Soshin

Hi Jeff R., The rear side of your tsuba looks like it is inlaid with a bit of silver specifically on the roof of the rural home. I have seen similar grass roofs when I was traveling to rural Shimane Prefecture in 2013. The front side is inlaid in what I think is copper and brass or even gold. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between brass and gold if you not looking at the tsuba in hand as color balance of the photo can easily make brass look like gold and vice visa. In terms of age and school I would say your tsuba was likely made by the Aizu Shoami school circa the late Edo Period around 1770 to 1868. I am basing my call on artistic composition, materials and techniques used. Once you see more examples you will start to see what I am talking about. With the inlay of silver in a almost highlight like manner is fairly commonly seen in Aizu Shoami school work which was based in Aizu Province. Many not so experienced or seasoned collectors dislike the Aizu Shoami school but I have seen enough very fine pieces and even masterpieces to truly understand and appreciate the school's work as a whole.

Hi John, Roman, and Kevin; Home from work I don't collect menuki as my day job nor do I make them. Here is a photo in a bit higher resolution 800 X 373 showing the seam highlighted by red arrows (tips pointing at the seam line) from the sheet of shakudo being hammered in to fill the volume of the tail. It is clearer on one menuki then the other because of lighting issues. The back surface was then filed by the artist in a horizontal direction. Ford has in the passed commented that this filing of the back surface of the menuki is done in a horizontal direction as part of the finishing process to make the back side flat this is done before the pins are added as the final step. I am a bit concerned you are magnifying such a scaled down image. When I export them from the RAW format to JPEG I scale them down to 640 X 299 resolution from a full resolution of 3813 X 1782 after cropping so that they fit well on the screen when posting. Some of what you are seeing is I am sure an artifact such as noise and distortions from the extreme magnification. No edges are rounded at all on the backside of the menuke. It is flat as all menuki I have seen. All you are seeing with "spelter" is noise or a reflections of light from the glossy but rough shakudo surface of the inside surface of the menuki. The inside surface of the menuki are rough because they are not polish as the surface of menuki are which was an attempt by the artist to replicate the texture of tadpole skin which looks smooth.

Hi Everyone, I can't agree more with Brian. If someone can provide conclusive evidence via good quaily photos with some type of written explaination in terms of logical reasoning I will change my current mindset. Roman is unwilling to provide this so I opening up discussion for other people to reply.

Hi Everyone, I agree with Kevin would love to read a rationale for the cast reproduction call. I was thinking the tails were solid shakudo but I can see the seam between the layers of the shakudo plate used to make the menuki once Ford pointed it out correcting me. I am also not looking for a flight only a educational exchange of ideas to advance everyone understanding of kinko tosogu. Having Mike Y. take a look at Tampa show would be a good idea before they are submitted for NBTHK shinsa.

Hi Eveyone, The issue of gimei and shoshin is a mute point because I don't think the NBTHK would fail something like menuki for having triangular shaped pins and not being made by Harunobu. Keep in mind I am mostly a collector of and knowledgeable in old iron tosogu. I was posting these menuki to learn more about Kinko tosogu in general from more knowledgeable people.

Hi Jay L., The details of the openwork doesn't look good. Might only be the photo do you have any additional photos of tsuba that have a better focus? Check my website link below in my signature if you want examples of better photos.

Hi Everyone, Read Pete's reply I started searching all the books I have ever purchased from him a smaller subset compared to my whole tosogu reference library. I came across the (Higo-kinko 肥後金工) artist of (Misumi Harunobu 三角春信). Menuki and fuchi-gashira are both frequent but tsuba are in comparison rare. Most works are in shakudo and very few in iron. On the back side of his menuki only are a triangular pin which stands for this name "Misumi 三角" which means triangle. From looking at the examples in the book Works of Hirata & Shimizu by Ito Mitsuru the artist did do many catfish and tadpole designs with a very similar shakudo and gold inlaid eyes. The gold inlaid eyes between the menuki and example provided in the book are identical. They are also as pointed out by Ford very different then the ones on the koshirae of the tadpole design shared by Robert S. On the right side of the custom box is a Japanese note about the menuki having triangles. A better translation of the box note is welcome. A photo of the box note is included below.

Hi Brian, Saving my money now will try to pick up something papered next year at the Tampa show and will try a similar kantei on NMB before listing it on my website. I will try to make it more tricky for Stephen.

Hi Eric Santucci, I have seen many very nice unsigned Kinko tosogu works by the Mito school. My menuki are also unsigned so a school attribution might be all that is given if they are submitted to shinsa. One of the advantages of NBTHK submission is that they will take into consideration comments made by the submitter. This isn't permitted in NTHK or NTHK(NPO) shinsa. Good luck your submission to the NBTHK. For my menuki I am thinking of submitting them to either the NTHK shinsa in April 2015 or NBTHK in 2015 via Mike and Cyrus.

