Exclus1ve

I agree with what's been said above. And I don't think the «Tokubetsu Kicho» status has anything to do with this piece.

I don't really see the value of a hakogaki unless it was written by the master himself or one of his direct successors. The object itself should always come first. Even Kanzan said that his signature was often forged, so I wouldn't pay much attention to it - it's just calligraphy) https://markussesko.com/2025/04/09/fake-sato-kanzan-sayagaki/

This is mumei owari sukashi tsuba of the Edo period, most likely the early Edo period.

This is the most correct assumption) Here is a similar tsuba, the signature also has nothing in common. Although looking like shakudo, the metal is probably nigurome, an alloy of katashirome (tin and lead) and copper, which only becomes shakudo after gold. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/29524

Very similar to the high-quality version of the nagoya mono…

Designs were often copied from artist to artist, from school to school. I've seen this job, and the quality of the work is really excellent. I even want to believe the seller about the documents…

When the question «How was your workday?» actually starts to annoy you

If I'm not mistaken, it was in this video that he talked about the difficulty of reproducing this technique by ordinary workers, but I think they were apprentices or students.

The classic Ishime technique, in itself simpler than Nanako, does not require such extreme precision, but requires preparation of the instrument and concentration to "catch" a certain rhythm of impact. And yes, I highly doubt that nanako was made by "non-artisans." Punch preparation alone requires a lot of skill…

Hello! I think they are the work of different craftsmen. Of course, a proper assessment would require detailed photographs from multiple angles. However, when we are talking about the work of a master craftsman such as Teruhide, the standards the master set for his own work were considerably higher. This particular example is not flawless, either in terms of the katakiribori or in the execution of the waves themselves. The carving - specifically the thickness of the lines and the cutting angles - varies from one line to another. I agree that signatures are often of limited help when establishing authorship, but in the case of an Omori signature, I would always evaluate the workmanship itself before considering the signature. This is not to say that this koshirae is of poor quality - not at all (sometimes I feel as though I am unintentionally insulting other craftsmen when I make such comparisons). It is simply that everything is relative, and the works of artists of such renown are on yet another level. I have noticed that many people here do not recognize the difference between a truly great work and a merely very good one. For many, Joi is Joi - what difference does it make, the work is good anyway)) But that is not the correct way to look at it. All the works with complex compositions from master-master are almost flawless or flawless. And yes, there are not so many such masters, but you will see these works immediately, even without a signature.

Yes, that's exactly what it is.

Mei doesn't look high-quality, just scratched. I think it's a cast brass tsuba from the 20th century, which was nevertheless put on some kind of sword. Not looking for a lot of meaning in this product…

If I'm not mistaken, the Omori Teruhide signature was also used by some of his students. I don't think this set was made by Teruhide himself. His works are renowned for their more refined and delicate finish. I've seen several authenticated Omori examples, and in those cases there was no doubt at all about the attribution. That said, this koshirae as a whole looks very interesting. Thank you for sharing it!

Hello! I had wanted to add a Kaga tsuba to my collection for a long time, and recently Okan finally convinced me with his wonderful example that was shown here not so long ago. Recently I came across this tsuba. It depicts the classic theme of drying fishing nets, and in my opinion the Kaga inlay is perfectly suited to the delicate nets. Overall, the composition is quite refined. The tsuba itself is made of rich and expensive shakudo, although this is somewhat hidden beneath the dark patina, it is especially noticeable when viewed at an angle. The plate is perfectly polished and shimmers beautifully in the light. I would also note the beautiful sekigane - it was probably mounted on two different swords.

I love the accompanying documents for such things, very interesting. Okan, could you take a photo of kashira and the signature as well?

I like Kaga Zogan. Your tsuba made me take action) I’ll share my new acquisition soon.

Beautiful work! One of my favorite works on this topic is by Omori Teruhide.

Something beautiful. Is there a way to take a better quality photo?

