TETSUGENDO

Grev, Frustratingly, still stuck firmly in the mud, still no useful information. The Getchu attribution, as you suspect is just another "red herring".......absolutely no connection whatsoever. I suspect having it in hand will tell a lot about it's true nature, interested in hearing your firsthand impressions. -S-

Lovely photos Robin, what a glorious place. Of course I had to dig into it's facinating history, I suggest anyone interested do the same. Thought some may enjoy a photograph of America's oldest Japanese Garden. The "Japanese Tea Garden" was originally built as a "Japanese Village" for the 1894 San Francisco World's Fair. -S-

Hi Luca, Good job on removing all the "gunk" and revealing the truth, they are castings. Now that there is no longer any uncertainty you can proceed appropriately, they should look fine mounted on your iaito! BTW, for all those in doubt cleaning solid silver alloy items, if necessary as in this case does not "ruin" them. As I had mentioned, cleaned silver will naturally acquire a patina without any intervention. -S-

Good news Robin, the "thumbs up" is no surprise. Glad to hear your beautiful Dragon has a, well deserved, toil free future ahead! Cheers, -S-

Bruno, a slight adjustment to your list: Omote- Shakushi/Shamoji AND Daikon Ura- Sanchō pepper AND Chestnut(?), as your photo shows it is the husk of the pepper that is used and not it's contents, the two items on the lower left are probably unrelated to the Sanchō...Chestnuts are, at this point, a reasonable guess.....best of luck in your search, this is quite the riddle. -S-

Jeremiah I can see why you were drawn in, it's a classic design much favored by Ogata Korin, here is another of his works using the same motif, it is a designated "National Treasure". -S-

Fine tsuba Bruno, very handsome. Ford's Daikon call looks spot on to me. On the ura looks like chestnuts, not certain but probable, and the final missing ingredient is Sanchō pepper. Wordplay or literary reference is likely. -S-

Hi Robert. I agree with Frank on the Ko- Kinko attribution, and as Barry notes, not Ko-Goto. To expand on his remark, If you look at some documented examples you will note the meticulous workmanship of both the relief work and nanako-ji. Also, any complex compositions use space much more skillfully than in this instance and, generally, allow some breathing room. Goto work is carefully composed and drafted, nothing is left to chance. -S-

Ko yes, Goto no. -S-

Great story, all looks promising for a happy ending for all! Cheers, -S-

What's not to love about Saké, here is a picture of an Edo period cup from a favorite set. -S-

Robin, you can do all the eliminating you like, your Tsuba is still as attractive and enthusiastically received the second time around. Of course it would look great mounted on your iaito, but please no....its far to good for that. -S-

It is leaves and Cherry blossoms Bruce. Not an area I follow in detail, I have seen a lot of different Gunto mount designs over the years....this is a new one to me as well. -S-

Beautiful Jeremiah, so much better from YOUR photos. Since your sending It to Ford for some touch up, best leave it all to him....it will be perfect when he's done with it. -S-

Beautiful Stephen, a great example of what time, taste and patience can accomplish. This answers the question "Is it worth taking on such a project"......absolutely! -S-

Luca, You can try the methods I list here, from the top down: 1-immersion in HOT water. 2-immersion in turpentine. 3-the use of commercial paint thinners and strippers. 4-the mechanical method, avoid the use of metal tools for the prying,etc. Sometimes the Matsuyani based adhesive/filler become rock hard and unyielding to anything but extreme measures, in this case I would seek professional help. Also, before some take up their pitchforks....note- paint thinners, strippers, should not be used on other alloys unless you KNOW they will not react in an adverse way. Also, always check progress periodically. -S-

Luca, The casting assumption is understandable, considering the state of your menuki. Careful cleaning may reveal much that is hidden behind the heavy oxidation and "gunk" that appears to be obscuring much of the detail. Don't be concerned about removing any "patina".....cleaned silver will re-patinate itself in a relatively short time. -S-

Grev, Tsuba #1, most likely Mito or Shoami,, appears to be of Meiji manufacture or later. I agree with Curran on the "Yasuchika" piece, unquestionably gimei, late production, and made by one of the many copyists producing works for the export market during the last quarter of the 19th century. No need to hit the books, no member of the Yasuchika school laid hands on this tsuba. -S-

The motif of the "Yasuchika" tsuba is rats imitating a Daimyo procession, the 'triple entendre' should be obvious to all. -S-

Speaking of dead ends, after digging through many standard reference sources, esoteric ones, sales and exhibition catalogs, I have come up empty handed. So, if after all the efforts put forth here, by so many, could not produce a single recorded example...it is likely that this maker has not been noted until now. Without something concrete, all is, unfortunately, reduced to speculation. -S-

Following your reasoning a plain metal kashira of similar color would be the apt choice. Horn kashira are only used with Banzashi style koshirae, use with anything else is completely inappropriate. -S-

NO. -S-

I do agree, it's a well executed lovely piece. As for the COMPLAINTS, with all the "connoisseurship" exhibited here(NMB) the "nitpicking" is requisite......we've certainly done our share. -S-

It's because there are quite a few unidentified kao, not only are there a large number of late Tanaka workers...there's also the matter of others, not affiliated, working in the style. -S-

As far as the appearance of this work, as Chris noted this is a late Tanaka piece, the major influences here are the Natsuo and Otsuki schools. All three schools are interrelated and, to one extent or another, played off each other...more so as the century drew to a close. -S-