Hi Robert S., Thanks for the additional information. I would venter to say your fitting were made as a whole set by the same artist for your sword and not assembled later. My menuki remind me of some oversized menuki of the late Edo Period I have seen. What attracted me so much to these menuki were the artistic rendering of the tadpoles in natural motion on three sides, use of high quality shakudo, and the fine gold inlays on the raised eyes of the tadpoles.

Hi Ford, This is a tsuba to be felt in hand like many other nice Saotome or Tenpo tsuba. The glossiness of the patina, hammered texture of the thin iron plate, and feel of the turned up rim is what attracted me to the tsuba in the first place at the show. Selling a tsuba like this can only happen in person as photos even very good ones cannot capture those aspects of the art. The openwork design is simple and more then a bit abstract. A butterfly or moth on a tree branch is also a reasonable explanation for the openwork design. A tree branch with only few remaining leaves reminding me of the Fall season, again also a reasonable explanation.

Hi Everyone, Here is my write to all the questions for the tsuba kantei including others asked by members. Feel free to ask questions and discuss.

Hi Chris, Good to have confirmation of this from a director of the NTHK(NPO). Looking forward to the Tampa shinsa in 2016. It also gives me some time to get the habaki and shira-saya fix. :D

Hi Everyone, I was able to do some research along with help from the former owner in regard to who made my ko-wakazashi. The nakago is just signed with two kanji "Teruhiro (輝廣)" which would be consistent with the pattern for the 12th, 13th, and 14th generations of the Teruhiro school as listed in Japanese Swordsmiths by W. M. Hawley. In Fujishiro the 12th, 13th, and 14th generations are ranked as "chu-jo saku" level swordsmiths. Someone other then Chris B. has recommend I submit this ko-wakazashi to a NTHK(NPO) shinsa. I not in a hurry and I really enjoy looking at this blade so I will likely submit it the next time there is a NTHK(NPO) shinsa in the USA.

Hi Everyone, I agree with Ken I would avoid completely the "Japanese Antiques Trading Center" on eBay. I followed a number of Japanese sellers on eBay that I do trust that don't engage in these underhanded practices. Their practices have been discussed on this forum in a fair amount of detail and the link to the topic was provided by Brian.

Hi Everyone, I was wondering if the current tsuba I have selected at 6.8 cm wide by 7.9 cm high might be a bit too large for a ko-wakazashi with only a 34.3 cm nagasa? Here is a link to the topic about the ko-wakazashi with photos: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20472. Here is a better photo of the matching fuchi-gashira set.

Hi Robert S., Thanks for sharing photos of your koshirae. Do you know if your koshirae is original or was it put together later for your sword? Based upon the theme of the other fittings my menuki would look better then your frog menuki in my opinion.

Hi Jeff R., It bit of reminds me of my first one I ever purchased. I was so proud it wasn't a Chinese fake. I am happy you didn't pay much for it. Have you seen many Japanese sword handguards (Jpn. tsuba 鍔)? I have a website mostly focused on the art, utility, and history of Japanese sword handguards. The link is below on my signature. The website is a modern commercial site that I fund through my sales at Japanese sword shows in the USA and selling things on NMB. The website has a lot of information and example all with good detail photographs. The link section on this website is also good as well as my own site. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Hi Everyone, I agree with Chris's statement above having been to Ginza Choshuya last year. Nice work indeed. :D

Hi Everyone, Here are some photos of menuki using the maco mode on my camera. Enjoy.

Hi Everyone, After dinner I was able to take some photos of menuki backside. The posts have a triangle shape to them that I haven't seen before. Also the tails of the tadpole are solid shakudo. I will post more photos tomorrow that I made of the menuki at different angles. Enjoy.

Hi Eric, I was going to ask that very question but Pete beat me to it.

Hi Eric S., I can see some similaries in how the design was done as well as the materials used. The back also look similar in my opinion. I was going to try Mike and Cyrus NBTHK submission service next year likely in Feburary when we are all attending the Tampa show. I also need to submit something nice to the NTHK shinsa at the Chicago show.

Hi Everyone, Here is a photo I did with my iPhone. I will setup with my DSL camera and tripod and do more photos of the back side and other angles over the weekend.

Hi Kevin and Fred, I just posted the best set of antique menuki for your 1st modern tadpole themed tsuba as a separate tosogu topic. Here is the link to the topic: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20519. Kevin your tsuba like my menuki does a wonderful job of capturing the movement and not just the overall form of the tadpole in the composition.