I think it doesn’t really matter where an item is located. Museums often contain works of very different levels anyway, since many of them were assembled from donations from all over the world. Over the past couple of years I’ve become something of a Tosogu maniac - having read through half of the Tosogu forum and studied thousands of different works wherever possible) I find it almost like an addiction or an illness. For me it has become not just a hobby but a form of stress relief in any free moment. And the most pleasant thing is that there is still so much more ahead. As Colin already told you, only visual familiarity will eventually give you understanding - you will start to see the differences yourself. I also insist on studying and understanding the technical processes involved - many thanks to Ford Hallam. As for this particular piece, it is a really good Nara work, and compositionally I find it very appealing. However, when we talk about a master of the level of Sigiura Joi, the standards for the work are somewhat higher. Please understand me correctly - I simply do see differences in the carving, the inlay, and the signature, and in my opinion they are significant. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised by the reaction of many people, so let’s examine it in a bit more detail. As I like to say, everything is understood through comparison, so let’s take two works as a basis - pieces whose authenticity, I hope, does not raise any questions. First of all, all the elements are perfectly inlaid, the boundaries are crisp and carefully finished. Next, look at the treatment and polishing of all the fine elements - Joi truly managed to give them life. Just consider the frozen expression of Benten: the eyelids are perfectly polished and emphasize the smooth contours of the eyes with their inlaid pupils. As for the katakiribori carving - it is almost perfect. All the lines are straight, of ideal thickness, the edges are not collapsed, they have the same depth and are cut at the correct angle, which allows us to see the play of light so clearly - for example, in the hair of Benten’s hairstyle. Pay attention to the elegantly raised shoulder guards of Bishamonten - they truly have volume and a cloud-like feeling. Look at his helmet: all the details are carefully inlaid, and the surrounding surface is perfectly even. Consider the face for at least a minute—through different strokes and careful polishing the author managed to convey such a realistic appearance. The play of light from such polishing is visible even in these photos. And here is our recent mysterious friend In my opinion, one of the best portraits in Tosogu. Look at the palm and the fingers. The reed is inlaid so delicately that it seems to float in the air, this effect is achieved through additional cuts underneath that create a shadow effect - it's fantastic. (It’s a pity the reed is broken at the end, but we can clearly see the taper toward the tip) The forehead deserves special attention. The depth of the hair has been worked out, the hair of different lengths is directed at its own specific angle. Look at the ears of these characters - they are also carefully worked and polished. Also pay attention to all the small katakiribori elements: they are confidently carved, even with the same carving rhythm (those very eyelashes), again to properly convey the play of light. The signatures on those works are also carved with a confident hand, whereas in this example that feeling is absent - especially in the seal. I once held an authentic Joi kozuka with papers in hand, it was a work of similar quality to the examples above. I hope this helps a little with understanding. However, the most amusing thing is that in the end we may never know the truth - we are left only to guess and discuss Best regards! Viktor

Everything is possible However, I still see a relatively simple carving style that is characteristic of many works from the Nara school. A good example, Liang! I have books by this author; this kozuka is very similar in carving technique and execution - a good school work. Everything is understood through comparison; when looking at these works, there are fewer questions… https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O465406/tsuba-sugiura-issando-nagaharu/

These are indeed good kozuka, however I would like to draw attention to a few points. This is indeed a deer hide on the belt, which is often seen in paintings depicting these characters. The spots do resemble inlay, I agree. However, the quality of the inlay in the hair and the golden bows on the head is not perfect, and the surrounding field is also not ideally finished. This is the first thing I always pay attention to: whether there is a gap between the ground and the inlay itself. After that, it is important to level and polish the ground perfectly using different stones and charcoal so that it becomes flush with the rest of the surface and hides the traces of the inlay. This is quite a labor-intensive process, so truly perfect execution is usually found in high-level works. The carving, in my opinion, is rather ordinary; there are irregularities both in the work itself and in the signature on the seal. This is simply the carving technique - almost all Soten signatures are carved in this manner. The Joi signature, in fact, was very frequently copied, and I am inclined to think that this is gimei, although I do like the overall composition and execution! Best regards!

Let's add this for completeness https://world-seiyudo.com/product/ko-050819/

This is a good, similar example. Could you please tell me where you found the pair? I’d like to take a look at the paper.

Very well! Since many have already seen my avatar anyway… I'll add a good work on the theme of "shishi dance") The lion dance is usually performed as part of the New Year's celebrations. The dancer in front is dressed as a lion. The man behind him plays music for the dance on a flute. In addition to the man dancing as the lion's head, there are others who form the body. The second dancer in the lion costume is shown on the reverse of the kozuka. The lion dance tradition developed in China from a belief that the dance would protect villages from evil spirits. Stylized lions such as this are known as Chinese lions ("shishi") in Japan. https://art.thewalters.org/object/51.691/ Best regards!