zanilu

Sometimes having neglected pieces restore by professionals is a worth endeavor in my experience. It depends greatly by the piece quality. I have always approached restoration from an artistic point of view rather than monetary. Regards Luca

Thank you John Regards Luca

Thank you Grev!

Grev. I have reported the better images I can find of both tsuba and mei. Unfortunately most of the literature I have access to has B/W pictures and I did the scan myself from the books. As you surely know scan from books has its limitations in quality due to the printing process. I scanned all the images at 1200 dpi (going higher would not have improved the image quality). Using larger images in the pdf would have not improved their quality anyway. Also I had to compress (reduce image quality) to produce a manageable side pdf for upload. The original file was 94 MB compared to the squeezed one that is 1.7. The quality of the images I have downloaded from internet is varying in quality but is usually below that of the scans. Regards Luca

Hello Following my compilation of information about Kaga Yoshiro of few month ago I was able to complete the subject by doing a similar work for Bizen Yoshiro. Though smaller in scope I hope it can be useful to all of you. bizen_yoshiro.pdf All comments and correction are of course welcome Best Regards Luca

Grazie Pietro. I think that your hypothesis also make sense. And as, rightly said by Jean, we will probably never know. By chance do you have also the measurements of the tsuba you posted? Regards Luca

Jean you are right! I stand corrected about the lack of pre made plates. Sometimes my engineering background make me assume something wrong. <<Concerning your nice DAISHO, it may have been made by the same hand (or workshop), but perharps with some time between them>> I start to see it the same way, the more I think of it the more it looks reasonable. Thank you. Regards Luca

Hello to all NMB members I have recently acquired the following daisho tsuba papered by NBTHK as Ko-Kinko. Far from me to question NBTHK from the depth of my ignorance on the subject but... It is not exactly rare but also not common to find a tsuba daisho of yamagane papered as Ko-Kinko. As a general rule a yamagane tsuba with an old fashioned design of arabesque or waves, combined with an old looking texture can be regarded as Ko-Kinko, confirmed by NBTHK attribution. As a consequence of the the Ko-Kino attribution a time frame ranging from Muromachi to Momoyama can be considered. However the fashion of wearing two swords in matching pair started only at the beginning of the Edo period. As I see it we have at this point four possible options: A real, ahead of time, Ko-Kinko daisho from the Muromachi/Momoyama period. An Edo period daisho made on purpose with an old-fashioned style. Only one of the two tsuba is from Muromachi/Momoyama period and the other one was later made (Edo period) to match the old one to form a daisho. Two tsuba made independently but so alike that they could later matched in a daisho. An additional possibility I could not imagine! If we compare the two tsuba we cas see that, both tsuba are obtained from a solid plate of yamagane with a dote mimi (or better uchikaeshi mimi?). Dai mimi Sho mimi The thicknesses are different, the dai is 4.0 mm at seppa dai and 5.4 at mimi while the sho is 3.5 mm at seppa dai and 4.0 mm at mimi. This could point to the possibility that the two were not obtained from the same plate. Possibility also supported by the fact that the sho seems to have developed a slightly darker patina compared to the dai. There is also a difference in the size of the inland dew drops between dai and sho. On the dai the average size is about 1.6 mm with the most frequent value being 1.5 mm (44% of the total), while on the sho the mean is about 1.8 mm with a most frequent value of 1.8 mm (30% of the total). In the evaluation of the mean values the deformed dew drops were not considered. On both tsuba the dew drops on the ura side are consistently larger that on the ura. There is also difference in the surface finish of the two tsuba, described on the NBTHK paper as ishime-ji. On the dai the surface is finished with parallel lines engraved at approximately 45 deg from the vertical, that look like engraved in kosokibori lines. On the sho, instead, the surface is finished with a more random pattern. The two tsuba have a lot of points in common but not as mush as one would expect from a daisho. If I would have stumbled in them separately I would have assumed them at least from the same workshop if not from the same artist. Any comments on the NBTHK attribution and on how to determine the age of kinko tsuba is more than welcome! Best Regards Luca

Having made some casting in my time, part of school training, I do at list know how devilish is iron in casting thin walls and small details. I could have not expressed my feeling about cast iron tsuba better than Ford. Regards Luca

I agree with Mauro, looks like forgin layers that maybe due to corrosion show some signs of delamination. My two cents... Luca

Nice looking Grey. It takes a lot to load though compared to the old one. I am using the same device over the same comnnection, and the new one is a lot slower than the previous one. Maybe it is related to caching on the internet relay servers... Regards Luca

Thank you you guys for the info. This is exactly the chaotic and uncertain situation I was afraid of. Regards Luca

I do not want to steal the thread but I have a small question about auction like this one. Reading the bidding instruction I stumble in a sentence that I understood as that the buyer have to arrange for the shipment of the items he bought. I understood correctly? It is not handled by the auc5ion house? Do ayou have any experience in this? How did you manage? Since I am in Europe I would like to understand Thank you Luca

