Curran

Add vote to Guido & Ed opinion. Initial koshirae that started this thread was a Maeda mon koshirae with what looks like Kaga Goto Shishi? Imagination sees someone of position in Kanazawa carrying that around. What was the blade? Something refined but nice with a suguha temperline? As Guido said and as counterpoint on the Kaga-Maeda theme, I hoped to pick up a Soshu or Bizen w/ choji tanto to my personal liking and have it mounted in simple black with these [attached photo]. They are slightly smaller than norm, I presume always intended for a tanto. Haven't found the tanto yet. Ones at the level I want usually seem to have koshirae. ___________________________________ Darcy- looking forward to seeing the O-Sa tanto w/ koshirae. Only saw a little of it in Tokyo, and appreciated it.

Top points to Steve. Silver medal to Bruno, and thanks for reminding me of your excellent example. Of the Edo Shoami schools, I like Awa Shoami the best. Doesn't hurt that it has some Higo feeling to it, therefore the Higo calls make sense. Especially the Nishigaki call by Mauro. Will attach more visual support later. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to possible generation?

This is a catch_n_release I picked up to study, knowing I'd seen its brother in one of the Collection books. It proved to be a much better example than later period examples of the school that I have owned. Thought it might make for a good fun piece to share here. --Brass --Gold and silver nunome, mostly of Hosokawa mon and tendrils. There are also 'Maeda (?)' 5 pt mon on the backside. --Size: 7.15cm x 6.7cm x 3.5 mm --Shape: The particular rounded corners seems common to this school. Also matching kozuka-kogai ana seem common. --Deep patina. Under magnification has very tight hatch nunome work, much more than visible to my unassisted sight. --Believed (by me) to be 17th Century. >>> No papers, but this is a classic example that we probably can agree on in the end. Please name specific school. It being unpapered, the specific smith is uncertain though a published one has a very specific attribution from Torigoye-sensei. He supposedly published another example with the same attribution, but I do not have that book at present.

Jean: Yes, I knew his English was superb, but I still expected Maurice Chevalier. A lifelong friend who is a dual US/French citizen has never lost his accent, perhaps to pick up the girls. When Jean bust out with Parliament English instead of 'parlement' Frenglish, had to give him a second look and wonder if he'd lead a second life as a listening spy, the ears of the French government. Speaking of the English gents: It was a pleasure to finally meet Mr. Paul Martin and talk with him a little bit. There was a very beautiful O-tanto that went up Saturday afternoon at a price just a baby's breath above where I would have been breaking the piggy bank for it. It would have been ideal to employ Paul to help obtain it, but it sold very very fast.

This was my first DTI. The return trip and jetlag was brutal, but the trip otherwise worth every day of it. I spent the first half of the trip with my 1989 host family. They are a very kind healthy family from a blue collar industrial port town in central Japan. River fished, ate, and drank with them. The second part being the DTI, went to Tokyo and had the pleasure of meeting Jean, Marc, Henri, Guido, Paul, and many others for the first time. In particular, spoke to many Japanese I knew only through years of internet correspondence. The swords: knew they would be excellent. You would be talking, and a Japanese gent would walk up and quietly buy the $100,000 blade displayed in the cabinet at your feet. I was surprised at the level of activity. Some people had very high prices. Others did not, and things sold rapidly. The fittings: exceptional koshirae. There was a very strong showing of Higo fittings, up to the Tokubetsu Juyo level behind one or two counters. Several members grabbed the higher quality Jingo pieces here and there. If not purchased the first or second day, they were mostly gone by the third. Guido and another stealth NMB member did good to purchase the ones they did when they did. A gold and shakudo Hazama went surprisingly fast. Noticeably absent: top level early Akasaka or pre-Edo Owari pieces. Saw some very good ones up to a few TH level, but no great ones at the Juyo or higher level. Did get to see nearly a dozen Kaneiye and finally developed an appreciation for them that I had never quite had from the books. Also saw one of the best Nobuiye at the NBTHK Museum. About a dozen Nobuiye were for sale on the show floors. Someone asked me if I liked Umetada work. I replied "Sometimes" in Japanese, expecting anything. Instead, I was shown an Umetada Myoju work at the level I'd previously seen in books. At that level, I didn't think it was for sale (just show-n-tell) but it supposedly changed owners within hours after I saw it. Favorite kodogu dealer was a polite one on the 3rd floor. I'd heard of them for years, but they do not do internet. Came away from them with a silver f/k set: papered, published ko-mino. Not something to break the bank account, but absolutely lovely and an item I would never hope to find in the USA. I dropped off a few items for shinsa, most of them carried for friends. If you can find the time and bear the expense, definitely make the DTI at least once.

