Soshin

Hi Everyone, I think Justin is correct. My vote is for Tosa Myochin.

Hi Everyone, I made updates and improvements to many of the photos on my website. Please take a look if you have some free time. If you are interested in buying or fair trading for anything on my website please contact via PM or through my website. Thank you.

Hi Denis, Thanks for posting this. I enjoy reading it. :D

Hi Jean C. , I wonder if this fin is near a fat layer on the fish's body? The Biologist in me wants to dissect one after Curtis R. catches it. :lol:

Hi Jean, Adipose is just a scientific way we Biologist say fat. For example I am not fat I just have extensive layering of Adipose tissue on my abdominal area which gives me a degree of famine resistance. :lol:

Hi Curran, I often don't look in many antique shops and are likely missing a few nice pieces that once in a while come along. In my opinion this this is a really great find for a local antique shop. I quoted the above text because I think this is an important point about tsuba that received the Higo only attribution they often show attributes of one or more of the main school mix together. Sometime the workmanship can be as good as the work being done in the schools during the same time period. Your tsuba I would consider it a Nishigaki-Hayashi mash up of techniques. In the case of my tsuba it is mash up of Shimizu school techniques and the pre Edo Period Kamakura style.

Hi Curran, Thanks for posting this wonderful tsuba. This is the type of tsuba that I would like to discuss in this topic. Basicly tsuba that have or would likely get a Higo only attribution. The rim looks really nice does it have a shakudo cover? I wonder how they did the moon reflections in the design?

Hi Piers D., Thanks for the notice. I would like a copy. I am a member of the NBTHK and will contact the leadership of American Branch of the NBTHK to ask if a bulk purchase of this book will be made by the branch.

Hi Keith G., The perspective of the photo is misleading. When you look at inside surface of the kozuka hitsu-ana from a angle nearly parallel with the plate you will see the unevenness caused by the grooves extending into the opening. This is also observable with the other smaller grooves on that side that make up the dragon design. These observations should not be taken as substantial evidence that the tsuba is pre Edo Period.

Hi Antti S., This makes sense as the Akasaka school after the fourth generation mostly made copies of Higo school works. Many of the original Akasaka school designs were lost or just not often used in their works.

Hi Keith G., Thanks for joining the discussion. From looking at the tsuba in hand the grooves that define the arm extend into kozuka hitsu-ana. It doesn't look like the grooves stop short before the opening as the inside edge of kozuka hitsu-ana is uneven at the point where the grooves intersect it. The same can be said for the other smaller grooves cut to defining the dragon design around the kozuka hitsu-ana on the ura side. This could be all intentional by the artist meaning that kozuka hitsu-ana was originally intended to interrupt the design on the ura side. Not really sure in the end if the kozuka hitsu-ana is original or not. Its overall shape kozuka hitsu-ana does fit with the Higo attribution by the NBTHK.

Hi Antti S., I am in a similar situation with a new tsuba of mine. On my homepage (weblink below) I have a tsuba that is ex. Jim Gilbert collection that he attributed to Hirado Kunishige (平戸國重). I was expecting the NTHK Kanteisho paper to say the exact same thing his website says (http://home.earthlink.net/~jggilbert/hoan.htm) (last tsuba on the page) and noticed the NTHK paper only attitubes the tsuba to "Hirado Saku (平戸作)". A literal translation of this attribution is "Hirado Made". After spending a few hours of study with a few different references one which the NTHK does not have access to I have came to the same conclusion as Mr. Gilbert that my new tsuba is the work of Hirado Kunishige. I am not sure which generation as there were two that were active during the middle Edo Period. In my educated opinion your tsuba is the work of the 4th generation Akasaka master Tadatoki who worked at the beginning of middle Edo Period. I think your tsuba like mine were victims of a overly conservative NTHK shinsa. My expressed opinion in regards to these two tsuba should not be interpreted as an attack on the NTHK. I will continue to enjoy submitting things to their upcoming US shinsa.

Hi Mauro, Thanks for joining the discussion. The designs on the rim of your tsuba is very similar to my tsuba. Does the designs on your tsuba only occur on the front side like mine? In answer to your question. The tsuba rim is described as "dote mimi (土手耳)". While it looks similar to what the Shimizu school did Pete Klein has pointed out stylistic differences between my tsuba raised rim and early Shimizu school work. I understand your pre Edo Period hypothesis but there are a few things that make me think early Edo Period likely during a transitional phase which I think was the NBTHK shinsa panel opinion. 1. The overall thickness of my tsuba with a 4.6 mm thickness at rim. Kamakura tsuba are generally fairly thin and don't have a raised rim as the example provided above. 2. The gold inlay on the eyes of the dragon on both sides. This is very nicely done and adds wonderful contrast to deep brownish-black color of the patina of the iron. This characteristic while not unique to Higo is often found in this group. 3. The overall shape of the tsuba was one favored by the early Higo work more specifically the Shimizu school. Many early Shimizu school works are either tate-maru gata (竪丸形) or aori-gata (障泥形). 4. The shape of the kozuka hitsu-ana (小柄櫃孔穴) is very characteristic of Higo but you are correct that might have been added later. Below is a low resolution photo of the NBTHK Hozon paper along with my tsuba.

