Yasaka Azuma

Yes, it looks like a eucalyptus leaf. The two long leaves "芦葉 ashi-ba" are said to be the vessel when Daruma-daishi crossed the Yangtze River. 芦葉達磨図鐔　土屋國保　(Ashiba-daruma-zu tsuba Tuchiya-kuniyasu) https://blog.goo.ne.jp/tsuba_001/e/c67d2d029ca71af62e8e4719adf8e395 芦葉達磨図小柄　銘　徳乗作　光美（花押）　(Ashiba-daruma-zu koduka (Goto)tokujyo-saku kobi(kao)) http://aoyamafudo.co.jp/product/427/

For Oct. The staple products. (The quality is getting worse and worse.) https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b508770410 https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/x708817664 The deformed expressions and polka dots of the rock (or pine) resemble Goto School. However, when the replica is repeated, the design of "黄初平 Kousyohei" becomes unknown. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d455895618 This is also the same, it's close but not the same. reference sample Choshu Hagi ju Sakunoshin TOMOHISA"Fukiyose" sukashi http://ginza.choshuya.co.jp/fs/sale/kodogu/3301_3350/3306/k3306.htm# https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n462396382 reference sample no sign Sado "two leaves of reed" sukashi http://ginza.choshuya.co.jp/fs/sale/kodogu/3101_3150/3111/k3111.htm https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o374059961 https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f462328918 reference sample no sign Yagyu school a single bamboo stalk in openwork ColBase（https://colbase.nich.go.jp/collection_items/tnm/F-19915?locale=en) https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/c859976258

This is a great collection. I feel that the mainstream of Tosogu collection is shifting to foreign countries these days. Now that I think about it, the Japanese only collect cheap and fake. It was Kenichi-Kokubo who made a distinction between Mino and Kozenji metalwork. Kozenji is different from my understanding. But that's fine. I hope should do what you want. https://twitter.com/yakozen777/status/1230979387144560640

Due to the scarcity of iron resources in Japan, the products are remelted and reused. There are tsuba on the market that are called iron tsuba from the Muromachi period, but really old ones are rare. If it's 3 mm or less thick, it may be old.

I'm more interested in kachushi-tsuba, which seems to be old, and the scabbard with elaborate decorative paint. If it is 21.5 inches (54.6 cm), it is the standard length and style of Wakizashi used throughout the Edo period. Bushu's research papers, including Terushige.(Unfortunately, no English summary is included.) https://www.lib.fussa.tokyo.jp/digital/digital_data/others/pdf/1503/0001/0005.pdf

Hello, Rob. My 波平行安, made in 1858, blade length 69 cm, curvature 1 cm, "示現流 jigenryu" style. The warp is slight, and the blade is convex grind and way too heavy. For some reason, Satsuma swords use tang roughly . It's so straight that it was packed in Roll Core-Tube and delivered to me.

Dale. I've never seen a product with smashed tsuba glued together. The previous winning bidder may have destroyed it with anger. And sloppy gluing. 😭 The seller may even use the two IDs to make it appear as if they are competing fiercely. Various the art of coaxing is taking place, all of which violate the auction terms. But it's effectively on the loose.

I see, he may have put a high price on his own. I think the seller is bullish because it was sold at a high price in the past. The same item can be viewed at any time. One is broken with a hammer, glued together and soiled with clay to make sure it is a casting. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/q403624219 https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/p732686203

There are too many cases of this nature to enumerate. The one who is bidding the highest price right now is the middleman, who has 54,120 ratings. They're targeting overseas rather than blase Japanese buyers. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/auction/u389417633

Hi Leen. I'm glad you are interested in Japanese swordsmith. The descendants of Mizuno Masanori still run the business of making and selling kitchen knives. As you may already know, I will post a link to the HP. https://sakaimonichiba.com/hocho.html http://www.mizunotanrenjo.jp/

This book, which is much thinner than it is, is bad for the heart, though. According to one person's experience, he was shocked and chest became painful when he found his sword in this book "Research on fake swords(1973, Reprint 2008)".

A typical sword mei encyclopedia is "刀剣銘字大鑑 (An original book Tuchiya stamping 1961, Reprint 1997)". However, stamp is clumsy and not easy to compare with the actual product. I think that the works published in "新刀大鑑 (1976)" are also authoritative in terms of reliability. Unfortunately I don't own either. They occupy too much space and fall overhead to kill their owners in the event of an earthquake.

