Spartancrest

I don't think this thread is directed to the "grandmothers" - more to the children, that is the entire point!

The only trouble with this statement is - Who can tell what are the most important works? Several times people have said you need to wait to get the very best - but who says what is the best? That is always a personal judgement based on experience. New collectors don't have that experience and should not be force fed the opinions and tastes of other people. We would all love to collect the absolute best but I will guarantee that each of us will have a different view of what that means. Price never guarantees anything, so we can rule that right out of the equation. JMHO

Thanks Dan, but you didn't mention my Hemorrhoids from long hours sitting at the computer. [not true - no Hemorrhoids - but that would explain me being a pain in the a*** ]

No this statement doesn't sound good either -

Kakemono, a vertical Japanese scroll painting Makimono ( 巻物: "rolled thing") Emakimono (lit. "picture scroll") Kakejiku (Hanging scroll) Lots of names for basically the same thing depending on the direction it is intended to be seen. They even make Chinese fake ones now [yuck]

See the extensive work to enlarge the seppa-dai. One little segment that didn't need "packing out" on the lower right.

A ken from the Walters Art Museum with a closer looking handle. https://art.thewalte...er-lotus-decoration/ No dragon involved with this one I can see the rice bale idea on the tsuba though, so the handle could be modeled on that theme.

From my understanding the "Male" dragon had a "Ken" at the end of his tail, so if this is correct, the Dragon on Jason's tsuba is a male?

I think the theme is a dragon wrapped around a "Ken" - Which is not that easy to make out, especially as Ken are straight bladed swords and this is anything but straight! Artistic license gone riot but beautiful! These examples have Vajra handles - not sure about the one on the tsuba. Jake's idea of Bushu Ito sounds good to me. Chosu also possible - I struggle with the differences unless they are signed by one of the schools as they copied designs back and forth. Kinai liked dragons but something about it does not say Kinai - besides Kinai was mad about getting them signed. JMHO Whatever the school or theme it is a fantastic piece and gets us thinking!

If my friend Okan is correct [very likely ] - give that thing a big miss - try this one it is more interesting, genuine and a lot cheaper https://www.ebay.com/itm/296351643175

Sorry to say it is a paperweight souvenir, it might be as old as 1980? - not made in the Muromachi [1336 to 1573] - a time when they didn't sign tsuba as far as I know. https://www.ebay.ca/itm/186730994595 I do hope your friend did not pay very much. The seller is either ignorant or a conman.

https://varshavskyco...collection/tsu-0356/ Two from https://klefischauktionen.wordpress.com/ I am keeping my gnarly old hands out of this!

Oh I remember the late 70s !! back Kotter!!

? https://www.samurais...equipment/ts034.html https://blog.goo.ne....0d3adebfd75c6b6c1fa3 the design looks mirror reversed in this one?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/296351643175 Is it just me or does this look like Grover kissing a mirror or two Proboscis monkeys ?

I found a "Do it yourself Futatsu" just a little work with a hammer! NAH! I don't think so.

I have sixteen images of double "Sho" woodwind instrument like a Pan pipe but I am not sure they qualify because the top and bottom indents are not the same? These are from my utsushi records - no big surprise just how many of the same designs get produced, yet each is an individual not a cast copy. I may as well throw in a Shingen from the Warsaw museum as well Make that 17 "Sho"

It is not my imagination is it, that the under board of the "drying rack" is thicker/wider for the last segments on all the abalone drying racks? Cast or hand forged this is poor workmanship IMHO.

Starting to find others - this one tilted over 90 degrees, does that count? https://www.jauce.com/auction/p1118290518 Smooth sided Myoga https://www.honto-nihonto.com/en/sue-tegai . While there are many Myoga tsuba like this design, they are more Kawari-gata because of the indents for the sides of the flowers/leaves (?) so I don't think they would count.

The left hand side of this guard looks similar? Clouds? But it could be a simplified version of this cloud dragon sukashi design? https://www.carters....ol-c1650-of-four-lo/ Tembo School, c1650, Pierced Cloud Patterns

An incidental outline shape from the Klefischauktionen collection. No information on it unfortunately. The shape seems very rare, I have looked through 3,000 tsuba images and only found two, other than yours! [So far ] This one may well be the ura of the other?

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

Ring Bling https://suigenkyo.st...ing-katana-handguard $750 AUD https://www.caesars....oller=search&s=tsuba https://casiberia.co...suba-pendant/oh3036s

A paperweight a little like some of the features with Ajiro [mat background] but not the same shape. https://world.seiyud...m/product/tu-120515/ shape? As Steve has pointed out futatsu-mokko-gata could be the shape it is usually associated with Musashi Namako tsuba but they are sukashi not solid plate One reference calls the shape "Kaigu Tsuba" https://ho-sui.com/en/products/鍔-つば-武蔵 that site sells replica tsuba so I doubt the name is accurate.

Deep, deep pockets papered Yagyu tsuba https://www.jauce.com/auction/h1160862639 and a similar past auction https://www.jauce.com/auction/w1073080451 https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1160847457 Papered Yagyu but I would have guessed cast! Seams, crack or folded forge fault? Papered Ohno/Ono that sold for far less? https://www.jauce.com/auction/r1148317429 but when did Ōno suddenly become Ohno I must have missed the memo - I will stick with Sasano's spelling [ŌNO] until he tells me differently