Martin

Thanks for your assistance. The Tsuba is 8.4 cm in height and 8.2 cm in width. So I guess the former owner wrote down the measures

Hi all, may I kindly as for your translation assistance for this Hakogaki please? If I am correct, it says Kamakura on the right. The name on the left is too tough for me... Kind regards and thanks

Jean is correct. You will need some sharp edges. Maybe you could break the button into 2 pieces and use the edges.

A very entertaining Kantei indeed, thanks Guido!

Christian, I don´t think anybody asked for a personal taste here... So why make this Tsuba bad? Taste is very personal and Bruno asked for a possible attribution to a school - nothing more. I met people who proudly presented their recent purchases and were completely upset after other people talked their objects bad (although only their taste was different and the object completely ok)... I do not see any junk here, sorry.

You are right - it is not peaked - it ends in a beak

My guess is Akasaka. The have also performed Tsuba with that crane design. I saw that pattern of tagane marks on later generation Akasaka pieces which is if I remember also an attribution point.

My guts and eyes also say not old, no signs it has ever been mounted. Shape and position of the Kogai and Kozuka Hitsu also look strange to me.

I was also lucky to receive one of these and I very well remember the words Ford quoted. You just cannot describe it better

Some more iron as requested My wifes favourite Tsuba.

Thanks Curran, but even a Jedi wouldn´t have the ghost of a chance... ;o) Cheers,

Hi all, nice thread with lots of great Tsuba! Here is my favourite one.

Hi Jason, maybe you should try to clean the rusted parts to be sure what material the "Sekigane" are made of. You could try to clean it with an old toothbrush and a little soap or with a cloth soaked with alcohol. This should then reveal if the "Sekigane" are copper ones. If they indeed turn out to be of the same metal as the Tsuba, I would also say it is a cast piece...

The elongated and narrow shape of the Hitsu-Ana could be an indicator of a certain age (Early to maybe Pre-Edo).

Well then, bring up some Kantei-points for Akao ? What makes you think it was made by this group?

Hi Ford, here are some images I can provide. But unfortunately I am not able to offer self made pictures... millet.zip

I would also say Akasaka. Kantei points for me are: - the full round Mimi - the quite "modern" execution of the motiv (lack of symmetry) - the arangement of Tagane marks around the Nakago-Ana - the faint Kebori Best,

Hi Steve, nice Tsuba ;o) I think I heard at some time, that Torigoe used a certain Kao for works he appraised on his trips abroad. Best,

Hi all, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best for the new year. A very special thanks to Brian for his efforts to run this Forum And take care of the turkey.... ;o) Best,

Lorenzo, this is intersting indeed and I haven´t yet seen such Sukashi work either. In my opiniont this could be a late Edo piece with an "experimental" Sukashi design... :D Thanks for sharing this one. Best,

Hi Lorenzo, I also see round piercings in the Mimi in regular distance. And I guess that´s why you currently can´t find your cam to post some pics of the Mimi... Cheers,

Hi Ford, I have just seen this very skilled and tastefully made film together with my wife and we were simply speechless. One can really see the passion you put into your work and it simply is a joy watching the birth of this masterpiece. Thanks so much for sharing this. Best,

Hi, I actually don´t think that there is a wear pattern caused by the Seppa-Dai. In my opinion this looks like part of the design and was inlaid in silver :? You often see those Seppa-Dai decorations in Namban Tsuba. Just my thoughts though....

Hi Henry, pretty much gnawn away by rust I think...

Hi Robert and all, there are indeed sources on the Internet that state, that Tekkotsu might be formed by wearing the Tsuba close to thr Kimono (see this oner for example: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/tekkotsu.html ). In my opinion these are "impurities" emerged during the forging process. But of course not all Tsuba show Tekkotsu as thie depends on the material and the specific kind of forging. Iron bones had a certain attraction and are related to the "tea taste" that developed in the 16th Century emphasizing simplicity, rusticness and other humble qualities in the tea ceremony. These aethetic principles were incorporated in many other parts of Japanese art and handcrafts. For some Tsuba schools those bones are Kantei (attribution) points. There are also Tsuba where the Tekkotsu has been simply filed off as they did not meet the aesthetic demands of the artist. Just my quick thoughts....