Soshin

Hi Lorenzo, Thanks for the comment. Looking at the inside surfaces of the sukashi clearly indicate that the tsuba isn't cast. The quality of the iron is also not what you would see in modern cast reproductions. The soft metal "pillows" along the ryo-hitsu ana are not cast like seen often in cast tsuba but are just false craved from the iron of the plate using a kebori technique similar to what is used in the really small Takeda-mon designs. Theses "pillows" are observed in all of Hayashi Shigemitsu tsuba when one exception in the Sasano books and a few other books. In terms of which are real and which are faux it is really hard to tell when I only have black and white photos for most tsuba. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Curran, Looking at my tsuba again I do see the nine Takeda-mon represented using different techquies. I love tsuba that make you think about their designs using different techniques. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, Looking at it I am seeing a total on 6 Takeda-mon per side. Two in ji-sukashi and four in kage-sukashi. The 2nd generation Hayashi Shigemitsu was known for mixing positive and negative silhouette designs in his tsuba. Take care and thanks for looking. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Curren, Nice to hear from you. Very rarely do nice tsuba come along at such reasonable prices. The sukashi design is extremely well done on this tsuba which attracted me to it. The patina and surface texture (migaki-ji) is also very finely done which are all characteristic of Hayashi Shigemitsu work. I am not 100 percent sure it is his work but I am sure of the tsuba quality and fine design. Sometimes the Akasaka copies of Higo work can be very good as well. How many Takeda-mon do you see in my tsuba? Here is a link to Wikipedia as a reference of what the Takeda mon looks like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeda_clan. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Malcolm, I count six Takeda-mon designs on the tsuba. I am surprised when you said nine. Thanks for looking. Another interesting note about this tsuba. All tsuba I have seen photos of made by Hayashi Shigemitsu have what I think are "soft metal pillows" in the ryo hitsu-ana. This tsuba has what appears to be soft metal pillows in the ryo hitsu-ana that are faux: they are finely carved into the iron. This can also can seen in the photo in the book of the very similar tsuba attributed to Hayashi Shigemitsu. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Peter, Keep in mind that some groups like the NBTHK often group the works of the Yagami school of Hizen into the large group of Namban tsuba even when they can give a tsuba made by that group a more specific attribution. I think Namban is a broad classification not a specific one when it comes to tsuba. This is just my opinion. Yours truly, David Stiles

Dear Peter C., The term Namban is a generic term used by the Japanese in pre modern times to label anything coming from foreign lands outside of Japan. Term literally means "southern barbarian" in Japanese. For example a pre-modern term for the Christian Church in Japan was "Namban-Ji". Another term sometime used was "Namban-tetsu" foreign iron used to make Hizen Nihonto as well as some Namban other types of tsuba. I remember a Shoami tsuba with the inscription saying it was made with Namban-tetsu. Hope this additional information is helpful. I love Namban tsuba and after read a few passed issue of NBTHK monthly magazine freaturing fine Namban tsuba I can say there are many fine ones just like any other school. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, I just finished doing photos of a new tsuba in my more focused and much smaller collection. I hope you enjoy them. This is something different for me as this is my first Higo tsuba. The smooth texture and patina of the iron of this tsuba is wonderful. The former owner was thinking it is a work of the 2nd generation Hayashi school master Shigemitsu. See the second photo for more information. I hope to have a full write up in the comming week about the tsuba on my website. Comments and questions are welcome. Came also across something funny in my reading. It was that Higo tsubako of the Hayashi school were not allow to sign their work until they were 61 years old. Is this true? Have a wonderful weekend. :D P.S. How many Takeda mon can you count on the tsuba? Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Alex, I think you are mixing up terms or I am unclear. These menuki in my opinion are Kyo-Kinko from Kyoto circa the mid Edo Period. The good quality but not at level of mainline or waki Goto and the fact the motif of shishi is a common theme to the Edo based Goto school points in this direction. As well as how the takabori technique is excuted in a Goto like style. It is documented that Kyo-Kinko group often made good quality copies of Goto designs during the mid Edo Period all of which were unsigned. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Alex, I would agree with Franco on this. To me the menuki look likely the work of the Kyo-Kinko group done in a Goto like style circa mid Edo Period. The Kyo-Kinko group is famous for these type of copies and they are always mumei. Overall they are nice set of menuki at a reasonable price from Japan. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Christian, I have been very busy as of late. I just finish selling my papered Noritsuke school tsuba and 20 other tsuba. A major collection reduction on my part. Let's just say that I am making the transition from minor leagues to big leagues to use a Baseball analogue. Say tuned everyone I will try to take some photos next week. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Andrey E., Nice tsuba. Being a tosogu guy I would say Akasaka likely mid Edo Period. This is just my opinion. The shape would be discrbired in Japanese as "maru-gata". Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Dow, The tsuba looks real to me but in poor condition with some active rust and few places on the ura where the patina was lost. Some TLC is needed. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Grev UK, Yes that is better. I would say that it does look like Heianjyo school inlay work with a fairly complex sukashi design. These more complex sukashi designs are often seen in Edo Period tsuba from that school which is based in Kyoto. I like the tsuba thanks for posting it for discussion. Yours truly, David Stiles

