Manuel Coden Posted April 19 Report Posted April 19 I got informed that the tsuba i submitted to the 2026 NBSK tsuba contest ranked Nyusen. It was my first time attending this competition so overall it's a positive result. Let me introduce my work: The omote depicts plum blossoms, traditional symbols of resilience and elegant beauty, as they are the first to emerge at winter’s end, often pushing through the lingering snow. On the ura, I have engraved the haiku: 見らわても 見らわなくとも 花は咲く Mirawetemo / Mirawanakutomo / Hana wa saku (Whether seen or unseen, the flowers bloom) This serves as a gentle reminder to the bearer: one should act with integrity not for the sake of recognition, but because it is one’s nature—just as a flower blooms to fulfill its purpose, regardless of an audience. The intentionally naive, almost childlike rendering of the blossoms and calligraphy creates a deliberate juxtaposition against the raw strength of the iron and the tsuba's martial function. 8 6 Quote
Brian Posted April 19 Report Posted April 19 Congrats Manuel! Being recognized even with Nyusen means your work is accepted as traditional and of a certain standard. We all wish you congratulations. 3 1 Quote
Manuel Coden Posted April 19 Author Report Posted April 19 Thank you all, I appreciate your support! Quote
dimitri Posted April 19 Report Posted April 19 Congratulations, the tsuba is very, very beautiful. You can be proud of yourself. 1 Quote
thutson Posted April 19 Report Posted April 19 Congratulations! I love the design with the blossom and haiku, great work! 1 Quote
NotANinja Posted April 20 Report Posted April 20 Well done Manuel! Very skillfully crafted and looks fantastic! Forgive me for the possibly stupid question but to submit tsuba to this competition they have to be traditionally made right? Must have taken days to do all that carving by hand! 1 Quote
Manuel Coden Posted April 20 Author Report Posted April 20 1 minute ago, NotANinja said: Well done Manuel! Very skillfully crafted and looks fantastic! Forgive me for the possibly stupid question but to submit tsuba to this competition they have to be traditionally made right? Must have taken days to do all that carving by hand! Thank you, yes they have to be traditionally made. It took several weekends to make, I don't really count hours since it's an hobby and what matters is just the final result 3 1 Quote
Manuel Coden Posted April 20 Author Report Posted April 20 Here's a quick video in sunlight of the tsuba for you to better appreciate it https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xPGDzFvqnX69nEFrNMGgFwfyYPqa5tLJ/view?usp=drivesdk 4 Quote
kissakai Posted April 21 Report Posted April 21 Thanks for sharing. A very nice video that shows the quality so well 1 Quote
Gakusee Posted April 21 Report Posted April 21 Congrats, Manuel. Both you and Francesco are rocking it! Well done to the strong Italian community too, which has fostered such strong interest and talent development. Very well done and wish you more successes in the future! 3 Quote
Robert S Posted April 23 Report Posted April 23 Lovely work, and very much in the style that I like. Well done! 1 Quote
Manuel Coden Posted Saturday at 07:19 PM Author Report Posted Saturday at 07:19 PM Today there was the ceremony for the NBSK contest, unfortunately I couldn't attend but a friend was so kind to send me some pictures. The exhibition will go on until August 30th. 3 4 Quote
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