Ludolf Richter

Thanks John!Ludolf

Hi experts, one of my Tsuba has only a 3-digit-name but not the Go from the artist.Am I right with "Harutensha"? Does anybody of You know this artist?I believe the reliefs are done by acid etching.Ludolf

Hi Christian, I have made only good experiences with Trudel Klefisch for more than 20 years.Other than with the German auction houses of Lempertz or Nagel she is really an expert. By the way she is a good friend of Mr.Haynes and helps him with the revision of his index books. With this Tsuba I got Paul de Coninck's index card with his handwritten comments to that Tsuba. I had forgotten that I own Martin Sesko's book "Identifying Japanese Seal Script".It took me 2 hours to go through it but I didn't find the specific 2 characters of the Yamashiro Tomosada's seal.Ludolf

Thanks!All with nearly the same motif.I bought the Tsuba from the collection of Paul de Coninck.He was not successful in identifying this Yamashiro guy although he had a lot of experts from whom he bought his Tsubas,as his index card shows.Maybe this motiv was en voge in many schools around 1700-1750?Ludolf

I found 2 examples with nearly the same motif,both from Choshu Yaji-family Tomohisa,one from the Museum of Fine Arts-Boston,the2nd from an auction catalogue where this Tsuba was lot 540.Either "my" Yamashiro Tomosada took Tomohisa's motif or vice versa or there was a 3rd artist!? Christian,I am sorry but I don't have Kuznitzky's Artibus Asiae "Han & Kakihan" I am still hoping to get the meaning of the seal from an expert of our board.Ludolf

Hi experts, I have a Tsuba signed "Yamashiro ju Tomosada" mit a seal.There is no Tomosada from Yamashiro in Haynes or Wakayama:a hitherto not yet described artist or a new Go from a known one.It looks like typical Bushu-style also to be found from certain Choshu-arist (e.g.Inoue).What das the seal tell?

He didn't even try to fake Joi's seal but made a new one without seal script!Ludolf

Hi Guido,the photo does not show the fine lines.Here is a new pic,but there is no green colour on the Tsuba as seen on the photo.Ludolf

Thanks Guido and John!So it's called Jizu-mimi.It's not cast.Ludolf

I recently bought this Shakudo Mumei-Tsuba from the collection of the Belgian collector Paul de Coninck,where it had the number 459.Besides some Namban-Tsuba,I did not find any other Tsuba with this beaded (multi-lobed or perled) rim.In Haynes Sale's Cat.#3 -Nr.16-he wrote that the rim cover is called Odawara fukurin and was used by Hirata Hikozo and his descendants.Who could please add some more information?Ludolf

There are 2 pics with Hogen Ichijo Mei in Markus Sesko "Signatures of Japanese Sword Fitting Artists".Kobayashi Terumasa ("Sword fitting in the late 16th-18th centuries") shows a Tsuba with a Goto Hogen Ichijo mei.I have only 4 examples with the Hogen-Mei in my database:look at the pic.Ludolf

I just found a second entry for the same Tsuba.Ludolf http://www.ebay.de/itm/NBTHK-Hozon-paper-original-Japanese-tsuba-SAOTOME-/181800452585?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item2a5426c1e9

Here is another Hozon-papered Saotome on Ebay-GE.Ludolf http://www.ebay.de/itm/antique-original-Japanese-tsuba-katana-samurai-SAOTOME-/181806883153?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item2a5488e151

Hi Franco,i tried in vain to get a sharper picture.From viewing the position you mentioned with a looking glass there are no signs at all to be seen,that the inlay has been refitted.All the punches on the 3 sides of the Kozuka had there been from the beginning. The question remains,why had certain Goto-Masters "papered" Mumei or not Mumei pieces of other Goto-guys with their Mei or -in case of Mumei-with an additional attribution.Ludolf

Thanks Brian.In fact,the nanako is totally uniform the same as with the 2 small sides (!).The backside with the Mei looks more metallic-black.The pic gives a wrong impression.In my eyes it's a quality piece! A new idea:Was the Kozuka a Mumei one,when it was shown to Goto Shinjo and did be therefore made both parts,when he was sure it was made by Goto Teijo?Ludolf