Larason2

Yes, it looks pretty new. What the original seller probably meant is that it is a modern reproduction belt that can be used to hang a traditional Nihonto. In this case, it looks like it can be used to hang a Tachi. The Japanese usually used different belts to hang gunto, and this doesn't look like it would be very effective for hanging any kind of a Katana or Wakizashi. Should work on a Tachi, though this is hardly a traditional belt. Maybe was made in Japan post war to wear a Tachi ceremonially, say at a shinto temple. The leather work is actually pretty good quality.

I'm not an expert, but I would think that if they were solid gold, they should have the same texture and colour on the inside as outside. Gold develops a patina, but the inside of the menuki don't look like any patinated gold I've seen. I agree getting them appraised by a jeweller is the way to go.

Wow. They even attempted a signature! (that is totally illegible). It looks like these may actually be new made, given the rough work on the underside. It looks like these would be very difficult to mount, since most of the internal space is taken up by what looks like some kind of adhesive/metal mixture, or metal that's been very roughly worked. At least they're hand made! For only 5500 yen!

They're gorgeous! I like Ford's use of mother of pearl/abalone. Really classy.

Try contacting Namikawa Heibei: https://www.namikawa-ltd.com/product/235 They don't sell them on the website, but you can order them. Presumably they custom make them to the customer's specifications. There is only the gold colour for the high quality ones. If you want really top quality and have the money, say for a shibuichi pair, you can get a professional tosogu to make them. For instance, Marcus Chambers: https://www.marcuschambersmetalarts.com There are probably others, but I'm not aware of them!

Nice tanto and tsuka. It's not going to be that easy to find a tanto tsuba with a tiger/bamboo theme, but I wish you well on your search!

Thanks, that makes more sense.

It does make more sense that they are a buckle of some sort. I did quite a bit of horseback riding when I was younger, and those are not bits or bridles.

Nice tsuba, thanks for sharing! Both, of course are a type of katchushi (armorer) tsuba. I'd lean towards Saotome. Look at this link: http://www.japaneses...om/tsuba/saotome.htm Towards the bottom there's a chrysanthemoid tsuba like this one. There's a myochin that's also chrysanthemoid in the Birmingham collection, but they didn't slope the pedal edges like this one or the saotome llinked to above. The chrysanthemum is a common saotome theme, but usually it's perforated. In my mind, myochin's are usually fairly flat, without a lot of sloping or complex edges, whereas saotome tend to have more complex carving and details.

I agree Ford is the Kano Natsuo of our generation, even as far as inspiring many followers and disciples. We are also blessed that he has put so many years of work and teaching into his videos and work on Patreon. I believe together they form an important patrimony for teaching the next generation of tosogu.

That is a really cool tanegashima!

Ford just got out of the hospital, and is recovering at home, and hasn't been very active on his Patreon page, so he probably still isn't very well. Also, while he used to offer a lot of free advice on tsuba, he just got too busy and too unwell with his medical concerns. When he was still well, he started only offering advice on a consultancy basis. Given all this, I think it is unlikely you'll receive a response.

They are certainly good quality, and I think that speaks for itself to some extent. For some reason I feel like these are likely Chinese, though they could be good quality Chinese like the namban tsuba that are really good.

It's a nice blade. The tanto doesn't look like standard geometry to me though. Is it possible this is a suriage tanto, cut from a larger blade?

They are both Edo. From my understanding, what differentiates the two is how the inlay was processed. For Heianjo, the inlay was cut from sheet metal, inlaid into the metal, then details were carved, whereas for Kaga, the metal inlay was prepared separately, then placed in the grooves, hammering the edge of the groove to secure. Heianjo is actually the better quality work, because you have to secure the metal pretty well to be able to carve it in situ. I'm afraid to say I think yours is probably kaga. Still a nice piece, but doesn't quite have the quality of inlay you see in Heianjo. That being said, a lot of other pieces you see online attributed to Heianjo may also actually be kaga as well. It's a fine difference that is hard to tell apart, and otherwise they look similar. But there may be another member with more experience than I!

