OceanoNox

Jean, thank you. I agree that the namako design combines all the factors you mentioned. I do have a preference for some of the Higo ones instead of the Musashi one, but nevertheless, they look deceptively simple and it must be difficult to get the balance just right.

The third one from the left, I think I saw a post (by Ford Hallam perhaps?) hinting that it might also be a cut out of the fingers (or finger bones) as seen from the front when gripping the tsuka. I also saw that tsuba called silkworm design. But this is very much also what I am wondering. The designs are so abstract, they could be anything. I suspect you're right, the name came second after someone crafted an interesting design.

The reason for my question is that I have checked in a book (100 tsuba and sword accessories, a guide to evaluation and appreciation, by Kazuo IIDA and Michiko HIRUTA, Tankosha (2004)), and there are two Yagyu tsuba. The first is round with a triangle whose tips are pierced with a round hole each. It is said to refer to the 三磨 (sanma, the three learnings). The other is a "billowing sail", which is said to be a teaching about imitating the power or movement of a sail.

Piers, is it correct to assume Yagyu tsuba usually have a theme linked to Shinkage ryu's teachings?

The solubility limit of carbon in ferrite is about 0.02 mass%. The eutectoid steel is just fully pearlitic, that is lamellae of ferrite and cementite (eutectic is the point where the liquid solidifies into two solid phases at constant temperature, eutectoid is austenite transforming into both ferrite and cementite).

It depends on the carbon content (and other alloying elements). If you melt pure iron in a vacuum (or in an inert gas), you still get pure iron and it will be ductile. The brittleness of cast iron comes from the high carbon content. By the way, there is also (but it is a relatively recent invention) ductile cast iron, which has graphite in the form of spheres that .

As I continue studying tsuba, especially the ones in iron, I have come upon the "namako" theme, famously displayed in the tsuba attributed to Miyamoto Musashi. It is my understanding that he made it when in Kumamoto, having been influenced by the Higo craftsmen (and Lord Hosokawa). At the moment, I am under the belief that the symmetrical and large hitsu ana are a particularity found in Higo tsuba. I wish to ask whether the "namako" tsuba are really representing simplified namako, or simply enlarged hitsu ana. I am possibly just reading things, but the namako tsuba attributed to Musashi really reminds me of the rings added to crossguards in Europe, and the shapes seem overly simple to clearly the sea cucumber.

Picture 4 in page 3 of the Nojima report is of an iron axe found in Kanagawa (the piece held with his fingers). It is shown as evidence of it not being folded (due to lack of delamination), and thus possibly cast.

I argue that the tsuba, at least until Edo period (and likely after, depending on class), were meant for protection. The evidence I have for that, is a copy of scroll of Hayashizaki Shin Muso Ryu from 1701, published in a investigation report on Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu, who is said to be one of the main influence on iai. The scroll states "鍔は只拳の楯と聞物を太くも太くもなきは非がごと", which is hard to translate, but I have found it would mean that a tsuba should be thick as it is a "shield for the hand" and thin tsuba are bad. The other evidence is from practicing Shinkage ryu (taught by Matsuoka Yoshitaka), where when the sword is carried by hand, the thumb is placed on the tsuba just over the edge, to allow to parry with the tsuba and tsuka without getting cut on the thumb. There also kata where the enemy's weapon is meant to be caught between tsuba and habaki. Now, in terms of tsuba being able to perform as "hand shield", that is another matter, and as I have said in another thread, it is difficult to conduct meaningful studies, as the tsuba that remain might just be only the ones that were not damaged. For those interested, the ladies at Usagiya have uploaded the damage on a sword in late Edo: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/katanainfight.html

While I cannot judge the dating of the sword itself, both the paper by Nojima and the Yao city report clearly state that the sword is cast iron, and they cite evidence from X-ray transmission imaging (numerous cavities) as one of the proof that the sword was cast. An earlier article is also cited in the Nojima report, showing that, in Japan even, some researchers did not believe that long and thin items (such as this blade) could have been cast with the technology. In the conclusion of the Nojima report, it is said that cast iron items (pig iron in the text) were decarburized (as they are now when making tea kettles). The report states that while large production was difficult in earlier times and there are still many unknowns, the large spread of "pig iron items" from Nara period to Heian period shows the ability for mass production. As an aside, the Yao city cultural report was written by specialists in their fields, and I find insulting to comment on their abilities without even skimming the report. Here are the links reposted, just in case: Nojima report https://ir.lib.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/files/public/3/36130/20141028020046845818/KAKEN23520946_Nojima.pdf Yao city report (2008) https://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/en/4618

You might be right, I think it was exactly that (I do not remember the initial topic, but it might have been a comment by Ford Hallam). This actually leads me to a follow up question: In the case of fittings with different "pictures" (whether they make up a story or match a topic but with different images), would they be made in the same style?

I asked this question to the Instagram curator of Arms & Armor of the MET. They told me that it was fairly common to have a common theme on all the fittings. I seem to remember someone saying that all fittings having the exact same theme was not fashionable/not educated, but I do not remember who and I certainly do not know the validity of the comment. For what it's worth, I think that most gendaito are made with matching fittings (mine is a grape/vine in nunome zogan).

