MauroP

Signature, kaō and workmanship seem all compatible with a true Teruhide tsuba. I'm more doubtful about the other pieces

This one deserved a hakogaky by Satō Kanzan sensei: 鬼鍾馗透鐔 ＊ oni Shōki sukashi tsuba 丸形 山銅地 ＊ maru-gata yamagane-ji 鋳金 銘 房吉作 ＊ chūkin mei Fusayoshi saku 昭和辛亥冬 ＊ Shōwa kanoto-i fuyu [1971, winter 寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō)

They are all "real ones" from Edo (sometimes pre-Edo) period, just mass produced for lower class customers (bushi and commoner as well).

Surely a cast tsuba, but possibly a legitimate one. Edo kagamishi can get a NBTHK paper.

I don't think this can disproof the genuinity of the sayagaki.

At that time, the Chinese were not communists, and the Japanese were not chauvinists....

Nice ko-kinkō tsuba, possibly shakudō-nanako-ji, with tsuyu-zōgan iroe. Here a similar example:

Thank you so much, Moriyama san. If even you have to make a guess, I feel less shy about my limited skills.

HGK4 宗典製 ＊ Sōten sei 八重菊透鐔 ＊ yaegiku sukashi tsuba 丸形 鉄地 影透 ＊ maru-gata tetsu-ji kage-sukashi 金象嵌 銘曰 ＊ kin-zogan mei iwa 藻柄子宗典製 ＊ Sōheishi Sōten sei 蓋★★之一也 ＊ ??? no ichi nari 昭和辛亥春 ＊ Showa kanoto-i haru [1971, spring] 寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō) Here, two kanji (or perhaps three) completely escape my understanding. They are part of an appreciative expression, so the meaning cannot easily be inferred from the tsuba itself. Thank you for reading.

Gotō Mitsumasa (kaō)

Many interesting pieces here and none, as far I can see, is rubbish (which is a notable in a collection)...

Really strange, possibly a true Japanese gunto "pimped" by deep etching?

I have seen this texture pattern described in NBTHK papers as 阿弥陀石目地 - amida-ishime-ji, 花弁阿弥陀鑢地 - kaben-amida-yasuri-ji, 変り阿弥陀鑢地 - kawari-amida-yasuri-ji or 日足縮緬地 - hiashi-chirimen-ji.

Thank you, Moriyama and Piers. I’m afraid I may trouble you with a few more questions later.

Nice tsuba. The kawari-ishime-ji gives it an unusual look; otherwise, it’s quite an obvious Heianjō-zōgan piece.

HGK3 伝 太刀帥 ＊ den tachishi 立田川図 鐔 ＊ Tatsutagawa zu tsuba 竪丸形 赤銅波地 ＊ tatemaru-gata shakudō-nami-ji 金色絵 無銘 ＊ kin-iroe mumei 太刀金具師作か ＊ tachi-kanagushi saku ka 出来見事也 ＊ dekī migoto nari 昭和己酉夏 ＊ Shōwa tsuchinoto-tori natsu [1969, summer] 寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō) Here I would simply like confirmation of the kana sign か. As far as I understand, this particle turns the statement into an interrogative or dubitative one, which would accord with the tentative nature of the “den” attribution. Thank you.

Hi, I phoned Czerny’s, and they explained that shipping antique items abroad from Italy requires permission from the Ministry of Culture, regardless of whether the destination is inside or outside the European Community. So don’t worry, it’s just the Italian bureaucracy...

Thank you, Moriyama san. At least one branch of the Ōtani family used a kamon featuring a descending wisteria design, although it differs from the more common wisteria kamon. from: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/大谷家

the vast majority of Japanese art and imagery... is closer to describe the reality.

HGK2 古正阿弥作 ＊ ko-Shōami saku 大呑家々紋透鐔 ＊ ??? mon sukashi 丸形 鉄地 影透 ＊ maru-gata tetsu-ji kage 無銘 古正阿弥 ＊ mumei ko-Shōami 有古色 ＊ ari koshoku 昭和丁未年夏日 ＊ Shōwa hinoto-hitsuji-nen kajitsu 寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu Here I'm dubious about what is written in the description of the tsuba, so maybe the hakogaki could eventually refers to another tsuba. Thank you for any suggestion.

Thank you, Moriyama. I consider yours the final word on the matter. I'm planning to add an explanatory note at the end of the document.

Thank you again, Steve, for your efforts in interpreting this hakogaki. It is possible that we will never know for certain. Perhaps Satō-sensei was not aware at the time of the meaning of the kanji on the tsuba, and simply recorded them one by one, following a clockwise arrangement as in scheme A in the image below. The correct reading follows scheme B, which is by no means a common way to read an ancient Japanese text, as far as know. This interpretation was possibly suggested by Itō Mitsuru in his 2025 book "Nobuie". On the other hand, an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper for the same tsuba describes it as 龍に忠則命尽文字図鐔, thus suggesting scheme C (尽 is listed as a variant of 盡). Therefore, I suppose I must accept a certain degree of uncertainty in my transcription.

Thank you, Steve, your help is invaluable. I’m familiar with the meaning of 忠則盡命, and I suppose it can be rendered in rōmaji as chū-soku jinmei. However, when it is written as it appears in the hakogaki (盡忠則命), does it retain the same reading and meaning?

Dear NMB members, I’m back once again to ask for your kind help! I’m trying to fill in a few missing kanji and improve the romaji transcription of tsuba hakogaki by Satō Kanzan. The updated document (draft no. 3) is available here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gkfcfqc6gs14invoeg6hn/KanzanHakogaki.pdf?rlkey=5i89f80fkbbf60x67f1lloa2k&st=j7yud1nq&dl=0 Here are the points that still need attention (I'm posting the relevant hakogaki one by one): HGK1 三信家 鐔 ＊ San-Nobuie tsuba 盡忠則命 ＊??? 木瓜形 鉄地 毛彫 ＊ mokkō-gata tetsu-ji kebori 銘 三信家 ＊ mei San Nobuie 美同銘★ 無出共右者 ＊ ??? ??? 珍重 伊達家伝来之一 ＊ chinchō Date-ke denrai no itotsu 昭和甲辰夏日 ＊ Shōwa kinoe-tatsu kajitsu [1964, a summer day] 寒山 ＊ Kanzan Question 1: how should I transcribe the description of subject (盡忠則命)? Question 2: little idea about correct kanji and meaning of the 3rd column from the inside writing of the box. Thank you for any suggestion.

Dear Alexander, I finally had the opportunity to review your project: very interesting and exceptionally well done. It offers a historical perspective that is not often appreciated by modern collectors. I especially valued the inclusion of relevant bibliography for each chapter. Thank you for your effort.