Hi Antti S., Funny I was reading the NTHK paper and it has under the notes section: "(江戸時代前中期) Edo Jidai Zen Chu Ki". Which translates to as "early middle Edo Period". Thats very specific.

Hi Curran, The Nakane Heichachiro tsuba on the Tetsugendo website looks familiar like I have seen it before but I could be mixed up. Would love to see photos of the Nishigaki tsuba if you have time. I will post another tsuba in my collection that might get a basic Higo attribution at shinsa over the long weekend.

Hi Everyone, I am planning to attend. Right now it might be for two or three days it really depends as I will likely be flying in from Washington, DC.

Hi Curran, My tsuba came out of the "woodwork" so to speak when I purchased at an estate auction of a private school in Baltimore in February 2013. I did some minor clean up work on the tsuba. It went into the December 2013 NBTHK tosogu shinsa as a Hozon only submission. Bob Benson was a bit surprised by the Higo only attribution as he was thinking it would go a bit more specific. I am happy with the Higo only call as my tsuba does display a interesting combinations of Edo and Pre-Edo Period techniques not often found together. This is one reason I date it to the early Edo Period approximately 1615-1670. This is one reason I am keeping it regardless of the multiple sell offers to study the design, composition, and the techniques used. This new topic on NMB is an extension of this study. With this topic I wanted to highlight and discuss the sometimes anonymous independent artists whose works get the "Higo" attribution sometimes that were centered around Kumamoto castle in Higo Province making sword fittings for the samurai population and to a lesser extent the merchant population during the Edo Period. Some historically well known independent artist unlike the maker of my tsuba include Miyamoto Musashi and Nakane Heichachiro. A good example of papered Nakane Heichachiro tsuba can be found on Tetsugendo website here: http://tetsugendo.com/ at the bottem of the Gallery section. The tsuba has papers by the Nihon Tosugu Bijitsukan (Sword Fittings Museum) that has unfortunately been closed.

Hi Everyone, I wanted to start this topic about tsuba what received a attribution to Higo without getting a more specific attribution to one of the four great schools located in Higo Province during the Edo Period such as Hirata, Hayashi, Shimizu, and Nishigaki. I will start off the discussion with my tsuba that I just received from Japan with a attribution to Higo by the NBTHK. I have other examples of nice Higo only tsuba that I will post later but I wanted other people to contribute their own examples for the discussion. What motivated me to start this topic was the fair number of really nice tsuba with Higo only attributions. I do remember seeing a fair number at the Tampa show this year. My tsuba that I will start this topic off looks a bit like the beautiful lovechild between a Kamakura tsuba and a Shimizu school tsuba. The carving style described on the Hozon paper is a shell-shaped line carving (kōsuki ke-bori 甲鋤毛彫) also found on some style of Kamakura-bori tsuba. Here is a example also papered for reference: http://e-sword.jp/sale/2010/1010_6030syousai.htm. My full write up and additional photos can be obtained from my website here: http://www.tsubaotaku.com/#!gallery4/c1jbk. Enjoy and feel free to discuss and provide other examples for discussion.

Hi Antti, Nice Akasaka tsuba.

Hi Stephen, The mei is hard to read but I think it might say: Yukiyasu (幸安). He is in the Haynes Index but just not a lot of information about this artist that did work in the Shoami style. Here is the information. Not sure what "early Shoami style" means in this context. Sorry about not being a big help on this one.

Hi Brian, Haynes has a tosogu artist index and Hawleys has a swordsmith index. I have found a tsuba mei in Hawleys because the tsuba was made by a Tosho known to make tsuba. The example which is the topic of the tread is not a Tosho tsuba. Both books are not a meikan. A text with photos used to determine if a signature is judged authentic.

Hi Grey, What wonderful news! Very much looking forward to it. :D

Hi Curran, I was just referring to the thickness measurement it should read 8 mm and not 8 cm I presume. Regardless everyone of your unsold tsuba is a rare treasure. Even if I had the money not sure which one I would select because all look great. Back to work for me.

Hi Curran, The measuments of Ko-Akasaka tsuba says 8cm thickness. That's amazing! :lol: But in all seriousness you have some really nice tsuba for sale.

Hi Ford, Thank you so much for the detail explanation above. I am aware of how menuki are basically made but your explanation was very helpful with connecting the important points to understand the process better and the importance of the filemarks at odd angles on the back surface of the menuki. P.S. I am in the market for some high quality menuki and this topic has been very helpful with educating me before I buy.