Krystian

Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you whre able to find item that you where interested in Kathleen.

Hello, Some time ago I started a website to sell some of the tosogu that I have. If you have time please check it out. For now there are 8 sections as follows: 1. Tsuba: https://soryu.pl/collections/tsuba 2. Tsuka: https://soryu.pl/collections/tsuka 3. Koshirae: https://soryu.pl/collections/koshirae 4. Fuchikashira: https://soryu.pl/collections/fuchigashira 5. Menuki: https://soryu.pl/collections/menuki 6. Books: https://soryu.pl/collections/books 7. Other: https://soryu.pl/collections/other-items 8. Items for your sword project: https://soryu.pl/collections/for-your-sword-project Please let me know If you can think of any changes I could make to improve soryu.pl Best Regards, Krystian

Hello, Could you help me with reading attribution on this certificate? It looks a bit like Shoami but I am not certain. Best Regards, Krystian

Thank you Ford. I am going to Japan tomorrow so I won't have much time for long studies this week. But If you need something please let me know and I will be happy to get it for you as a thank you:) Well something other than Yanagawa Naomasa daisho set:) I can send you high resolution pictures If it helps.

Dear Ford, Thank you for spending so much time writing about this piece. I think that I am able to understand almost all of your comments apart from one. Could you share a bit more about oddities in shishi faces? I understand that they are not as good as genuine Yokoya. But Yokoya also made a lot of different expressions on shishi faces so I can't pin point and consciously see those oddities. Please also clarify one more thing if possible. You wrote that this set was made by an amateur. You also wrote that nakago-ana shape looks like one made by contemporary Japanese craftsman. So do you think that this set was made by a contemporary Japanese craftsman or amateur? And by amateur I mean professional jeweler who does not specialize in making tosogu. Krystian

Thank you for the comments. I also think that kozuka was not part of this set. However I sitll can't understand why front of the kozuka looks to be made of copper and back is from shakudo. This kozuka was made after Yokoya Somin work you can see here: https://yuhindo.com/yokoya-soju/ Here are pictures of signatures. I think that signatures where made by the same person. After Ford comment I no longer think that this is a modern work. There would be no reason to do so much additional work to save on material costs. So possibly late 19th century? I will make additional pictures of tsuba and post them here later.

Hello, I have just bought this tosogu set and I can't figure it out. So I hope that you might help me to clear some of my doubts. Whole set is made in Yokoya style but at first glance looks modern made. However base of front of the kozuka is different color that rest of the set (back is the same color). But I am nor sure if it is made of different alloy or color is a result of mistake made during patination process. Kozuka front has a nanako that is not present on any other part. Based on that I thought that front of the kozuka is antique item and all other parts (including) back of the kozuka are modern. But if It is so than I don't understand red/brown color on kouzka front. It is Yokoya style so it should be black. There are a lot of interesting details on this set and one of them is tsuba. It is sanmai with two shakudo plates on copper base. There was no shakudo cover on the rim so we can see two shakudo plates, red copper and gold iroe. And when you look at the mimi from some distance the color looks almost the same as kozuka front. This is such an amazing effect that I simply doubt that it is just coincidance. As always thank you for all comments. Krystian

Hello, I would like to ask for your opinion it this matter. Here is a set of menuki I just purchased. They where covered in much more dirt and are after the first round of cleaning. I wonder If I should stop there or continue? I think that Jurojin is fine but Hotei needs to be cleaned a bit more. Thank you for all your thoughts. Please take in the consideration that this are 34 mm x 16 mm so a lot of what you see in the pictures can't be seen without magnification tools. Best Regards, Krystian

Thank you Ray.

Hello, Could you help me with reading this wakizashi mei? Krystian

Jean-Pierre there is no secret. Just a flash from the left side, white cardboard background and good lens. But in this case polish did 95% of the job. I could just photograph the blade as it is, whithout having to "hide" things like scratches, rust and so on while trying to show hamon, hada and hataraki. So this was very rare treat for me. According to Japanese seller this is 15th/16th century Mino blade. It is 67 cm now and was shortend.

Thank you for your kind words and comments. I made them dark to add a bit of contrast. A lot of people told me that blade pictures should always be on black background. But I prefer "gentler" white and was wondering If black background is a must, or white is also accaptlable.

Hello, I would like ask you abut quality and comments about pictures I make. Taking photos of blades is not easy to me and I wonder If you can see all that you might be interested in blades in those that I take. I know that I have to work on the sugata and kissaki. Please let me know what else I should improve. Thank you for all comments. Best Regards, Krystian

Stephen I will post some pictures after it is restored.

According to Toso Kinko Schools by Markus Sesko Hirochika is best know among Hirotoshi students. Not much more is know about him. But this tsuba looks very promissing.

Thank you Moriyama-san.

Hello, Could you help me to read this mei? Thank you in advance. Krystian

Thank you Steven. I wiil spend the night going through my books loking for other works of Otsuryuken Kaneyuki:)

Thank you.

Hello, Could you help me read signature on this fuchigashira set? Thank you in advance. Krystian

Similar kozuka from Nara Sansaku. I could not find "Joi" tsuba with so much space used for decoration. Usually ura would be left for the most part blank.

Thank you for all the help.

Thank you.

Hello, Could you help me with reading hakogaki and the paper I got with the tsuba.? Thank you in advance. Best Regards, Krystian

Sorry for the wrong rotation of the pictures. This one should be fine.