Ford Hallam

oh dear....

Thanks Tony, glad you enjoyed it. All the very best to Myra and your self too for a great new year. May even see us back in the UK by next xmas regards, fh

Mark, Jock thank you very much. It seems our collaborative effort has indeed added something to the understanding and appreciation of classical kinko work. This was what we hoped to be able to do. Thanks again to everyone for all your supportive and generous comments. All the very best for 2011, regards, Ford

Hi Paul, thank you for the kind compliments and your concerns As regards the fire gilding I wear a full face respirator with specialist Hg fume filters. In the film I also used a fume cupboard that drew the fumes out into a condenser so as to recycle the mercury. Murcury is certainly not something to be treated lightly. I generally don't recommend the use of this particular technique except for where it's particular effects are unobtainable by any other process or, as in this case, for the sake of historical accuracy. regards, fh

:lol: ...this is not my doing...I'm the victim in all this. I feel like a panda bear in a David Attenborough documentary....honest

You're very kind, Jean :D I guess we're a very privileged bunch then Peter, you bring up an interesting issue regarding the more basic techniques. This was something we wondered about when we we're initially thinking about how to present the process. Ultimately though it was never intended to be a instructional film but more of an overview. I'm committed to producing the seminal book on the techniques of this tradition and each chapter will be supplemented with a detailed bit of filming. Once that first volume is done I'm sure all your questions will be answered. Guido, Glad to hear you managed to get a copy smuggled into China, I'd forgotten YT was blocked there. I'll get on to Julian Assange and see if he can't leak it for me If you want to see more we've actually got 24 hours of footage... Actually the film as it's now available is only an edited version of what we ultimately hope to produce. We want to do some interviews in Japan with various authorities, artists and my teacher to provide some more context. The final film was envisaged as presenting a view into the tradition, my own work and the character and life of the subject, me. It's what they call a character film and would be for TV broadcast. thanks again all, fh

Gentlemen, I'm quite overwhelmed by this flood of remarkably kind and generous comments. As many of you know, especially those of you who have met me, I am very passionate about my work and the tradition out of which it has grown. That I've been allowed to record, in this way, a part of my journey and been able to provide a glimpse into this world of mine is for me a great privilege. I've been extremely fortunate to have in Bob such an adventurous supporter and in Brad an incredibly sensitive collaborator. I genuinely feel humbled by the reception this film has received. Thank you all again, for your generous words of support. regards, ford p.s. I'm assuming this feeling of humility will pass in a little while :?

Thanks Gents, it's nice to know your all getting something out of the film and enjoying it. regards, fh

Ian, Curran Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed it and that it provided a little glimpse into the world of kinko tsuba. regards, fh

Thanks everyone for the very generous compliments and comments of appreciation. I'm really pleased we've been able to add something of value to the understanding of how this art form is/was created. I would like to add that this whole project, the commission for the tsuba and the filming ( 24 hours of footage) was only made possible (and at great expense) thanks to the support and vision of Bob Morrison. Brad Schaffer, the film maker, was also something of a lucky break for me. We rapidly developed a very good rapport and working relationship that allowed me to completely trust his judgement on how we presented the project and most importantly, allowed me to feel relatively relaxed in front of the camera. I'll be sure to pass on your compliments on the filming. Going on the reception this film has received we may have a few more in the pipeline. You'll be first to know. Ian B. You're very kind with your praise....even if it might result in me looking like I'm about to swim the Channel thanks again everyone. regards, Ford

Apologies to all for the false start....talk about going off half cocked Anyway, thanks to te wonders of South African internet technology ( sarcasm enters the room ) The film is now back on-line. We've had to revert to the original 2 part format. You'll find part one .and part 2 . Thanks very much to everyone for your very kind compliments. It really is great to hear that all the "exposing" of what I do is appreciated. It helps to reassure me I'm not too much like one of those annoying kids who are constantly shouting "look at me!"

Youtube is driving me crazy!!! We uploaded the film in 2 parts to meet Youtube's requirements on file size. No sooner is it all live and we're informed that my account has been upgraded to allow for the full file to be loaded as a single file. This can only be done after the original separate files are deleted....which we dutifully do. Now the account has reverted to it's previous capability and we're told the new, single film is too long!ok...deep breath and I must go to Cape Town to collect the new files and start the upload from the start again. Normal service will hopefully be resumed sometime this evening. Central African time.

Thank you everyone for the fantastic response. I'm a bit rushed right now so will reply in more detail to your very kind comments as soon as possible. Ironically, as soon as the 2 separate files were uploaded my account was upgraded to allow me to load much larger files. This means we can provide the film as one single file. To do this we need to delete the first 2 though. The swap is underway and should be completed within the next 4 hours. Apologies for the inconvenience. I'll post an announcement and the new link as soon as it's ready. thanks again, regards, fh

Utsushi - the search for Katsuhira's tiger Some of you have already seen this short documentary film but I've just uploaded a High Definition version with Japanese subtitles onto YouTube. You'll find details about the film maker and links to alternative text translations of the audio in the description below the film screen. You'll find part one .and part 2 . You'll see the default quality setting on the play bar is usually 360p (on the right just below the screen). The film can be viewed in higher quality (up to 1080 High Definition ) by selecting a higher resolution setting. At the higher settings you can watch it in an expanded view to fill the screen. Please feel free to download the files for your own use. You'll need to use RealPlayer software to do this. It's available for free here. If you're interested you can read more about the project the film follows and how it came about here, on my blogsite. I hope you enjoy it. best regards, Ford Hallam

