Spartancrest

Sorry Jesse I was over estimating on that Mokume - it sold for $72.51 USD. You would have got the shipping as well for $100!

I can see why the guard could be based on a Yagyu design. This one is from the "Moon Tsuba" thread from Ed Sept 3 I don't think the themes are the same however.

Yes sure is https://www.jauce.com/auction/g1113707391 It reminded me of this thread - and this tsuba, you could inset almost any tsuba into the frame with only four points of attachment.

I think I have found what the rim of the tsuba above is made from ? -

Iron Mokume, you could probably get for well under a hundred dollars - I love the translation "Beauty of rusted metal" https://www.jauce.com/auction/w1113415344 a little temptation goes a long way!

Late post but I thought this was interesting, not for it's quality of work but for the addition of a pretty poor rim. https://www.jauce.com/auction/b1112485459 Seen plenty of tsuba with removed rims and of course fukurin but not too many like this. Let's face it the rim looks like a bit of rebar, but I guess it up grades its size to use on a larger blade than the tanto I am sure it was first intended to serve. I note also the eye which is often cut all the way through the plate has been plugged.

True, but I wonder how the auction piece would look "in hand" - a little worn and a few scratches but not too bad for the price range - where will you find another? Piers just how small is that netsuke? Beautiful, the metal looks like polished dark wood.

An older thread here might have something but the signature doesn't really match IMHO

https://www.mokumeganeya.com/e/about/ http://www.mokume.com.au/ https://www.annevill...cherry-blossom-tsuba You can get the same effect in iron/steel but not as striking as the different coloured metals. Not a common item on the auctions, I think they get gobbled up pretty quickly

Why don't all carved tsuba show evidence of being mounted? Change your optometrist and actually have a look- must I show hundreds of examples - again and again - or can you LOOK

Welcome Neil. This one is found in an old thread 2012 - https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/9973-another-possible-yagyu-tsuba/ It seems much 'heavier' than yours and the detailing is not as clear. Would you say the objects strung on your example are hexagon shape? You can also pick out the 'orange peel' texture on some of them - very detailed. One also appears on the cover of this book: https://thumbs.worth...e50e8e68d2205d8b.jpg likely the same guard as illustrated above.

Wow did you get a bargain! [glad you don't listen to some on this board, you know you can't get anything decent under $100 - according to some ]

Lucky you, I have perceived the same thing in people, a lot of crudity and poor taste. This thread was about evidence and proof - what has been presented is dismissed, but we have enjoyed plenty of dickering and bickering. Personal insults and showmanship abound, but have we got anywhere?

Oh sorry, I leave all carving of cast iron strictly for the Edo period artisans. You are right though, my taste in gaudy expensive never used, tsuba looking things, stops with what the true warriors were equipped with, not what their pampered masters could afford to throw in a drawer. My budget however stretches to much more than $100. But thanks for asking.

This is speculation in itself - you have no knowledge of what other people have done - but please speculate at your leisure, hell you might even get something right once in a while.

Hammered 'stone-effect' (ishime) - But when you search for Ishime tsuba you don't get the same look and usually just iron with a rough texture. There must be a better description of the background finish.

"Gorgeous"?

Perhaps true but we are yet again - NOT DEALING WITH HIGH END TSUBA - The expert opinion on onions cannot tell us who grew the best oranges!

You just have it back the front - sellers are trying to get more than they are worth!

Can you "Prove" these weren't? I really don't understand the hostility to the idea that the very clever Japanese craftsmen knew how to 'dress up' cast items, when at the time they were world leaders in metal work? What possible pain can it cause anyone today to accede to the facts? Is it fear of not getting enough money from selling what turns out to be 'inferior' products? Is it bolstering the belief that "my" collection is perfect and does not have any cast pieces? What is it that people are so afraid of?

By the way "Qualifications" does not equate to "Proof" - You would think that an educated person or persons would know that!

More Blah to get your head around: There are no hidden secrets involved, annealing has been discussed at length before. https://www.industri...atment-of-cast-irons Heat Treatment of Cast Iron The types of heat treatments for cast irons involve stress relief, annealing, normalizing and hardening (quench and temper). In each of these processes, it is important to understand the materials’ response to its heat-treat process parameters (time, temperature and atmosphere). Stress Relief The need for stress relief is due to internal (residual) stress in the castings, which is often the result of cooling a complex or intricate shape or one with radical changes in cross-sectional area. In stress relief, the time-temperature relationship plays a significant role (Fig. 5, online), and higher temperatures will affect mechanical properties and often require the use of protective atmosphere to avoid oxidation. Soak time at temperature is in the order of 1.5 hours per 25.4 mm (1 inch) of cross-sectional area for sections over 50 mm (2 inches) and 1 hour per 25.4 mm (1 inch) of cross-sectional area below this thickness. The cooling rate is also important, with furnace cooling to 260°C (500°F) adequate for most castings. However, those with intricate shapes should be cooled to 95°C (200°F). Annealing The annealing process is applied to castings primarily to improve machinability by softening the material. In the case of ductile iron, increases in ductility and impact resistance often result.

Dear Ford and others - can you read? Dan has repeatedly delivered his evidence and as he points out contradictory "evidence" [not opinion] has been lacking. Ford the Hitchin's razor does not apply because evidence has been presented - dismissing it merely proves you can't learn something new or that it contradicts your own personal prejudices. All qualifications aside - I know of very many "educated" people who don't know their bum from their elbow and would need help to tie their shoe laces.

No idea of his status or credentials, I can only report what is written. Who knows? .. In another hundred years all our "modern" experts might all be disregarded as easily as those who were closer to the actual events have become? [That's why I am no "expert". I can be disregarded in my own lifetime ]

https://garystockbri...a-sword-guard-92916b