Ford Hallam

I must admit the engraving had me a little puzzled, until I finally tracked down these 2 variants of the Fudo Myoo seed syllable. With a little bit of imagination you can see that what remains on the nakago is reasonably consistent with one of these forms. The most obvious difference here is the large loop at bottom but this is a perfectly acceptable variant of the brush stroke that would describe the written form. Incidentally, carved Sanskrit characters on blades are called Bonji. cheers, Ford

hello Peter, I must admit I quite like the shape of this blade but I have some reservations as to it being a nagamaki. The so called horimono on the nakago also fails to convince me. It looks more like a superficial engraving rather than the last traces of an old horimono. I wonder why?....... just my opinion and no doubt there will be others. regards, Ford

Katsumoto!, you don't think it might have been used in "the last samurai" do you? . Just imagine, Tom Cruise might actually have touched it. :D cheers, Ford

Hello Paul, My apologies if my comments caused you some affront. I have no political, socialist or otherwise, agenda. What I find disingenuous is the superficial way in which governments deal with serious social issues. By this I mean the meaningless tinkering with the symptoms. The situation as you've described it is perfectly accurate however the entire exercise is missing the fundamental truth of the situation. The increase in violent crime in our society is not as a result of easily obtainable and cheap weapons, certainly that may facilitate their use but the causes lie elsewhere. It is the singular lack of courage to recognise and acknowledge that the proliferation of extremely violent video games and films is probably the most significant element in the complex mix of causes. A diminished sense of personal responsibility, declining levels of consideration for others and thanks to the media I've cited, a glorification and trivialization of violence. We'd probably be better off banning Quentin Tarantino I also recognise your extremely well meaning efforts to protect that which you love. I would like to counter however that I am also engaged in preserving a similarly valuable cultural asset, namely Japanese classical metalwork. I have been involved in this way for over 25 years now. My feelings regarding Japanese swords and the related artistic heritage are as deep and sincere as any-ones . I simply don't accept this sort of lazy, knee-jerk response which ignores the truth and will probably only lead to an increase in the sales of cheap kitchen knives. One last point, there is an assumption that these cheap replicas have no legitimate use, so why do people actually buy them? Surely not all intend some illegitimate use. I suspect that the vast majority are proudly displayed by their owners who derive great pleasure from them. I don't think the case has been made that justifies us, as a society, in depriving them of the legitimate and peaceful enjoyment of what they can afford and appreciate. If we follow this logic then it would be entirely proper to ban alcohol and cars because of the terrible damage to society that a minority inflict by their abuse. cheers, Ford

Just to stir the pot, as is my want, i will offer some additional thoughts. The suggestion that collectors ought to be exempt, is typical of a view of society that implies that if you have money you are trustworthy. Just because you may not actually have the financial resources to buy genuine antique Japanese art swords doesnt mean you are any more ( than the wealthy) likely to commit mayhem with a cheap piece of cast aluminium. I wonder why automobiles ( and alcohol for that matter ) don't fall prey to the same sort of political opportunism? That was obviously a rhetorical and sarcastic question. and now that I think about it, why dont they ban craft knives, like the ubiquitous Stanley knife? You can be sure they have inflicted far more injury than the occasional "samurai sword" weilding nutter. :? To be honest, I'd be the first to suggest an absolute ban on replica Japanese swords, after a few tipples! , but why should anyone have the right to dictate what anyone else values? Further, to imply that merely purchasing one of these poor copies marks one out as a socially dangerous individual is profoundly lazy, both morally and intellectually! Typical of the sort of political discourse we have earned. regards, Ford

Hi Rich, I don't think the insides of the sukashi are recoverable in this instance and short of actually re-filing the inner faces ( the metal that remains is probably too thin anyway ) I don't know what else could be done. I'd have to agree with your assessment of it's age related qualities too. Milt, I know of one pretty effective way of creating a very glossy finish, and one that will prevent any further corrosion. You could get it chromed! :D . Actually, that might be a possibility to consider, there's no accounting for taste after all . good luck, Ford

Hi Milt, just thought I'd throw in a thought. As Uwe quite correctly pointed out, this tsuba had it's patina removed with acid. As such the surface is now very porous, which is why it looks like cast iron. I'd suggest burnishing the surface before allowing the patina to develop any further. Actually I'd suggest burnishing the surface before you begin to repatinate. Burnishing will compress the surface and help create a more glossy and deep patina. Leaving the surface as is will also render it very susceptible to further corrosion. Most jewellery (sic) supply stores will be able to sell you a decent burnisher. hope this is of some help. regards, Ford p.s. perhaps the burnishing is what cost $375!

