Fred Geyer

here is another odd one, I am sure it was always a topic of conversation about by the other person seeing it on the there tanto. Fred

Curran, I know good tsuba are still out there but with the world market now they get sucked up very fast...yes even at crazy prices!! And you are right the coin tsuba is not for sale only to look at. Fred

Yep, that is mine! when this was posted before I had already had it in hand Fred

No, not just a plate. A lot of the open work tsuba are Hizen works. will take photos tonight .

you also find ones like this once in a life time

Antti, With Namban you have not seen really good items, as with many schools what is common and seen everyday is just stuff and people then say that all are bad. Shomai tsuba most say they are all just average , but main line stuff.... outstanding!! . Tanaka tsuba are good, mainline Holy Crap they are the best metal work you have ever held in your hand, Higo ..a lot of stuff out there and then mainline WOW in iron nothing better!! With the Namban look at the high end fully under cut Hizen tsuba that are 3.5 to 4 inch x 1/4 inch think with the entire tsuba screaming of quality. Fred

I posted this on Ebay , just found , great sword!!! http://www.ebay.com/itm/161042876192?ss ... 1555.l2649 Fred Geyer

Did you go by the tagane marks to determine Akasaka?? if so the back side would be the same on a 5th gen which this was made to look like by the pattern on top and bottom, but the ana would be off set on his tsuba meaning one lower. His tsuba you have to tilt to have them even. So not Akasaka and the way the tagine are re hit I say tosa moychin tsuba. Fred Geyer

Thank you very much!!! will post rest of photos of the saya a real nice one!! Fred

help what does this say???

Great reading on menuki , sorry have been in the road and not in the discussion with my post. Mike brings up my next question on these, everyone says "need to see the back" to see who did it or what school. What do you look for on the back side? What finish, hits, thickness..so on, to make a good "back"?? or to tell a school?? Fred Geyer

Everyone here has these misunderstood little things hiding under big cords which hides almost half of its beauty and we quickly look at them and say they are "fill in the blank", those are nice!! And here the question comes, you can't see if they signed and only see half of them, how do we know they are maybe the best part of the whole sword? How do you tell if they are Goto or another great school with out seeing the back?? And Please do not cut them out to take photos to show!! Everyone please share your menuki knowledge! Fred Geyer

Ford, That was a joke. Fred

With the style of gold inlay and the way it is done can only be one school!! Fred Geyer

The show was great, did better at this show then last 2 combined. Mark did a great job! Looking forward to next one!! Fred Geyer

Yes you are right, but just becouse there are two lines with equal length that cross does not make a Christian cross just equal lines that cross. And in another study you will see them with designs seen all over the churchs and stone carvings in Euorpe when I was there I saw tsuba designs all over the place and alot of family creasts are tsuba designs from that time period. The tsuba that do not look Japanese in shape and form look to other places!!!! Fred Geyer

Just got into internet range, Thanks Richard for posting the vase photo. The vase is from the 1600 and came from a estate in London awhile ago. Great part about it is the Tokei tsuba on it!!! And then the nails on the base. This is where the studies start on where the vase may have been made so you will see the long/short rays vs the same style but all even points that you see from Higo and the Higo tokei tsuba will also have the same nails supporting the rays. Fred Geyer

So what do we see here????? I about feel out of my chair when I saw this and what it was listed as...study and learn it pays off!! Fred Geyer

Also can anyone tell me the meaning of the symbols, good quizz for the day! Fred

This is one from my collection that I was very lucky and honored to get from Yoshikawa Sr. collection it is very famous item and the only tsuba I have ever seen with a cross fully displayed on it. The tsuba has NBTHK tokubetsu papers as a Christian tsuba and the box also noting the tsuba of very high importance. Will post later a Fuchi soon that will confuse some. Fred Geyer

I agree with the common site of a cross from 1549 to 1614 when Ieyasu banned it, as there is a letter from Francesco Pasio to Rome in 1585 talking about Hideyoshi and his court all in Portuguese dress and carring rosaries!! But to show the faith in public may even still happened up 1624 the year of persecution and the begining of Terauke Seido. But after Shimabara Oct 15th 1637 there would not be a anything shown or even talked about being Christian. Fred Geyer

In the 2006 KTK book I did a paper on the time line of the Christian movement in Japan which was very short and ending very badly for the converted. There were over 1,800,000 Japanese Christians by 1607 and over 250 churches.... then it went to ZERO! And there as a good reason for that unless you wanted your family to be boiled in the square one at a time for weeks. So to find a true cross on any item from 400 years ago is so rare there are no words for it. I have seen very few True Christian fittings and have just a few in my 20 years of looking hard for them. The Tokei is different as the early ones are 100% a Jesuit design and I fell they made it in time becouse of the Tokei name yet there is one design seen that are always burnt so they must have not faired so well at one time 400 years ago. So many may "see" a cross my guess was it was not worth the risk. Fred Geyer

will post photos of differnet generations tomorrow. Fred Geyer

Owari smiths!!! This one I can help with as I know a few things on Owari smiths , please post "full" photos of all 4 sides of the nakago plus the boshi, big sign the top hit on Taka!! Fred Geyer

Mike, I do not post to many comments on this site but this one I have to....Mike you know that some people only want to be negitive, always half empty, the sky is falling, etc.......!! My thoughts, always do what is right and you will be right! Say what is true and the people who like not to, will fade and go away. So I say POST AWAY!!!!!!! Fred Geyer