Guido

Carlo, you are the total opposite of this guy. :D

And that coming from the people who invented the ménage à trois? I'm quite disappointed! Reminds me of the joke in which Liechtenstein sent a declaration of war to France. Five minutes later they retracted it because "come to think of it, we don't have enough beds for the POW's".

If it's a recorded Netsuke artist, the Mei will be in the Lazarnik index - "Netsuke and Inro artists and how to read their signatures", 2 volumes by George Lazarnik - (which is based on photos of Mei). Quite expensive, but well worth the investment. My books are still packed, but I'll check after returning from the DTI.

What I did (because I, too, don't like to run more programs on my computer than neccessary):Download the program http://www.forest.impress.co.jp/lib/off ... zh_dl.html but choose "save as file", not "install". Extract the zip file, and copy AoyagiKouzanFontSousyo2.ttf into your fonts folder under "properties". You then can choose this font like any other without running an additional program.

Osoraku ãŠãらã, as the Horimono on the prototype by Shimada Sukemune says, means "probably". It's said that he meant it as kind of a joke, "this is probably the only blade made in this shape". The original Osoraku was also quite short and thin; later smiths, like Kotetsu or Kiyomaro, copied the general shape but often in a larger scale.

So, you would charge the same for a sculpture of a hare as pictured no matter if sheet iron or Shakudô (and not considering the price of the material) since your real reward is the technical challenge as an artist / craftsman?

Brian, I'm not sure what you're going at. Lead, of coure, would be cheaper and easier to work with, but it's a poor material and doesn't patinate nicely. The addition of gold to copper gives a nicer patination/finish (but, although softer than copper, wouldn't make the alloy remarkably easier to work with since the amount of soft gold isn't big enough; that's why I only mentioned copper in my last post when talking about an "easy" material). So we're basically looking at a compromise: which material is relatively easy to work with, looks good, is strong enough for the purpose but isn't too expensive? Well, that's Shakudô. The same reason why the vast majority of (non-Tsuba) fittings are made of this material. The same reason why many people buy a Toyota (Shakudô), but not a Porsche (pure gold) or Yugo (lead). The reason why virtually all Habaki are made of copper is probably work hardening; a Habaki has to be more sturdy than other fittings. I've seen solid gold or silver used for Habaki, but usually those materials are used for plating/foiling because of the look they give; pimping up for relatively little cost.

I think Ford can answer your other questions much better than me, but copper (which is the main element of Shakudô) is soft, malleable and easily worked, can be oxidized, and is relatively cheap. I don't think there is an easier way out. This, of course, doesn't mean I'm putting Milt's Tsuba down, just commenting on the misconception that Shakudô is kind of a precious metal that would lead to a considerable investment having the work on the Tsuba in question done.

Shakudô is typically 96% copper with only about 4% gold; shouldn't have been too expensive a material - more like putting a fox tail on a Yugo's antenna.

At long last a smart move by eBay. It hopefully will get all those crude, Hongkong made "non-Netsuke" off the market, and will reduce the trade in ivory for the only purpose of producing tourist junk. I can count the "real", collectible Netsuke I've seen on eBay over the years on one hand. People who deal in quality Netsuke usually don't sell on eBay, and getting a CITES certificate (for antique pieces) never stood in the way of international sales. I applaude this new policy!

Fully agreed; and since Brian cropped this thread already, and I myself am guilty of going off topic, thus kind of *asking* for other o/t remarks, I'll lock this thread as well (the second one today, now I'm really getting extatic!).

Since becoming a mod on NMB, I always wanted to lock a thread (deleting Milt's posts somehow doesn't count). Thank you all for making my dream come true!

I wasn't talking about your Tsuba, just explaining what Milt was going at. I've seen Tsuba like you posted, and they were attributed to Aizu-Shôami. Not copies per se, just a very common motif.

Milt's reasoning.

They don't have it on their website, but carry (or can order) parts for armor restauration. I bought some very nice silk Agemaki from them; they had the big one for the helmet in stock, and ordered the smaller one for the Saihai-no Kan, which took only a couple of days.

That's why I don't ask my wife. Doesn't make me less of an idiot, but at least nobody rubs it in.

(This is going way , but I simply can't resist!) Probably, but unlike this Tsuba, the Blitzkrieg didn't work because "scissors beat paper"!

I'm more into Kinkô, but if I would collect iron Tsuba I'd go for the Kanayama ("old iron") or Satsuma Naokiyo ("fine iron") as pictured below - both images come from http://www.tetsugendo.com. My motto: "Give a man a fish, and he will eat for one day. But if I inspire him by my opulent lifestyle and my squiring of super-models, he might try harder." I know, I'm a damn philanthropist - I can't stop giving, it's like a curse!

Ever thought about issuing your own papers? Starting with your own collection, it should keep you busy for couple of months until we'll see you posting again. I hope that was sarcastic enough for your taste, Hawkeye!

It's still Friday in the US, so Ted might have a go at despotism, but in my part of the world it's Saturday, and my office is closed for the weekend.The door to my office:

Where would be the fun in deleting your post, and as a result of that depriving myself of the chance to make sarcastic remarks? As your friend George put it: you misunderestimated me! (But then again, it's always wise to watch over one's shoulder.)

There are not too many who can afford the best - we should go for the best we can afford, and I think you did a pretty good job at that. No need to defend your purchase, it's a very decent sword, and way above much of what we see posted here all too frequently.

Guys, don't make me use this:

I thought it was the Roman emperor Octavian, but don't ask me for the quote in Latin.

"After a victory, fasten the helmet fimer!" meaning that even after a victory one shouldn't let down his guard, but be prepared for another battle.