Yeah, but it's the diamonds in the meteorite that make the nioi and nie so sparkly! :D I bet it was a bugger to polish.

So, if I can get this rather small section of oshigata to only partially match with any part of any of the swords I have, it might also be the Honjo Masamune. :D I would guess that among the members of this forum we may have a dozen or more contenders based on that criteria. And should'nt someone let the present Emperor know that his soul and that of Japan's is being displayed on a pretty sorry looking web page? One final thought, If, as the writer of this "amazing" web-page suggests, who-ever holds this sword controls Japan, should'nt Japan buy it quickly, before North Korea sees it? thanks for the giggles, cheers, Ford

Hi Rich, I can see that as Ko-Akasaka, particularly the more pointed seppa-dai. Would'nt have been handy if they could have simply marked them all with their date and place of manufacture . I suppose this could lead one to have a closer look at the development of Akasaka and how much they imported from Kyoto sukashi work. thanks, Ford

I just came across this Kyo-sukashi tsuba, in a book by Kazuo Iida, which appears to share some similarities with the one we're discussing. Although I must admit that the slightly more squarish seppa dai on Ray's piece still makes me think Owari.

Hi Rich, you're probably right on the age, now that I think about it. I also wondered if it might be Kyo-sukashi first, but the birds swung it for me, then I simply went to Early Owari because it was more delicate . regards, Ford

hmmm, the little birds make me think Ko-Owari. What are the measurements? Quite elegant too. Ford

Hi Ray, I'm pleased to hear that the colour is intact, it is a real trick to acurately capture the colour and the sheen on metal. Now I can imagine it's feel and depth of colour I can feel suitably envious :D cheers, Ford

Hello Ray, I can't tell if it's the flash but this tsuba also seems to have no patina. Did you buy both from the same vendor? I would suggest that some of the comments I made regarding your dragon tsuba may apply here. ford

Hello Ray, I'll pm you regarding the more commercial matters. I do think it would be worth having the patina restored though. As for shinsa, you'd have to decide what the papers mean to you, personally I would study lots of images in books and enjoy the hunt to find like examples. You may find a dead ringer that is actually signed. cheers, Ford

Hi John, I'm naturally a little reluctant to offer any opinion while claiming to be infallible, particularly when unable to actually hold the item in question. But I will suggest the following; If you look at the actual texture of the iron, not just the larger overall form of the plate, it strikes me as being rather featureless. I have to ask myself, how was this plate processed, what working methods resulted in this finish? The colour of the patina is also still a little unconvincing in relation to what one would expect on a decent Edo period tsuba. Remember, in the Meiji period there were an awful lot of unemployed metalworkers around, not all of them sword related either. There are many tsuba like objects knocking around, that date from this time, some even very good examples of art metalwork. We face a similar situation today, not every piece of metal with a nakago-ana shaped hole in the middle is a tsuba. Another thing to wonder about is the fact that the tassles are copper that has been plated. At the time we assume this was made silver was'nt all that expensive so why resort to plating? This is often a giveaway as far as I'm concerned. You should carefully examine the Shishi too, to see if you can discern any wear, as it is also undoubtably plated. When I say plated in this context I am not refering to older methods of fire or mercury gilding but to modern electro-plating. I'm sorry to be so blunt but I genuinely think that it is in everyone's best interests to be aware of the varieties of "tsuba" that are on offer and what they really represent. In this field we should always remember that real beauty is more than skin deep. I hope my comments are recieved in the spirit they are offered and that they are of some use in helping to evaluate later pieces. regards, Ford

Hey Milt, I reckon he'd prefer "chef" Mike, you may be right, but then again he's rubbish at carving steel. :D Kjetilk, I'm always pleased to help clarify these technical matters, thanks for being receptive. We all have to learn from others on this path. regards all, Ford

