Guido

Not my most prized tsuba, but seeing that fine iron doesn't get much attention in this thread : a signed Yoshioka Inaba no Suke 吉岡因幡介 tsuba with tessen 鉄線 (clematis) motive that crosses over the rim which also is completely covered in nanako. This tsuba is particularly rare in that it is done in shibuichi nanako; almost all other works of the Inaba line were done in shakudō.

I always liked that kozuka, and still remember when you bought it (with a little nudging from me ). The day will come when I finally break your resistance / refusal to sell this koshirae to me. Consider this a threat. Btw: "The Wilson Collection" - I really like the nice, almost royal ring it has to it!

Yes, I think so, too. (辻政重)

成龍軒栄寿 = Seiryūken Eiju

http://www.amazon.es/NEVR-DULL-metal-brillante-algod%C3%B3n-pulido/dp/B00GZLYVIU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1453632410&sr=8-7&keywords=never+dull

Pete, you really know how to subtly insult people ...

Nice work, Uwe. For a strange reason I never clicked on the link to your website - I did now, and am very impressed by your photographic skills, the pictures of blades are excellent!

It's a regular tantō-sageo with tako-ashi in karakumi weave. But then again, it may all be part of THE CODE …

I almost did just that after you wrote but age has mellowed me ...

P.S.: I just realized that I'm able to share this anecdote (and there are many more) simply because … I'm getting old! Where's that young feller who strolled with all the confidence in the world into Iida Kōendō 35 years ago, although he wasn't able to tell the difference between a katana and a crowbar? I guess what I want to say is that we (including, and first and foremost, myself) shouldn't be too hard on newbies who are just starting, and still have lots of misconceptions and romantic ideas. However, collecting crowbars can be very rewarding, too!

Btw, there's a strange twist to my story: some time later I was asked to smuggle the Norishige out of Japan through certain channels I have access to. Needless to say that I refused. A few months later the dealer - who always had a booth at the DTI, and is known to many who have been there - kind of disappeared. I heard rumors that he owed a lot of people a lot of money, that he had problems with the tax authorities, that he was arrested, that he went into hiding. But enough story telling, let's set up that fund raiser for Pietro.

Here's the initial thread: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/15652-aikuchi-koshirae I'm delighted how the koshirae turned out, I have only one word for it: perfect! Darcy mentioned to me at the DTI that his project was finished, but I wasn't prepared for this stunning result!

Something that hasn't been mentioned so far, but goes along the lines of #s 1 & 10 in Darcy's post: some dealers will show you their most important (and expensive) swords even if they know you're not in the market of buying them. Just because they know that your heart is into a certain smith/school, and they like how determined you are in your studies. And maybe because they like you. When I started studying and collecting Sōshū and Sō-den swords, I made the rounds of Tōkyō dealers. In one shop I had visited before on several occasions, I asked to look at a jūyō den-Tametsugu. The shop owner showed it to me, although he probably knew that I would have a hard time coughing up the dough for that sword. He then said "it's a nice sword, but I have one that might be more interesting." He went to his back office, and returned with a jūyō-bunkazai Norishige. "You know that it has to stay in Japan even if you buy it, right?" he asked with a wink. We both had a good laugh, and I think he enjoyed me drooling over that sword as much as I enjoyed studying it. No, it certainly isn't all about money.

Not only Curran, but quite a few others could give you at least two names - one in Tōkyō, one in Ōsaka are the most prominent - of sword dealers who will be completely unimpressed by your money. If you amend your proposal/challenge, i.e. paying back the participants in full plus interest if you are not able to buy their most expensive sword, I'm in.

The "signature" is gibberish. And I'm sorry to say that the quality is even worse than most Chinese copies.

P.S.: Afraid to lose the link again, I converted Ford's tutorial into a pdf file - I hope you don't mind, Ford! Making a fitted tsuba box.pdf

Thanks, Ford - I tried to google it, but got lost in cyberspace ...

Some polishers "paint" the hadori before actually polishing it, to better visualize how the final proportions and flow will look, and as a guideline.

Making your own custom tsuba box is not that difficult - I used the method described by Martin Hellmann (see attachment) already a couple of times with good success. Ford Hallam posted a pictorial of another method some years ago, but I can't find it right now. Custom Fitted Tsuba Box.pdf

Although Shimohara is a valid reading, it's usually called Shitahara.

Jason, that's same which was lacquered black and then polished flush - kurourushi togidashisame 黒漆研出鮫.

刀 following a signature means "carved by" - usually we see it on wood carvings, but occasionally on metalwork.

Yes, Kanemoto. I shouldn't have skipped my annual optician's appointment ...

More likely Kanemitsu 兼光.

What makes you think that? This type of wakizashi isn't that uncommon, attached is a photo of an ubu zaimei Anonji Masayuki wakizashi I used to own.