Soshin

Hi George M., Nice tsuba thanks for posting. The workmanship looks like Mito circa the late Edo Period. The dark brown patina was used to contrast the color of the inlays. Just my opinion. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Curtis, Thanks for the kind words. In the afternoon Winter sun today I was able to take this photograph of the Tosho tsuba. The dark purplish-black color of the patina with a hint of deep brown from the little bits of rust is very close to how the tsuba looks in hand under good natural light. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, More and more copies of the tsuba I see the more I want to see the original tsuba by Tosa Kuni Ju Myochin Munetoshi. It was likely a fine example of late Myochin school tsuba work. If photos of this original tsuba have ever been published I would love to see them. It good to see Aoi Art listing the copy as it is and questioning the signature. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Curran, My reserved shinsa slot is 10:00 AM on Sunday, Feb. 12. I will bring both tsuba to the show to let people see. I am also looking forward to the question and answer session after the shinsa where we can discuss the results with the shinsa team. Here is some photographs of the Daruma tsuba on both sides. I also like how the bamboo and clouds are rendered on the ura side. Being a fan of Shoami I don't really see anything that would make me think this Shoami with this tsuba. Often designs on Shoami tsuba start on the Omote side and continued on to the ura side or are directly related to the design on the omote side. My tsuba the designs on the omote and ura sides are very different. All of the designs with exception of the gold inlays were produced by acid treatment which is characteristic of the Hoan school but the blackness of the iron's patina make me think Owari as the site of production. Inlay of gold and silver were common is the work of the Hoan school from the 3rd generation master onward. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, I will be attending the NTHK shinsa next month in Florida and have one slot reserved and was in the process of going through my collection of non-papered tsuba to decide which one I should submit. The first tsuba I was thinking about submitting is the following. I think it is a late generation (3rd or later) Hoan school tsuba circa the early Edo Period that is unsigned. The craftsmanship is remarkable with gold inlays and artistic design of the tsuba is wonderful. The expression on Daurma face is artistically done very well. The Kanji floating in the air reminds me of a Koan often used as a tool in Zen meditation. Can't completely translate the Kanji so the theory that the Kanji forms a Koan is unconfirmed. I was hoping to get help with that also at the shinsa. The measurements of the tsuba is 7.0 ✕ 6.5 cm ✕ 0.40 cm at rim. The second tsuba is a Tosho tsuba that I recently purchased over the holidays on NMB. It has things about it that make me think it could even be pre-Edo Period. It also has a fair number of things that remind me of the Ko-Tosho tsuba in Sasano Sensei collection. Examples include a number of folds are visible on the surface along with hammer marks (tsuchimeji 槌目地) as well as the overall size and thinness of the plate. I am interested in how the NTHK would date the tsuba from a educational perspective. It measures 8.4 cm round with a thickness at the rim of 0.25 cm. I think the ko-sukashi design is referred to as nihon-hikiryo (二本引き竜) in Japanese and can be translated as "two dragon leashes". I will be bring both tsuba for discussion at the Florida show. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, Here is a better photograph but is black and white of the Umetada Myoju tsuba in question which is ranked Juyo-bunkazai (Important Cultural Asset). It is take from the NBTHK Token-bijutsu 11-2009, Issue #634. I would agree the groove and raised rim would make the inlay work harder. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ford, Here is the Umetada Myoju tsuba I am referring to. The different metal inlays are just wonderful. Sorry the book wasn't easy to scan so I wasn't able to get the whole tsuba in the picture. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ford, Thank you so much for providing so much more additional information. I find it really helpful to my study and deepen my understanding of the subject. In your collection of Umetada Myoju tsuba it has the one I was thinking of which reminded me of your tsuba. It is the first tsuba in your photo list. There is another Umetada Myoju tsuba that I consider to be a masterpiece. Once I get home from work I will try to scan a copy of the photo. It is a kinko tsuba I think of shakudo or do with hira-zogan (flat inlays) of gold, silver, and red copper. It would be great if you could make a utsushi of it. My tsuba while not bad is just about average in quality for a Japanese modern made Higo style tsuba. Likely not by someone who is a professional tsubako. I will mounted it on my training sword for Batto. Now I just need to find a matching set of other modern fitting. Hopefully the NMB will help with that. More information about Yonemitsu Mitsumasa (1888 ~ 1980). He was in his upper 80s when he made the two above examples. The saddest part of his story is that he was not allowed to use gold in his work during World War II. P.S. Curtis, you can learn much from a discussion like this. Happy New Year! Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ford, Thanks for the photo of the wonderful modern utsushi of a famous Umetada Myoju tsuba. Here is a scan of a similar Umetada Myoju masterpiece notice the similar inlay work and richness of the patina. The mei is a work of art in of itself. There was one very similar to yours but I don't have a photo or scan of it that I think you used to make your utsushi. Here are some modern tsuba done in the Hayashi Higo school style by a living national treasure while he was alive in the late Showa period. He is now decease. His name is Yonemitsu Mitsumasa. Both tsuba by him are signed Higo Yonemitsu Tahei Mitsumasa. He was grandson-in-law of Tanobe Yasuhira who was one of the last Hayashi Higo school masters. This is taken from the 02-2010 issue of the Token-bijutsu Issue number 637. This is just to provide an example of excellent work still being produced in the area of Higo tsuba in Japan. I doing this so that people don't get the idea that my tsuba is the finest being produced in Japan in modern times. Yours truly, David Stiles

Are rats called O-Nezumi (大鼠). Just a quick Japanese language joke. :lol: Overall the tsuba looks like a nice Nara school tsuba. How large is the tsuba? If it is on the small size I would say that it is for a tanto. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ford, Thanks for providing photos your most recent work in creating a utsushi of Hirata Higo masterpiece. Is there any chance to see photos of the original Hirata school Higo masterpiece. I have been thinking it would be a good source of discussion comparing and contrasting the workmanship and technique. For example are there some techniques that have been lost and can't be duplicated in the modern utsushi that are present in the original Hirata school Higo masterpiece? Looking at the Umetada school during the Edo period this often happen. Other tsubako of that school were unable to duplicate some of the techniques of Umetada Myoju. You also see this with moderm made Nihonto with modern toshi unable to reproduce a koto ji-hada. Your work is very wonderful. :D Far better then the one I purchased which overall I feel isn't that bad. I will mount it on a Budo training Nihonto sometime in the future. Below is a photo of it for reference. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ed, I found these examples in the No. 612 issue of the NBTHK monthly magazine (Token-bijutsu 01-2008) about the Edo-Akao lineage. Rereading some history of the school it looks like just about all of the generations even the early ones signed their work starting in the early Edo Period in Echizen. This is not to say that there isn't unsigned works as well. Hope everyone finds this additional information helpful. Looking at my tsuba I am more and more leaning towards the original opinion that it is the work of the Ko-Shoami or possibly very early Shoami school. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ed, It should be noted that there are two branches of the Akao school. The original school was based in Echizen in the early Edo Period. All of the early Akao work in unsigned. Later a branch was establish in Edo. Punch marks along the nakago it is not the only kantei examination point for the school. Let me look through my NBTHK magazines and I will post any helpful information. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Christian and Ken W., This tsuba I have might be a early Akao school tsuba. It was sold to me as a Ko-Shoami which I still generally agree with. The round mimi, large seppa-dai, and large bold abstract ji-sukashi design is characteristic of Ko-Shoami. The ryo-hitsu ana are shaped very similar to some Muromachi Period tsuba and would fit early kogatana and kogai. It is currently is not papered. I would like to paper it sometime in the future as I don't really have any idea what school it might belong to. Reading a shinsa paper and/or having a NTHK Q&A might be helpful and educational. I hope you find it helpful. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Richard G., I have purchased new tsuba boxes from the following seller located in Japan on eBay and have liked what I recived: http://www.ebay.com/sch/jp_bnya/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_trksid=p3984. They were willing to combine items so that I only paid one shipping fee. Hope you find this information helpful. