Curran

Umetada: +1 Later in the school.

Oh sure... go ahead and take away our 'oldtimer' competitive advantages! Some of us have worked for a decade putting together a suitcase light version for taking sword shows. .....What , you think Ludoph has all those signature photos just because it beats collecting stamps? Now you've gone to arm everyone with tablets and character recognition software..... gah! *If anyone cannot tell, I am joking*. Markus has done Herculean things in the 21st century to open up fittings collecting. Very grateful to him, though he just partially obsoleted the existence of my own mini database on such signatures.

I just see 4 chicken or rooster heads. Looks like Stephen beat me to it. +1 to what he said.

Christian- I thought the same thing, though it is partially my own fault for not leaving more of a verbal marker on the one. I didn't think it would come up for sale. However, it is neither here nor there... I will have a go now rather than speculate on whether I could have gotten it cheaper privately. I've had a lot of years to look for better ones of this particular school in Japan. Recently came close, ....but 'no cigar', we say. Also, I know and have had in person some of these. ie. No Japan dealer surprises. The Japanese dealer use of spray wax seems on the rise.

This seems to come up 2 or 3 times a year. Basically it is the four 'Commercial Links' list. There have been various iterations: North American, Japanese, European There was one done in this same sub-section within the past few months.

Yes, as Pete said. It is one of the 'other' Nobuiye listed in the Nobuiye book, and this particular example it the one shown for the artist in the book. Not a very prolific fellow. I've seen that particular one in person and like it better than a few of the mainline Nobuiye I have seen, but not one of the major league Nobuiye. Still, wouldn't mind owning it for a while. Just one of the others is my first pick.

Brian, NMB and David, I've spoken with them and do not think the prices are intended as low bait to encourage bidding. I know Christies would do that at one point (Fittings Museum Auction in 2004?), but my strong impression is a sell intending to have a high rate of moving the items. I definitely enjoy dealing with the Bonhams people much more than Christies. I'm strict about limiting myself and usually force myself to sell 1 for any that I buy in. This usually generates quite the internal pathos and evaluation of 'is it better than what I have'. My Higo collection is pretty strong, but there are some very good papered and unpapered examples in the sale. Yet.... I will be going for one of the non Higo. I saw it in person years ago. Couldn't afford it. It is better than what I have from the school, even now. [i]Going to take a swing at it.[/i] Would love to own that Nobuiye from the book for a while, but targeting elsewhere. Curran

gimei da. Gomen... Extremely popular signature for gimei. I've intentionally owned a gimei Shozui f/k at one point because the workmanship was so good. Considered having the copper knocked out and replaced, turning it simply into a mumei- but did not. Also owned some NBTHK papered f/k and kozuka by him. Sold it all to one of the big dealers in Japan. Very distinct 3-D aesthetic.

Later Muromachi Heianjo. Might have been trimmed and a fukurin added. Design seems atypical (in a good way), but a headache to ponder the active design with the tsuba upside-down.

Juyo-Bi posts 1 new item at the beginning of each month. For May is an extremely rare papered and boxed Kozenji (Owari Kinko) fuchi-kashira: http://www.juyo-bi.com/sales.html Though several inquiries came in, the Juyo Futokoromono did not sell. The owner says he will throw in a Tokubetsu Juyo Sadamune for the buyer.... No, just joking. However, he will be going high level sword shopping in Japan this summer. If you have a serious offer, please make it and I will forward it to him for consideration.

Hi Barry, I hope it will right itself easy enough without getting you involved. Given how fine the contents are, I think if you took them home- you'd keep them. I was merely agent on the sale of these excellent items. I just didn't need the headache on a week like this. I was not making up the part about Robert the Stoner. Totally nice fellow, but so high that he could touch the Moon. USPS has gotten to be a very bad joke, and this is the goofiest experience I've had with them in 15 years of mailing things internationally.

Peter, Thanks. The reassurance helps. This is a new one, as I've had things stuck, held, or disappear into customs for up to 30 days.... but never slip into the wrong country going the wrong direction.

Peter: Thanks for that. Parcelforce simply says "Accepted". No idea what to take from that. Sebastien: Yes. Quite sure. So is the post master and everyone else locally + the stoner and the nice woman at USPS International. They all seemed speechless that this package got past Canada Customs.