Hi Brian yes, it is a beautiful work and one can't fault the workmanship but I actually don't think it's by Joi either. I believe this is a much later work, in some respects more refined than the originals but it at least exhibits real artistry. Aesthetically speaking I think the example I showed is in fact more sophisticated than original Joi works. This is not to say it is (imo) better but merely informed by a different aesthetic. The most obvious give-aways for me is the relative size, ie; largeness, of the tsuba in relation to what would be the seppadai area and the very subtle surface graduation and rim formation. I think this is a very late Edo period or Meiji period work. I alluded to Unno Shomin (student of Hagia Katsuhira, Mito prov.) I see certain similarities. Another obvious possibility would by Ogawa Teikan, also from Mito. regards, ford

I think they're lotus drooping leaves, the stem outlined against the down turned body of the leaf.

Hi Chuck, your question points directly to the fact that there is actually no single monolithic thing that is Japanese aesthetics. There are many versions of expression in this tradition and culture. That displayed in Soten work is but one of them. I attempted to explore the broader topichere. You may find the discussion helpful in forming a more coherent understanding of the whole picture. regards, ford p.s. one Japanese word for wild geese is kari, this is also a homonym for temporary/impermanent. In poetry and literature they are representative of autumn, the parting of friends but there may also the suggestion that they will return.

Chuck, you don't make it clear in your post but do you now own these pieces? Not a bad haul if these are your first purchases. regards, Ford

Hi Chuck, Welcome to the forum. The affliction you may be developing is incurable but your fellow sufferers may be able to offer some advice on how best to manage the condition. :D In my opinion the first tsuba is a perfectly legitimate work, probably later part of the Edo Period (1600 ~ 1876 ...ish ) I see no reason to suggest that it is cast. It's appears to be in quite good condition and a fair example of it's type. The second tsuba is signed Chikuya Masaki. He worked both in Kyoto and Edo (modern day Tokyo) Mid Edo period so circa 1750 ish.... The workmanship is very tidy and the steel beautifully made. It's worth considering exactly what material of this sort of quality represents at the time it was made, from a technological point of view. The design is quite pleasing and not one I've seen before. A very nice tsuba and in great condition. regards, Ford

excellent post, Steve

Hi Mark, no, I've never made a sukashi tsuba by chiselling out the unwanted steel. Some early sukashi tsuba show some evidence that the inner walls were chiselled but this is by no means evident in all pre Edo period guards. I believe the idea that chiselling was the usual way sukashi guards were made is claimed because we don't have any solid evidence that piercing saws were in use. To be frank though I think it's not all that persuasive to claim one possibility merely because of the absence of evidence for another method. It may well be that both approaches were in use or were even used together. There is sufficient evidence to prove that piercing saws that were based on a wire thread and used an abrasive grit to cut/grind were is use by jade carvers at the time, certainly on the mainland. Personally I think it quite possible this saw piercing technique could have been adapted by tsuba-shi.

Gentlemen, far be it for me to try and curtail debate but at this point we can really only speculate. As I pointed out as yet there has been no scientific analysis of these guards to determine whether or not what we see in fact what we imagine. It could quite reasonably be the reverse of what is commonly thought, ie; that in reality the lumps are of purer iron and thus actually softer. The irregularities caused by processes other than the commonly imagined abrasion etc. fwiw. This is my own theory. Even the experimental work I'm engaged in will only yield some more possibilities to consider. It's only once we have a better understanding of the material and composition of specific old guards can we try and fit experimental findings together with analysis and observation and make well founded claims

Hi Bob It may be that some of this apparent wear was deliberate and dates from the time of manufacture. Of course, to date there exists no one bit of actual scientific analysis to validate these various speculations regarding the carbon content lumps in these tsuba. It is merely assumed that they are harder and therefore are prominent as a result of the softer areas having been worn away. In terms of oxidation and corrosion the higher carbon areas will be reduced more rapidly than purer iron, especially when subjected to high heat. This would beg the question, how were all the tekkotsu on the face of Kanayama guards rubbed into prominence and how do we explain the lumps where it's clear the tsuba didn't rub against the hakama. I'm sorry but this notion simply doesn't stand up to even superficial scrutiny. To allow that it may be a possibility requires far too many other aspects to be ignored as inconvenient. I've always been a bit hesitant to take the opinion of tsuba experts as gospel myself. One should always ask;" how do you know that?" In my experience of tsuba experts the view from their armchairs is somewhat limited. regards, ford

...and on occasion knickers do get in knots too.

The sort of wear you may be referring to I imagine, is generally seen on shakudo kozuka and other copper alloy fittings. For the purposes of comparison you can regard shakudo as being essentially much like pure copper. Consider these Typical Hardness Values: pure copper 35 mild steel 120 Hardened tool steel 650 ~ 700 It should also be pointed out that simple hardness alone is not the only factor to consider in relation to wear resistance. The micro structure of the alloy/metal is a very significant indicator.