Shugyosha

Another Kuniyoshi print, this time of Saito Shimosuke no Kami Tomonobu. He was one of the three master gunners of the Uyesugi and shot the horse of Shingen's son, thereby causing the Takeda to retreat (B.W. Robinson again but he doesn't say which battle).

Matsumoto Mokusuke in a print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. Apparently a noted gunner at the battle of Kawanakajima according to B.W. Robinson.

I think I would have to like the rest of the blade a lot more to tolerate that.

Well it was kind of late at night for me and, had the OP already bought it, I didn't want to be the one to rain on his parade. I hinted in a roundabout way by providing a link to something by way of a comparison.

Hi Dean, I relying on AI for this so... 信盧 - Shinro " ( an alternate art-name (go) used by the late Edo period metalwork artist Hata Nobuyoshi (1807–1878) or other skilled craftsmen of the Iwama school". I've got no idea if it's genuine. One here by the same artist to compare, but they do look quite different. https://www.zacke.at/auction/lot/lot-98---nobuyoshi-a-fine-shibuichi-tsuba-with-daidarabotchi-and-wasobei/?lot=61616&sd=1

Hi Tim, This thread is running elsewhere:

Yes, it's similar to what I'd use in the west for truing up the sole of a plane. I don't know why it's described as a whetstone/ grindstone unless it's just the case that there's no word(s) more suitable in Japanese? Anyway, hopefully you'll receive what you think you've bought.

Hi Jean, it sounds about right: 鉋台 - Kanna dai - plane body 砥石の面直し器 - Toishi no tsuranoashi-ki - whetstone tool for surface flattening (sorry not the best translation but thereabouts).

Some more info here: This might help too: https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/9578-making-a-double-habaki/

Hi Tom, 明珍 - Myochin 紀宗房 - Ki Munefusa One here for comarison: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/19295/lot/42/an-iron-tsuba-by-myochin-munefusa-19th-century/

Hi Joshua, They're arsenal inspection stamps, the top one looks like the "Na" 名 stamp and the lower one is the "Ho" ホ stamp @Bruce Pennington will no doubt be along shortly with more information, also you can have a look at:

Yes, it's where the hamon tails off in the portion of the blade nearest the hamachi and comes in various flavours depending on where the blade was made. Looking at the photos just above it looks like there's some hadori covering the actual line of the hamon which might be dropping into yakidashi and this is generally a pointer towards shinto or later blades. Some info towards the bottom of this article: https://markussesko.com/2015/05/29/kantei-3-hamon-boshi-1/

Will, an alternative explanation is to turn this on its head and explore whether it's a newer tang that has suffered some corrosion in certain areas - it seems odd to partially clean a tang and the yasurimei are still clearly visible, though I would normally expect a shinshinto blade to be signed (though some aren't). The elongated kissaki could point to Keicho shinto or shinshinto time periods. The prominent hada suggests something older than shinshinto to me and I wonder whether given the hadatatsu, nakagojiri and a hint of togariba whether there isn't some Mino influence? Also, and it might only be the way the photos are displaying on my screen but am I seeing yakidashi there? It looks like there might be something on the right hand photo of the whole blade but maybe not... Anyway some things to consider in respect of a really nice acquisition.

The "scratch n sniff" tsuba.

Hi David, I think Hojo is a family name - it goes back to one of the great feudal clans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hōjō_clan