TETSUGENDO

Excellent initial effort Chris, I see real potential here, if you continue to further refine your work you could become quite apt at Oshigata. Cheers, -S-

Well done Francois, I think you'll be happy you made this choice. Will look forward to seeing the result of your efforts. Bonne chance, -S-

Francois, Since you will have the expense of a Koiguchi, Kurigata, and Kojiri(?), repairing the original Saya makes little sense. As you can't know how stable the seemingly undamaged areas of lacquer are....why pay to have something "fixed" that has a good possibility of giving you trouble down the road. If the Saya had some special artistic merit, elaborate decoration for instance, the risk would be one worth taking. Since said Saya is easily reproduced by a skilled professional, going out on a limb to "save" it is unwarranted. -S-

Sometimes things are as they appear and nothing more.... Although this tsuba is attractive and worth owning, it is NOT a masterwork. There are awkward design elements, the poorly rendered bird does not "naturally" sit it its place...instead the poor legless creature is "pasted" there. As remarked the mountains ARE strange...simply a bit of bad draughtsmanship? As for the patina, the crude rust removal probably necessitated some degree of "touch up"(amateur). Lastly, the RAISED area around the Nakago ana appear to be artifacts left by careless "refitting" to another blade and nothing more. -S-

Francois, From your comment it sounds like a new saya along with a bit of conservation to the other pieces may do.....mind you, all of this is highly skilled work that may still cost more than you expect. Good Luck, -S-

Francois, If you do not wish to invest too much, perhaps a Shirasaya should be a consideration. I'm afraid you will find that the cost of a "new" Koshirae can easily exceed the value of a modest wakizashi. -S-

I like them both Robin, the uncommon style of the inlays on the second one are tasteful...just enough. Cheers, -S-

Would not venture a quess as to the state of the patina from these photos, as stated it could be any number of things. I am continually surprised at the wonderment a black iron patina causes, many schools used black patinas...nothing extraordinary. As for the origin of your tsuba, it looks like late Nara work to me. -S- p.s.- BTW, Shakudo does not always exhibit a blue or purple sheen, sometimes it is simply black.

????????????????? Sorry, my crystal ball is out for repair! -S-

Piers, Sounds like a Great day, the swords must have been a real treat, unfortunate there was no way of taking some pics. The Tosogu are very beautiful indeed, thank You for posting them. Cheers, -S-

Photos of the koshirae should be very telling as well. -S-

Hi Chris, Your right, I don't think there is much age here but still a nice thing. Doesn't look Japanese to me, more likely it's a Balinese image of Guan Yin. Cheers, -S-

Stephen, IGNORE Cheers, -S-

Looks like a fine job Anthony! Best advice is be patient and don't rush things, make sure previous coat is dry before proceeding, and your on your way. Also, be careful, you've been fortunate so far but things can turn nasty.....proper ventilation, gloves,etc....and safety glasses aren't the worst idea. Best of luck, -S-

Jeremiah, It's a very fine example, as always GOOD rabbits are not at all common and never cheap.....it can be had for 3000 USD. -S- p.s.-size is approx. 62.5mm in diameter.

18th Century lacquer Kogo. -S-

Tsuba from the collection of the MFA, Boston. -S-

Ken, A good way for you to gain "in hand" knowledge is- view Major auction gallery sales, visit better dealers shops, attend shows, go to a meeting of a sword club in your area. In all these places the pieces can be examined. -S-

For anyone interested, much of the collections of the MMA are availble online at- www.metmuseum.org -S- p.s.- yes George, the wood on the Koto does appear to be some variety of Palm.

Hi BaZZa, It's a great exhibit, like everything the MMA does, first class......anyone who can should see it. Also, the catalogue is excellent. Cheers, -S-

Indeed! Also, look at the care taken with the taper of the line defining the outline of the feathers, the modeling of the rim, the shape of the cranes head and neck......wonderful. -S-

Thank you, happy to oblige Bob. Note the refined modeling, how lovely the work where the rim meets the cranes head is, it's far superior to the models mentioned here. -S-

Robert, here is an example by Hayashi Matashichi in the collection of the Eisei-Bunko Museum. -S-

Best of luck Chris, I hope either it's finally located by the post, or this effort works.....I feel your frustration! Cheers, -S-

Jean, Undoubtedly Matsu,not Sakura, the initial impression was correct! -S-