Curran

Brian's two posts captured the bulk of my opinion. It does get tiring answering the same question for the 500th time, so you decide to let someone else do it- and it becomes a habit. Also, no matter how hard you try to be Switzerland, eventually you develop your own Politics. Brian has done extremely well at transcending the Politics and shown repeated wisdom for someone the same age as me. I would have used the Death Ray of Deletion a bit more capriciously. I should never be a Moderator.

Agree with Ken => not Omiya Morikage or Omiya Morokage. Not enough kaeri. Still, good answer by Jean as the utsuri, hamon, strong waves of nie, and other points put it close to there. Don't think Morimitsu either: too much nie and wrong hamon for that. Still, agree it is something close to Osafune with that well forged mokume itame decent jigane with an almost perma-oiled appearance to it. I need to hit the books before casting my opinion. Since I am definitely on the fittings side of things, I hesitate to do so- but this is a very good kantei piece. Thank you Frederick.

In those sections that I follow, there have been few interesting questions. As Mark said, it has been much more "Give me what I want to know". I had my breaking point.

I have seen 'den' on tsuba many many times. Usually I see it with Owari area schools (Kanayama, Hazama, even Yagyu) Usually it simply means + a feature or - a feature, or showing feature associated with another school. Tokubetsu Juyo 'Den' swords exist in number, sometimes gaining or losing the 'den' as they go from Juyo to Tokubetsu Juyo. Darcy probably could educate us all much better on that. Here is a 'den' Hirata Hikozo: http://ginzaseikodo.com/hikozoE.html My interpretation is they could have just said 'Hirata' but decided to denote that it seems mostly shodai work, but they aren't 100% sure. Your interpretations may vary. It seems many of us westerners are quick to assume 'den' is a negative since it doesn't 100% fit into a neat box. With Jean's Den Ryokai, I'd say it was a positive- but that is my opinion.

Photos?

I think the first time someone slipped a shinsakuto into a kodogu kantei session I attended was about 13 years ago. With some kinko works, it can be very difficult. I believe the current (Jan 2014?->) incarnation of the NBTHK kodogu team is being overly cautious bouncing anything they aren't 99% sure. With iron, shinsakuto are much more apparent. These are just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Grey: I am not sure I would include the Boston MFA for fittings. They have a fine collection, but it was one of the bigger disappointments in my life was to be there to see them and find that someone felt the need to clean the insides of the iron sukashi of many of the tsuba. Whatever the cleaning agent and process, the sukashi of a number of fine pieces is eaten through like swiss cheese. I'd never seen that before, and hope never to see it again. They look fine from the top down for a photograph, but someone did a number on quite a few of them.

As Ford said, I don't the carving on the kozuka, kogai, etc is very Japanese. The carving, the tanto's general compact shape, rounded ends, black n silver, tight wrapped handle without menuki: felt more to the Toppei koshirae end of the spectrum. I wouldn't quite call it Toppei koshirae, but does have that post 1854 western military feel to it. The VOC is total mystery to me.

+3 Sword of Sharpness [D&D for oldtimers]

We're up to 20 TH now, so a good grouping. Peter: You cannot see it in the photos, but one of the petals at about the 2 o'clock position was curling or bend dangerously loose. On a careless day in a tsuba box or tsuba bag, it will catch and pull that petal loose. In hand that petal felt like a soda can tab sticking out. Still, I shortlisted it and went to look around the DTI more. Ford might have been able to brilliantly repair that little defect, but it greatly bothered me. Instead I ended up buying a papered/published/ex-Gifu museum ko-mino f/k (H) that you'd probably like and a very early shakudo ko-kinko tsuba. I felt that was enough. I probably should have bought that JIngo, but was moving towards more interest in early kinko works. Still- really loved it except the one flaw. ___________________________ I don't really care about papers too much, but others almost always want them if you ever intend to resale. In the past I never bothered with TH, but since the price drop for TH and the gain of the $USD I've done it on three higher end kinko works I intend to keep (all purchased unpapered). As Guido talked about once: Should I pass unexpectedly some day, it might ease the sale for my wife or others.

