Marius

I am shocked and very very sad

TokuHo? Excellent school? Late Kamakura/Nambokucho? For $5,000? Cheap!

Nagaye + maki. Wrapped nagaye. I think that's where the term nagamaki comes from. A type of koshirae for naginata. OTOH, I might be just inventing something

Copy, IMHO.

Gee, people. Just look at the workmanship. Sorry, that is not me, that's my evil twin. I am trolling today. Brian! A whip! A whip!

Probably not cast. Just bland. And the colour is horrible, at least in your pics. Has someone used a felt pen to mask thinning "patina"? Not Owari. Please! Buy this book before you say anything like that: http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b556-early-Japanese-sword-guards-sukashi-tsuba-sasano

Saga seems like a pretty good call. As said, nice little tsuba.

Sorry to disappoint, but unfortunately it is a later copy. You might want to look at some real Kaneie, at least in book. Yours is a nice tsuba in its own right, but a far cry from the real McCoy. Book: http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b689-yamashiro-kuni-fushimi-ju-kaneiye-tsuba

Very valuable material, thank you, Peter

That's what you get from repeated polish

I did it again! I haven't looked up the NMB! Thanks, John

Good advice, Barry! Thank you

A bit like a spring, but I believe it is made of rather soft iron.

Gents, I have just bought a rather interesting item - a kanamuchi (iron whip) shaped like a bamboo. I am looking for some information about it, as I found just scattered factoids on the net and these are not enough. Pics attached

No.

Offering seems the only answer. After all, some nodachi are impossible to use (way too heavy to handle) and their koshirae are so massive as if designed for giants.

Justr to inform all that the tsuba has SOLD. I guess the new owner might want to discuss it here. He has my permission to use my pictures as he sees fit.

HOLD

Definitely one of the fattest tsuba ever This baby is really big and fat. 9.4 x 9.3 x 0.9 cm at mimi. It is heavy, too with its 1.03 lbs (or 0.47 kg) Slighly dished, remnants of black laquer and delicate punchings on the surface. Don't ask me how it was used. I don't know if that's a katana or a tachi tsuba. One thing is sure - it was not mounted on a gunto A rare tsuba, a cornerstone of a collection and a great conversation starter. I wonder what the NBTHK would say? Probabaly... "Tetsu tsuba" In two pics you will see it next to a normal sized katana tsuba. $495 incl. shipping, PP/bank fees inclusive. This is a "one in a lifetime" tsuba. Ichi-go ichi-e if you will

http://Japanese-antiques.com The site seems pretty outdated...

I awyas see things I know, this has been shown before, but, heck, it is fun

Hm... ?

Nagayama's book is a steal. The price of the KTK catalogues is also very good

The tip of the kissaki is broken. It definitely needs re-shaping.

I'd say, if the sword bore any resemblance to the Sengo school, the sayagaki would say "Muramasa". Of course this is just a very childish argument against Sengo. The photos are really so low quality (forgive my bluntness, Julian) that any kind of guessing is... just what it is - guessing.