Curran

One has what appears to be a Tanaka tsuba. If signed and genuine, probably worth significantly more than the sword.

Ah Ludolph! Thank you hero mio on this one. Grey helped privately, but I still was not confident. I knew there were many variations to his signature over a long lifespan. You have upped my confidence on this tsuba, "Tadashige". Now maybe 95% certain. Design was very characteristic, seppa dai too, but I wasn't sure about a few parts of the signature. Paul- Ludolph's images were enough for me. Thank you for the offer. Curran

3 vol. Wakayama. With that and Haynes Index, you can tackle 90% of the signed mix metal ones you come across. There are a lot more gimei out there than most accept. Most want to believe the signature when the quality of the tsuba is decent. Minor dissents is that the ref. signatures for some people are only one or two, and that they are too strict for others. For instance, SHOZUI (aka. Hamano Masayuki). There are one or two other variations of his signature that I think other texts would say is his signature, but the Wakayama set only has examples of what I will call the "right handle" Masayuki version.

Thank you Christian. Anybody?

Other people. Having a solid collection, at this point I prefer trades and building relationships. Usually it is easier with Japanese dealers and European collectors. Americans tend to focus on money too much, including me sometimes. Instead, I try to focus on relationships and those really appreciating the hobby. For this reason the dealers I like most because they authentically enjoy the hobby are: Ed Marshall, Boris, and Mike Y/ Cyrus amongst the dealers. Yes, relationship element is important. Half of my best tsuba have always traded hands privately. I'd always heard it was this way and some dealers like to spin this- but it ends up being true. You will find that you interact better with some than others, on different levels.

~~In FL, sans books for the winter. Can anyone do me the favor of scanning in the signature reference pages for Tadashige from the Akasaka book? Or Wakayama? Photocopy and snail-mail would work too. I'm looking at a visiting Tadashige. Workmanship has many traits confirming the signature, but still would like to see the reference sigs.

I believe a northern Louisiana neighbor of Ed. Enjoyed correspondence with him long ago, but it has been a long time. World has changed.

Those flashcards are useful. Bought two sets from Grey over the years. Great for practice when on plane, train, or killing time.

David: As do I. Visited Boston and my college roommate and I took the day off to go see the MFA collection in our areas of interest. Saw a lot of the famous pieces I'd seen on display before. Many of the iron ones are pierced through in the sukashi walls, as if someone had punched holes in a traditional paper screen. Best guess is they were soaked in something not quite neutral enough and then cleaned in a fashion removing it from the most accessible surfaces. The less direct surfaces looks slowly chemically eaten.

Don't trust the Boston MFA attributions or veracity of the signatures on the ones they have read. Good museum. Excellent collection. Yet could stand some volunteer work to help the cataloging. I don't think Ogawa-san can be pressed into going through all them, and don't think anyone else there wants to admit they aren't experts in this small yet very deep field of study. Some of the iron tsuba are rusting away severely from inside the sukashi. Don't know why. Can only guess that they were treated improperly at one point and the process unhalted is eating out the walls. At least the kinko ones will survive.

Thank you Toryu (Big T). Anyone able to find him in Haynes?

That is part of why I asked. Even museums know better than to deface these things with a permanent mark. Yet is seemed very museum catalog-like and still patina looks fine. I thought I'd never seen something like this before, but your german comment helped me remembered one of the kozuka in the 100 Kozuka book has the coat of arms of the western owner tastefully etched into the backside. The '24' is something different. I don't have access to my books to translate the signature, but if John cannot do it ~ I doubt I could either.

Tsuba, An Aesthetic Study", by Kazutaro Torigoye and Robert Haynes, from the "Tsuba Geijutsu-Ko" of Kazutaro Torigoye, 300 pages. from here: http://www.ncjsc.org/ncjsc_publications.htm $25 Go to Lulu.co and search on "Sesko" See: http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/t ... 23849.html Also: http://www.lulu.com/shop/markus-sesko/k ... 66848.html Between either e-reader or waiting until Lulu sends you a discount code, you can get the three books for less than $100 total. Mind you, the books don't have very good illustrations- but as you read you can query on the Internet and look for examples. These 3 books should keep you busy for a year or two.

Without translating the signature, a tsuba related to or within the Mito school. Is the tsuba really stamped or etched "24" on the front underneath the nakago ana?

Post the pictures for Fred Geyer. This is his sweet spot and a school I like. I'd follow his advice on Owari Shinto.

Mark and David, Thank you. This gets more interesting, and bringing the design to life. Both David's information on the punch marks, and Marks botanical information helped me understand a bit better. Mark, is the tsuba you shared currently owned in Europe? I remember two or three of this design in the Higo Kinko Taikan. I have studied one I assumed to be 5th gen. Another collector said it was 3rd gen, possibly even late 2nd gen. I chose to stick with my 5th gen opinion, but this thread is opening me more to the idea that it is 3rd gen. --------- I was surprised they were described as inedible. The part about them retaining flavor far into winter makes sense. That is when I remember we would eat them in northern italy- with white cheese and espresso out of a lunch pail. Standard 10:15 break during construction or repairs in cold weather.

Bottom one is "Mushrooms". (food) No idea on the top one.

Peter K: 20 years = yes 50 years = no , not really Variables are numerous. There will always be an interest in fine weapons. Major variables: Japan economy and demographics. Most economies see a middle class only in their high growth years. Then tend to settle more into haves and have nots. That bulge is also represented in the appreciation and understanding of mid level artwork. Then tends to separate like water & oil into the buyers and owners of the very best and the growing number of buyers of the more base. The middle starves through attrition. 2 generations of downside is pretty hard, unless some sort or renewal or revival event. Don't know if Japan will get that, with their demographics. Tokubetsu Juyo or true museum display grade WoW! works holding or inflating in price and WW2 swords raising in price. Everything else softening. Other variables are what it costs to produce and equivalent piece of artwork today. Gold and shakudo Yoshioka sets climbing in demand and even value, often off to China and Russia.

Higo Kinko Taikan anyone? Mine is in storage for the winter. I'm more curious about the old Tachibana design, as I see it in Edo fittings and armor fairly often. It is more allusion, or did it have a more concrete meaning or association during the Edo period?

See this design as a family insignia? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachibana_clan_%28kuge%29 I see variations of this design on fittings, but not knowledgeable about the Japanese families. Example: http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k150677999

It would seem the shoe lace from my old gym sneakers has been reborn as the ito on his sword.

So Jimmy Hoffa ain't dead?

El Lotte- yo tampoco.... ahora = $450,000,000.00 or 5.5 billion pesos.

Unno Moritoshi menuki

Jean, You would be correct. However, in the instance I am thinking: it was the tsuba that indicated specific rank. Ie. I'm a 5 star general, you are a 3 star, and he is a 1 star general. When you discuss the pre-edo fittings where it is not about the tsuba, but the other items- there I still have much to learn. Seen the images, text, and diagrams in the books discussing such stuff, but not gotten myself and translator to that end of the rather big pool. I don't know what is written in English and where. I just know the answer to, "did tsuba *ever* indicate rank" = yes. (at least in some pre-Edo instances)