Yagyu? A newbie can't tell.

[Curran]

2 hours ago, Robert S said:

Curran:  Your comment on the "grainy" texture of the steel is interesting, since there is also obvious forging in some cases.  I wonder what causes that?  Is it possible that some of these had at one time low level active rust, which has been stabilized, but which disproportionately effected one of the types of steel grain metallurgy in the relatively course grain?  Hard to see how it would have looked like that right after forging.

 

Depending upon what source you read, there is a lot of conjecture as to how they were finished.

You read things like that some where put in sand barrels and pounded before finishing.

I don't really have an opinion on that. I just like some Yagyu designs.

 

Attached is an image of one of the earlier Yagyu have this sort of filo dough layer to the mimi.

Something that strongly says Yagyu when you see it, or possibly a Norisuke copy. Norisuke copies tend to have like 2x the number of layers, so they kinda out themselves as excellent copies.

 

 

[Winchester]

Thank you everyone and OP for the great post; definitely some serious art shared in this one. 

[Spartancrest]

Curran your number three tsuba - I guess you have seen the ones in https://tsubakansho.com/page/2/ ?  A popular design it seems.

[Curran]

11 hours ago, Spartancrest said:

Curran your number three tsuba - I guess you have seen the ones in https://tsubakansho.com/page/2/ ?  A popular design it seems.

Yes, the one from the 2005 exhibit is mine.

Nice write-up by Jim. Much of my introduction to Yagyu was from him. He had a great Norisuke that illustrated the intense filo dough layers seen in the Norisuke copies.

 

[When Necessary]

I'm really grateful to everyone who replied to this question! It's turned into a great read with so much info!

 

Thank you!

Dee

[Curran]

One of the Yagyu I showed didn't have modern NBTHK papers.

I finally got around to sending it to shinsa, and got word that it papered to Hozon directly to Yagyu.

 

 

 

 

[Iaido dude]

Very nice, Curran. I actually purchased the tsuba (<$50) that is the original topic for this post, to fit to one of my iaido practice katana. Perfect fit! As some of you know, I'm a sucker for kuruma motifs. I'm not beyond mounting genuine Ohno or Yagyu (if I actually had one) tsuba on katana that I use, but this is neither an Ohno or Yagyu. It does superficially resemble the Ohno that I posted previously and that was referenced in this thread, but what is it? In discussion with Steve Waszak, I have come to recognize a general tsuba category that we call "generic Edo"--a product of multiple influences. This is a homage piece or copy (not sure what the motive was for creating it) of classic design and composition that was originated by earlier provincial schools, but doesn't have the surface features and vitality, despite what appears to be tekkotsu on the mimi, that one expects of those genuine pieces. Nor does it fit easily into any one of these other categories/schools. Still, I'm very happy to see it and touch it on a regular basis.

 

 

 

[Iaido dude]

Here is the original Ohno Duruma tsuba I posted with massive thick rim and chunky tekkotsu, previously mounted on the same katana.

 

 

[Curran]

35 minutes ago, Iaido dude said:

Very nice, Curran. I actually purchased the tsuba (<$50) that is the original topic for this post to fit to one of my iaido practice katana. Perfect fit! As some of you know, I'm a sucker for kuruma motifs. I'm not beyond mounting genuine Ohno or Yagyu (if I actually had one) tsuba on katana that I use, but this is neither an Ohno or Yagyu. It does superficially resemble the Ohno that I posted previously and that was referenced in this thread, but what is it? In discussion with Steve Waszak, I have come to recognize a general tsuba category that we call "generic Edo"--a product of multiple influences. This is a homage piece or copy (not sure what the motive was for creating it) of classic design and composition that was originated by earlier provincial schools, but doesn't have the surface features and vitality, despite what appears to be tekkotsu on the mimi, that one expects of those genuine pieces, nor does it fit easily into any one of these other categories/schools. Still, I'm very happy to see it and touch it on a regular basis.

 

 

 

 

Oh wow. Nice looking Owari rig. 

Very nice to see someone do up a koshirae that way. 

13 or 14 years ago, I had a nice antique Owari rig with a kodai Yagyu on it. Sold the koshirae on to a NMB member, and I sometimes regret it.

They were never commonplace, but you just don't see many Owari rigs anymore.  Only among the more dedicated Iaido practicioners, (including John and Sachiko Prough: the friends, neighbors, and Iaido/naginata teachers that helped me really get into this nihonto hobby)

[Iaido dude]

My practice katana for iaido and shinken for tameshigiri are modern Japanese custom production. One of these days I'm going to put together a full nihonto rig that I use for both. I'm pretty confident that I won't cut off any fingers .