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, I added this new tsuba to my collection that is outside of my normal collecting area. Here is the basic information about it. It measures 8.2 X 7.5 cm with a 4.0 mm thickness at rim but is thicker at the seppa-dai. The overall shape reminds me of juji mokko-gata. The tsuba is made of sakudo with a dark glossy patina (much darker in hand then in the photo) with a nice ishime-ji "stone surface". I went with these photos as they show the surface texture better but I have other photos which shows better how dark the patina is. The ko-sukashi design on either side of the nakago-ana normally where the ryo-hitsu ana would be I am not sure what they represent but I have seen them on other Higo tsuba. It has two circular lightly carved lines about four milometers out side of the seppa-dai on both sides of tsuba. The craftsmanship is remarkable. It was sold to me as modern Japanese utsushi of a famous Hirata school Higo tsuba. If anyone could provide the photos of the original Hirata school Higo work that would be great. Comments and questions are always welcome. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Alan, From my experience I found the pink paper from the NTHK very informative so I would just submit it and see what the shinsa team says. If it passes great if it doesn't then you will still learn more about the Nihonto you have. I am saying this as it looks like both Nihonto are in good polish. Hope to see you at the show. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, The ko-sukashi (small openwork) design is call either shippo or itomaki Japanese. The first term shippo means "seven treasures" in English. The second term which I have also seen used to describe this design means a spool used to hold string. I would agree with Ford as to the age of the tsuba likely late Edo Period trying to copy the styles of the Momoyama Period and the early part of the Edo Period. Overall I like the tsuba. Thanks for sharing. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Guido, I will PM you the name of the style shortly. It is a koryu batto that does not emphasis the practice Tamishigiri. The only reason I am saying this is for the reason stated by Keith G. I also don't like using antique Nihonto either. I much prefer shinsakuto or gendaito blade with modern fitting and mounts including menuki. Just my two cents take it or leave it. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Everyone, I just booked my flight and hotel room for the Tampa Japanese Sword Show and NTHK Shinsa. I will be there from 11:00 AM on Saturday, February 11 until 3:00 PM Sunday, February 12. I am hoping to attend the Q & A section on Sunday as I will be submitting a tsuba for NTHK Shinsa on Sunday morning. I will also be touching base with some longtime American collectors at the show. Would be great if I could also meet some people who often post to the Nihonto Message Board that would be great. I will be bringing four tsuba including the one I am going to submit to Shinsa for discussion. Thanks and happy holidays. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi All, I agree with Brian suggestion. I would mount these menuki on a martial arts Nihonto training sword. That's assuming Curtis does some type of Japanese sword drawing art like iaido or batto. I practice a style of koryu batto which very different then the more common gendai batto styles. I would not use any antique menuki for this. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Curtis, The menuki look like a modern cast set. The overall detail is fairly poor and below even high quality cast sets I have seen more recently. They do have a interesting story attached to them. I would stop buying until you go to the Tampa show. Once you get there and see all of the reasonable and much better antique menuki out their you will quickly lose interest in such a set. Just some friendly advice take it or leave it. This reminds me I need to book my tickets for the show. Yours truly, David Stiles

Dear Andy, Nice menuki too bad its matching partner is missing. The detail wonderful and the back side also looks good as well. The color of the shakudo looks very nice. It could be the work of the Kyo Kinko group. Try to upload higher resolution photos to the NMB site and your link often try to push me to other website with ads. Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ford, Yes very nice menuki set! :D Thank you for taking the time to post some good photos of them for everyone to see them. I'm still surprised your not working for a Daimyo (大名) yet. Wait wrong century for that. :lol: Yours truly, David Stiles

Hi Ed, Its good that you are researching the tsuba design using different sources focusing on period banners, armor, and clothing. I think this is a good approach to dating the tsuba as family kamon and banner designs did change over time and there evolution are for the most part documented. Yours truly, David Stiles