Congratulations Piers. It's certainly the same compared to the tang that Jacques showed us. Picking up a sword in a book is a rare luck.

Patrice. I must also preface your post with "I don't think I understand it fully." If I only reply to the secondary heating of the forged product, there is also far more financial damage than a fire to the tsuba. I'm just showing the image here, I won't go into detail.

Dale. The image was picked up online almost 15 years ago, so the file size is small and the image quality is poor. I think the foundation is a modern product like you showed the link. At that time, the online auction was really an amateur exchange market, and they was willing to buy and sell with the out of focus photos. I'm waiting for a similar item to be listed, but it's hard to come up. I'm looking forward to it. Roger. As Dale spoke for me. Please tolerate that I can only have a simple dialogue.

Thank you, Dale. I see, is this so. Speaking of Tosa Myochin, there is a tsuba that "written" the autograph with a laser. Perhaps Japanese and Chinese who can write kanji do not do such an exaggerated way. https://twitter.com/yakozen777/status/1132527017637818368 Sorry, Roger. Unfortunately, because of my not progress English proficiency, I'm not sure what you say mean. Machine translation is even more confusing to me. If my post causes any disadvantage or discomfort to the members, In addition it is regrettable.

Yes, a flock of replicas that fill this thumbnail. I always use the hide feature for a particular seller in an auction before browsing. Are these products of Nambu Tekki (南部鉄器)? I misunderstood that it was made entirely in China.

I made a confusing expression, "City with Cupola" is the title of a Japanese movie that poetically expresses the state where small foundries were crowded. Recent manufacturing bases seem to be in foreign countries, for example China. The deception of buying and selling antiques are rarely legally caught and tried in Japan, despite their high popularity.

You will love your sword, so at night time you look at it, and sigh. The owner is happy with that alone. But if you want to get deeper into the background, you need another time and effort (Only a minority of collectors, even Japanese, do it. It's even more difficult for collectors in different languages.). The country of Iyo in the feudal era was a land far from the center of Japan, but since it was in the route of the domestic sailing , exchanges of people and technology are active. In addition, Shogun Tokugawa often replaced the lord for reign reasons, and the swordsmith attached to the lord also moved or left. Take a look at the variety of Iyo lords and swordsmiths listed by the Japanese official compilation. Iyo's swordsmith is peculiar, influenced by multiple tech schools. https://www.i-manabi.jp/system/regionals/regionals/ecode:2/56/view/7406 In fact, you can get two different theories about the technical school by just searching online for "刀 銘 山城守源国道". As shown in the list above, the one theory is that it is the Mishina school in Kyoto, and the other is the theory that it is the Kunikane school in Sendai. I don't know the information to clarify which or both. http://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords6/KY332482.htm

They were once actively made in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, "a city with cupola", needless to say, in the 20th century. I don't know where it is now. https://twitter.com/yakozen777/status/1215763627329773568

Admire the perfectly preserved fine sword, scratch-free polishing and beautiful wood scabbard. Why the registration certificate issued by the local government has a newer date than the date of Mr. Kanzan Sato's scabbard signature? I don't think I understand it fully.

Thank you, Brian-san. The product I paid attention to this month was the Kaga Kinko tsuba. The previously auctioned item was put up for sale again. I wanted it, but I lost the bid again. 1,762USD. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h499516439

For Sept. The staple products. As usual, it was sold at a high price. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k490613391 https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/l627126178 The transformation of the tsuba due to fire is diverse, depending on the degree of heating, elapsed time, etc. It's easy to spot a fired tsuba, but the scars of heating are mistaken for old age rust. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g451065926 https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/492745836 Replicas of high-priced items will appear soon. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/s770822370 I feel that these two methods are similar. Be wary of listings with unclear images. https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r432192241 https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g455247122

It's a popular book, so it's not a strict verification. It is easy to understand because there are many illustrations. https://www.amazon.co.jp/絵でみる時代考証百科〈日本刀・火縄銃・忍び道具編〉-1983年-名和-弓雄/dp/B000J79SM0/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&language=en_US&qid=1601108434&s=books&sr=1-7&text=名和弓雄

Bruno-san. It's a tsuba in a difficult area to judge. So when I buy kamakura-katchu-shi online, I'll get prepared for gambling. My tweet is just one example, and we can actually see various other formats. https://twitter.com/yakozen777/status/1172684450288656384