Spartancrest

I like your evidence based reasoning - far better than unsupported opinion. It is a worthy acquisition to anyone's collection. The sukashi patterns may be linked to 'Tale of Genji'

I presume you already have this information? http://www.japaneseswordbooks.com/Fittings.html A shibuichi kozuka carved in katakiri with a group of horses playing, signed Suzuki Ichirin and kao. This artist worked in Edo and is listed in the Soken Kisho (1781) and was therefore working prior to this date.

They are a surprisingly common pattern and do turn up on auction sites very often, most are good quality utsushi but a few cast examples do the rounds. Daisho are rarer to find of course and would command a higher price but 75,000 yen is reasonably average for two. I supply an image of utsushi that I have collected, the boxed two on the right are anomalous as they do not have pierced windows. PS. an un-gilded single one sold for $40 last week - but the images were poor and there was no guarantee it wasn't cast.

Piers the print is actually up for sale on eBay, https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Kono-Bairei-Kahahone-or-Japanese-water-lily-1889-Print-60x80cm-/273887944921 I also found a set of original books https://www.biblio.com/book/chigusa-hana-bairei-kono/d/1291086764 but the price is beyond me.

Thanks Piers and George - I think you have put me on the right track. This is the closest image I could find that might fit the bill. Kahahone - a species of Japanese Water lily. I think the tsuba maker may have used a bit of artistic license.

Thanks Piers I had a look but not convinced, there are only single leaves on each stalk. This one has the Sagittaria motif, not the same plant. Wish my father was still alive he was an expert on horticulture - it didn't rub off on me!

I am trying to find out the name of this plant depicted on this guard - any ideas? My first thought was Arum but it doesn't look like plant images I can find.

Dare I say I found another one- https://imginn.com/p/CAUsn2CDYz9/

The crack had me intrigued for a moment, wondering how it had formed. Obvious that when the Ten-zogan was put in, the punch was applied too hard. If this is the case it is a construction issue not a later fault or accident. [ I can hear the scream of the maker when it happened! ]

Stephen from the others out there you got a real bargain, and they are all different, from what I see the design of yours is one of the more interesting. Throwing Stephen King under the bus here but he has a similar tsuba - it is the one listed under Gumtree https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/east-perth/antiques/rare-antique-tsuba-katana-sword-handguard-jakushi-dragon/1270358030 His piece is 63 mm x 60 mm, maybe two Stephens have between them a daisho?

Now that is a good thought, how wonderful to base a tsuba on the hamon of the sword itself! I wish I had the sword now!

Mauro I rather like finding utsushi, I have a good data base of a number of patterns. I like the way a single design can be reinterpreted in slightly different ways and still retain the essence of the original. . . . the difficulty is working out which was the original, not sure if that is even possible.

For those who don't have photo shop https://www.jauce.com/auction/g495345461 https://www.jauce.com/auction/k540242012 https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/east-perth/antiques/rare-antique-tsuba-katana-sword-handguard-jakushi-dragon/1270358030 https://www.toukenkomachi.com/index_en_kogatana&tousougu&youhin.html https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/8038-jp-samurai-sword-wave-dragon-wakizashi http://www.nihonto.us/JAKUSHI DM117.htm https://imginn.com/p/CAUsn2CDYz9/ https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/3146-jakushi-tsuba/ http://www.shibuiswords.com/EDLjakushi.html The poem on these would read "When you are on a good thing - - stick with it!"

Wow 4 inches is big! I see some design changes, the ones drawn in Chōsen-gafu have bat like wings, Barry's F/K have eagle (?) wings and yours Andrew have a bit of both + legs that seem to be missing from the others - no legs must make landing difficult so I presume shiachi don't come to the ground? Take off would be really fun to imagine!

Yas, does no one look at the nakago-ana? This was never going to be real - 7050 yen - there are better paperweights for that much https://www.jauce.com/auction/371174105

It is the identical tsuba, Catawiki publish the sales of various auction houses so the same piece will appear there, as on the original auction site - don't worry it is not mass produced, though the pattern may be duplicated. Looks like it was sold from Australia, some good information supplied with it on Catawiki : Edo period signed shakudo tsuba with mantis under the moon design. The design is carved and inlay with silver and shibuichi. 18th/19th century. Signature: Hide Yuki (英雪) Good condition, few lights scratches. Low reserve price. Size: 70mmx 65mmx4mm material: shakudo

Sebastien, I don't know if you are interested but there is a set of sardine menuki here. https://www.jauce.com/auction/547060970 At least they look like sardines to me?

Following on from this post by Barry Hennick originating back in 2018 https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/27098-shiachi-dragon-fish/ There are the numerous finished pieces featuring the "Dragon Fish" design found in Chōsen Gafu on page 65. Coincidence that both designs of menuki have turned up in just a few days.

The designs are found in Chōsen Gafu page 65. And this just turned up on Jauce auction. https://www.jauce.com/auction/s761390544

Found another link from the Chōsen Gafu book [p.65] to a set of finished menuki from a Japanese book - the translation of which is in the hands of Google - The Japanese book can be found on Amazon and eBay - also some can be found online direct from Japan [much cheaper] https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Appraisal-of-Japanese-sword-iron-guard-TSUBA-and-Props-book-Japan-katana-0538/283450365584 https://www.ebay.com/itm/TSUBA-Props-Appraisal-Guidance-Encyclopedia-Rev-Japanese-Sword-2009-/133649734516 https://www.amazon.com/鐔-Props-Expert-Dictionary/dp/4769401361/ref=sr_1_1 https://www.hanmoto.com/bd/isbn/9784769401360

Barry you may be right - except no one seems to know what the view is - locally famous? 'Three Sisters' comes to mind, famous in NSW but not so much elsewhere. I am intrigued by my guard and others that I own, the sharp edges are not ideal for traditional Japanese clothing [ yes I know the tsuka was positioned out from the body but they must have caught on things occasionally ]

Jean All things are possible, if it did have a ring or even a fukurin there is no evidence left, the sides are all the same patina and no file marks or chisel cuts. It's size is not small really 87.4 mm x 64.3 mm and 4 mm thick. I was interested in what the jagged profile represents - the 'shoami' example does fit with a mountain theme rather than kiri-mon but why would it be symmetrical ? All the other examples apart from the first post are not symmetrical top to bottom.

Mauro - you may be right about the similarity, there is one just listed almost the same as the ones you posted. https://www.jauce.com/auction/r477171399 the side design is lower than the ones above so it is a step further to have them even lower still, like the original post. I notice the small kogai -hitsu-ana is like your first image. Evolution of a design.

This famous tsuba of a monkey and hovering wasp was recently featured in a NMB post, the guard is found in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. There is a rather shoddy reproduction selling now https://www.jauce.com/auction/w460657968 it is pretty poor and I can't see it fooling many.

Yas - I feel so sorry for whoever 'won' that auction, all fakes [maybe the Mino real but very low quality?] 51,000 yen !!! This common reproduction is starting at a very high price as well. https://www.jauce.com/auction/s814150095 And check these three - https://www.jauce.com/auction/o461771927 https://www.jauce.com/auction/c894148996 https://www.jauce.com/auction/w436961534 what a huge price difference for mass produced reproductions.