kissakai

My mumei is: Tairyusai Munehiro (Sokan) With papers and sayagaki A wonderful katana

Must be my lucky day Two tsuba posts relevant to some of my tsuba This mine I looked in Legends in Japanese art (Joly) and on the internet and found nothing I can all the details from this post to my records Thanks

Hi Images can be a pain as my horse tsuba looks to have a poor patina but much better in hand I must take some better photographs) I feel sure Christian would not sell a dub on the NMB but even so if it was me I would still welcome comments on anything I posted In my opinion the NMB is still the safest way to buy Nihonto

I wondered about buying this tsuba as I bought the one below about a week ago and know nothing about it As some had mentioned the horse tsuba I have attached mine The patina is better than shown in the image

There is ALWAYS an excellent book by Markus Sesko

Hi Benjamin I would suggest buying the 'Sword of Japan' by J.W. Bott as it's cheap and has a lot of context for a beginner There are many good books but this is a good starter See if there are any Nihonto clubs in your area as they are always a wealth of knowledge I wouldn't rush into a polish just find out as much as you can then make a decision I like the sword and the 'cat scratched' habaki is a good sign

To me the script seems to have an uninterrupted flow and maybe sosho script I believe Marcus is the one to say if it is Japanese although he may not have the time to do a translation

Isn't the first posted image much better qualty and the two in the second post?

I don't think you are missing anything A work of Art it is not Price can only be due to rarity and I've not seen one before but do I want too?

Is this just a blank page that will be available in the future?

Land? As an area between to spaces

Hi Curran I hope it all works out for you in 2017 I have deliberated about adding this modern tsuba by Kevin Adams but it really stands out in my cabinet - I have a few higher class tosogu but this is still a favourite I have a few of Kevins tsuba and one of Marcus but I believe this is one of his very best He described is as such: A study of an Akasaka tsuba in Sasano's "Early Japanese Sword Guards". described as "four seasons", but perhaps is closer to the "Four Gentlemen" theme. The challenge with the original is that the plants are plum blossom/bamboo/maple/Iris, while the traditional Four Gentlemen theme is plum blossom/bamboo/chrysanthemum/Iris. I pushed the design a bit further than on the original as Akasaka work typically includes a bit of kebori carving to establish shapes and such, but deep sculptural carving isn't usually seen. The tsuba was shown in two separate shows. The first was my solo show "Stories in Steel", which was hung at a local gallery in Toronto. The second was a multi-disciplinary exhibit ("Solace") at another Toronto gallery. Grev

Are we chasing the dragon?

Hi I don't quite understand this: Each case has a hole in the lower part where the base of the tsuba fits. The pedestals must be made to measure. They can thus put as much tsuba as case on display. Even looking at the single picture of the case I still can understand it Once a tsuba is mounted in the case does it mean it can not be replaced with another tsuba In this case I'd better sign as a dummy

Hi You say it is modular so how does this work and how are the tsuba held in place? I will alway push for the Birmingham museum to display some of there tsuba so I can forward to them any ideas

Not my field but when I bought my katana from James NMB I specified an ubu blade - a beautiful acquisition It was because I wanted to see the blade as the maker intended One of the recomendations from the board is to view the whole blade to see if the proportions are pleasing to the eye So I would suggest the nakago suites the blade so differing types have different nakago lengths - it just looks right

Hi Barry The only full set of kanji was from the meikan index I copped all the kanji and counted how often they occured So the kanji that occured most often was: 光 at 77.8% So this kanji occurred in approximately 3/4 of every mei This is a guide only but for a beginner they can start learning the most common kanji Not sure what you mean by this: Is there an easy way to get the translation/romanji of that kanji? But if you mean 光 then this = mitsu along with other names If you copy any kanji and paste it into the 'find' option Then open the 'mei full' worksheet and press find it will show all the translation for this kanji Cut and find are the most useful tools within this spreadsheet Please get back to me if this is unclear Grev

Joint me final spreadsheet In my earlier spreadsheet created from the Haynes index although very useful have some drawbacks Using the Haynes Index, Wakayama (3 volumes) and Keiko Meikan I have created a new spreadsheet called ‘Joint me final‘ There are six worksheets as described below Mei Full All the makers names from the Haynes Index, Wakayama (3 volumes) and Keiko Meikan Kanji count – For those that count the strokes used for each kanji Kanji count print – All the kanji used in the three reference books that can be printed on one page Brum mei all – All the signed tsuba in the Birmingham Museum Mei probability – How often a kanji appears in a signature / Handy as the most used kanji can be learnt first Sample Cards – A idea how a simple card system can be created My earlier Haynes spreadsheet Haynes Index – All the kanji used in the index Haynes crib sheet – Explanation on using this spreadsheet On’yomi & Kun’yomi – The main index has been split into two worksheets. These are described in the crib sheet Basic radical used – For those that use radical when looking at component parts of a kanji No asci – Some radical do not have a ascii code so the image of the radical is shown Details – This was the information sent to Mr Haynes due to the kanji stoke differential and the Jisho web page I used as a reference The original Haynes Index was put on the NMB and any member wanting a copy paid $10usd To save Brian’s time PM me if you would like a copy and it would be nice to make a voluntary $10 donation to the NMB ​Screen shot of first worksheet

Hello 'Canada' I have bought many tsuba over the last few years and have asked this question before but not on the NMB I have been content with the advice on the NMB about my tsuba so I've never worried about submitting a tsuba for papers This changed a few weeks ago when I had a Yamakichibei tsuba but when I asked the 'experts' it was a split decision on its authenticity That meant (to me) it was worth putting it forward to be papered I know the papers will tell me very little but I'll know if it is thought to be a copy Paul Martin is the man to contact if you want it papered Why don't you add the link on this post? Aoi are 100% trustworthy and they will give you their opinion which is usually spot on

Hi A couple of my tsuba A late tsuba but who on earth would but this on a sword? Not a very rare shape and I've seen the temple bell shape within a rim. I have seen this design before but no idea where so any links would be appreciated One of my nicest tsuba but the images do no do it justice (memo to me: I must take better pictures) Funnily enough I've only just asked a dealer to let me know if he finds any unusually shaped tsuba

Jealous as I don't have a nerikawa example I do have a nice lacquer tsuba but that was from the NMB

Some very nice examples It does go to show it is possible to bag a bargin from eBay The cauctionary side is (bearing in mind how many NMB members there are) these 'bargains' are few and far between I like many others have sought advice prior to buying from eBay etc and this has saved many members from an embarrassing buy Swords are usually expensive so always it's worth asking before buying but even before this check the NMB for sale section especially the additional comments I thought about adding a new post 'my worse eBay purchase' but it may overload the NMB message board!

Any other offererings?

Thanks Steve That is one step forward

Hi I recently bought these two tsuba from the NMB for sale section and I like both of them. As usual I’d like to find out a bit more about them Ignore the colour as I've enhanced the images to try to make the mei clearer Ex Skip Holbrook collection and was described as Kyo Shoami but feels more like Ko Shoami to me An unusually shaped kogai ana The mei is difficult to read so this is my best guess Shōami - 正阿弥 - Shigetoshi - 重利 Dated around 1580 ------------- This one was described as Tosho style so I take this as an Edo revival tsuba Again another difficult one to read so again my best guess Shigetsugu - 重次 if I’m correct it may be Haynes #: H08521.0 – 1675 or H08522.0 – 1725