Dear Chirs B., Having a shinsa in Chicago sounds like a good idea. Having it attached to a show in my opinion is a good idea. Looking forward to what is decided. If it is at Chris's place I will ship it to him. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Grev UK, Having a better photo of your tsuba would nice. It would allow viewers to see how the brass was inlay on the tsuba surface. Necessary to determining if it is Heianjyo shinchu zogan (Heianjyo for short) school or one of the other schools/groups that also used brass inlay. But a late Heianjyo I think could be a good possibly. I hope you find some of the information helpful. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ford, That is the little book I was talking about and it has a nice view of the omote and ura side of the Nara Toshinaga tsuba. I think the second tsuba below it is very similar but is mumei. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Peter M., Traditionally tsuba boxes were made of Kiri wood with one to two silk covered pads. I think this is want you are asking I purchase most of my boxes on eBay but have also purchased three very nice ones from Fred G. Here is a link to his website: http://www.swordsandtsuba.com/home.html. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Howard D., I haven't received any shinsa paper from 2012 Tampa show. I submitted a tsuba in person and it passed and will get a Kanteisho paper (i.e. points score >= 70). Tom H. would be the person to contact about papers. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ford, I have a small Japanese handbook on Tsuba that I purchased off of eBay for about $30 which shows this tsuba. But due to the very small size of the book it isn't scannable. I will try a photo of it when I get home. If it works I will post it. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Grev UK, Here is a tsuba in my collection with the similar simple design. The design is refereed to as shippo, shippo-mon, or itomaki Japanese. Your tsuba looks like minor variation of this basic design and is likely a copper reproduction of an original one that was made of iron. Yours truly, David Stiles

I agree with Colin nice cleaning the rust off of your tsuba. Nice tsuba. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, I found another sai-hai themed Yagyu tsuba published in Sasano's first book (gold colored dust cover) on Sukashi tsuba page 164. Here is the scan of that page for other peoples reference. Sasano dates this tsuba to the Middle Edo Period. My tsuba is likely a late Edo Period Yagyu, Ko-dai (later generation) tsuba with the same classic theme made by Norisuke and the Futagoyama school. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, It should be noted that in regards to rim thickness it is greater then the seppa-dai. This is very different then all the other Tosho tsuba featured in the article which consistently had greater thickness at the seppa-dai. I discuss more about this attribution point in my JSSUS article. I ordered a copy of Owari to Mikawa no Tanko for my study. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, As not to hijack David's topic I decided to start this new topic about a new tsuba I purchased this month. I attributed the tsuba to the Tosho group circa late Muromachi Period. The bassis of this attribution is the color of the patina (very dark brown mixed with black in places), shape and style of rim, thinness of the plate (~3.2 mm), and shape of the kozuka hitsu-ana. I am not completely sure of this attribution but regardless I really like the tsuba. The size of the tsuba is 5.8 x 6.7 cm. Mr. Henry W. attributed the tsuba to Owari Province circa late Edo Period of the Yamamkichibei school. While I do see some characteristics of the Yamakichibei school in terms of the sukashi and the tsuba does have iron bones along the rim the tsuba isn't signed with the mei of Yamakichi or similar mei which is characteristic of that schools later work. It is a plain mumei characteristically like early Tosho group work. Would love other opinion, questions, and comments. Thanks in advance. Yours truly, David Stiles