Curran

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.

Multiple points of view from people here. It sort of depends on frame of reference. I started collecting actively when in NYC (c. 1999), where the club is very closely linked with Yoshikawa NTHK. The schism happened in 1998? I have the highest regard for NTHK sword papers pre 1998, especially Bizen since it was Yoshikawa Sr.'s forte. I check the dates on NTHK papers. Since then, both NTHK groups have been perceived by the collecting community as in Decline. This modern perception means some bargains can be found when pre 1998 papers are attached. Perhaps the best Naginata I know of has 1980s NTHK papers, and I am fairly confident it would go Juyo if ever given to the NBTHK. Yet it has never been to Japan for Yushu or NBTHK. Post 1998, I largely relied upon the NBTHK as the gold standard. The belief in them grew the more I saw and studied items with papers from 1990-> 2013. When papers and my opinion differed, it was almost always time for me to go learn why they NBTHK was right and why I was wrong. Yet, just like the NTHK post 1998.... the retirements and changes at end of 2013, beginning of 2014 seem to have been something dramatic on the Fittings side of collecting. Apart from the minor things like tsuba being photographed upside down or backwards orientation on papers, some of the attributions have been so for crap that I don't know what to do. Some have been absurdly [really absurdly] in my favor, and others the opposite way. I've relied upon the NBTHK for about 15 years, but suddenly find their fittings shinsa to be unreliable. Sort of a wild west crapshoot on the fittings side. I hope that the sword kantei hasn't gotten as totally roulette.

Masayuki = alternately read 'Shozui'. Shozui being the founder of the Hamano School. Shozui..... was a very popular signature to fake. I've even owned a gimei Shozui f/k knowing it was such, because it was exceptional work where someone later added a 'Shozui' signature, since it was Hamano style. It was gimei, but a pleasure to own for a while and then sold as 'gimei'. Unless this kozuka is another separate Masayuki/Shozui working in a Nara derivative style, this one looks 100% gimei. I don't even need hit the Wakayama. There are certain quirks to the famous Shozui's signature that are missing from this example. I suck at poetry. One of the pros will need translate the poem.

I have distant family at Inuyama, who I failed to visit last October. Only thing I didn't get to do on that trip. I can certainly see why you would think Inuyama. I looked at it for a while, and don't think it is Inuyama. However, not sure. Old photos evidence some add on to its modern form and old maps might situate the structures to the right as previously existing at Inuyama? http://ml.inuyama.gr.jp/en/history-en

Pronouns? Geez, what are you: a German or English speaker? Of the 6 languages I can muddle through, only 2 really use pronouns. *sigh*. Yes, I am a native American English speaker guilty of dropping them too often. Leave it to Pete to actually find a name for it. [He is] Very resourceful.

Got it. Thanks James. Have high opinion of Paul too.

Anyone able to (PM) give me Paul Martin's email? I cannot find the business card he gave me in Tokyo. Having trouble with his website, though it might be a glitch on my end. I'll post a here once I've got it, to keep from multiple replies. Curran

Jean: nice Aoi-Art pick. With NMB 10% discount, even better. That tsuba has got to go. Wonder what was on it before it got plundered.

Craig was one of us hit hard by the Great Recession of 2008-2009. A gentleman of extremely kind spirit, I hoped he would make it back to our Nihonto community some day. Learned a few things from him and have long missed his presence.

The set was loaned to me a while ago. There is still an image of it up on Juyo-bi.com if you scroll down to prior year of the Sales section. What isn't obvious from the Auction listing is that it is an Oversized set. Large, bold, excellent condition, 450 years old and arguably one of the earliest renderings of guns in Japan. Definitely deserves its Juyo papers on several fronts, though perhaps not enough gold or flash for some of us Westerners (admit it!, we like our kinko to have some gold or other highlights)

Tom, Thanks. Papering items in Tokyo is taking longer, more expensive, and yielding less insight seemingly since Jan 2014' ish. If the Yoshikawa or NPO NTHK can keep the paper price down on kodogu, think I will switch. Then again, not much good "TH worthy" kodogu coming to market. Only got 5 in the pipeline for 2015. Waiting on papers for 2, and have 3 pending for papers. May just take the site academic by year end and fold the business license.

Hi all: Been busy and really not much to sale. I am waiting on papers to come back from NBTHK shinsa. Until then: http://www.juyo-bi.com/sales.html Up new is a Maeda Mon fitted boxed set of menuki and kozuka. In one of my odder NBTHK experiences, they gave it two sets of NBTHK Hozon papers to Yoshioka and Kaga [at the same shinsa]. I have been holding on to them for aikuchi mounts with a Juyo (Yamashiro or Yamato) tanto some day. Haven't gotten the Juyo tanto yet, but may be pushing for a Juyo Hirata tsuba later this year. Some things must go to welcome in a piece at that pricepoint.

