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terminus

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Posts posted by terminus

  1. 21 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

    Tony,

    mostly it is the other way round: The purer (in terms of alloying metals) the iron, the softer it will be, and less likely to corrode. Carbon content always enhances the build-up of corrosion.

    Thanks Jean, that makes more sense. Tanaka iron might have more carbon content then. 

    Lovely kozuka Bob, and the mei of Hamano Teruchika is beautiful! 

  2. 4 hours ago, 1kinko said:

    Tony- the term iron gets used a lot here but iron is not the same as steel. I’ve had pure iron that’s as soft as copper. 

    Aww I see. That's interesting. I wonder if some tosogu artists in the past purposely used softer iron for some certain techniques. ex. I heard Tanaka school used iron that was a softer type that tended to rust faster.

  3. On 10/14/2022 at 1:39 AM, Bob M. said:

    Item No.  271  Tsuba in iron with gold and silver/shibuichi  7.08 cm x 6.45 cm x 0.50 cm

     

    Subject of Shoki and Oni  unsigned , design after Toshinaga.

     

    A determined looking Shoki in pursuit of a realistic, powerfully muscled oni . Good detailing throughout with a micro nanako ground to half of the tsuba - not easy to do on iron.

     

    Although without signature , papers or provenance , one of my favourite pieces , acquired nearly twenty years ago off ebay , before the Chinese fakes started to appear . Difficult to assess age , but possibly about 150 years old . 

     

    Has been mounted at least once.

    48815220-E5A9-4118-8B71-E88CB3515B2E.jpeg

    2DD7AE40-0503-4D98-B317-079455E8A6E8.jpeg

    Wow impressive tsuba. Just realized that's nanako on iron! Thanks for the share, an unusual but interesting tsuba.

    • Like 1
  4. 6 hours ago, SteveM said:

    The other signature is the artist upon whose work the tsuba is based.

     

    以利敬(花押)の図

    "Based on a design by Toshitaka" 

     

     (Other readings also possible.)

     

    I looked around to find out more about this artist, but I couldn't find anything. Maybe the artist and the work is mentioned on the next page of that tsuba book?

    Aw thank you! I can't find anymore info on Toshitaka. The book only does a 2 page spread on a tsuba so there is no more info on it. Below is the book's name. I can confirm the authenticity of many other tubas (but not all) listed in the book as NBTHK papered and I've seen in person or very famous. 
    image.thumb.png.94f4ef2c7b4ded195f031bd2761199c6.png
    image.thumb.png.c4e021558a93882e29da837c391dcf3d.png
    image.thumb.png.6ca99d84cd3e6045d5d0c247b3fae855.png

    • Like 1
  5. This tsuba recently sold on Yahoo Japan Auctions signed Kano Natsuo on one side and something like Iri Takashi on the other side (source and more photos: https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b1065123423). Normally I am super super skeptical on anything Natsuo on Yahoo Japan but it is indeed published in a book I have. And it does look exactly like the the tsuba in the book upon further inspection. 
    image.thumb.png.247f823379f21e5412597c133c45ef3a.png
    image.thumb.png.55221daae0a0dda09a1cc9c50d35a561.png

    Direct from the book:

    310497049_3098623957043750_2695087360620326012_n.thumb.jpg.e51bd143661cb0c8395c1de20fada2b7.jpg

    309464803_489832166145305_3619371542098336122_n.thumb.jpg.ff6d5dd3ff918f5e1c0f330c3b956b04.jpg

    The tsuba is definitely not the usual 'Natsuo style" but it seems the reason is because the tsuba is based off a painting of Abe Nakamaro. The mei looks fairly good, and to be honest I'm not sure what the mei on the other side says, something like Iri Takashi(I've never heard of this artist)? The work seems fairly refined and polished if somewhat simple in design.

    Curios to hear the forum's thoughts. Do you think it's authentic Natsuo? do you think it's the exact tsuba published in the book but the book has a gimei? or do you think it's not the same tsuba in the book? 

    ps. No I did not bid on the tsuba :/

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  6. Yep, completely different tsubas. The seller does mention "Similar products will be listed in "Edo Metalworking Edition". Please note that it is not this product.".

    It's very nice though. I've seen Marus Chambers, modern US smith, do a utsushi of Murakami's most famous dragonfly tsuba and it takes an incredible amount of skill and work to get it right. 

  7. On 3/19/2022 at 9:33 AM, Dave Renaud said:

    Good afternoon, this is very sad news and I just found out today.  I have read all these posts and it’s sad and amazing that I knew almost nothing of this part of his life.  Darcy clearly had some good friends in his circle.  It was nice to read the post from Joel, and I hope you, Stu and your families are well - sorry to hear of your father’s passing.  
     

    My name is Dave Renaud, and I considered Darce a good friend when we were young.  My brother Chris and I met Darcy in 1981 when we moved to Windsor.  He was funny and ridiculously smart.  He introduced Dungeons and Dragons to us - my bro and I, and Andrew and Deano.  Many nights were spent in the basement playing, and he was Dungeon Master of course.  He would take away “intelligence points” from our characters when we got silly or started acting like idiots.  We also bought dirt bikes when we were 12 to join him on the trails - many great days out in the bush at Renoni’s hills.  Like most kids of the 80s, the mall was a place to go and hang out, and Dragon’s Lair, and Joust were the video games of choice.  We played hockey and football together in high school, and spent some great days on paddle trips on the Pine River, in Michigan - a place he had gone with his Dad.  Those paddle trips for us started in 1989 with 5 or 6 of us in grade 12 or so, and would carry on for years, with numbers of paddlers in the dozens - so much fun.
     

    I am truly sorry to hear of Darcy’s passing and I hope some of these stories from his childhood share a bit more of the boy that became an incredible man.

     

    DJ

    Thank for sharing David, when I read your stories with him I invision it all in my mind. Learned a lot of new things as well about Darcy. Must have been such nostalgic, fun and amazing moments shared with him. 

  8. It's definitely not functional and Meiji era export/art piece. The elaborate enamel and massive size are the first give away. 

     

    6 hours ago, Bazza said:

    Terminus asked:

    > Also there's some strange tiny square indentations on it. Does anyone know what those are?

     

    An indenter hardness test???!!!

     

    BaZZa.


    Yea, did you see those tiny square indents in the tsuba? very strange I've never seen them before. 

  9. 5 hours ago, Toryu2020 said:

    To me, it is good work but looking at the feet the quality and level of detail there is just not up to the level of an artist like Natsuo. I think someone paid an awful lot for a fake...

    -t

    Agreed, the feet and the roughness around the chicken inlay is where I'm like rlly? no way it's anything close to the real thing. Also the composition and surface of the tsuba. 

  10. So when I first saw this tsuba I blew it off as fake, since well it's Natsuo and on Yahoo Japan, and additionally never saw this chicken in his sketchbooks before. That being said I just checked the auction results and it sold for $27,441! What's your thoughts about it? Think it's hopeful people with lots of money who just wanted to bid on something "Natsuo"? or is there more to this tsuba that I'm missing? 

    https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/l1001421571?conversionType=browsing_history

    i-img1200x825-1629712211hqho2o26.thumb.jpg.a9f63787adbb2f3ad33cab7b8b10c65e.jpg

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