Ludolf Richter

Hi John,the left Mei reads Hironori with Kao (I haven't yet found the meaning of the 3 characters on the right side.Joly doesn't have his Kao).There is a H 01381 in the Haynes index,but the Mei of his source (Baur Coll.p.428,D2215) is not the same as yours.The right Mei in Sosho writing reads Ranzan (or Ransan) Tsuneyuki (again I couldn't find the meaning of the characters on the right side),Haynes H 10965.The last character behind Tsuneyuki is not saku,but could be kissaku or kinsaku.There is not much written in the books about these artists:both worked in the 19th Century.Ludolf

There is no Jakushi Mei for the 5 or 6 generations other than in Sosho to be found in the books.Ludolf

On Ebay-UK a nice Tsuba wasn't bought.Nobody was willing to pay $700 (GBP 355).There is a mei with "Tsunehiro" or "Jokan" with a kao.The artist is not to be found in any index-book.Ludolf http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %26otn%3D2

It's a typical "Soten-School"-Tsuba.The Mei reads:(1st side-right) Goshu (left) Hikone ju (2nd side-right) Soheishi (left) Nyudo Soten sei.Meaning:The lay priest Soten with name Soheishi (or Mogarashi) from Hikone in the province Omi manufactured this Tsuba.Instead of "saku" or "tsukuru" (made this) both generations Soten used "sei".I cannot remember a Tsuba,where both ana for Kozuka and Kogai had the same shape,here as a Kogai hitsu.It is said,that the best students of the Soten-School were allowed to sign their Tsuba with the masters mei,but from the standard definition it's still Gimei.Many Tsubaka all around Japan faked the Soten-style Tsuba ("hikonebori"-style).Before the 1st generation Soten became a lay priest (Nyudo),he is said to have used Shuten as Go (with a different 1st Kanji).Ludolf

There is no Omi ju Shigetaka or Shigenori in the "Bible":Kinko Jiten.By the way,what a strange "Saku"-character!Ludolf

Hi,an interesting Tsuba!I believe the copper (?)- inlays have been added much later.I have a nearly identical Tsuba,but without inlays,with the Amida-Yasurime.My Tsuba is ascribed to Kichibe/Yamakichi,living in the 16th Century.Ludolf

For me,this tsuba is either a modern piece or faked!Ludolf

30 min.after my first reply: Haynes does have this artist under "Sadanaka" H07755,with all the infos.I found this out by looking in the (German) Shinkishi-Hara-book.There are 2 Mei examples in the Kinko Meikan on page 243 and 4 ex.,in the newer edition (Shin-san Kinko Meikan) on page 204.There is a remark in the Shinkishi Hara about a 5-Kanji-Mei with "Sadanaka-former Tsunenao"!That means that your nice Tsuba was probably made shortly after around 1725.Ludolf

I am wondering,why Haynes had missed this artist,who can be found in Henri L.Joly List of Names,Kakihan Reprint London 1963 with No.430: Tsunenao,Ichinomiya School.One of the 3 displayed Kao is exactely yours!Ludolf

Hi John,he is said to have moved to Edo and then to sign with Bushu ju.A typical Akasaka-style imitation,although a nice one.The guy,who is selling the Tsuba,now knows about the wrong description.He said,he has taken the description from the one,who has sold him a papered Wakizashi and 2 Tsuba.Ludolf

http://cgi.ebay.com/Signed-Tsuba-for-a- ... dZViewItem Not "Bushu ju Masasada" but "Choshu ju Masasada",Kawaji family,around 1800.Ludolf

Carlo Guiseppe is right.Look at all the horizontal short strokes ("arrows"):from left to right!Sandai Hisamichi (and Shodai & Nidai) always chiselled them from right to left.Other differences with certain Kanji are not as obvious.This Mei is Gimei!Ludolf

It's not the direction of the petals!There are examples of his Kiku with petals counterclockwise.Some of his petals touch the adjacent ones,other are clearly separated.Even the center of the Kiku differs from one Mei to the other.I don't know the reason,why he didn't use always the same Kiku.Ludolf

