Michael 101

Thank you both - greatly appreciated. The box came with the attached Jingo Oxen design tsuba made by the 5th Jingo ( from comparison with two other signed published examples ) Kindest regards Michael

Id very much appreciate help in dating the attached Hakogaki. kindest regards Michael

Here are two different examples by the second Jingo master. The design has long been one of my favourites and in Shimizu Jingo terms they are known from all five generations and must have been a particular favourite or popular around the time of the 3rd generation Nagatsugu as a great many examples are known to have been made by him. kind regards Michael

Hi Hector, i agree something doesn’t look quite right about this tsuba. To me it looks a little stiff and potentially modern. Note the punch marks around the nakago ana which suggest its been adjusted to fit a sword, however there are no signs of any wear in the seppa dai area which you would expect to be visible on a soft metal tsuba. The design of the two parallel lines is the mon used by the Hozokawa family but this tsuba doesn’t look like any Higo school tsuba that I have seen before. let see if anyone else feels the same or can add more detail. kindest regards Michael

I can add detail of my recent experience of posting a tsuba from the UK to a friend in the USA. In place of the old customs form sticker which I used to complete the UK post office now adds the details to the online postal system when you take for package for posting and the value of the item being sent is then used to calculate the tariff amount which is paid for by the sender on dispatch. Example tsuba declared £250 value attracts 10% tariff = £25.00 plus payment for postage = £20.00 meaning total cost payable on sending = £45.00 This then should go straight to the person it’s addressed to without any further charges. this is how it works UK to USA

Yes it’s certainly Higo in style. The design represents a stylised version of the Hosakawa family star mon known as Kaku kuyo, and is most often seen within the Hayashi and Kamiyoshi schools. There are also Jingo examples known - see below 1st Jingo example. I agree with above comments, this example is quite amateur looking and I also suspect probably modern example. Sorry probably not good news. kindest regards Michael

Thank you to members who bid on this tsuba. It’s new home will be a fellow UK based NMB member and the 10% contribution has been sent Brian towards the excellent work he does in support of our hobby. kindest regards Michael Ps Brian please delete this post after a day or so or move to the appropriate area.

Dear members, just 24 hours remaining to bid on this beautiful tsuba and a reminder that 10% of the final value will be donated to the NMB upkeep. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/257192052932 or eBay USA: https://www.ebay.com/itm/257192052932 Kindest regards Michael

Hi Kevin, thank you for highlighting this Ive now amended all my tsuba listings to world wide shipping ( hopefully that worked as I never meant these to be EU only ) kindest regards Michael

Dear members, please find attached link to an ebay auction of a beautiful iron Higo tsuba made by the late Ford Hallam. Ford was a keen and active member of this board and a good friend to many of us and in honour of this I will be donating 10% of the final selling price to the NMB. The auction starting price is way below what I paid 15 years ago but it gives more people a chance to own one of Ford’s beautiful works of Japanese art. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/257192052932 Happy to answer any questions. kindest regards Michael ps I also have two other antique Higo tsuba listed.

It was with Choshuya around 2010 - with the benefit of hindsight I would have bought it. Twisted rope inlay goes back as far as the first master in the Shimizu Jingo school but rarely seen in the work of the first or second. When used by the early masters its very finely done and quite different. Here is another similar example of its use by the third master, again signed with his earlier signature style. Incidentally this is also specifically identified as being 2nd master by the NBTHK due to the confusion of the generations within the school. kindest regards Michael

A beautiful example of the third Jingo masters work. I regretted not buying this one when it was offered to me by Choshuya many years ago. Congratulations.

I have a very similar simple design Higo Toyama tsuba in my collection its signed Toyama Minamoto Yoritsugu saku. The design has been kept very simple, just the single enlarged kozuka hitsu and udenuki ana with a yakite finish giving the surface a delicate unevenness and dull gloss. Its maru gata shape and spartan atmosphere described as enzo “zen circle” and to me it exemplifies Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic. kind regards Michael

Here is one of Ford’s early works from my collection. I cannot recall when I bought this from him. It’s one of the most tactile tsuba I own and has beautiful and playful subject. Its made of iron but carved as finely as it it were soft metal as was his rare talent. best regards Michael

This is an example from my collection made by the third Jingo master Nagatsugu but again in the round shape. Interesting as it uses brass inlay for the cord around the bobbin. hope you manage to find the example you are seeking. kind regards Michael