This is much more challenging than the Shoami kantei. The devil is in the detail. I know the answer on this one, but don't think I would have been so sure without reference books and one or two tell tale details. At first glance, I would have gone with another school.

Enjoyed exchanging emails with him.

My first reaction was Sado Island. Also thought Satsuma.

Hat off to bubbleheads. Knew many active and know many retired.

Vote for Japanese basket weave: http://ebbtidesite.files.wordpress.com/ ... g_0522.jpg If any questions, PM me. Access to NMB may be random for a few weeks.

I expect some blowback on this one from the dogmatic pro NBTHK members: For the better part of 15 years, I've regarded the NBTHK as the gold standard for fittings. Last year I was impressed when they TH a shodai kinko Kanshiro I'd found. I was about 80% sure when I submitted it, but felt they might go with a safer attribution. I had heard there were some retirements and the fittings team was going through various growing pains. I did not take it too serious. Then from shinsa I received papers with the tsuba upside down in the photographs. I chalked this up as an administrative error. I heard and saw from others that the NBTHK failed to paper Hozon various things including a ko-Mino kogai on my website that I now own. The former owner's frustration with the NBTHK was my gain. Complaints were varied. Never the less, I subsequently submitted a number of items to shinsa for myself and other members. The results were….. shotgun blast. Not the usual Olympic archery precision I've so appreciated for 15 years. Bad? Mmmm….depends. I'm just going to say "all over the place". One item was submitted without its prior NBTHK papers and went from "Waki-Goto" to Tokubetsu Hozon specifically to a mainline ko-goto master. On the flipside, a pair of classic Nidai Kanshiro three crane design menuki got 'Higo' papers. The two choices there should have been 'goto work' or 'kanshiro'. Maybe Nishigaki at worst. Many things are only getting 'Higo' papers now. A Japanese dealer expressed frustration about it , in an unusual display of complaint. There was a nice Hayashi Shigemitsu that was rather obviously his work to those of us interest in Higo, but recent NBTHK just gave it to Hayashi. At least it wasn't yet another 'Higo'. On the flipside, these weak papers create some buying opportunities. That Shigemitsu went to a good home. Very hesitant to send anything to the NBTHK fittings team at present. We found a good Khorin (Higo dilettante) tsuba recently, and those are very rare. AUNTIE had a nice TOkubetsu Hozon one on display at the last DTI. Just dread the idea of NBTHK saying 'Higo'. C'mon Captain Obvious shinsa team…. It has greatly shaken my faith in the NBTHK fittings team, and I hope to hear better things in the next year.

That was my first thought, but dug out the NTHK Sue Koto books and looked a bit. Should have thought Sengo too.

Not like the Japanese aren't known for being intentionally vague or anything. "Den" is something difficult to pin down. Westerners tend to view that uncertainty as a negative- at least in the early years of collecting. People have set about trying to convince us that 'Den' can be a good thing, but we remain stubborn. As Jean said, I've seen Juyo blades with specific attributions go to Tokubetsu Juyo with 'Den ____' Giving it uber high papers but a degree of uncertainty makes our mental corks pop even more. For me, the cross over moment was a Hazama tsuba. Rare school. I've owned 5 and sold 3. The best one is 'Den Hazama'. Beats the other 4 hands down. If not for a lamination flaw, I'd put it up for Juyo. It is vague: for me the rule of thumb is 1/3 of the time it means 'better than', and 2/3 of the time 'almost'. Remember that is just one semi-stranger's opinion. Take it on a case by case basis. *Nice blade, nice school, nice habaki and shirasaya, and has papers. Good thing to inherit. Hope you keep it for many years.*

Forgive the bluntness, but only alternative is to be silent: Chinese made copy of a gimei to my eyes. "Haruaki Hou___"+kao Double damned.

