Markus

Hi Andrey. Actually, that´s all. Koichi-san completed just the line which I missed whilst replying without looking back once more at the pic.

Translation: "mei ´Kaneshige´ Hôan family - called ´Hisatsugu´ ´Hisatsugu´ was the name with which the fourth and fifth generation Hôan signed as tsuba artists." However, also the second, third, and later generations Hôan beared the name "Hisatsugu".

Hi Barry. This is the character "fune" in grass-script. Here you see the tendency how the right-standing radical is abbreviated.

"Biyô Osafune-gô" (備陽長船郷) - "Osafune village of Bizen province". Just a way to express "Bishû Osafune-jû" in different terms, as a variety IMHO. Yokoyama Sukenaga used that kind of mei in combination with a "kiku-ichi".

I have to second Chris. It is as gimei as it can get. Please compare the original signature below. FYI: The other side of the tang bears the owner´s name: Mr. Asai (浅井氏)

I want to qoute Tanobe-sensei from his article on gimei. Here he writes on Yokoyama Sukesada: "Yokoyama Sukesada is not so highly valued today, but he nevertheless belongs to the smiths who were affected by gimei. This shows us that must had been quite in fashion during the Edo period. One of the characteristics of a shôshin-mei is the character for „sada“ (定), namely the start of the last stroke (the lowermost bow which ends to the bottom right) projects over the next to last stroke. One has to be cautious if this is not the case. But also the blade has to be examined, namely it is not so good when it shows a shallow notare in nioi-deki with a compact nioiguchi, because the strong points of this smith was a complex gunome-midare with variation in height as well as a nioiguchi with ko-nie." Picture below: shôshin-mei left, gimei right

Hi Malcolm, Yes, Tomotada is correct. He was one of the countless Bushû tsuba craftsmen. But you have luck Haynes lists him (died ca. 1800) with a kaô which is not identical but quite close.

At kanabô, I always have to think about these guys... (original picture is found here: http://www.neoniigata.com/photo/071014) BTW: "tetsubô" and "kanabô" is basically the same. The kanji (鉄棒・金棒) can be read vice versa, afaik. I think that no explicite differentiation was made in earlier times between what was called "tetsubô" and what "kanabô".

A copy of Shizu Saburô Kaneuji (志津三郎兼氏) by Masatsugu (正次). Dated Meiji 31 (= 1898)

Yes, out of date. Ôsumi Toshihira passed away in October last year too.

Mitsuyuki was one of the numerous names of Gotô Ichijô. So the piece must be rather young (as Curran stated, the signature is cleaner as usual). Looking forward for a pic of the front side. Ichijô used this name when he was quite young, namely from the age of 21 to 33.

I would follow George here, i.e. "segmented", when the kizami notches are wider apard. For a more narrow inro-kizami, the term "ribbed" is frequently used.

Thank you all for your kind words. :D I´m thinking about an English version, but I´m already working at a new project (this time bilingual, English/German) at the moment. Maybe I could start in summer, let´s see... Keep you informed.

Hi all! Finally, my latest book project (in German) is now available in online bookstores. It is called "Geschichten rund ums japanische Schwert" and deals with many legends, myths, interesting stories and anecdotes around famous Japanese swords (for example the provenance of many meitô) and smiths. 200 pages, A5, paperback, 52 s/w pics. Price 29,90 Euro. It can be ordered via amazon.com: http://www.amazon.de/Geschichten-rund-u ... 515&sr=8-2 or directly at Books on Demand: http://www.bod.de/index.php?id=1132&objk_id=352732 Many thanks for your interest, Markus PS: Those who will meet me at one of our next meetings can also get a copy directly from me.

"Ki-zukashi" or "ike-zukashi" (生透) is an old, nowadays unused term which is today just represented by "ko-sukashi" (小透), a way of differentiation from large-area "ji-sukashi" (地透). However, when the entire surface of a tsuba is occupied by a design composed of smaller ko-sukashi, the term "ki-zukashi" is appropriate. The description of the "Tôsô-kodôgu-kôza" is as follows: 生透・小透：これをキズカシあるいはイケズカシと呼んでいるが、キズカシと呼ぶべきである。すなわち文様そのものを 透して地面を残す工法で、地透と対比するものである。現今では小透という表現が多く、生透という言葉はあまり使われ ていない。すかし、透しの図柄が大きく画面いっぱいになっているときは生透という用語は適当であろう。

Hi David, The reading of the signature is correct, "Kunihiro", but the other term should read "naDekaku" (撫角), i.e. "rounded-off angular (shape)".

Haynes lists a Kaneshige affiliated with the Nara school. This would be IMHO the most fitting attributive guess here, hence I have no comparison´s of his signature nor am I totally sure about the signature itself.

There were several Kaneshige active (Haynes lists seven using the characters given). Can you post a pic of the entire tsuba, maybe we can rule some out...

Hi Peter, The pics are upside-down but the signature could be "Kaneshige" (兼重).

Yep, the latter is the simplified form of the former but otherwise the same character. I am curious about the mei on the sashi-omote. Maybe one can do a check-up in an electronic smith´s list which smith working round Keio used "Kane" as last character

The year is "Keiô" (慶應), and the second year is "hinoe-tora" (丙寅), so this is correct. The (土) is IMHO just the upper part of a following "kichijitsu" (吉日). Unclear about the other signature, the last character seems to be "Kane" (兼).

Hi Andi, "Only" a branch of the Shôami school is mentioned, namely: Aizu Shôami (會津正阿弥)

I agree with George as the rocks being a stylistic measure - bearing Chinese landscape paintings in mind as Ford said - to place the central motif in a more natural environment.

Ouch, kissaki resting on hard kitchen unit. Makes me feel hurt