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Lee Bray

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Everything posted by Lee Bray

  1. You having phantom moderator problems already, Guido? Wish I was there...and no, nothing to do with the direction this thread turned...
  2. Hi Marc, Thanks for the tip. It certainly does appear to be Tembo school as you suggest.
  3. Thanks for taking the effort, Guido. Sorry to see you go.
  4. Courtesy of Aoi-Art. https://www.aoi-art.com/gunto/09413.html
  5. Boy...tough crowd. No one has any thoughts on this piece? Is my attribution way off?
  6. This is the tsuba I'll be putting toward the NMB draw, viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6193, and since I know little about it, I thought your comments may assist the future owner. Thanks for any help. I believe it's Nara school, late 18th century. Iron. 83mm x 76.5mm. 5mm Dote mimi, thinner at seppa dai. 28mm nakago ana. Reasonable quality plate. Ana seem cleanly cut and finished so I assume saw and file, hence my late date attribution.
  7. I think in this case the answer would be "to get away from that dodgy Ford Hallam character..." :D
  8. Looks like a Chinkatana - a fake made in China. Nakago has 'that look' and the tsuba looks cast and crude. You have any pictures of the kissaki and any close ups of any activity/grain pattern in the steel?
  9. Patrick Hastings is the guy who owns Tagane Arts. A finer fellow you will not find. He's a member and moderator at Ford's site which Brian linked to, so should be contactable there.
  10. Could well be, Joe. Found this with a quick google. http://www.888knivesrus.com/product/CD0 ... TANTO.html Same sugata, habaki, look of "petrified dog turdiness"... :D (Sorry, cisco-san...it's Guido's fault.)
  11. I believe the reason people do not like oil on their nakago is when they are actual practitioners of a sword martial art and the blade is their user blade. Obviously, in their case, they want good friction between the nakago and the tsuka. Oil is not going to be welcome. My own view for an antique blade that needs preserving is, yes, use oil on the rust. It's not the final solution and the active rust needs to be boned off but if oil is your only option, use it. The nakago is generally the only part of a blade that is handled by our grubby paws so I see good reason for giving it a little oil from time to time.
  12. There's no mention of him in Tom Kishida's "The Yasukuni Swords" book so I'd assume no direct connection with the Yasukuni forge.
  13. I know that blade smiths use vinegar to loosen up fire scale on their blades after forging. Soak overnight and brush the scale off with a wire brush. Doesn't sound a particularly pleasant way of dealing with an antique tsuba though so please don't take that as a recommendation. I have no idea what the vinegar will do with the old patina but cetainly imagine the brush will do it no favours. So, I figure vinegar may be helpful, but will leave it for the knowledgeable guys to say whether I'm an idiot for even mentioning it.
  14. If the work is well done...probably not always the case and so Reinhard's post makes perfect sense.
  15. Thanks, Guido. I found a youtube video on the subject and it seems 'sensory overload' is an understatement. Looking forward to being there.
  16. Apologies if my earlier questions weren't clear - Where is it? Do I need to book tickets and if so, how much? Will there be a shinsa?
  17. Could somebody please fill me in on the details of this? It just so happens that my business partners wife wants to go to Japan , so myself and said business partner have reasoned that makes a perfect excuse to spend our spare company cash on a small holiday at the end of October. Talk about luck... I take it this is a must see?
  18. I did and you're correct. With opening bids of $0.99, I'm certainly not sat on my retirement fund. Ah well, still an interesting little find and I don't need to spend 8 bucks to get one...
  19. Is the Japanese mon coin from the 1600's worth anything? I have a small collection of Chinese coinage and this thread made me look at the few I have with the square hole. One of them is the same as the picture above.
  20. Perhaps the hesitancy comes from it being his first year at the shrine's forge. Difficult to say for sure. Looks shoshin when compared to the book but something looks amiss. This is a current auction; should it be in this forum?
  21. Lee Bray

    Akasaka tsuba

    Hi Ed. This tsuba is not to be, it seems. It's a delightful tsuba; quite delicate but more than capable of its task. The Akasaka/Akao misrepresentation was my lack of understanding. You told me it was Akao previously, I've read it for myself and yet I still called it Akasaka. Appreciate you trying to give me an out but it was just me being dumb. Now I know better. My thanks for checking your books, Pete and Ludolf. I'd have to agree that I cannot make out Yoshitsugu from the mei and I'm fairly certain it's Kanen and not Kofu. I also think the mei is struck more elegantly than the examples of Yoshitsugu that I've looked at but perhaps I have bias. It's still early here so later today I'll take some shots of this in the sun and post some dimensions. Perhaps it will illicit some more opinions on the quality of workmanship as I'd like to know what peoples opinions are on that, too.
  22. Lee Bray

    Akasaka tsuba

    I own this piece and have been unable to find any information on the maker. Anyone know anything about the piece or maker? The translation in the picture is courtesy of Ed Marshall of Yakiba.com My own translation came to Kanen Ju Akao Yoshiharu Saku. Which is correct?
  23. Yasuhiro was a very good smith but it seems the work signed Kunemori is judged inferior although it is later. The sword is in need of a polish so unless the seller offers it for a good price, I'll not be buying it. Saya is damaged and seppa are mismatched so it's not ideal.
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