Kevin Adams

I almost forgot - for anyone that's close to Toronto, the JCCC Token Kai in Toronto is having a meeting this upcoming Saturday. These pieces will be on display at that meeting as a preview. We'd love to see you there if you can make it!

I wasn't sure to post this here or in the "Shows" sub forum. Mods, feel free to move as necessary... Anyways, here's detail photos of some tsuba I made for my first solo show in Toronto that's coming up in a few weeks. Stay tuned for more details and an official announcement very soon. Thanks!

Completely understandable, your efforts are greatly appreciated!

I'm thinking it would likely be a single punch, or a series of them to be rotated out as they wore down. A single punch allows greater control in how the pattern is applied, as well as being more versatile.

That'll be an Easter Egg on the Blu-Ray release of the film.

Thank you, Morita-san - I wasn't QUITE sure if that was snow or not.

I think it's upside down, and the leaves look like bamboo. The teardrop shape with double kebori line down the middle seems to be a common way to render these. I'm not sure what the gold splashy bit is though...

Grev, if you click on the button that says "Download in Hi-Res" you should be able to download it.

Would be interesting to see an angle shot showing the inside of the hitsu-ana, it could provide more information...

The pitting looks reminiscent of sahari inlay, although I'm certain it isn't... Interesting piece! If I had the cash to spare, I'd pick it up as a restoration project - just to see what colours the alloys would yield.

Thank you very much!

It is indeed, Guido. I prefer Ford's method because it does away with the centre peg as a way to keep the tsuba in place - the fitted insert is more secure, in my opinion. I can't seem to find the link to Ford's tutorial, either...perhaps he can provide it.

Thank you very much, gents! I realize now that what I was looking for was the distinction between a "meikan" and an index, and which book was which. I think for now I'll get copies of Markus' book and the Haynes index - the Japanese works can wait until later once I wrap my head around those two, and brush up on my Japanese. I really appreciate the input, thanks again.

It's time to up my game a bit, but I have questions... I'm considering expanding my resource library to include some books illustrating the mei of tosogu artists, and there seems to be a wide range of works available. Near as I can figure, the main ones seem to be the 3-book Haynes Index, Kinko Meikan (with the translation available from NCJSC), and now Markus Sesko's "Signatures of Japanese Sword Fittings Artists". There's also a work called "Kinko Jiten". Could someone please recommend a good "first" book to get, as well as shed light on some of the differences between these works? Or if there are other, better books? Thanks in advance!

Thank you Jean and Markus. :D

Looking forward to reading some of that, I'm sure the nihonto community appreciates your efforts. But... Why? This suggests that you have no evidence to formulate an opinion (perfectly acceptable), and yet... How can you make this claim WITHOUT considering any evidence? Suggesting a lack of evidence would necessitate trying to find some in the first place. I'm very confused about what your opinion is on this piece. You say it's gimei, and yet give no reason for the assertion except that you've made a blanket assumption based on no consideration of evidence. What we need in these discussions are photos, direct references from books and papers, comparisons with extant works and open, mindful discussion between people that have made the effort to find the references in question. A definition of deductive and inductive reasoning, from Wikipedia: Regarding the piece itself, I must confess that while I'm a great admirer of this artist's work, I know little about the authenticity of the mei. The work itself looks legit based on some published works I've looked at, but the ground surrounding the mei looks very smooth and worn. Is this the result of wear, or somebody trying to obscure the mei?

It's not that difficult to make a fitted box yourself if you're handy with an X-acto knife - here's a few I did myself for some tsuba I made a while ago. I can't remember where I got the boxes from, but I removed the "stock" liner and peg, and replaced it with a custom insert and pillow.

Wonderful article, thanks Gabriel! I can see the distinctions also being a useful start in looking at some tosogu (i.e. menuki)...

Aaah, I see it now! I've been looking at quite a few Bushu/Choshu tsuba recently trying to get a feel for the carving technique and approach to composition - thank you for sharing this, I rather like it.

Sorry for the confusion, my response was directed to Alan. I'd say mid- to late-Edo. The paper apparently says Bushu, but I don't see anything about the design or execution that points to that or any specific school/label. Anyone else?

One of the traditional methods of affixing the plugs in the hitsu-ana is pitch, so it would be no great feat to remove them later as needed. I like the spider detail, it makes me wonder if the plugs were part of the original design of the tsuba, rather than a retrofit...

I see it now, thanks! Regarding repair, Ford would be The Guy to ask since he's got years of restoration experience. But if it's a student's opinion you're wanting, I think this would be a reasonably straightforward repair, the trick being not disturbing the surrounding patina. If it's gold wire, it's probably 24K so colour matching shouldn't be an issue. I would however ask the question "why" - this is a nice-looking piece as is, with papers. The missing inlay doesn't detract from its appeal, to my eye (but we haven't seen the other side). I think this is gold wire based on the colour, the fineness of the inlay pattern (the malleability of the metal being helpful in its manipulation) and the seeming lack of oxidation. This is difficult to confirm without examining it in hand, however. But there are many folks more knowledgeable than I that could offer more experience and data.

Agreed. Is there a chance we can see a closeup of a portion of the inlay? Evidence of a chiselled "cross-hatch" pattern would be evidence of the technique.

I can't see an image. Is it an issue on my end?

Markus, I'll take one of the remaining copies. Payment is on the way ($40 USD + 4%). Thanks!