Hi all,Gimei or not,that's the question!The Oshigata is from a Waki of a German auction to come.If you have one or more of the following sources,it's quite easy to solve the question.Ludolf Token to Rekishi 612 p.6 (dated 1742) Shinto Taikan p.642 (dated 1744) Iida p.319 (dated 1745) RAI Showa 52 N0.9

There are a lot of mei-pics in my books,but only from the most prominent one of the 3 generations of (Bungo Takada or Fujiwara Takada school) Yukinaga,i.e.Sandai Yukinaga,who was active in the Kanbun-era:Hawley YUK 354 (I believe YUK 355 is the same swordsmith!).Your Mei was definitely not made by him,so it could be from Shodai or Nidai.A Gimei is unlikely.Ludolf Sources:Fujishiro/Shinto hen p.409,Tokuno p.705,Iida p.433,Shinto Bengi Oshigata,Shinto Taikan p.321,Art and the Sword 1991 p.26,Yushu to Zuroku (YTZ) vol.3 no.100,2 REI magazines and 2 examples via Google.In Compton part 3 there is a no.135,which was not papered (why?),but the Mei is different from the Sandai's and yours.

By adoption he became a meber of the Yanagi school.Ludolf

Hi Brian,after checking 4 of my books I am still without an example.According to the books,he used to inscribe in Sosho,so an example with grass writing wouldn't help!As to swordsmiths,I have noted every source in my Hawley,but unfortunately I had never done the same with Tsubako.I had begun already once to write them down on file-cards, but I resigned:a barrel without ground!If I have time,I shall check my other books,catalogues and magazines.The problem is, that this artist was not one of the prominent ones.Ludolf

Same name and both worked at the same time at Tokyo,but they had different family names.According to Haynes and Wakayama "my" Yoshitoshi had an one character family name,the same as the first kanji from the Kozuka-Mei,although nobody seems to know,how it was spoken (look at my last input).Yours had "Ono" as a family name.Maybe both are the same artist:change of family name after an adoption!?Unfortunately there are no Mei examples from these 2 guys in the books to solve the problem!Ludolf

Hi!The artist's Go is Yoshitoshi.The 1st character is his family name:spoken To or Higashi or Azuma or Yamato).The 2nd and 3rd Kanji are probably the name of the village near Tokyo (already changed from Edo!),where he lived.He was active in the last quarter of the 19th Century: Haynes H 12220 ("Tanaka school").His Kao,as on your Kozuka,is not yet recorded in the books.Ludolf

Hi!The Mei reads Choyo Ryuenshi tsukuru Ryuenshi is one of 5 Go of your artist:Haynes "Enri" (Yenri)H 00477. He was the 2nd son of Tomotaka (Okamoto) and was adopted by the Yanagi family.He lived and worked at Hagi/Nagato (Choshu aka Choyo)in the 1st half of the 19th Century.ludolf

Your Sadahiro worked at Kyoto,Osaka and somewhere in Echizen.Hawleys 2 entries (SAD 370 and 380)refer to the same swordsmith(according to Tokuno).There are pics in Fujishiro's Shinto-hen and in Tokuno.Ludolf

Hi Kiku,the signature reads Yasuchika.The first 3 generations (Haynes H 11104/05/06) are from the Tsuchiya-family,where the 2nd gen.is only known with sosho writing.There are 4 other Yasuchika,although not being members of the Tsuchiya-family (see Shinkishi Hara),calling themselfs Yasuchika IV,V,VI and VII (Haynes: H 11107-11110).I couldn't find a match in the books.It's not a kao but a seal (later added?).Maybe someone can read seal script:that seal is not to be found in the standard books.By the way there a many Gimei with Yasuchika on the market!Ludolf

Hi,I had already posted this reply,but it did not show up!In the Kinko Meikan on page 48 these Kanji are taken for an artis named Teruyuki.The same one is now called Eizui in the new edition of the Kinko Meikan (shin-san Kinko Meikan)on page 39.He was a Kinko-artist of the 19th Century,so the maker of your (probably much older one) Tsuba may not yet be recorded in the standard books.Ludolf

Thanks John and Nobody!Ludolf

Hi all,there is a nice Kinai-Tsuba on Ebay Germany with an Origami by a Japanese institute,hitherto unknown to me.Does anyone know about these guys?Ludolf http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... otohosting