Surfson

Nice soft metal tsuba. Not sure of the school, but I would say that it is Edo period and has clearly been mounted so is unlikely to be Hamamono or Meiji tourist item. it appears to have been cleaned and there is some wear on the shakudo in the hitsuana and removal of some of the finish on the raised work. I would think that on ebay it would go in the $200-250 range, but that's just a guess.

The hada on those is pretty impressive, though the hamon leaves much to be desired. I suspect that you are right that the nakago would give away the ruse.

Anthony, I'm in Chicago, and would be happy to show you a few blades some time. Several are definitely of interest as the subject of an oshigata. Cheers, Bob Surfson@rcn.com

I believe that it is Naminohira Ju.........

I have a tsuba very similar to this. This maker was very prolific, like Munetsugu or others. I suppose he may have had a "shop" with kaji that helped produce them. This one does seem to have some damage on the leaves from insects.......

I looked at at least ten examples, and the suke character was written very differently. On the other example, it was the naga that differed considerably.

Two late Bizen Sukenaga's listed. The kiku ichi mei didn't match the ebay sword, nor did the other which I could only find in the Bizen Taikan. I agree that somebody really took a stretch on this one.

No, didn't really set out to collect them, but they just accumulated over the years. I have bought a few nice sets or collections on ebay when the price is right.

Has this book ever been published? I remember Bob carrying around his huge notebook overflowing with Kao and signatures. I would be interested in getting it if it is out.

1. Tsuba Shoki 2. Showa Token Meibutsu Cho 3. Tsuba Shusei (?) 4. Yumei Koto Taikan 5. Osafune Choshi 6. Waga Ai Tsuba Not sure of values, but I think the Yumei Koto Taikan is quite expensive. Cheers, Surf

I have a large collection of tsuba and seppa and see nothing wrong with marrying a tsuba to a sword that is in mounts absent the tsuba. It is my impression that often people will remove a beautiful tsuba and leave a sword otherwise intact. If you have enough tsuba, you can usually find one that fits tightly and is the right thickness. With any luck, it will fit well with the other koshirae!

Nice sword Dale! Where did you find it? Cheers, Bob

You are correct, the signature being Bushu Ju Masa Toshi. Classic Bushu work I think. Very nice.

Thanks for the replies and I'll continue to study the suggestions. I have bought fittings from Bob Benson in the past and have friends who have sent top quality blades via him. Does anybody know who he uses as his Juyo grade polisher and how that person rates next to the others? I assume that the number of polishers with that level of talent is very small, but I just don't know their names. Isn't there still a Hon'ami working? How does Kenji Mishina rate? Who are the best in the world right now? Cheers, Bob

Actually, it just came to me - minogame is the term. Here is a link to an online photo of one. B http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... 29,r:1,s:0

Hi all. I searched for previous threads but couldn't find any that fit. I have several swords that in my opinion are worthy of the highest grade polish in Japan and submission for high level papers and would like to hear who the NMB members recommend in terms of polishers and agents etc. Thanks in advance. Bob

Gorgeous sword - truly epitomizes the "art and the sword". Thanks for posting. Bob

Getting back to the original question, I can't recall seeing turtles, though there is a turtle-like creature that pops up every now and then. Sorry, but I don't recall what it is called.

Interesting question to pose, and it's eliciting a lot of introspection and confessions! As to me, I brought a sword back from a trip to Japan 25 years ago and became hooked. I entered an intense phase of study and put together a sizable library of books on Nihonto. I shortly thereafter entered a phase of "buy and sell" in which I ran ads, ran around like a nut buying swords and sold swords to Japanese dealers and collectors for several years. I had to continue to study then so as not to "buy high and sell low", so the books became even more important. The only sad part about that phase is that I had to sell all the very best swords that I got since I couldn't afford to keep them, so my actual collection consisted of mostly the lower end pieces. The last 10+ years, I have not sold many swords and have primarily been a collector, but I have to confess to being an accumulator as well. I have bought a lot of gunto with hand made, usually koto, blades in them and have just tucked them away. I can sometimes kantei them and sometimes not. I am a scientist in my professional life and am in the business of creating new knowledge. I became a bit frustrated with studying about nihonto constantly because I felt that I was only learning what is already known and not generating any new information. Presently I enjoy reading books on kantei and the NMB and am still picking up swords, mostly on ebay.

Bottom one looks the better to me (check out carvings in the plug in the kogai ana and others), though hard to tell if either are genuine.

Does the middle fuchi kashira set look to anybody else like the work of Goto Ichijo? Nice collection and worth cataloging if this is a representative sample. Cheers, Bob

It looks to me like the hamon runs off the blade at the kissaki and there is no boshi.

Hi Ian. Sounds very useful for those who have the original book. I don't, but tried to download anyway, but the file was stated to be damaged. Could you please email me a pdf at surfson@rcn.com? Do you recommend buying the book and know where it can be purchased? Cheers, Bob

Funny thing is that I bought some items from Stanley Kellert years ago (not sure if it was books or fittings), but don't recognize that one.

I'm guessing it's a genuine gendai, but isn't particularly appealing. I emailed him about the Kanesada and he said he bought it from a dealer in Japan and that neither he nor the dealer had sent it to shinsa. Hmmmmmm.... It is up to a price indicating that somebody likes it. I didn't study the mei of that one.