informative (I purchased it afterwards).The exhibition will be over January 24th. Do not miss this wonderful opportunity. Actually, my trip was devoted to Japanese gardens during the Momiji and I was not disapointed. Now, Jean, what about the tsuba mei? Cheers

Hi Stephen, Thank you very much for this first step. I wish you got your books soon! I'm to track with track. Actually, I had deciphered the last three kanjis but was quite unable to come up with something consistent. The other inscription on the same face likely is the maker's location( Ka-(Yoshi?)kawa-(?)-Ju. Nengo date on the right omote face? Well I rely on the experts of this forum, looking forward some news. Thank you again

Hello everyone I recently picked a tsuba but, my efforts to decipher the mei are to no avail, but some kanji...(far away to undersand the whole!). The tsuba is much better in hand than on the picture, nice chocolate colour ji and high relief inlaid. Given the rather flat mokko shape, the simple and reduced design, I would tend for a late edo tsuba. As for the scool, the translation of the may will give the key but the high relief and flat ji may suggest of Mito. Let's see! Thank you in advance for your help. Michel BTW the nice "the dog ate my homework" for a Mito attribution (seen on a previous post in this section) is in France often used for a Shoami one.

Hello everyone, My two cents-comment. First of all, this forum is a gold pit but... where to dig in? Just spend one or two months without reading it and you will discover the amount of interesting information you have missed. This is all the more true for beginners. May be, as already suggested by Greg, a newbies' section could be opened with some basic advice (chineses fakes, fatal flaws,amateurish polishing, basic glossary and some references books: well, anything that could have made you avoid the mistakes you did or anything that could have helped you when you began). Actually, all that stuff is well documented in the NMB but not necessary of easy access for a beginner. I was for a while a moderator/administrator on another nihonto forum. There were of course many questions from beginners (let's say I was a little less beginner than them ). When I tried to answer, I often had to carry out further researches, including in NMB, to provide a good or acceptable answer. Doing this made me improve my own knowledge. Doing so, a win-win situation is possible I recently met a very newby who had bought two swords on ebay. I did not see the swords but following our discussion, I advised him to suscribe to the NMB. Hope he listened to... I seldom post but have learned a lot on this forum and wish I went on

Hello every one, Currently in the Sanenzaka museum, an exhibition "Kinko tsuba". Actually, one may see most of the tsuba shown in the best known book from the museum. Bonus, there are also "new" ones. Beauty is far comments, so, up to you to go there if you hang around Kyoto. My favourites: Goto Ichijo (moon, rain and mapple leaves) illustrated Tanaka Kiyotoshi (tea things) illustrated Kano Natsuo (geese flying over waves) Otsuki Mitsuoki (coquerel) I do not remember the dates but it should not last long. Last year, an exhibition featering Kano Natsuo's works, including 13 tsuba and Shomin's works lasted one month or so. Cheers

Hello everyone, The firing squad knocked my door, early this morning . It was nice to have met you!

Hello everyone, I have not posted for a (very long) long time... Well, whatever the school is, my feeling is that its not a textbook school example . Now, my assessment: IMHO, the very first general feeling of the design is Shoami. But the kozuka hitsu ana is Higo or Akasaka. If you look at the nakago ana tagane and the sekigane, one can (may?) say that the (origina) kuchbeni was similar to the one found on Suruga,Akasaka and Tanaka tsuba. In despite the non vertical sukashi walls found on Akasaka tsuba, I would say uncommon Akasaka or Tosa Myochin. Now, I must chose between the two schools: Akasaka (in spite of the two vertical tagane on the nakago ana, often found on Tosa Myochin). I do not know if I gave the rod for my back§

Hello again, Sorry, a misuse has prevented me from writing "Ron, beautiful tsuba", and John "thank you for your intersting comments"