Marius

"Retrofitted" Akasaka, with gold inlay done by a clumsy shop apprentice with the aim of making the tsuba attractive to gaijin "tourists"? Do I see senkotsu in the rim?

And on the kozuka we have Fukurokuju.

Pat, you do not intend to buy that tsuba, do you?

The tsuba looks like a Meiji shiiremono, a mass produced piece, in other words. As for the kanji - here is a great resource from the JSSUS, which will help you the read them: http://www.jssus.org/nkp/index.html BTW, are the kanji really so bad that they look like they have been stamped, or is it just just your out of focus photograph?

I have both bought from Ed as well as sold through him. Always a superb experience. Thanks ED

Definitely not shinae.

You are a gentleman and a diplomat, sir :D

Paul, I am not a smith, so I have to refer to opinions of people with practice. The smith of the Kashima sisters shop mentions these as tempering cracks. Again, here is the link: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/flaws.html Please go to "Cracks in hamon (yaki-ware)" I guess he knows what he is talking about, but of course I might be wrong

Hans, a crack is rather thin and visible in close-ups.

Hans, Here is the crack. It is pretty bad, not a delamination, but a tempering crack. Picture #11. You can read about such cracks here (under yaki-ware): http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/flaws.html

Grev, I am sorry to say this, but the only item here that is of quality is the habaki. I do not say there is no history in these items, even though they look like Chinese stuff, I only say they are... what can I say? Nothing exciting? The carving on the fuchi... just look at that...

Looks very Mino to me. At least as far as the hamon is concerned.

Retempered "Satsuma-age" or an oddball experiment with a new shape. I vote for the former. Any clues for retempering? Like dry nakago patina?

The motif is Minamoto no Nakakuni and Kogo no Tsubone. The courtier playing his flute and the lady her koto.

It is rather a "satsuma-age" tanto, I am sure there is no hamon in the mune, although someone has done a hazuya job on it. Fr this type of modification of a blade, see the bottom of this page: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/suriage.html

Great for taking pics of hagire Pic is out of focus as it was shot freehand. But the hagire is quite visible...

Mike, could these represent Kyohime-turned-serpent embracing the temple bell? Lovely, BTW.

Thanks, Cyrus

Pete, I see it now. Once I have accessed the gallery NOT from the main page but via Main page > menu > Fittings > tsuba I see all the new items. (edited after Cyrus's post) In any case - apologies, Mike. I see all this eye-candy now :-) And I will be watching the site using a browser after having cleared its cache. That should work.

Mike, there is nothing to watch at the moment - I see the same tsuba unchanged for months. The wonderful Nobuie is in a friend's collections for years now and you have it still on hold. I would be very happy to see what is available, as I know you have only top quality stuff, but when exactly do I have to come back to your site to see something new? Why don't you announce something like "tsuba XYZ posted". Thanks :-) PS: and I am really waiting to see those tsuba.

Gentlemen, all pre-Edo unsigned tsuba have been divided by scholars into certain categories (ko-tosho, ko-katchushi, tachi kanagushi, kagamishi and ko-kinko). All of these categories are only constructs and their sole purpose is to give a tsuba an attribution. They are no schools, just constructs, reflecting some common features in each group. Whether katchushi tsuba have been produced by armor makers and tosho tsuba by swordsmiths or not, nobody really knows. Starting from the early Edo period tsubako often signed their works. Thos who did not were tsubako, too, and some of them might have come from armor makers families. Just my two cents. Keith, I still fail to see a Momoyama tsuba in yours. I may be wrong. But as Kunitaro-san has said in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14300 "It is all about patina". He was right. Still, even your tsuba's design does not look Momoyama. But, hey, I am not a shinsa panel, right?

Keith, sorry, can you give measurements, please?

The dead bird's leg is made of pewter or spelter, I think :-) Otherwise than that I agree with you, David :-)

Authority? Anyhow, care to show us your tsuba?

Keith, size, patina and thickness (as well as the relative crispness of the Amida yasuri) all say: Edo.