Apparently tamaki (手纏) was a bracelet or bracer for an archer that was worn on the elbow. I found that in Nihongo. It's also a common Japanese first and last name (Also a common Maori name as well). I agree it's not a bridle. Bridles are the leather straps that hold a bit in the horse's mouth. The bit is the articulated piece of metal with rings on each side you use to control a horse.

I'm still pretty convinced it's legit, mostly because the blade is so good. Blades don't lie! I don't think it implies you are a low rank collector. I feel this forum does tend to overcall "gimei," but it is sometimes a difficult call to make. No assessment process is perfect, and there are always false positives and false negatives. I also think that having a high volume of "gimei" swords being presented for analysis on this site would tend to bias towards a "gimei" call. It's a complicated area of study, but that's part of what attracts a lot of us. Don't take it personally, and enjoy your beautiful sword!

The two characters 記 紀 have two different meanings in Chinese, but are pronounced identically, and are used interchangeably in Japanese kanji (no apparent difference in meaning). (In Chinese, notes/record vs. discipline). Usually, the primary radical denotes what category of words it belongs to, the second radical how you say it. The first radical has to do with speech or writing, the second radical is an ancient one that used to mean "silk," presumably associating the words with refinement, excellence. Given the more auspicious nature of the second radical, there appears to be a tendency of Japanese kanji to move from the first radical to the second over time. I've seen this in some of my research, since more than one word can use the same radical. Since in Japanese Kanji there isn't the fine differentiation of meaning (and its irrelevance to names), the change of the character presumably didn't bother them much. Sime writers also appear to have used the two forms interchangably. It is odd that a smith that usually signed his characters one way would suddenly sign them another way, but it is equally odd for someone making a gimei signature to not use the exact same character of the example signature they were using (unless they were going by pronunciation only, which is possible.) Still, I think that it's almost as likely that a smith started with the simple signature and moved to the fancier one over time than a gimei signer was going off the words only, so I would say it probably doesn't have much bearing on the value of the piece, other than to suggest it might be an early example or gimei.

I don't understand what's wrong with Teddy trying to sell a tsuba? They're still vastly superior to most replica tsuba out there. It's pretty clear he's not trying to sell them as originals. It's not a lack of respect for the art if he spends hours on each piece recreating original techniques. Having them be traditional wrought iron is nice, but it's not that easy to get some!

It's gorgeous, congratulations!

Yes, you could be right. It seems to me that since they tended to be bespoke made, these kinds of boats had a wide variety of designs, which could apply to any shades as well. This particular shade looks as though it could be swivelled up like this, or swivelled back down depending on the weather. Otherwise why have the trim it does? Also, more asian shades on boats tended to cover more.

I thought it was a stylized sail? Seen from the side it's possible. Otherwise, Chinese sampans often had curved wooden shades on their boats, and it's not too far from that.

That's really great. Thanks Bob! I hadn't seen the two back sides before, I think they are both amazing!

I think teddy's work is legitimate. He is right that it's not that easy to get wrought iron and fold it five times as was traditional, it is expensive in both wrought and propane/charcoal and takes hours! But I'm enjoying it, that's what matters. Cutting material from sheet stock while you're learning is also ok. Not every tsuba you make while learning has to be a national prize winner. His carving technique is still maturing, but this piece shows a lot of hard work and attention to detail. The surface texture and patination are great, and the carving of the characters is quite good for a beginner. It was also very well cut from the blank, and the fit of the nakago ana is excellent. It would probably feel great on a sword. It's time consuming to make a nanako punch, and the bits that were completed before the first one broke look very good. So Teddy is progressing very well for a beginner, and he is to be commended for the use of traditional methods and good attention to detail. There are areas that merit improvement, but I think that will come with time. This is still a huge step above the terrible cast or quickly made smithed tsubas that are much more common now. You'd be surprised to see some of Ford Hallam's early works! He's come a long way, and now he's a master.

Thanks Dale for bringing this to our attention! When you see how gorgeous Ford's original is, it's not a wonder others want to copy it. Still, it is very sad. Ford has done so much for the art, and as he sits in the hospital, others are making money off his work instead of him.