Tcat

Sorry Jean, perhaps that was stretching it a bit. What I meant to say was that this reminds me of some of the the moderately priced rather flash utsushi occasionally seen offered on ebay. They looked a lot like this blade and the Kimura blades that Chris posted examples of earlier. I dont remember nie or sunagashi visible in these copies...although having said that, I do not think that all fake kiyomaro's have all the features which knowledgeable collectors would be looking for...rather just an approximation of sugata, a flash hamon and okissaki.

Not Koto...but not an art object? This looks like one of those Kiyomaro copies you occasionally see on e-bay. I quite like the sword but it certainly isn't what it says on the tin.

What do you mean?

This is the Gassan Ichimon from John Grasso over at nihonto.com.au if im not mistaken.. Really beautiful sword! Congratulations Steve. I was also fortunate (careful?!) enough to make my first nihonto purchase from John, a polished blade with papers - I still have the sword and I continue to get great enjoyment from it; have never had second thoughts about buying. I know im parrotting old hat, but I think it really is best for new collectors to buy papered swords in polish... theres just less chance of disappointment or getting burned, and thus turned off of nihonto alltogether. I think John's pricing is very fair also. Regards,

So basically....not at all based on a true story. True 'doublespeak' in action. Ridiculous.

I think you're right Brian. Edit - on reexamination this doesn't appear cast, so the seller could be wrong about this. Looks to be mediocre in quality, but still 'authentic Japanese'. The sale price was not too high, so...

Josh, The clue to how good this tsuba is...is in the auction description: Looks to be pretty mediocre in quality. You said: Indeed. What are you hoping to learn about this piece?

Somewhat related thread - viewtopic.php?f=56&t=13044&p=115511#p115511

Informative! And I guess that's why people look at the back of menuki... Thanks.

Many thanks to all for the comments, most informative. David (Akitombo) thanks for the gold example, looks very nice. Raay - thanks for that. Now I can properly sex dragons and shishi... Does anyone know how to sex Kirin?? Franco, what is it from these photos that gives you an impression of the quality of the Shakudo? It is the colour or something else? I guessed waki goto because I know very little, they just looked good and reminded me of goto work without looking mainline goto. I am still very impressed with the carving considering how small they are. The canine tooth of the female is no larger than a hair clipping. Ron H, thanks for the tip, I will try to read up on Somin and Yoshioka. David S, thank you. Is there anything you can mention about the carving or work specifically which makes you think of edo kinko? Regards

The reverse:

Brian, they are held - in my grubby little mits as we 'speak'. I certainly think they were a good deal. I was also wondering about the significance of one round post and one rectangular... any comments would be much appreciated.

Thanks Franco, yes, it's that link.

Hello all, I recently acquired these shishi menuki from Aoi. I would like to know what school they are - I guess waki goto; they are unsigned. Could anyone comment? They are quite small, each around 1 x0.5 inches, but the carving is really great. I have been looking at them with the aid of a magnifying glass and have marveled at the detail. Aoi did not mention a school, just said they were Edo period and over 300 years old. Comments / opinions? Regards

Dow, out of interest, what are your personal opinions regarding this tsuba?

low-medium grade, late edo or meiji tsuba in bad condition. bad patina and considerable pitting. could possibly have been "rubbed up the wrong way" by a well meaning but ignorant custodian.

I am the proud owner of this example of Brian Tschernega's work.

Amazing! Thanks for posting Ron. Anyone have photos of similar habaki?

At $450 you did no wrong Steve, my guess is late shinshinto / meiji, mino school. Thomas Buck is a well known and respected tsukamakishi. Regards,

When it says on the page: "The lips are not made as original. They are added by channel system." does anyone know what this means? I agree with Geraint. Looks like it could be a sizing remedy... Can anyone explain why Habaki are sometimes made from several interlocking parts rather than just a single piece? Perhaps the answers to these questions are related.

Tobias, I posted a message about this in another forum to the chap who supposedly help set up the site in English, but so far have not gotten a reply. Here are some links meanwhile. The studio can still be reached on their email: 9dragonmetalworks@gmail.com http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/charles-wu.html http://www.artmetal.com/blog/charles_wu ... ork_studio

Geraint, I think you got right to the heart of the matter in one. I strongly suspect that the patination on these is not going to be reliable. Isnt this something easily cured with the right chemical concoction, however? (edit: though, alloys are probably just as important, perhaps more? I wanted the work done in shibuichi, but he wasnt comfortable with making it, prefers to work in copper and brass I believe.) Well...he didnt do them for free, and there was quite a lot of communication and double checking required. Also, there arnt that many people around that can do the work to a decent standard. P.S. Is that a quote from the book your great grandchildren will write a hundred years from now? Haha... I cant imagine the demand from western sword collectors being THAT high, but then again, what would stop eastern collectors from going the same route...?

Hi All, Just thought I would share this with the forum. I got hold of some edo period uzumaki themed F/K and wanted an appropriate kojiri and kurigata to make up a set. Although I highly appreciate the work of contemporary Japanese artisans and their well known western counterparts, my cash-flow situation does not. I thought I might be able to find something acceptable and budget friendly, and after a while looking came across 9 Dragon Metal Studio and Charles Wu. I include photos of the original Kashira and the newly made Kojiri/Kurigata for comment. As with most fittings, they look better in the hand than when snapped with a cameraphone, but don't hold back. Material is blackened copper.

Haha! Cant say I didn't see this coming sooner or later, because his work is outstanding by any standards. But, big congrats Ford, I can FEEL the positive waves of vindication here!!

Sorry Paul, my intent was not to have a debate, rather better understand exactly what is meant by "One mans gunome is another mans choji". It sounds akin to "one mans octagon is another mans hexagon". Surely one is one and the other is the other, but I accept that of course there is "an element of subjectivity" to art appraisals and descriptions; I didn't mean to wind you up.