Spartancrest

I do like the 'filled' Namako tsuba, I have not seen many like it.

Josh. Not a Peacock but a Hou-ou (or Hoo-oo) -- The Japanese Phoenix. The three? crossed leaves in the center are a bit difficult to identify. The Kamon on the right is the closest I could find from a quick search - sorry the definition is not good. The only maru menuki images I could find are on Tachi Koshirae - I am sure there are sword experts out there with better information.

Steven E. I have done the same, reporting scams to several auction houses when they are selling fakes as authentic - to their credit most do take the offending item down or relist it as what it truly is. Nice to know Etsy has standards. How do we call out ebay when they won't take action? Surely this is being complicit in a scam and makes them equally guilty of a crime. Who can you report ebay to? Stephen. How do we avoid being sued for defamation even when its true? The offenders often have deeper pockets than the victim and litigate you to financial death.

I just had the same experience, I bought a rusty guard on Jauce [also linked to YJP] for a buy it now price of 5980 yen or about 75 dollars AU. - I had seen the same guard on ebay with three different prices listed, the lowest was $186 AU and the others over $200. A week after I had bought it it was still being advertised on ebay - I politely sent the dealer a note that it was already sold and to please take the ad down, obviously he didn't check his 'available' stock!! I do wish ebay had standards about scalpers, but then they are only interested in their own revenue. I wonder how this thread has gone on from a posting of a picture of a long nosed Tengu to become a talk about auction ethics? Fun though!!

Kawari are irregular outlined guards, they sometimes make up the shape of an object. There are many 'standard' shapes that guards can take - kawari are those that don't fit those standard types. As far as school or maker of your piece it could be Chosu, Bushu or even Kinai, I would only be guessing. It is hand carved and obviously not a modern copy. These images are of Kawari -gata tsuba. Those with the red box outline show rim versions and those without, you could class them as 'modified' to Kawari shape. The others are the finished shape of an object. I have in excess of thirty Kawari-gata in my collection, about half are 'modified' - so previously damaged and reworked. Sometimes Kobushi-gata [closed fist] guards are also called Kawari because of the irregular shape.

Glen you are now a member of a huge club of buyers who buy in good faith - only to be disappointed by money hungry sellers, some of whom use a worldwide crisis to their own benefit. There are however some very honest and reliable sellers - it is just a case of cutting the bad out of your watch list. Maybe we need a list of sellers to avoid? Name and shame?

Wow love that kawari - Waves and Maple leaf design - with two paddles. [let me know if you want to sell it!] Not sure of one of the menuki but one is of a Child's doll. I have a couple of Kawari that are reworked from broken rims and one in the Metropolitan museum. [36.120.195] I can't help noticing the double sekigane - someone treasured it enough to remount it at least twice.

Alban here is another Woodblock print featuring a Samurai and a huge anchor. Title Seki sanjūrō sakata hangorō Print shows two actors, Seki Sanjūrō and Sakata Hangurō, one with a large sword and the other carrying a large anchor over his shoulder. Utagawa, Kuniyasu, 1794-1832, artist Created / Published [between 1815 and 1830]

This Tengu Menuki would give Pinocchio a run for his money!! https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1000415606

Alban - the image is : Suruga Jirô Kiyoshige in armor with a huge anchor by Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1797-1861)

One I like, has an image in his 'Art of War' book but is not otherwise described - doesn't make me like it less. I would say he was a huge fan of the Beatles - Do you think the hair samples could grow cloned musicians?

Alban I think it is one of a group of guards made in the late Meiji era and onwards for practice swords, some times called 'Dance swords" [no idea why]. They all feature cast production with some fine finishing and "inlay" usually (as in this case) missing - I say "inlay" but it is usually worked pieces of copper/brass that are glued into a recess and not truly held in by undercut edges. The workmanship varies greatly some are very finely recut, others are ill defined blobs. Same as these examples - You will notice one has lost the applied metal face. Having said that I have not seen the anchor theme like yours before it may be much less common.

I have just been looking through Greville Cooke's book on the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery tsuba collection and ran into 1930M565 A Shoami school example from ca.1700 [84mm x 81mm x 6.7mm] Sorry about the photo quality but you may be able to contact him for a better image?

Anyone seen a fuchi constructed in this way? https://www.jauce.com/auction/l691653972

Roger sometimes you don't get answers - because we really don't know! On one aspect you mention balance? Is this balance of design or center of gravity? If it is center of gravity forget it, there are plenty of examples where they are lopsided as far as weight distribution. As to the quality of inlay, it is often a reflection of the time period in which it was made, the early inlay was often rough - makes sense they were experimenting, later it got better, latter still it didn't matter anymore because it was only for the 'foreigners'. I do not believe the craftsmen of any nation [Japan included] started off with supreme skill and execution of finish, it always develops through practice. I am sure the experts will say Kaneie/Kaneiye and Natsuo always created perfect pieces - but how many ended up in the recycled metal pile of each artist before they let the rest of the world look at their work? What do you see a wheel? A section through a melon? I think most of the time it is a guess - and mostly we guess wrong, but it keeps our minds active.

