Bungo

with the pic it makes more sense.....now I know it's not 2 layer but rather double ( like concentric circle )sukinokoshi mimi . the pattern means basket weave............etc. etc, I can see Bushu features overall EXCEPT the cloisonne which I am not aware Bushu tsuba does that kind of thingie........... May be the " other " dentist will be interested in butterflies as I have my eyes set on a Hawk painting that could cost me some big $................ now on to the last paper ( I'll leave the middle paper for others to tackle and have fun )........... basically if you post the actual tsuba pic, it's self explanatory. The only thing they tell you that's worth anything is the school attribution( Otsuki ), the rest is all description of the item itself which you know it's a theme of deer . shape of the tsuba is nagegaku ( like a oblong square ), material is copper ( suaka ? ), polished ground, takabori ( with gold gild ? ),kaku mimi with little meat ( which means thin ? ) milt the ronin

first paper.............. from the right mumei Bushu moko shape, then something about wire net (cloissone ) forming some sort of pattern, zogan iro-e ( with various color metals inlaid with undercut to surface).sukinokoshi mimi ( 2 layers ? ) two hole thingies ( kogai hitsu, kozuka hitsu ) middle top is the description of the tsuba design, wire (cloissone) butterfly that's basically about it........... would make more sense if you post the actual pic of that tsuba milt the ronin

this is the first time I see a kozuka case.............. http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Dragon-KOZU ... dZViewItem milt the ronin

I love the Ronin gallery................ as a print collector, they really make me feel rich. milt the ronin

kapitan, get the kinko meikan ( the new edition with mei samples ), also the haynes catalogs, various famous collections sales catalogs from Sotheby's/Christie's and you are good to play ............... p.s. 12 bucks for a Goto .......very good deal even if it pinkies at shinsa. milt the ronin

obviously you did more than just steering the bloody ship watch out for that iceberg !!! :D milt the ronin

Milt ==> Be nice..... I didn't do nothin' milt the ronin

" a billionaire’s mega yacht"................. you are that billionaire ? you lucky sea dog you.......... :D milt the ronin

so what school you guys think this is ? note the sun rays and the " rolled " rim milt the ronin

have you guys notice how the digital camera " changed " the appearance of the nanako ground ? The close up is " true " while the pic of the whole koz shows " distortion "................ must be the same effect of wearing strips on TV. p.s. a blatant attempt to push for the 10th lap. milt the record breaking ronin

" what school and age is this Tsuba (you added on 21.01.) attributed to?" the book didn't say the era, only Kyo-sukashi. I think I got that pic from one of the Shibata 100 tsuba books................. milt the ronin

Kapitan, Is that your " boss " with the sticks ? milt the ronin

the kozuka ............... note the pattern on the curtain. There's quite a bit of details when zoomed in. milt the ronin

slowly but surely the patina is taking.............. no, I didn't use " plum brown " and/or Indian ink/black shoe polish............ now it's out on the balcony for some auto fume/air pollution to finish the job !! milt the ronin

can't make it to tampa next month, Quang, that's why I am selling the stuffs I intend to bring over there now on my e-snips site. milt the ronin

just my opinion........... I think size was not altered. I based this on the " tiny " bumps around the edge...........looks like hammer works . Any iron bones on the mimi ? When in doubt.................. it's a Shoami. milt the ronin

not cast but acid dipped.................. still working on it, patina slowly coming back. milt the ronin

seems like they are having shinsa once a year in different cities............. closest one to you this year is the Chicago show in April. http://www.midwesttokenkai.com/show/Welcome.html while there, you can drop some serious $ on my table ............. if you can't wait till April........... then check my e-snipes for sale folder http://www.esnips.com/web/sujikabuto-forsale milt the ronin

why not have it shinsa first before making the 3000 UNITED STATES DOLLARS decision. ? There's the NTHK ( Yoshikawa )oversea shinsa coming up in April in Chicago.............. to have a " fair and balanced " view ( aka Cable Fox news ), then there's the NTHK ( NPO ) oversea shinsa in Minneapolis in June ........... milt the ronin

Quang, for a guy that deals in cash business, you are a very brave man calling the IRS............enough said. milt the ronin

Kuwabara Sokei? (桑原双蛙; unsure about the reading) that double frog thingie is attributed to Torigoe ( spelling ? you know who i mean ), I think........... look up haynes catalogs. milt the ronin

" At least if one is made your receipt of payment can be sent to your gov agency and you get the money back, hassle though. You have this too I expect, don't you? John " one would rather not contact any government agency........esp. the IRS !! milt

John, The point is the package is supposed to be " tax exempt " to begin with , so who asked or need the custom broker's service ? The private carrier just lump everything and pass the bill onto the recipient just so they can claim on time delivery. milt the ronin

" there is usually an invoice from the customs broker. At this time you can send your documentation by fax to them and they will get the fees adjusted with customs. This will cause a slight delay " My experience with antiques from Canada using the " private carriers " ( eg. fed ex, UPS ) is that they will nail you for the custom broker's fee just to meet their slogan " it's next day or it's on us "............... the triplicate declaration can say over 100 ( or 1000 , whatever )years old......... make no difference. Pay the broker's fee or no package. Good luck trying to get the $ back from that custom broker so If I buy anything from Canada, i insist on the post office, if customs want to take a look see, so be it !!

you didn't miss anything.................. the bouncer keeps asking for password and if you klick on who made it in the klub, your name will appear but you can't order any drinks ( read......... chat ) could have save the cab fare !! milt the ronin