1kinko

Oops, got me there- but I’m going to blame the close proximity of k and m on the iPhone key board!

If you Google semigame you’ll find tutorials about how to fit your tsuba. Your tsuba shows the cut outs where copper was previously used to fit to the nakago. If you cut out copper of the same thickness and shape and anneal it, you can easily fit it in place and expand it by hammering with a punch to fit tightly.

While The Art Appreciation of Japanese Sword Fittings is a wealth of good quality images arranged by subject I don’t see it contributing to the issue of matching or non- matching sets, nor do I think the “always exceptions” is particularly helpful. However, Markus Sesko’s 2014/10/11 post “Historic Overview of Aesthetic Requirements for a Tsuba- Part II” explains the cultural/economic changes that occurred before, during, and after the Sengoku era and the influence of the tea ceremony and zen thought on artistic appreciation. He also tracks wabi sabi and machibori vs iebori clientele.

Ishiguro hawk and Murikami dragonfly sets are exceptions then?

Help with research and translation tools- how about Markus Sesko? Possible external examiner too.

I agree about the use of caustic solvents like paint removers that have acids in the formulation. That’s my point about using non-polar organics. And, like you said, this piece appears to be simple iron/steel, not waxed or coated with urushi. Even if it was covered with urushi, I doubt a non-polar solvent would have any effect but I have no actual hands on experience trying. Interestingly, I have tried to remove cashew with non-polar solvents with zero success once it’s dried, but, for what it’s worth, caustic paint remover also failed to remove dried cashew!

It’s just paint. Any organic solvent will remove it. The less polar the better. It won’t affect the patina unless it’s polar.

Hard is a relative term- someone who could call wrought iron hard might not know cast iron from wrought iron, or vice versa.

I’ve yet to find an analysis of a cast iron tsuba but I have found analyses of tatara iron/steel, helmet steel, and sword and hamon steel. These can be obtained online but usually only in part. Remember when the internet was going to provide access to scientific articles that would spread information freely? That never happened. However: Matsumoto et al. 2013 reported tatara steel with 0.6 to 2.0 mass%C “in sharp end” of a katana but also noted the C was not uniform and used electron microbe for their measurements. EPMA only penetrates about 1um. Some other studies have suggested that the charcoal/clay used to produce the hamon pattern could contribute to the C concentration. Fedrigo et al. Reported the composition of a 17th C helmet from the Heruta School, and reported only ferrite and slag and 0.3%C. The same authors (2015) reported on 7 helmets from the 16 and 17th Cs and found from 0.3 to 0.8%C using neutron diffraction analysis. Grazzi et al. (2009) reported on 4 tsuba from the Tokugawa era. The 3 iron tsuba we’re about 98% ferrite. Yano et al. (2013) reported that the hamon steel on 1 modern and 1 koto sword was composed of lath martensite with 0.5-0.7 mass%C. Das et al. (2009) reported the surface hardness of hamon was 866 Hv (Vickers hardness) at 0.5 mass%C. Inoue (2002) reported white hard martensite from tatara steel with 1.0-1.4%C. While none of this information directly addresses the question of whether cast iron tsuba were made in pre-Meiji Japan (or imported from China or Korea or Portugal) it does show that some higher C steels were produced at tatara temperatures. The definitions of cast iron and steel need to be refined and, I guess, invasive methods will be needed.

Some years ago I considered making chocolate tsuba to sell at the NCJSC meetings to appease the wives when their husbands blew the budget on swords/tosogu. I guess it’s easier to order them online now but I still see a market for sword show attendees.

Some hamons go pretty far from the edge but are still high carbon steel. The actual hamon line is composed of martensite with a carbon content of around 2.5%- similar to some cast irons.

Glen- As I posted, Ford probably used the past tense when he should have used the present tense regarding the use of saws. They simply didn’t exist when the first sukashi tsuba were being made. Point 2, was you idea that inlaying and carving cast iron would be simple. As you just reported cast iron has a carbon content from about 2% up to 4%. I’m still waiting for Dantsuba to try filing or chiseling his cast iron bottle opener. There’s a reason you don’t find horimono on the hamon. The tatara was broken down and the melt separated into hard steel for the sword edge and softer steel for the main body. This would then have to be remelted in something to produce metal that could be poured into many small molds. To me at least, this tatara steel would be for better used making swords than cheap tsuba. Why not cast iron swords ?

Dan- fly to the NCJSC show next August. You’ll see everything from cheap to gorgeous and get to handle them and talk with other enthusiasts.

Here’s a post concerning removing rust while preserving at least gold. This guy (Robert Lisafali) also has posts on this web site concerning removing verdigris from shakudo. A little short on details but he uses a nonionic neutral pH organic mixture marketed as Vulpex. He’s apparently a restorer at the Samurai Museum in Berlln, The website name is Projects Step by Step-Katana Forum in case this link doesn’t work. https://www.facebook.com/groups/228715987959510/permalink/965957644235337/

I think that should have been past tense. Everybody I know now uses jewelers saws.

Glenn- I didn’t see any specification to malleable cast iron in your post where you suggested that carving and inlay would have been less labor intensive than doing the same in steel. Were tea kettles made from malleable cast iron?

Again, the terms iron and steel are used here frequently, but they are not the same. Some very pure iron is as soft as copper while other iron is full of silica and real SOB to work with. Mild steel is a lot easier to work with than high carbon steel. Nevertheless, you can chisel a hole in any of these and set an inlay in it by tapping in the sides of the hole. I’ve never seen even a 1 cm inlay though- did you mean 1-2mm? That’s pretty common and the hole to be chiseled would be around 1/2 mm, though the deeper the hole the safer the hold on it. It just takes harder steel tagane and patience.

OK, so now you’ll have to see if you can chisel it and do an inlay like Glen said would be so easy. Maybe try a file first?

Eitoku Sugimori (2004), Jim Kelso (2009), and Ford (2015) have presented formuli for sabitsuke patinas.

I think it was incorporated into the sword museum in Tokyo.

I finally got a reply from the Asian art curator at the Walter’s, Danny Chan. The Asian portion of the museum will reopen in April 2023 ( and 1 Ishiguro school tsuba will be on display). He is open to actual examination of the tsuba. For photos, Laura is the right curator to contact.

I had hoped help this question as I just drove 4 hours to get to the Walter’s Museum. My primary intention was to examine their Ishiguro collection. But alas, the entire collection has been boxed up and is moving to a different location. No knowledge of this on their web site. The curator doesn’t respond to phone calls or emails. C’est la vie.

Tony- the term iron gets used a lot here but iron is not the same as steel. I’ve had pure iron that’s as soft as copper.

No guesses either?

Jean C- seems like I have questions for you on 2 subjects today- 1) I’ve only tried to make a kogatana once and when I quenched it I heard a distinct ping as the hagire occurred. That was the end of the effort for me, but I wonder how many hagire-flawed blades were polished in the old days (and this blade has way too many to miss). 2) In relation to the other subject today, have you seen hagire in kogatana made from layered forge-welded hard and soft steel?