Hi Colin you must have got in early, I have only had mine for two weeks! I found one mistake got past me, there is a soft metal guard 1919.356 on page 127 that says it is iron which it clearly is not. If you check the museums site, that is where the mistake came from. But I still should have at least commented on the wrong description. Not a perfect book, but alright for basic reference - Since I started it, I have seen so many utsushi, I could have made a book of duplicate copies! In fact a poor cast copy just sold of number 1919.522 page 293 tonight https://www.jauce.com/auction/d520766334 like I said it is a very poor copy.

Just released a new book on the "Tsuba in the Cleveland Museum of Art" The book is 344 pages with 310 guards in total, with a few comparison examples found in other museum or private collections. So far available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. [I have to say I am not impressed with Amazon's price] Let me say thank you to a number of NMB members who were of great assistance with information. https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=ISBN%3A+9781006769788&ref=nb_sb_noss https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tsuba-in-the-cleveland-museum-of-art-d-r-raisbeck/1139857558?ean=9781006769788 An even cheaper priced book seller, with the Cleveland collection. https://www.discoverbooks.com/Tsuba-in-the-Cleveland-Museum-of-Art-D-R-Raisbeck-p/1006769781.htm also Abe-books https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?cm_sp=SearchF-_-topnav-_-Results&kn=Tsuba in the Cleveland Museum of Art&sts=t The book is also available in Hardcover but as yet does not appear on the book sites. Please send me a PM and I will seek out the cheapest option if you are interested.

Rob If it is WWII mounts it should have had a Gunto tsuba https://www.jauce.com/auction/d533791094 or https://www.jauce.com/auction/f530456286 there were several types issued from several armouries. NCO https://www.jauce.com/auction/x770899794 or if navy https://www.jauce.com/auction/w473876681 Please be aware there are also Chinese fakes of even these relatively common guards. I think there are better specialists in the NMB who would have more information - perhaps if you look for Shin guntō (新軍刀, new military sword). If your blade is Edo you have the option to mount it for that period as well. Good luck.

Just another heads up. Rabbits practice swords - https://www.jauce.com/auction/e529006737 A variety of coloured versions 'gilded', blackened etc. The 'Rabbits in the Waves' is not the only pattern put out at the same time, a set of Chrysanthemum guards was also made for practice swords and produced the same way. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Japanese-Tsuba-Armor-Katana-parts-Watermarked-Plants-and-trees-/363487786064 they are characterized by wide mimi and wide outlines of the hitsu-ana and once again sized for both Wak and Katana. They are based on a popular design as seen in this Utsushi collection I have been accumulating. A pair of these practice swords is found here https://www.jauce.com/auction/r489031532 and a mediocre 'good' example guard https://www.jauce.com/auction/j700232409

Rob The guard is a replica made for practice swords [Mozo-to] in the 1950s, they come in both Wakizashi and Katana. Great numbers of them are around, punched out like coinage. The pattern is "Usagi-Zu" in the waves. https://www.jauce.com/auction/q123156429 https://www.jauce.com/auction/n177373642 https://www.jauce.com/auction/x453722518 - This one has even been glued to a display board at one time. https://www.jauce.com/auction/q287565123 https://www.jauce.com/auction/p519893711 These are what are available on just one night on one auction site.

John C. T. In the mood for a third? https://www.jauce.com/auction/q1000066314 looks a little tired or boney. [lighting is a little harsh] Owari? 76.2 mm x 75.5 mm x 5.7 mm and weighs about 59g

Can anyone give an explanation on how this damage could possibly be caused by battle damage? I can't see it being done by a sword blow coming up through the hand, through the edge of the tsuka, through the fuchi and through the back edge of the blade. Even given the tsuba were placed on upside down it would need to cut through the blade and habaki.

Glen Ah so it was you who got that little square mokume, I was looking at that one myself! The other example from above passed in https://www.jauce.com/auction/w448276204 Jauce is my hunting ground too - not fond of their fee structure but as you say thousands of choices every week. Getting back to the original thread [sorry Grev] I notice from the side view image that the rim thins out near the raised decoration, is this so? It would explain how the guard was carved down from a thinner plate than it optically appears, to a large extent. Nothing wrong with a cast plate that is carved and reworked.

Glen- https://www.jauce.com/auction/w487367070 I think this is the Kaga contender?