Thank Franco. His post is the excellent one. It might help to say or share what the NTHK attribution says. It would give us a clue what to expect. As chance would have it, I'd just started studying up on nanako recently. Trying to improve me own understanding. Don't think I've read the Rear Admiral Layton - Alan Harvie writeup before.

Nanako patterns can be as telling as fingerprints, down to school and particular smith in some cases.

John: ? I wasn't bidding, nor interested in doing so. Impressed by the workmanship, but I try to limit myself to only keep 15 tsuba.

John, Here is the auction: http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f152691431 Unpapered, not so known artist from a lesser school.... It is getting impossible to find good kinko tsuba. Must agree with James and Fred that prices are climbing for non iron. Been searching for over 10 years now for a Tokubetsu Hozon level ko-Mino tsuba.

Thank you Markus. That fits perfectly. If born in 1927 and still alive, he's approaching 90 years of age. If I remember correctly, he won a price in 2007 at the annual competition. That would place him at 80. If Chris Bowen or others more knowledgeable about modern Tosho can comment, is it safe to Sugiyama-san will never be Mukansa? At his current age, it seems that time has past him by and he won't achieve that recognition (the general 'such is life').

I believe this guy is from Awa and been around a while. I've seen some of his works from the 1980s and 1990s. Didn't like the 1980s work. Did really like some of the 1990s work. Two decades later, is he still working and has anyone an example of his work? Has he any chance of Mukansa? If there is a bio for him, please point me at it or post it here. Thank you, Curran

Boris, at danger of having to define 'mid range', I agree with mid to later Higo (4th gen through kodai) taking a clear hit. Owari on the other hand, must disagree. Some of the 'mid end' papered stuff is going for more than it did a number of years ago. Even the 'not quite high end' $2000 Kanayama and earlier Owari are going off rather fast and not many decent papered ones out there. A decent Kanayama with Hozon and some rust issues had a number of buyers line up to the dealer for it. Also noticed a shortage of decent ones at the DTI. Thought it strange, as they were more common a decade ago. If anythings, seems more collectors are getting into kodogu. It is just the New Wave seems interested in things a bit different than the past generation. The Sasano Effect has certainly dissipated a bit.

Kodogu is partially a reflection of what is going on with swords. Low to medium end iron kodogu seem soft the past 6 months. But seeing prices for good kinko pieces mostly holding or climbing in sort of a slow stop-start fashion. Please find me a Juyo tsuba for sale online. Also, NBTHK seems to have raised the standard on what they will Tokubetsu Hozon now. Also: past 6 months, Currency. If you are thinking in US$, those items in Japan that remain priced in yen are that much more competitive. Many US and Canadian dealers will feel that pinch hard. Two or three years ago, the USA was the place to buy kodogu and swords. Now it is the other way., but could flip back in 1 to 2 years. Really think currency & internet availability is a large culprit. For now, if you can find a good piece in Japan- it is a bargain. If you bought in USD or GBP even 1 year ago, you are underwater on a currency adjusted basis. (edit: saw Brian's post and agree with it too. Sometimes this stuff is incredibly cyclical. Things like there seems to be a lot of Akasaka on the market at present, but no papered Hirata, early Hayashi, Ko-Mino, or a few other schools. I went looking for a papered Kaga kinko tsuba recently and found Zero. Maybe missed something, but still...)

John, Live auction. I will post it when it is over. Within recent memory I posted a live auction that others on NMB were bidding. After that one and some joking/well meant words of caution to me, I will try and refrain unless it is something I think of general education or interest. This particular auction, the artist is a relatively lesser or unknown artist of a late Edo school that sort of got lost as side stage relative to the Natsuo, Ichijo, and other biggies of late Edo. A 3rd chair underling in a 3rd chair school.... yet darn darn skilled. Maybe the Muses got into him for a bit. I think Pete's ID is excellent, as the style is very in keeping with Uchikoshi designs popular at the time, but the base material is different and the execution a bit different.

Fittings: Is the tsuba signed? Fuchi is signed Mitsuyasu with a 'kao' mark after it. Tsuba is of same design and I will hazard the guess that it is by the same artist. Haynes Index of Fittings makers has 8 possible matches. 'Sekibun' Mitsuyasu, 4 Goto students, and 3 others. It is not the Sekibun school Mitsuyasu, nor is it the most well known Goto student, and I can rule out one of the 3 others. If the tsuba is signed with more of a signature, I can probably determine which fittings artist.

Multi bow to Pete. :bowdown: Haynes entry doesn't give much onthis guy, nor do other texts I have. Only Markus' all too useful 'Japanese Toso-Kinko Schools' has some information on the school. Founder of the school [Yasunori] was formerly a student beside [ichijosai Hirotoshi]- the founder of the Uchikoshi school. It fits well, so think Pete nailed it. Exceptional work by a relatively unknown [barely listed] artist