zanilu

Piers The copper wire woven basket seems to have the holes between the wires filled with some sort of stuff. Does my eyes do not meselead me? If this is the case it reminds me of Shingen tsuba like this one: Regards Luca

Thank you Davel and Charlie. Using AI is exactly what I have done. With some training the translations have improved since I have started. The names are still problematic but there are work arounds. I am mainly interested in Kaga Zoban pieces, so signatures and names are not a big issues since thus far I have limited myself to translate figures captions. I plan to tackle the mai text in the future. Let's see how it goes. Regards Luca

Hi Charlie. May ask you a favor? Can you add the romanji reading between brackets beside the names in kanji? I am still struggling with kanji and this will help me follow your interesting posts. Thank you in advance. Regards Luca

Non ragioniam di lor, ma guarda e passa...

I have no more time to waste arguing with you Dan. I will not play your game. Luca

Dan Unfortunately for me I have red all the thread from it's beginning. The first few pages were interesting enough. After that it was just you trying to shove your view down our throats. But I persisted in reading this thread just to see to how deep you will go and dig to prove your point. As we say in Italy we would say "Arrampicarsi sugli specchi" that is a figurative way of saying "arguing on the impossibile", in english should be something like "clutch at straws". Every one is entitled to have is own delusions but not to force people to accept them. This thread is a waste of bits. Regards Luca

I used once a PVC tube, checked it in as extra size luggage, it arrived broken. PVC is fragile if hit too hard will broke. I switched to pipes used for underground electric lines. These kind of pipes are made of black plastic and are resistant to hits. This kind of pipes are able to even resist hits from a digger. You can find them in stores selling construction stuff. I have fitted it with a handle, hooks for a shoulder strap and a set of removable wheels to drag it around. Regards Luca

That was my fear Curran! If even you do not know about the translation I have to resign myself. Thank you anyway. All the best Luca

Dear All There exist a translation of the Kaga Kinko Taikan? Is it available? Thank you in advance. Regards Luca

Ben fatto Manuel, complimenti (well done Manuel, congratulations)!

Chemical trails, aliens at area 51, flat hearth, cast tsuba everywhere and now the dealers conspiracy... They sound the same to me.

Ah, ah

For what its worth for the discussion as far as Yoshiro tsuba go I have never found a correspondence between the mon on the tsuba and actual family kamon. They are more mon-like decorations. Regards Luca

Both of them look like cast copies. On the ebay one mei is barely readable and around the nakago-ana there are the same imperfections and defects. Sorry Simon.

The discussed daisho is for sure an above average example. The Soten school at a certain point in time was so popular that other workshops in Kyoto and Nagoya (citing from memory) started to produce pieces in the style, or so it seems from the common lore. Some signed as soten others mumei with a large variation of quality, from very crude to high quality. Tsuba from the school proper (first, second and maybe third generation) are extremely rare. Most of example we see are at best "in the style of" from other workshops. I have by now amassed a database of a hundred referenced pieces. NBTHK papers are basically useless they seems to only certify thet a tsuba is not a modern fake, no information is given about anything. Also from mei comparison no conclusion either, the variation is staggering. It is a mess... Regards Luca

In martial arts different school have given different answers to the same problems. In most cases what is the solution of one is anathefor another! In Katayama Ryu and Katory Shinto Ryu the the tsuba is a protection to the hand for example. Regards Luca

You are right Mauro! My mistake! Bravo!

I agree with John. The first one is definetly Kaga zogan. The base plate looks like iron, this will place it to the early production of the school. The later production is mainly with a shakudo plate. You can find more information here: I hope it helps. Regards Luca

There is an old saying in Italy that goes: Non c'é peggior sordo di chi non vuol sentire (There is none so deaf as he who will not hear).

Much ado about nothing!

@Dan tsuba if you judge the quality of a post by the number of views you better go on TikTok... The value and quality of a post is not measured in that way here! Luca

Please do not judge the forum just for the childish behavior of one person. He do not represent our community! Not at all! Luca

Also similar to mine: Tsuba with design of peonies and arabesques Washida Mitsunaka (Japanese, 1830–1889) School: Shonai School (Japanese)JapaneseEdo period1847 Medium/Technique Main material: iron; other metals: silver; shakudo plugs; decorative technique: hirazogan Dimensions Overall: 8.4 x 8.1 x 0.3 cm (3 5/16 x 3 3/16 x 1/8 in.) William Sturgis Bigelow Collection Accession Number 11.12197 Signed Shonai no ju Washida Mitsunaka, with a kao; Koka yon hinoto-hitsuji natsu juhassai saku 庄内住鷲田光中（花押）弘化四丁未夏十八歳作 Provenance By 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 - d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911) NOTES: [1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates. https://collections.mfa.org/objects/11916

Superb job, Manuel. This piece has come back to life straight from the junk box. Washida Mitsunaka has produced several tsuba of this kind like https://www.metmuseu...lection/search/23060

Greetings to All, Recently, I acquired a rather rusty tsuba as part of a deal for a Washida tsuba with another collector. This piece was thrown into the arrangement by the seller to meet the requested price range. Despite its condition, it showed some promise. The tsuba is signed Kyozan Mitsunaka + (Kao) ({嚮山 光中(花押)}) in kin-zogan. Based on the pictures, it appeared to feature brass hira-zogan of peonies and arabesques. Despite the rust, none of the inlays seemed to be missing - testament to the craftsmanship. The subject and execution also align well with works by Washida Mitsunaka or the Washida school. Seeing its potential, I decided to accept the deal, and both tsuba landed on my desk. Believing the piece was worth restoring, I sent it to Manuel @C0D for restoration, and I wasn't disappointed. Manuel did an outstanding job removing the rust and re-patinating the brass. If Manuel would like to elaborate on the restoration process, I would welcome it. The gamble paid off, as the final result is quite pleasing. As you can see, the tsuba has been brought back to life: I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Regards, Luca P.S. I have to thank Manuel for allowing me to use the pictures he made.