Just found an almost exact copy of the design on buyee... https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/e1049678361 Regards Luca

Same pattern on a tsuba from my collection: I did research this pattern a little bit and I was not able to fit it into the patterns from the Genji monogatari as per the table reported previously by Bruno. Regards Luca

Than you for the help Steve. Unfortunately there are no better pictures available to check for the missing pieces... Regards Luca

Dear all I am struggling with the translation of the mei found on this tsuba in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (accession number M.203-1921). The museum states simply "signed made by Hakamaya Saburodayu of Okayama in Bizen province". My best effort came up with: 備前(岡)山住(人)三郎大(夫)作之 Bizen (Oka)yama Ju (Nin) Saburodai(yu) Saku Kore In red between brackets the uncertain missing pieces Any help is more than welcome. Best regards Luca

Here it is Piers Luca ■刀装具 鉄地 お椀形（西洋剣形）変わり形大鍔 It may be the shape that I underwent influence in a hilt of a saber. 大きさ 縦 約99.8ミリ 横 約97.8ミリ 厚さ 約2.０〜 2.3ミリ 重さ 約 １２６g お取引に関して

You can be right Dale I was just curious. Also the other items on sale have the same iron color. Maybe it is only the lightning that the seller used for taking the pictures but who knows. Luca

Jesse thickness is 2.3 mm. I updated the original post. Regards Luca

Dear all A few days ago I have seen this tsuba for sale on Yahoo Japan. I do not know exactly what to think about it. An old utilitarian tsuba, maybe tosho but without sukashi? A modern made piece? It is fairly large 99.8 mm x 97.8 mm, thickness 2.0-2.3 mm. Your opinion is welcome. Regards Luca

That is my same hope Glen. Luca

Nice piece David. I have a similar one, even though not so nice, in my collection. I have found several similar pieces all given Heianjo. Regards Luca

The attribution of FT-0097 goes to Heinajo. Glen you were right! Regards Luca

Glen Here are the papers for my tsuba with the best translation I was able to provide (if you have comments please do not hesitate) 鑑定書 Kanteisho Certificate of Appraisal 一つ 芭蕉葉文鐔 Hitotsu Bashōba Mon Tsuba One Banana leaf composition tsuba 無銘 (正阿弥) Mumei Shōami Without Signature Shōami 鉄地 変形 鋤出彫 Tetsu-Ji Kawari-gata Sukidashi-bori Iron Ground Irregular Shape Sukidashi-bori 右は當協會に於て審査の結果特別 保存刀装具と鑑定しこれを証する Migi Wa Tō-Kyōkai Ni Oite Shinsa No Kekka, Tokubetsu Hozon-Tōsōgu To Kantei-Shi Kore O Shō-Suru Examination by this organization has resulted in the decision that the item to the right is a sword fitting that is extrodinary worthy of preservation 昭和 五十年 四月 三十日 Shōwa Gojūnen Shitsu Sanjūnichi Shōwa, 50th Year, 4th Month, 30th Day (30th April 1975) 財團法人日本美術刀劍保存協會 Zaidan-Hōjin Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai The Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords [. . . ] 殿 [. . . ] Tono [. . . ] Mr. 鑑定書 Kanteisho Certificate 一つ 露玉透し芭蕉の鐔 Hitotsu Tsuyutama Sukashi Bashō no Ha Tsuba One Dew Drop Sukashi Japanese Banana Leaf Tsuba 銘無銘 (塚田直鏡) Mei Mumei (Tsukada Naoaki) Signature Without Signature Tsukada Naoaki 変り丸冊土 両櫃(鉛埋) 芭蕉葉の 高肉彫露玉透し Kawari maru-satsu tsuchi Ryō hitsu (namari uma) Bashōba no takanikubori tsuyutama tōshi Irregular shape body Two hitsu-ana (lead plugged) Japanese banana leaf high relief carved dew drops transparency 右は審社に於て審査の結果上二作 と鑑定｜認定書を交付する Migi Wa Shin-Sha Ni Oite Shinsa No Kekka Kamini-Saku To Kantei Nintei-sho O Kōfu Suru Examination by this organization has resulted in the decision to the issue of a certificate for the item on the right 昭和 五十一年 三月 七日 Shōwa Gojūichinen Sandtsu Sanjūnichi Shōwa, 51st Year, 3rd Month, 7th Day (7th March 1976) 刀苑社審査委員會委員長村上孝介 Toen Sha Shina-i Kai In Chō Murakami Kosuke Chairman of the Judging Committee of Toensha Murakami Kosuke [. . . ] 殿 [. . . ] Tono [. . . ] Mr. The Toen Sha certificate seems to identify the sukashi as dew drops ... Regards Luca