Curran

I think I want to live in Ed's house. I'm ready to give up "Beach Paradise" minimalist living, and have tansu envy.

Yep. Open up some Chateau Clinet to go with it. We see a lot of sellers now crosslist on ebay. I don't mean the arbitragers that put on a 100% or greater premium. With export of fittings not being much of a problem, I expect eventually someone will profit from a service helping them to list internationally on eBay or elsewhere. I bought a Saotome tsuba the other month, with some shilling pushing me up to the edge of my limit. Then added fees and such resulted in it being about +20% of what I had expected. It is fun to windowshop Yahoo!Japan, but it isn't much of a place for bargains anymore- ie. like any neighborhood that has gentrified a bit too much, whereas I find myself cycling back to eBay after having given up on it for a few years.

The +8% tax. That relatively new tax [created, delayed, now in effect] is a grind too. Even at the current fair exchange rate, I've been grumping about the shills. Now add +8% to the price of the final.

Agreeing with Pete and Brian. I thought Kyo-shoami of a design I don't remember seeing before.

What Steve said +1 He hit most of the early guys that came to mind, including Umetada Myoju

Grev, Let me know when the new version is available. A major professional obligation had most of my mental space. Now that it is past- I'm catching up on several months of "To Do List" and reading.

I don't think I can help at this time. In the first pass, the closest I came up with is a Nara guy. Seeing the workmanship would help, but I cannot do more until next week.

that might be difficult. If you can provide a bit more info towards what you mean, maybe we will help.

Utsushi of a famous suriage sword. edit: Sir Singer beat me by a few seconds. Slow on the buzzer, Trebek!

Matt- Welcome to the Deep Dive. Yes, many many many things to indicate when and where it was made. There is more information present than can be found in a complete set of fingerprints. Many unsigned blades can be attributed to specific schools and even specific makers at specific times. I have migrated to mostly just collecting fittings. Hopefully some others can get you further along the road to understanding what you have. A false signature doesn't mean much. It can still be a very good blade that a merchant simply wanted to add a name. Thus some people remove signatures nearly as easily as others added them. I never have, so will leave it to others to discuss with you. For starters, try and hook up with one of the better recommended collectors in Texas.

Hi Jussi, I think you are confusing the Texan [Texan, first name please- as per forum rules]. We will try to help. The signature on your sword claims to be made by the smith to which Jussi linked. Please compare the signature very closely for discrepancy, including direction of small strokes and question how identical they are. Not everything signed Van Gogh is a Van Gogh. Yet at quick glance it looks like a nice blade that someone might have 'upped' with a big name signature. It happened ALOT, especially during the late 1800s.

Is there any recommended board or forum for learning about Japanese pottery? I come at this from knowing a good bit about korean, but very little about Japanese regions and styles. My tastes seem to be limited to certain historical and modern schools. I can photograph an example given to me in Japan in 1989. It might take a few days. A few years ago I was very much struck by a modern potter's work and tracked down some pages with notes on his work. He seems to have shifted styles to a bit more experimental-playful, and I don't like his more recent work. To this day I regret not buying one of his earlier bowls, having been outbid. Thinking again on that bowl, I decided that I should learn a bit more in this area. I would appreciate anyone pointing me in the right direction to self educate.

Still seeing "Nobuiye".

As I said, if you have the knowledge and dig on eBay- you will do much better on eBay than Yahoo!Japan these days. While Yahoo!Japan isn't as plagued by the chinese coaster tsuba, it is awash in the shiny shiny gimei and the shill bids on anything with papers. Nowadays, strolling through there is mostly just for shizz n giggles. I don't sell much anymore, but have often jokes the last few years that I wish I had the ability to sell on Yahoo!Japan. Monetize that Dave, and it will be worth a lot more than a bidding service.

Darcy- care to recommend an energy drink? I have a big exam coming up and would like some of whatever gives you the fuel to crush it like that.

ow, ow, ow

He does enjoy a certain mixed reputation. People who have said avoid him, since said he is okay. Others have flipped the other way. The hot/cold has been enough that I haven't dealt with him in the past 2 decades. Often thought of it. Often stopped myself.

Ben: Stumbled on this today: http://www.wakeidou.com/publics/index/331/ I thought you might appreciate it. Curran

Yes. Very nice package all around. When I see nanako that perfect with good gold and shakudo from late Edo but missing any signature- I tend to think Yoshioka work. Late Edo Goto is also possible, but I think the Yoshioka workmanship had eclipsed them in certain ways. But then Ichijo did appreciate his snowflakes...

Stephen: ditto. Robert and Arnold: yes, I think this school unfairly gets second or third seat. They often exhibit a nice mix of technical ability and artistic daring. I too feel that way about Osaka shinto, so it seems we have similar tastes. If you have any pictures, I should very much like to see the Sukemune tanto and koshirae. Tanto can store and travel well, so I still permit myself one of those now and then.

Thank you for reviving this thread. It is total eyefood for me before starting out on a Sunday. For practical reasons of mobility with work and 'home', I try to keep it to a transportable collection of fittings. Should I find myself settled in and able to have more than a sword or two, a nice Shimada example will be high on my wish-list. I just enjoy this school. The NTHK publications on this school are very good. Also I appreciate Mr. Bowen's aid in this thread.

There is no one singular approach and formula for repatination. Therefore no test as simple as a scratch and smell test. The level of rework varies greatly. It was recently that I joked with someone that repatinations should be graded on a scale of 1 to 10, just as I liked to do with shakudo long ago. I know repatinations have passed as high as Tokubetsu Hozon and believe probably a few have passed Juyo.

Tsuba formerly known as "Nobuiye".

To me, this looks suspect to be a repatination. Look at it from the angle of a real tsuba that was prepped to take a fresh patina, and then "painted over". The age is under a new coat of patina.

Ben- Yoh-- . Just trying to help. It is a huge field and fittings are yet another huge dimension of it. I remember my early days with mentors and my own trying to sort it out. As to "Nagoya-mono" and that term, it is sort of relative and beyond the scope of current discussion. Having lived in Aichi prefecture and identifying with it more than any other part of Japan, I'm favorably disposed to most anything that comes from there.