ROKUJURO

As it was mentioned, a little KÔGO:

Ken, I once saw a six-lobed TSUBA being called ROKUMOKKO, so this was just a guess.

MITSUMOKKO?

Pete, John describes a quenching process with clay, which lead me to believe that YAKIIRE was meant. Steve, in the past, the so called YAKITE SHITATE process was interpreted by non-metallurgists. Metals indeed 'perform' in a predictable way, and you cannot have a glossy surface looking like molten ice with acid or heat (or both together). I am working on this subject as well as on TEKKOTSU for a while now and will publish the results as soon as I am finished.

John, no doubt that this is a beautiful TSUBA which I would be happy to own! If it really was a KANAYAMA, it would count among the rare bigger ones - many are just around 70 mm! Referring to your extensive text, there are some questions remaining. Firstly, what makes you believe that TSUBA are hardened (YAKIIRE, not yakire) the same way as blades? I don't know any evidence to support that theory. Second: Why do you think TEKKOTSU could be martensite steel like NIE? I know that this is an assumption you can read in many texts about TSUBA, but this is only a belief and is not supported by any reliable tests. Last remark: it is NAKAGO, not nagako.

Henry, thank you! Very probably SHUZAN! There is another one in my small collection from HAGI, but I can't read the MEI. If you want to give it another try? I would appreciate it!

A SHINO GUINOMI. Signature is not fully identified, second KANJI is YAMA/ZAN

I think that mist is mostly depicted as horizontal slits, and not necessarily as pairs.

Luis, try to look under Zénon van Damme.

Elaborate and fascinating little sculptures, but nothing I would like to drink from!

Alex, a good SUKASHI TSUBA is a lot of work, while forging a TÔSHÔ plate is relatively easy, even when you forge it down to plausible dimensions. A SUKASHI TSUBA presents a lot of possibilities for the identificatioin of the tools and work used for its manufacture, so a copy is more easily detected.. Think also of TEKKOTSU which is still a secret not only to most forgers, but also to collectors. Patination is more a question of knowledge and patience than of hard work.

Brian, the 'pitting' is probably caused by the fog in his room....

Christian, I have the impression that your TSUBA are in fact genuine ones, but lost their patination due to sandblasting or acid treatment or accidental salt-water exposition.

ISHIGURO school MASATSUNE and others like KOREYOSHI.

Cycas revoluta (Sotetsu [Japanese ソテツ], sago palm, king sago, sago cycad, Japanese sago palm), is a species of gymnosperm in the family Cycadaceae, native to southern Japan including the Ryukyu Islands. It is one of several species used for the production of sago, as well as an ornamental plant.

Blackandamber, it looks like a military sword. More could be said if you remove the handle. Push out the bamboo peg and pull the handle off. Take care not to touch the blade with your bare fingers. Read here on NMB about preservation, care and etiquette of Japanese swords. And please sign all posts with your first name plus an initial.

Thank you, Ray! Most appreciated!

Stephen, that is a very kind offer from you, but too much hassle and probably more expensive. How could I contact Kelly S. or Dave T., please? Are they agents?

How could I buy this one: http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/h303365512 Any help is appreciated!

Pete, thank you for bringing this up! Very interesting!

Deloin, vu de près, it is a TACHI TSUBA, depicting a HOO bird. Please sign all posts with a full first name and an initial.

Jean, 'ma république'!

Stephen, that is just marvelous, but it may be difficult to work it into a TSUBA! Seriously, is that pottery and not cast iron? Astounding! If it were iron, I would just brush it to remove the red rust. As pottery, leave it as it is. But I bet it is iron!

Yes, Stephen, that was the only one. I had two or three in hand long ago, but no photos left - that was before the digital era struck me....

Stephen, you mean KAESHI-ZUNO? No, it is not that one, but probably a decoration piece for the lower part of the WAKIZASHI SAYA. You see that sometimes on more ornate KOSHIRAE.