I have found a citation from an old Japanese text (end of Edo ~ early Meiji) in a book by a Mr. Kawami (Tosogu wonderland, 2016) (this is my inelegant translation): "The sword size and the fittings to be worn when attending at the castle were set in the Edo period, as described in “幕儀参考”by 越前福井藩主 松平慶永 (1828~1890). The katana should be 2 shaku 23 sun long, and the wakizashi should be 1 shaku 67 sun. The scabbard should be lacquered in black (蠟色塗), the handle should be wrapped in white ray skin with black lacing with a width of 5 bu in the nakabishi pattern (中菱巻). The tsuba should be polished shakudo (赤銅), the fuchi in shakudo with a nanako or polished ground, and the kashira in horn (角製). Finally, kogai, kozuka, and menuki (三所物) should be made by the Goto school/style (後藤家)." Full reference: 川見典久, 黒川古文化研究所, 刀装具ワンダーランド, 創元社 (2016) About combat in general, there have been many discussions online, and there is no consensus right now (I think they were meant as hand protection, at least in the beginning). In general, several books (although I have little idea about their authors' credentials) state that tsuba were, at least in the Edo period, equivalent to neckties for our own businessmen, showing off fancy fabrics, patterns, and colours. However, samurai themselves were not all rich, far from it. There are records of samurai renting spare rooms in their houses or doing small jobs (in the famous 侍の絵日記, the writer is a good writer/painter and sells his services). In that sense, they may have had only two sets at minimum, the one for official appearances, and another for civil attire.

Oh no, this is mostly curiosity. The lines in this kashira look so fine (especially the grass) I was wondering if it was possible to do sen zogan with lines so close to one another. On a personal note, I prefer any zogan over nunome, as the gold/silver pieces do tend to fall off if there is any active rust.

Yes, sen is simply line. It seems to be considered a separate style of inlay (at least in the books I have read), and there is a chisel that is specific to it (it both makes the groove and raises the sides at the same time). Thank you for your answer, I thought maybe sen zogan for the flower, but I was very much unsure about the other one (is it grass?).

By the way, the tsukagashira, is it sen zogan or nunome zogan?

The smiley was meant to show a tongue-in-cheek comment. But at any rate, the Japanese in general were actually traveling a lot at the time (besides the lords and their retinues having to visit Edo).

Good evening Dan. Thank you. Did they "look" or feel different? Doing iaido myself, it is also something I have been thinking about (I am not overly fond of the tsuba provided on iaito or shinken). It's good to know you managed to do it.

Dear Geraint, thank you for sharing your experience. I was really wondering if this way of looking at tsuba was something people did at all. I shall certainly try when possible.

This is a very good point. I would add that even some craftsmen have misconceptions about the technical facts. Obviously they would know what happens, but the reasons/mechanisms are sometimes not clear even for professionals. I would argue that a really informed text (especially for such a field as antiques) would have input from art specialists, craftsmen, historians, and scientists, as we all have a piece of the puzzle that the others miss. The only answer I would have to that would be tourists.

As written in another post, I am reading and re-reading the "Tsuba" book by Ogasawara Nobuo (first published in 1975 in the "colour books" collection of Hoikusha). One specific section caught my eye: he states that currently tsuba are appreciated either through the glass of whatever shelf they are stored in, or in a small box to be held in the hand. But he further writes that this is a ”resting" position, and that the tsuba finds its real meaning when it is a part of the koshirae. Following this, the nakago ana and hitsu ana should not be seen as empty spaces, but filled or covered by the tsuka and kogai/kozuka. The book shows some examples of tsuba with those three holes filled, to show how the impression differs from the usual point of view. My question is then: is it a common way to look at tsuba? It never occurred to me until now, but then again I am a relative novice.

This is getting outside the scope of this topic, but from the papers I have read, the max. carbon content in Japanese swords is about 0.8 mass% (but could start around 1 mass%) and more likely close to 0.6 mass%. The hamon itself is martensite, the border martensite/pearlite, and the slowly cooled rest of the blade is a mixture of pearlite and ferrite, with more or less pearlite depending on the area. References: Inoue, Materials Science Research International, 3 (1997) 193-203 Sasaki et al., Tetsu-to-Hagane, 86 (2000) 45-50 Sasaki and Momono, Tetsu-to-Hagane, 93 (2007) 78-84 On a more personal note, I have been able to conduct destructive testing of a Japanese sword (age unknown, destined to destruction anyway) and the carbon content was 0.55 mass% at the edge and 0.06 mass% at the mune.

Maybe because it would damage the edge and weaken the sword (regardless of possibility).

Thank you! Unfortunately, I am in Japan so the prices remain a bit steep for me. Nevertheless, at the moment, my interest is less in collecting tsuba than data. Yes! That was the book. Now that I know the kanji, it will be easier to look for them. Thank you. Thank you. I think I will need to contact Markus Sesko about getting a print of that book.

Was the Sasano book published in 1979? I have perused one such book, and it dealt with the origin of uchigatana and their tsuba, with explanations based on picturial evidence.