Chishiki

There may be some connection to this thread.  Mark

A really nicely written Eulogy.   Such a big influence in your life.  Gone but not forgotten.  

Mark

Hi Gary, nice helmet.  You can buy an endoscope from ebay fairly cheap.   You can put the camera in through the tehen.   Have a look at the construction and you may see a mei.  Mark

Hi All.

More info on these menuki.   I had these menuki tested with a metal analysing machine XRF.  A photo with results attached.   They are in fact shibuichi, not shakudo as stated by the NBTHK.   Where does this leave their attribution?   Maybe it doesn't  change the attribution,  it seems they aslo worked on shibichi plate.  Mark

On 2/1/2023 at 9:12 PM, Wim V said:

Hi,

 

Maybe try rubbing gently with  a piece of bone or ivory?

 

Bad advice.  Sorry, by rubbing it with bone or ivory you will just cause a larger blemish in the sword.   Mark

An old thread from almost 10 years ago...time flies.   The subject just came up in another thread.  I'll repost it just so newer members can enjoy the read.  Mark

Recommened reading.  entertaining thread from almost 10 years ago.  Mark

Hi Gary, congrats.   Do you have more pics?  Is there an oshigata?   I have an interest in this group.  Mark

3 hours ago, Curran said:

Still my favorite thread.

Curran, it means a lot to have your support over such a long period of time.  We love what we do and getting the thumbs up from our collecting community is special.  Cheers.   Mark

18 hours ago, Brian said:

Bravo Mark, well done. Wonderful to see co-operation like this.

Thanks Brian.   We are really happy to be involved with the Japanese on this level.   It's great the Consul General and his wife are art and antique lovers.   It will be great if we can keep this ongoing.  Mark

Hi Piers.

Fair comments.   We kept to what they wanted.   It always crosses the mind how we could improve overall presentation.  For example they are too close together but they wanted to keep it this way for security and control.   It would have looked great for have one either side of the door.  What I do regret though is not adding some padding to the sleaves to get a better posture.    Moving forward I will probably offer to leave one armour permanently and if they accept we can be more creative.

Mark

At the Consul General's request we installed two armours at their private residence to assist in celebrating key dates, namely the new year and the upcoming Emperor's birthday.   We will leave these installed until the end of February.   We are extremely happy to facilitate their request, they are exceptionally nice people and art and antique lovers.   Mark.

FYI, armour on right is early Edo period ans the left is mid Edo.

On 12/10/2022 at 6:46 AM, Curran said:

I'm surprised the NBTHK kept or lost your green papers.  --> I have an important tsuba out of the woodwork with old green papers. I think the signature 98% correct and better than some in the Wakayama references the NBTHK relies on so heavily. I'd like to present the green papers with other evidence, but do not wish to lose them. A color photocopy and scan might be in order.

Good idea to give copies, especially as your papers form basis of your research.   I could go on another rant about my experience but it's not going to change anything.   I hope you give us a good write up about your little treasure in the future if you are successful.   Good luck trying to hand them your research.  Mark

Hi.   Just a note regarding the tokubetsu kicho papers, they may look greyish now but they are green papers.

The NBTHK give zero credibility to these papers, even with fittings.

This year I submitted menuki for Tokubetsu Hozon Shinsa, they had green papers to Umetada.   When my contact took the menuki to  NBTHK there were dismissive of the green papers, didn't want them, totally ignored but my contact persisted and they took the papers and munuki.   After shinsa, when the new Tokubetsu Hozon Papers were picked up (Umetada again) the NBTHK had discarded my original green papers which upset me as they wiped some provenance.    Once upon a time green papers were a direct gateway for modern TH judging but not any more.   I think it was Curran who said something changed about 8 years ago and now we have to start at the beginning.

So the NBTHK have wiped the validity of green papers completely which is a remarkable shame as they are in most cases still a valid opinion of appraisal.   Such as this case with my menuki.   I would still pay attention to green papers but knowing in the eyes of NBTHK they mean nothing, as yes of course you could get a different result in a modern shinsa.   As if modern day judges know more than the scholars of the 70's, I wonder.