Axel, I wanted to nix the obvious ones of the 2 at Nihonto.com and the 2 at Aoi Arts. Still, adding the 2 at: http://ginzaseikodo.com/fittings.html Another 4 here: http://www.seiyudo.com/tsuba.htm Gets us to 13? (17 if we include Aoi Arts & NIhonto.com) I'm just bored while monitoring a few things. Killing time looking at tsuba and listening to language CD. I've looked at about 2500 tsuba on dealer websites today and come across less than 20 Tokubetsu Hozon tsuba. Surprised by the low percentage. Where is a Juyo tsuba listed for sale?

Yep. I remembered the Nobuiye. They have some good stuff. I forgot about the dark Jingo and that Kanayama. That ko-kinko should be TH. So that knocks it down to 3 (or 4?) more to go?

Found one: http://www.tsubanomiyako.jp/SHOP/T-289.html It is a Tokubetsu Hozon Bushu. Not my cup o' tea, but there is #3. 7 more to go.

Dirk: -I always forget that website. Good start, but that is only 2. [surprised the Kyo Sukashi is TH]. Rest are sold. Nice family behind that site. They were top floor at the DTI. I almost bought that flower Jingo. They do have many TH gold menuki! 8 more TH tsuba to go?

Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu: Given the price of the papers relative to the value of the underlying object, I once said no one bothers with Tokubetsu Hozon papers for kodogu. "You can apply directly to Juyo with only Hozon". Well, things change. I'm eating those words now. Price on Tokubetsu Hozon papers dropped while the USD vs Yen rate became much more favorable. Also, now things need Tokubetsu Hozon before Juyo shinsa. Yet there are very very few Tokubetsu Hozon kodogu to be seen on the web. I'm overworked both professionally and in coordinating a civil matter. I'd love to just ditch and go on vacation, but cannot. I envy the jerks who get to go to San Fran in a few weeks. Instead, how about a Stay-Cation? Would love to see some pretty stuff. Post links to any Tokubetsu Hozon (or Juyo) tsuba for sale on the web? I'd like to see if we can come up with more than 10 of them. There's the Omori one on Fred Weissberg's site. After that? Some people might come up with sites I don't know.

Ah well, if he doesn't like it- he doesn't like it.

John: sorry, forgive the east coast centric perspective- but I don't understand. I'm probably 10x more familiar with Italy, Korea, and Japan than anything having to do with California. Can you explain? The appeal of that tsuba to me is that it just has layers of patina and color variation that just give the same vibe as old negoro. The simplicity and seppa dai also remind me a lot of Hirata Hikozo works, and such works were probably a foundation for his designs. It is not coincidental that I photographed it with a Hirata (nidai). Anyone wannta loan me a Hikozo for a photo of the two, I'll gladly accept it. Guido: I have seen that before. Monkeys are not a theme I like very much, but the depiction of yours has an old elegance that I've always liked. Nice depiction of "reaching for the moon" [Overreach]. Especially when he appears so relaxed on the other side.

http://www.choshuya.co.jp/sale/kokinkou/kokinkou_sp_index.htm Also a rather large technicolor one I have. About 9.5cm in size, papered ko-kinko. Compared in size next to a Hirata.

Morita-san: I express a deeply felt _thank you_. Your contributions have helped many of us over the years.

John, Thank you. Of the mei I have been comparing, yours is the closest match.

Joe, Thanks. I think I have it, but otherwise will PM.

Peter: Thank you. I'd looked at that one and knew his signature evolved from the 1970s. From that one, there is too much variance. I am also outside of my comfort zone, having a better feel for flow and evolution of kodogu signatures. Joe: I may do so. Chris Bowen has been absent from this list for a while, and the few others I knew to communicate with Yoshihara-san have either passed or difficult to get hold [moved back to Japan, don't do internet, or otherwise take a long time to contact]. I've dealt with Yoshihara-san's tsuba since first shown one in 2002-2003 and watched his evolution there. Confess I've only passingly studied his blades, as outside my epicenter of interest. That has slowly changed.

Any particularly good source for legit Yoshindo Yoshihara signature examples? I know there are Ono Yoshimitsu fakes out there and I am currently looking at a supposed Yoshindo Yoshihara work that varies a few points from the few online examples I have found. Workmanship seems about on par with other Yoshindo works I've seen, but I'm not very confident in the signature.

That would be pretty sad. The NYC group has a good knowledge. I'm surprised the Sydney group wouldn't know these for what they are.

Never been to the Orlando Show before. If I survive next week, I will brave the long drive this year for Arnold and Bill's lecture.