Had a very important package going Global Express to England. Package is clearly labeled 'United Kingdom' and postal coded GB for Great Britain. Was notified it cleared Customs in Canada and processed for delivery 2 days ago. 2 hours of phonecalls to USPS international= 1) Nice woman with Michigan accent that said the system won't let her enter an inquiry yet, call back tomorrow. So I did... Day 2: 2) Total tool named 'Hero' that asks "have you tried tracking it online" and then says, "let me put you on hold" and hangs up. 3) Kid you not....one of the most stoned people I have ever talked to..... Named "Robert". High as a kite, yet totally nice, and with a LOTof help and repeating by me and checking his spelling...opened up a case.... Only he'd never opened up a case on a package going to one country ending up past customs in another. He wasn't sure whether it should be a Canadian 'Inquiry' or a Great Britain 'Inquiry' These are some very important items. Anyone here have some wisdom to share how I can do more than just sit back and wait? Bound for London. Ended up in Toronto. If I didn't know better, I'd say Barry H. hijacked them. Curran

I hadn't caught that goofy bastaard. Many of the tsuba are good. I recognize one from the Nobuiye book and at least two were with an American dealer many years ago. I was going to look at the tanto koshirae in more detail today, and see if there was anything worth bids. Bonhams has been increasingly been the place for the better Japanese auctions. The past two New York ones were good, but it looks like this London one is better.

Last week I helped place an estate of mostly muromachi period tsuba. Many very fine pieces. I held back two for study. One or both will be for sale on juyo-bi.com next month. The one I find most challenging is a Heianjo - Onin style tsuba. The only 2 similar examples I've located are in Wakayama Encyclopedia and the Compton Collection Vol #2. See photos. Has anyone similar examples of this high orange brass? Is it copper or another impurity? If you have anything similar, please post photos.

Quite a bit of nice items and some koshirae: http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21861/# ... =grid&m0=0

Some nice pieces. I think I like several of the kozuka best. ? Is this one signed or marked on the back: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8dr4f7s7gq03 ... CN9224.JPG

Gimei Shozui (Masayuki). Gomen..., but it is one of those signatures so often seen that I've committed the Wakayama variations to memory. Have done this with about 10 of the big names that are often gimei'd. It saves time. Doesn't mean I can tell an authentic signature just from a look, but means I can out 80% of the gimei. Then hit the books. I've owned two NBTHK Hozon papered 'Shozui' sets, and his workmanship gets easier to know since he seemed to be hyper aware of 3-D perspective (depth). Rule of approach: Look at the work first, signature second, then the work again. Shozui lived a long time and had corresponding evolution in his work and signature. There are some that are very true to his workmanship and the signature is close to the Wakayama ones, but has a particular omission that differ them from all the Wakayama ones. Given how the Wakayama text opinion was assembled and done in the late 1960s through 1970s, I've wondered if the evolved knowledge base of the NBTHK would permit some of these not quite Wakayama dead-on ones, but never been willing to take the chance yet.

Gents, Look at the koshirae and the curve of the saya. As if the little statuette with the hole in it wasn't interesting enough, this was made either to be worn left side or blade down. Probably blade down? The western blade is interesting, but the koshirae is the culture clash hybrid that has my attention. Please take good care of the koshirae. Namban in form, with the Dutch VOC symbol on both the blade and the saya- this is something I have not seen before. Probably the blade is just a straight skinny western tang without signature. I think the koshirae is of significant historic value, so please be careful with it. I would vote against anyone trying to remove the blade, for fear of damaging the koshirae.

"If wishes were horses, I'd be eating steak right now" ~ Jane, from Firefly [Joss Whedon] Probably that joke will confuse all but veteran sci-fi fans. Still, it is spot on how I feel when looking at the Tomonari. What I think is 'steak' is on par with what Jane thinks is steak. Hard to conceptualize higher. Shape just kills me every time I look at it. I have not held many blades this old- may 6 Juyo or above ones. As I once discussed with Darcy a very long time ago (SF 2003 or 2004), something this old with atomic halflife of iron is just going to feel very different. This level of preservation takes on a tactile sort of challenge. Many of us are comfortable holding Nambokuchu blades aplenty, but holding something like always give me a flashback feeling to the first time or two I stood in a sword shop and had something high caliber handed to me as a newbie. These are very rare, and I regret that most here just get to see it in images. They definitely should be held once or twice in a collector's life. I'd love to own one, most likely a ko-bizen, but am resigned to Jane-doms at the moment.

Perchance, did one of our NMB members win this tsuba: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Japanes ... true&rt=nc If so, drop me a line. I stumbled on some significant information about this tsuba design and a famous smith.

I have not had shipping issues with Bonhams, having made special arrangements. However, I can say that Christies UK charged about $1200 to ship a sword from London to FL. Sword was only worth $6000, but they added insurance at something else horrid, like another $232 to cover it. Net shipping cost was $1432 or thereabouts. Quite the bathing. Won't do it again unless I know someone who can handle receiving it and shipping it for me. Even then, reading the legalese of getting them to release it to someone other than you is quite a challenge too. They don't make it easy, do they.

Connecticut: Pete D'I Otherwise- a train ride into NYC for a club meeting. See if arrangement to meet Kunio-san can be done in advance.

Yep. Definitely some Scottish blood in you. Somewhere in that genetic stew are a few genes given to expressing themselves in the brain as producing and enjoying certain types of humor. Sadly, I have those exact same genes.