Barrie B

I was going to suggest the V&A as well. When I went (quite a while ago now) they had a great collection of Tsuba and Koshirae on display. Unfortunately the British museum had rotated their Nihonto collection out for Asian pottery in the Asian section - when I was in London.. Still worth a look though for the other items. Barrie.

Checkering file.. They are definitely the go.. did a bit or research last night and I will definitely be chasing one of those up.. Wish I had known about them before.. Thanks. Good luck with whichever way you go Alex.. Barrie.

Hi Barry, Thanks; I'll look it up.. I have tried using needle files, but even they are too big and I am not accurate enough. Just like making Habaki, they are best left to the professionals I feel, although I imagine seppa are not the dream commission these guys are seeking.. I wonder if seppa were are trade of their own or perhaps the junior/ apprentice kinko makers were making them to develop their skills.. A bit like basic fitting when I did my apprenticeship. Anyway, thanks for the tip. Barrie.

Aftermarket cast seppa (and shitodome) are absolutely awful.. Often very shinny and obviously fake as well as ill fitting. I have tried making seppa from both copper and brass sheet without true success.. That is to say, I can shape them ok and make them a good fit with both the nakago and the fuchi or koiguchi, but I cannot for the life of me master the very fine detail around the edges.. As for gold or silver foil; forget it.. Thats why old seppa are worth their weight in gold. Unfortunately, unscrupulous persons swap out good tsuba for bad ill fitting or loose ones and sometimes rob the seppa and shitodome as well for a few extra dollars… I heard it mentioned here before about the 'old drop tsuba'... Anyway, my advice is to commission one of the extremely talented tosogu artists to make some for you. That way they would fit properly and look professional - far better than any amateur made set. Perhaps someone is making these as a hobby and has mastered a rope or key fret finish..? That might be useful. Good luck.. Barrie.

Hi Steve.. Hawley lists 18 Seijo, of which seven have the same kanji used here. I'm not so concerned about which artist (probably gimei anyway); I was just trying to research the mei.. Thanks for your assistance, Barrie.

Hi all, I am having trouble with this Mei.. I think it it is Seijo, but might it be something else…? The Mei is close, but I don't see the same strokes as Hawleys depicts.. Am I reading this correctly? I had a look in Markus Sesko's Signatures of Sword Fitting Artists as well, without luck.. Thanks in advance.. Barrie.

hahaa… yes there are a lot of gorgeous fittings in this thread (and others). Would be nice to have some sort of NMB picture gallery or something to view it all more easily… Its a lot of data to store though, I know.. Barrie.

Hi all, This set tells the story of a recluse who never went to town for over 20 years. He loved studying and writing poems. He claimed that he considered plum trees as his wife and pet cranes his children.. (The Art Appreciation of Japanese Sword Fittings by Shigeo Fukushi pp103). The Fuchi & Kashira have very fine nanako.. Looks a bit harsh in the close up, but to the naked eye looks really fine and even. Barrie.

Hi Ken, I would go with the mounted one.. Especially if the condition of both is fairly much the same. It is always nice to see sekigane in tsuba and know that they were once worn and used as intended. There are many nice kinko 'presentation' tsuba, but the classic kiku-mon Saotome are not normally in that category. I too think they look fantastic and would go with the (previously) mounted one, I think. Just my two cents... Barrie.

Yes, me too.. very nice indeed; I like them a lot.. well done. Barrie.

Rich, I have bought mine from Namikawa's.. http://www.namikawa-ltd.com/product-list/20 There are others I am sure, but that is all I know. He sells low to high range to suit budget and need.. Barrie.

Gentlemen, My two cents here.. Having a perfect 3D blank would be good I suppose, but the blank would have to be perfect.. This would certainly give collectors better piece of mind. Most craftsmen would want the item though, to not only fit the profile of the Nakago ana properly, but to also match the height of the nakago with the blank and and the profile/shape of the seppa-dai; especially on sukashi Tsuba. The height of the nakago blank is important because it should not impede or hide any of the Tagane Ato. Too low and it might look silly; too high and shadows will form possibly hiding important kantei points. It must look aesthetically pleasing, otherwise why bother? All of this gives the look of a floating tsuba with only the nakago and seppa dai touching anything. Of course none of this matters if the owner does not request a fitted seppa dai and/ or nakago blank and the tsuba is simply inserted/ fitted into a box like kozuka are. A good accurate tsuba blank that matches the mimi profile and thickness may be all that is needed in this instance. Anyway, I have attached some photos of what I am talking about.. Barrie B. Perth, Australia.

Max, Really nice pieces.. You have done very well. Is that the Shibuchi Fuchi/ Kashira that Ford cleaned recently? Barrie.

Good work Bazza, Kabei Umetada. Haynes lists him on page 494 as H 02332.0 Worked in Edo ca. 1600-1650. Haynes states he is not listed in Wakayama and I have not checked other sources yet; I have to get to work. Hope this helps. Barrie B.

Very nice Justin.. Looks great. Barrie.

Here's my (gimei) Joi Tsuba.. I notice that most of these Joi Tsuba seem to made of Suaka..! Is that just coincidence..? Barrie.

PM sent re book No 2.. Thanks. Barrie.

Hi Stephen, Your Koshirae (Tsuka and Tsuba) looks really nice.. We have all have seen many Koshirae with (both) Hitsu ana open, so it will work… Just to reiterate what I was saying though, here are two of my Wakizashi Tsuba That have only Kozuka fitted (as is the standard for Wakizashi), but I personally would not bother fitting plugs to an antique Tsuba, simply because of the cost; I hate spend money.. LOL. Your koshirae will look great as it is… As Guido - and every one else - has stated, its your Koshirae.. We do this for 'us'.. no one else. Looking forward to seeing the finished product… Barrie.

Stephen, Does your Tsuba have kogai and kozuka ana..? Because that would dictate the Koshirae, to a certain extent… A would not only be cheaper, but traditional for Uchigatana; however, C always looks nice IMO.. But, as I said before, the tsuba would often be 'plugged' with A. An example provided.. http://www.aoijapan.com/uchi-katana-koshirae I haven't seen your Tsuka sorry, but some Fuchi are just not designed to accommodate a kogai because of the position and (raised) height of the design.. Anyway, good luck with it mate. Barrie.

Found this.. - for reference. http://www.seiyudo.com/tu-08071.htm Barrie.

Andi, Looks like reasonably good quality Tsunami maki (style) tsuka.. It is up to you of course, but I would be inclined to leave it as is.. If part of a koshirae, then I would have thought it would be fine. Just my (practical) two cents… Barrie.

Jesse, Do you mean holes in Tsuba - as in the Kogai and Kozuka ana..? because almost any soft metal is used, as previously said above… This tsuba has a gold plug in the kogai ana; however, almost any medium was used… Barrie.

Hi Ian, My Tsuba only has a house, crane and plum trees… Barrie.

I have too.. The meaning (hidden or otherwise) of motifs depicted on fittings is a fascinating subject for tosogu collectors… I recently learnt that the motif on one of my Tsuba's depicts the tale of a hermit (who did not go to town for twenty years) that considered the Plum blossoms his wife and the Cranes his children.. can't remember where I read this.. Barrie.

Well done Stephen.. After restoration it looks great and should look even nicer mounted on your Daito.. Barrie.