Marius

You might want to read this: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/utsuri.html

Pete, I could not agree more

For iron tsuba: Artistic talent (design, composition): Kaneie, Nobuie, Yamakichibei Quality of workmanship and material: Nobuie, Yamakichibei, Kaneie, Kanayma, Owari sukashi, some ko-Shoami, some ko-tosho and some ko-katchushi Now, this is all very subjective and many more names can be added. Also many of the "schools" are just constructs (kagamishi, ko-tosho, ko-katchushi, etc). I think we shouldn't use the term "koto" for tsuba - it is not a period, just the name of swords produced roughly before the end of the 16th c. Pre-Edo would be a better designation.

Late, low quality copy. Or is it a even copy at all? I would say it is just a bland tsuba with a fake signature. An interesting article on Kaneie: http://www.shibuiswords.com/one-way-of-looking.htm

Tsuba is a cast copy, sorry.

Sorry, no idea.

Not cast. An ordinary honest iron tsuba.

Just look at the waves and the cranes.

Sorry, but it is obvious that this is cast. The carving lacks detail, the surface is porous.

@Pete You are right. This tsuba has been screwed Actually, more like...

One more great site, by Elliot Long and Bob Haynes: http://www.shibuiswords.com

Enrico, Great attitude! I am sure you will be very successful once you decide to collect.

Enrico, you may want to start here: http://home.earthlink.net/~jggilbert/tsuba.htm Then, buy some books. Start with Torigoye/Haynes "Tsuba. An Aesthetic Study". The very essence of tsuba. Grey will get you a copy of this and any other book: http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b202-tsuba-aesthetic-study Your next book (very comprehensive) could be Torigoye's Tsuba Kanshoki: http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b823-tsuba-kanshoki-torigoye-1975# Better spend $400 on this excellent book than on a few crappy tsuba that you will soon regret having bought I also warmly recommend Sasano's "golden book", but that is my personal bias. A review here: http://gomabashi.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-book-will-change-way-you-think.html A good list of books to choose from compiled by Jim Gilbert: http://home.earthlink.net/~jggilbert/reading.htm Hope that helps

Hi, yes, this looks like tekkotsu. Some info here: http://www.shibuiswords.com/early%20iron%20sukashi%20tsuba.htm Is it Owari? Possibly. However, the awkward composition makes me think 19th century revival work (made to look like older and highly valued Owari). Very hard to say, also because the tsuba has lost its patina. The holes in the seppa dai look like this tsuba was nailed to something (furniture?) as decoration.

Oh dear, I haven't looked at the first picture with the description.

Rich is absolutely right. One has also to consider that Japanese fittings have symbolic meaning and often refer to legends, tales, poems, etc. I have an aikuchi koshirae that has a menuki of moon and sun and the kanji for jin (man) on the saya and it refers to a Chinese poem about the transient nature of life. When you have a cuckoo, the moon will be a matching motif, plovers will go together with waves, where there is a pine needle, expect plum blossoms and bamboo, etc, etc. I recommend reading "Legend in Japanese Art": https://archive.org/details/legendinjapanese00jolyuoft

Attributed to Etchu Norishige, but it is an Uda tanto

Cast fake.

ko-kinko kamoshika menuki. Charming (IMHO)

Looks like late Edo/Bakumatsu revival tsuba. Still, if it were. it would a nice example of how revival stuff differed from the original. Nice in any case.

I guess Darcy's picture is appropriate as a comment.

Well done, Grev

James, Thank you Of course you are right. I should have looked at the nakago-jiri. This must be a tanto by: MITSUHIRO (光広), Eishō (永正, 1504-1521), Kaga. A few pics attached.

Thank you, gentlemen If we settle on Matsuhiro and accept the signature as genuine, according to Markus's excellent Index this could be the Kozori smith working in the Nambokucho period. I will post some pics later on if you are interested. Again, you guys rock!

John, yes, this is what I meant. But I think we can disagree with the torokusho. Thanks