Oh, definitely. Though mentally find myself drawn most to c. 1350-1425 works with having head turned by some Shinto Hizen and Yasutsugu, must say there was a shinshinto Satsuma Motohira a few years ago that had me at 'Hello'. Confess my knowledge of Shinshinto is very weak. Business was struggling a bit at the time and cash was scarce, so it wouldn't go home with me. Had to be content burning it into memory. It sold shortly thereafter and I hope the owner enjoys it. Have looked at many Motohira since and often been impressed, but none that grabbed me like that one. A nice nidai Yasutsugu utsushi of an older work went off a Japanese website the other month. Would have been nice to own that one for a few years.

Though of the Gary Gygax clan, I perfectly understood. Former DM, by the way. Still have all the dice and many of the books, though the modules are all gone.

Mmm. Watashi mo Oei Nobukuni suki desu.

Ebay: Inventory is low before the Dai Token Ichi. I have a few high level pieces in the wings needing papers before I sell them, but had only 3 tsuba left. I posted them to eBay late Sunday night and had 2 sell within 24 hours. That only leaves this one in inventory: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Japanes ... 20ea1c7793 Anyone seriously interested should approach me through NMB, as it cuts down on transaction costs. Website I guess technically I am a dealer now, but intend the website more to be an exchange for higher level items in the USA. Sometimes the best way to study things is to have them come to me for consignment. I get to study them. If I make $1 for the time, mostly I am happy. It took me too long, but I finally got up the 8 Estate tsuba that I promised to help with. I got to chose the ones I thought were the best 8. Prices are currency adjusted, so there is some flexibility as the USD-Euro Currency rate shifts. Please give a look: http://www.juyo-bi.com/sales.html They all all extremely fine with many of them published. Most are NBTHK papered and have custom boxes. The huge ko-Akasaka and the Shodai Kanshiro are most to my own personal tastes. The Kanshiro is significantly underpriced compared to what they cost out of Japan, but might be too austere for many.

Thanks for the photos. Several close family members there, know a few favorite restaurants, nihonto, and free box seats to Giants home games (I know they aren't in town this week). .... Why am I here, and not there? I recognize a few of Korin's tsuba. Good to see he hoped over from Japan. I also knew a dealer from Kyoto that said he as coming over for a few days. Hope there were many people like them bringing the nice stuff.

You gotsa be kidding me. This has to be the San Fran Ninja.... whats his name?. Guy driving around in a van with a sign on it. Just guessing by the location that it is that infamous 'not deal with' dude.

Agree with Barry that I would have gone with late Soshu, maybe to someone like later generation Hiromasa. Surprised by nidai Muramasa attribution and would like to see the papers. There was an excellent Muramasa thread here on the board years ago. I recall it being informative enough that I think I recorded it down to file somewhere. I remember Barry had a nice one? I regret not buying that Muramasa yari Darcy had up long ago. I wanted it as much for the koshirae as the blade and smith name, but it went to a Canadian collector.

Well done Nobody-sensei.

Saw a similar one in a museum collection and was asked to identify it. It is one of those I had to say 'unknown'. Aspects of ko-shoami crossed with later Edo Umetada works. We all have our comfort zones, and this is one outside what I feel I know. I lean heavily towards Edo, but couldn't say where it was manufactured.

Please post pictures, if at all easy to do so. I haven't made it to the SF show in years and wish I could.

Agree. Ed is very honest. I think it is at least 10 or 11 years now since I first dealt with him. Never a disappointment. Usually as good or better than expected.