Mark

Hi.  Happy to announce that we installed a display àt the Japanese Consulate General's building in Melbourne today.   Mark

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02eXwmsuSR9XrbVMxGoUhR1HqergEbAHVSDYxznZbRyxT7Kt7Qh6zJ5rHBkbZf43y5l&id=100064849561761&sfnsn=mo&mibextid=RUbZ1f

Collectors, dealers commonly find complimentary tsuba and put them together and mount/sell them as daisho tsuba.   It happens a lot.   With the Japanese dealers the tell tale sign that they a complimentary pair and not true daisho is the lack of a hozon paper.   Papered daisho tsuba hold a premium.  Mark

Nice link.  Thanks for sharing it.  Mark

7 hours ago, Curran said:

The geometry in general is Higo proportions, especially the rendering of the left n right ana.  Usually that screams Higo.

Hi Curran.  The shape of the ana was all I could see that looked Higo style.  I was wondering if they were also known

for lacquered tsuba.   Late Edo lacquered tsuba seem an oddity but I know they have lacquered tsuba since the start.   I can only think these must have been an ordered, gift type set.   Thanks for your input as always.

Mark

Thanks Gents,  appreciated.  Mark

Hi.  A pare of tsuba I just acquired.    Recent Hozon Papers to late Edo Higo school.  Can anyone shed some light on the features that make them Higo?  Base metal is copper and of course Hosokawa Mon.   The fukerin looks like gilt rather than lacquer.  If you have a photo of a similar tsuba I would like to see it.    Searching the net doesn't show much.  Thanks in advance.  Mark

9 hours ago, Alan Morton said:

Nice acquisition Mark

Cheers Alan

 

Hi Alan.  Thanks.  Hope you are enjoying the weather up there.  Lucky u

14 hours ago, Curran said:

I like your menuki and think TH to Umetada is a good attribution. Best would have been TH to Ezo, but I think TH to Umetada is a close second. To me, it beats a TH to Ezo (Edo) type attribution. The backs are nice, and I too think them somewhere in the early 1600s workmanship.

Thanks Curran.   Whilst the Kicho paper said shakudo I thought there was a chance of being shibuichi which would have been the game changer..  Just another wishful thinker 😀.   I was optimistic for TH though and would have gone into melt down if they didn't get it.  Whilst I am not much of a fittings collector I feel a frustration with attributions and as you say it seems they are not brave to elaborate.   As you say, a time frame in brackets would be nice.   This probably why Tanobe has a steady line of people waiting for his Sayagaki.  They won't more info.   Having said all that I just bought a pair of daisho tsuba papered to Higo and I am happy enough with that as they are an oddity.   As always thanks for your input.   Mark

Hi Curran, that all makes sense.   Thanks for the clarification.  I still think they could have stipulated a time frame, momoyama, early edo, whatever.  Not much value for money at nearly 50,000¥ as you know.   I think they are clearly early with the thin plate and posts as they are.   Maybe in NBTHK the classification of Umetada satisfactorily covers that period.   Just as side note I've often wondered if there is a recognised scholar in fittings who does hakogaki the same as Tanobe does sayagaki for swords. 

Thanks again Curran.

The results are in.   Tokubetsu Hozon.  Umetada.  Well happy with the Tokubetsu Hozon result and the Umetada attribution was always at the top of the possibilities.   The disappointment is that I think they should be Ko-Umetada.   Oh well....we move on.  Mark

On 5/19/2022 at 9:43 PM, Curran said:

Shinsa results are so slow these days.

In recent years I have been submitting less, and this last shinsa I think I submitted 7+months ago and still waiting for the items to come back.

It will probably be 8 to 9 months before back.

 

While I did get 2 very favorable results that I am happy about... and two "Captain Obvious" Higo results,

you REALLY have to want to have something papered these days to put up with the long lag. I'd love to hear Mark's results, but it will probably be a while before he hears back.

 

Hi Curran, just a note on my experience with the shinsa process.   When submitted my friend produced the green papers as I thought they presented a gateway to Tokubetsu Hozon shinsa.   The staff member just threw them back and was totally uninterested in them.   Fair enough, now I know.   My question is were the green papers 'ever' acknowledged for submission to Tokubetsu Hozon shinsa for fittings?   

Mark