Curran

What was to be a restful weekend in Tampa turned into crazy few days with house showings and hours of last minute work audit/pre-tax work with our auditors on the annual audit. Helping junior staff of the auditor understand variable dividend accruals and variable rates of foreign withholding tax is always fun way to spend the evening rather than talking and drinking with the Nihonto crowd. I'm sure I look quite deranged in the photo. My wife calls it my crazy white guy look. Curious to see the photo myself. ________________________________________________ Sold a few things and did one trade just for the fun of it. It was slow Friday. Picked up Saturday, but I had to leave for house/work reasons. Couldn't get back for Sunday, so didn't get to do the usual Sunday last minute bargaining games that usually happens. That is when a dealer or two usually pick an item off me. Curran

Thank you for the mention Stephen. We should mention you too. I haven't listed anything on eBay in a long time. Given the experience I had with a shady individual buying from one country and asking me to send to an unconfirmed in another country (China), I'm hesitant to sell there. Ebay was no help in the matter.

First thought was Japanese archery gloves.

No- Chen Chen-san's is Nara to the Nara. For similar example, check the Compton Collection Books. One in there very similar. From memory, I wanna say it was by Harayuki?

I continue to enjoy this thread, and recognize half the items have seen or studied in hand by me over the years. James' Hawk and Monkey tsuba was ex-Hartman collection in 1976(?) published, and into the ether until Darcy rediscovered it. I sold the twin to Mr. Chen-Chen's tsuba at Christies auction around 2007. Too many other nice pieces in this thread. James posting a few stunners for us who like some softmetal with our iron. Might as well throw up another: TH Hirata, possibly first gen Hikozo according to some (on the left). I like nidai work (on the right) just about as much, though the lacquer on shodai works sometimes gives it very unique charm.

Like the tsuba. If I am reading it correctly, that is quite the big name. The iron doesn't resemble what I know of his work, but it isn't like I have ever seen any of them in person.

Yo tambien.

Concur with James. Possibly '2nd period' Yagyu with some scaling or condition issues. Needs a better look-see. I believe it was only a few years ago at the Tampa show that someone brought in a very nice early Jingo on a sword. The owner was befuddled by the fact that people didn't really want to buy his sword, but wanted the tsuba. He managed to sell it and the dealer who bought it quickly separated the two, selling off the sword.

Thank you too Barry. Personally I feel indebted to the NMB and Brian, John, Jean, Darcy, and so many other names both here and lost to time. Over the past decade I think I've needed NMB much more than it has needed me.

Piling on here with Tosa Myochin call.

Very humbling. I've always liked the water ripple tsuba and see three there: a Hirata, a Jingo, and a third kinko one that I cannot ID from the photo. I am glad such works are shared at they are in Bonn. Herr Hagenbusch will be greatly missed. If not a moment of silence for him at the Tampa Show, then maybe a group toast to him at the informal evening party held in Tampa each year.

I liked this kozuka: http://www.wakeidou.com/publics/index/263/ I looked up the artist in Haynes and using various Markus Sesko texts. I cannot find a match. Help? Anyone able to point me to the right Haynes # for this guy, or reference him in one of Markus' books?

RIP Dr. Lissenden.

Agree with that Darcy's 'Momoyama' one is better condition than the Juyo one. I tend to avoid mythological themes and creatures, but that is a Dhamn fine one. To keep this thread going: Higo tsuba by Kohrin. According to one Japanese source, there are only 25 to 30 supposedly in existence. I've seen 2 at the DTI, this dealer has 2 out of somewhere: http://www.t-touken.com/archives/4856, and another list member owns one. Plus those in Ito-san's book or possession and the Higo Kinko Taikan, I have record of about 17 of the supposed 25 to 30. He was known for inlay work. All that gold is not applied, but inlaid. The one belonging to another NMB member has multiple silver moons inlaid and shakudo trees along the ridges of a mountainside. ----> Often they are unsigned, but have a distinctive rope mimi- usually done in shakudo. ----> Design elements used by the artist: silver moons, grasses that travel across the seppa dai of the tsuba, distinct shape, lack of humans in what is usually a contemplative scene.

Waves along the mimi can be seen in ko-kinko: http://www.tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/f00224.html I have a very similar one coming back from the NBTHK soon. Schools from Higo to Bushu would do the waves along the mimi. A Kanshiro example attached.

The one in better condition. _________________________________ Your NBTHK papers are from 2014, which is consistent with what I expected. Starting about January 2014, either due to staff changes or other reasons, the NBTHK fittings team started doing things a bit differently that prior decades. Owari kinko is a perfectly valid description, but not one I remember seeing on papers prior to 2014.

Different waves. 2 finger waves are considered more Goto derivative. It is one of the tricks to distinguishing nidai wave Kanshiro tsuba.... (oops, guess that kantei secret is out in the open know) Your 'Owari Kinko' one has a few 3 finger waves. But basically you're debating North Jersey vs South Jersey: sure there are differences, but they're still New Jersey. Capiscii?

Don't recall having seen Owari Kinko on NBTHK papers before. That is a new rather vague one. When are those papers from? Fairly recent? Look up Owari and Mino on a map. Kinda two different ways of saying very similar things. Mino Goto is more of an older fashioned way of saying it, though I didn't look at the date on those papers.

I would hazard a 'Yes' opinion on that rib-tickle-sickle koshirae.

Some old favorites in this thread. I hadn't seen the Joi f/k before. The Nara San Saku book is a fun one. I previously owned an Otsuki tsuba a perfect match to Steve M's menuki. Last I knew, the tsuba was now possession of a French owner. Darcy's mitokoromono and dragon kozuka: I have a good idea. However, the menuki have me beaten. I don't know enough to distinguish more than a few schools of menuki without seeing a signature. I look forward to an answer on those, as it will teach me something.

For a while, haven't had anything special enough to list on Juyo-Bi.com. Now I have a Tokubetsu Hozon Kanayama and a Ko-Kinko coming back from NBTHK shinsa, to be kept for a few years or more. 1 out for 1 in: Listing a large Hozon Ko-Kinko and Hozon Kanayama from my own collection: http://www.juyo-bi.com/sales.html The "O-Hana" Ko-Kinko up first. It is a bright old favorite, but lost the coin toss. Pictures might take a minute to load. Click on any of them to expand. I will list the Kanayama next week.

I didn't know we had anyone like Mr. Saratani in the USA. Wish I'd known he was there in New York while we were staying there. Through Nakaya pens, I knew of a skilled maki'e artist in NJ- but he isn't at this level and has no knowledge of koshirae or restoration techniques for antiquities.

Shodai Kanshiro. - I live by the ocean and liked the waves.

After work the past 3 weeks, I could use a drink too. Think I'll just stick to a pint, Two at most. Three and I'll drunk dial our Congressman Four and I'll be chatting with the Holy Ghost. [Apologies to Dorothy Parker for bastardizing her poem.]

Pete and I have side-bar chatted on this before. Some of the big name makers were very productive over a lifetime. A Picasso doodle on a napkin to pay his lunch bill isn't the same as some of his masterworks. Likewise, I've seen Juyo menuki by a big name [yet prolific] maker going for about $20,000 and at the same time seen a somewhat forgettable tsuba with what has been judged to be an authentic signature by the NBTHK. It was going for much much less. And vice versa: your average Hirado Kunishige doesn't command much money, but one of his tidal wave design tsuba with western characters around the edge command quite the premium as iconic work by him.