zanilu

For the shinken that I use for iaido I use susudake, cut and filed to fit the tsuka and the mekugi-ana. Susudake is smoked bamboo, thst is strong and flexible, far stronger that chopsticks bamboo. I would not trust chopsticks bamboo for my iaido practice. On the other hand if you do not intend to actually use it normal bamboo will do. I usually purchase mine here https://www.namikawa-ltd.com/product/131. Regards Luca

Complimenti Manuel! Congratulations Manuel! Regards Luca

I think it is inalyied Curran. If you zoom on the pictures you see a tiny pieces that is missing showing the inlay recess in the base metal. I may be wrong due to the low images resolution. Regards Luca

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