Curran

The geometry in general is Higo proportions, especially the rendering of the left n right ana. Usually that screams Higo.

Good job via Mr. Hughes. Nice diamonds to the tsuka. Choose a good sageo.

Fair to say that at least 75% of the wan shaped tsuba are going into Higo or Hizen? Maybe 85-90% of wan tsuba are covered if you say tsuba from Kyushu associated schools. Wan shape => think Kyushu. No surprise, given the origins of the idea for wan tsuba. During the 2 years I operated as a small shop dealer helping to clear some estates, a nice Hizen wan tsuba was sold by me. For reasons of objectivity, I wasn't suppose to buy anything directly. When that tsuba came up again, I tried to buy it. Someone else got to it first. Hizen tsuba are generally not highly regarded, but there are some very nice ones now and then.

I agree with Richard and others. Consigned or Attributed are better word choice than Binned. Wan shape, dragon, namban feel, sort of wood worker type carving, fair bit of nunome work => Hizen work.

@Chishiki Don't I know it. The NBTHK wait kills me. It gets worse each year, though at least the opinions are getting more knowledgeable after whatever super transition drop off happened in 2014. Still, you have to pay for TH to get more than a relatively Captain Obvious opinion. Hozon "Higo" papers? Phhhhssh. Even my wife could have said Higo at a glance. I thought they'd at least put the school on it, but obviously hoped for too much to get to venture which generation at the Hozon level. Also, "Den" at the TH level is becoming more common and is rather gutless. "TH Den Hirata" = we know it is Hirata, and it might be 1st gen Hikozo => but we have no balls, so we will say Den Hirata. With the new rules the NBTHK is putting up about submitting items, it is an even higher hurdle for foreigners and their agents. I like your menuki and think TH to Umetada is a good attribution. Best would have been TH to Ezo, but I think TH to Umetada is a close second. To me, it beats a TH to Ezo (Edo) type attribution. The backs are nice, and I too think them somewhere in the early 1600s workmanship.

@Chishiki Careful with the nomenclature there. While we know Nara and Umetada works a certain way, the names "Ko-Nara" and "Ko-Umetada" imply not so much => OLD as they do the very different school or workmanship that was produced in that area before a certain time. Thus.... Ko-Nara works are some interesting mostly iron works (we think of most Nara stuff as very kinko), and Ko-Umetada works are mostly very simple iron tsuba that border on crude... but have different proportions than Ko-shoami. Thus... TH to Umetada is nicer to have than TH to Ko-Umetada. I don't think I have ever seen anything Ko-Umetada get TH papers. I think what you would wish for is TH Umetada that had (Momoyama or early Edo) written in parenthesis.

Perhaps a photo inside the sukashi would help.

School of tsuba is Playskool. Of the Hasbro region.

@Okan I'm just a tourist lost in a sword thread, but I have to say that was some impressive sleuthing.

Nice Owari. For whatever reason, these have gotten a lot harder to find in recent years. I know two collectors in the USA have cornered the market a bit.

This is at least the 2nd time Mr. Broderick has been recognized, yet I have never seen an image of his work. Anyone able to share an image either here or PM?

No opinion from me. I was just stumbled into this thread in an interesting way. When it comes to the NBTHK, I admit I have lost my religion. I am not the biggest fan of their opinions, and last shinsa I had to submit evidence with tsuba to get the correct attributions. On the two where I didn't bother, I simply got "Higo". Sort of Captain Obvious for which they take your money and 8 months of shinsa time.

https://www.samuraishokai.jp/sword/22613.html Western steel? This was an interesting thread. I'd think it a bit cheeky to make a tanto for the birth of the Crown Prince and use western steel. I'm here entirely to learn. As most know, I'm 97.5% fittings centric. This all came to my nose while researching a special tsuba made around the same time. Tantou [Ikkansai_Kunimori](Yasukuni Sword Maker)(The sword by which His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is born commemoration)

At the moment, I don't think it is up to his family to decide. Likely it falls within the laws of Canada to determine who has control over certain things. That may or may not be family. It -Sucks-, but that is how it breaks down. It is slow enough in the USA [just assume 9 months], and almost certainly worse in Canada. The various parties may not be able to publicly speak on it until the law settles out. That might be 6 months from now, 12 months, or more. In the meantime, whatever Ray, Michael, and others can pry from the open source side of the web is most welcome.

That... is a very pretty signature. I have a lot of respect for Sadakatsu work and have seen a fair number of his signatures, but that one is particularly nice penmanship in iron. Give me a writing brush and 5 years, and I don't think I could pull that off with ink. Certainly not in iron. Sounds like an interesting blade, just from the signature alone. Sadakatsu's last year of life too, so I romanticize it a bit and think this was one last burst of effort for the artist.