ROKUJURO

I liked that one:

This thread should be in the TOSOGU section I think.

Simon, probably not, but not often seen and so possibly interesting for some collectors.

Ryan, it is certainly not bronze, but as I suspected, a soft copper alloy. As sheet metal, it was easy to work with. The decoration was either made in a press-mold or with UCHI DASHI technique. Whatsoever, an interesting item!

Rob, nothing you could do but praying that the corrosion has come to a stop. Thinking of your old car: How do you remove rust? By spraying with clear varnish? No, you take your angle-grinder and scrub it off before starting any preservation measures of the bare metal! Would you like to do the same with you TOSOGU? I hope not....

As you will see often with iron TOSOGU, they are exposed to the touch of bare hands. The base metal corrodes heavily, and silver, gold, and the soft metals remain (or fall off one day). This cannot be restored, I am afraid.

Smith is YOSHI X (KATSU ?). In this case, the lighting in the image and the way the MEI is chiselled do not go together well.

Lou, you may offer them here as well.

Rob, I am not an expert on these, and I am only looking at images, but considering the patina of what is now the NAKAGO, and the shape, I think it might be KOTO indeed. But in this condition (in addition to the damaged edge, it has been ground/sandpapered, and I don't see the HAMON in the KISSAKI) the age does not play a role in hindsight to value (if you are thinking of that). As you can see yourself, the TOSOGU have seen better days and are gone now.

No, I don't think the holes were for the chopsticks after three individuals have finished their meal, eating from one bowl. When comparing this to a MOKKO GATA TSUBA with INOME in the "corners", I think the holes could well have been simply decorative and not functional.

That was a good and impressive old one, I believe! But it is too romantic to see the chips and nicks as battle damage. Usually, this was done when uneducated people (= read GAIJIN) "played" SAMURAI battle with it! I hope you can have it restored properly!

All good things come together!

Is it magnetic? In the pictures, it looks like copper, so probably not armour, but decoration.

Who would deliberately spoil a nice wall with such a bad imitation? Michael, if you compare to an original, you will find no detail looking remotely Japanese or authentic. The handle wrap was made in a wrong technique (it was easy to remove, wasn't it?), the SAME strip is much too narrow. The HABAKI is just thin sheet-metal, the blade is possibly "iron damascus". The "TSUBA" is a cast mess and not remotely close to authentic ones. Weapons like this are probably produced in India, Bangladesh, or Pakistan in thousands. If the loss of $ 100 do not hurt you, I would like to suggest you buy some good books on Japanese swords. This would give you an idea about the real stuff, and help you buying the next (hopefully authentic) sword!

In the video, it looks as if they have strung the bows on the wrong side and in addition to that, positioned them upside-down.

Are fish merchants known to have carried SUN NOBI TANTO?

I also like that set, but I have no absolute comparison scale for the quality. There is always something better in this world, but this one is in good condition what would matter for me.

Some good photos Peter, but it still remains a tough one! What about 関 永 ? Did a smith exist named MORINAGA? I have no books on swords, unfortunately.

.....I’ve had them in storage for over 20 years and just now pulling them out.... Hi Greg, if you put them back in storage for anther 500 years, they will possibly gain some value!

Richard, you need to focuse clearly, use a dark background for better contrast, and show the TANTO as cut-out so not much of the background is to be seen. Look at the results yourself. This also saves some data volume. You can try to push the HABAKI back with a piece of wood; don't use a metal tool to prevent damaging it. Do you see HAMON or HADA at all? MUROMACHI is not exciting per se, quality and condition is what counts!

If possible, change the title to "New TSUBA by Funada Ikkin"

Richard, welcome to the NMB forum! On the NAKAGO, KANE is quite clear, 義 (Yoshi) is a possibility but the photo is not clear enough. Also, there seems to be slag on the NAKAGO which could be an indication of it having been in a fire. When you make new photos, please take the HABAKI (not Hibaki) off and use a dark, non-reflecting background for better contrast.

Gerry, the confirmation certificate you need for the possession and trade of ivory is not from City, Citizen, or Cities - it is CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). And MEIJI era is not "very old" or "old" in the context of Japanese history, culture and arts, it is recent. You may get information and help from Deutsches Elfenbeinmuseum (https://www.erbach.de/tourismus-freizeit/ausflugsziele/deutsches-elfenbeinmuseum/ )

Melting temperature of iron is 1.538°C, cast iron can be melted as low as 1.150°C.

Tori, that is a very nice TSUBA, and even if not authentic by SHOZUI, it still is a valuable item on the market. Authenticated examples are very expensive! It is absolutely not sure that your grandfather knew about it being possibly not genuine! Would you mind showing us both TSUBA? (no plural "s" added!)