Hi fellas, reading through the posts in this thread it seems to me that there are a few misconceptions regarding the nature of iron patinas. So, at the risk of sounding arrogant ( who? me? ) here are a few observations which I hope may clarify some issues. In the Japanese metalworking tradition iron sword fittings have always been finished with a basic rust patina. The object at it's time of manufacture would have had to have been functionally and aesthetically fit for use. Any further enhancement of the original patina, due to gentle handling etc is, naturally, an added bonus and much valued. We should note however, that this kind of "improvement" is a refining process on an already very expertly applied finish. The underlying material is also of the greatest importance here. Surface qualities, like tekkotsu for instance, have not developed over time, they were revealed by the maker and are a consequence of the distribution or concentration of the carbon in the steel. The idea that the patina on older tsuba has developed over time is a misunderstanding of the basic processes at work. The most commonly seen such "developmental" patinas are just very badly rusted surfaces, severe corrosion . There is no question that gentle handling over many years will add a special glow to a fine tsuba but it must have a sound and deep surface finish to begin with. The more elaborately carved iron or steel tsuba of the later Edo period rarely have the kind of depth of colour or wet glow that the finest of the earlier sukashi guards exhibit. It is debatable why this should be so but perhaps tastes changed, or the effort required to create the earlier finish was considered unnecessary on more elaborately worked metal. Would it be seen on all those scales? for instance. Would the clientele appreciate the subtleties of the older patina? By the Bakamatsu period we even see russet patinas, which are rather dry and somewhat coarse by comparison to the earlier tsuba of the late Momoyama and early Edo periods. The tsuba in question has in fact been completely stripped of all trace of patina, probably by the use of rust remover. The pewter-like colour is not unpleasant but the piece is now unfinished and vulnerable. If it was a non-ferrous piece I'd suggest Nara school, but as it's iron, I hesitate, Kinai might be a thought. In any case it ought to have a good, solid dark brown, almost black colour with a mid-range sort of gloss. In my opinion the finish on the tsuba John posted is a little suspect, (sorry John, just my feeling, based on the image.) and with regard to any kind of D.I.Y. quick fix, there are none that are going to deliver the results you should expect. It's a bit like making souffles. You can find the recipes anywhere, but it doesnt mean you can make one to satisfy Gordon Ramsey! :D regards, Ford

kando shita, honto ni arigato.

I should add, the tsuba is carved iron, with silver and gold inlay.The shell of the snail is of mother of pearl. the kashira and kozuka are of shibuichi, ao-kin, jun-kin, silver etc. The shitodome on the kashira are shakudo. All the alloys made by myself and all the manufacturing process are as per the originals. All the images are a lot bigger than the pieces themselves, obviously but I thought I'd make it easy on you all. :D cheers, Ford

Hi Pete, all, genuine Natsuo fittings do occasionally make it onto the market outside Japan, I've dealt with a few non-sword related items in the past too. But you are probably right regarding the more serious tsuba and other fittings. Some of the prices I've heard quoted are even more astronomical than you suggest though, Pete. I wonder, if I get some nice hako-gaki done I could pass these bits off as " being by the man"? All my own work, after Natsuo. The tsuba was made in'98, I think :? . The kashira was part of a daisho set I completed in '99 and the kozuka was added in 2005. Apologies if I don't post for a couple of days, I will be in transit as of this evening. regards, Ford

another thought, it may be that many kazu-uchi mono ( ie, arsenal swords carried by low level foot soldiers, ashi-garu.) frequently have habaki made of impure copper ( yama-gane) and this patinates naturally to a very dark brown. Perhaps this is how dark or black habaki are sometimes associated with inferior blades. Ford

I'm sure everyone knows the old custom of Koto blades having Gold ( foiled ) habaki, Shinto having silver and Shin-shinto having copper. They probably abandoned that convention as gendaito would then need to be something like lead! Never heard that Shakudo indicates a "bad" blade, perhaps just plain wicked! :D Shakudo costs more than silver as well, and why would anyone want to advertise ( at some cost too ) that fact that their sword is not a particularly good? Ford

Hi Steve, I'd suggest that if the blade has a flaw that is visible from both sides, indicating that it extends right through the blade, it's a beyond tired, it's absolutely knackered . You say that it is a very thin blade, it may be that it has simply had a lot of polishes in its existence and that the shin-gane it now peeping through. I don't think there is anything to be done about it really, polishing will most likely only reveal more of the same. Sorry Others may have a different take on it though. cheers, Ford