Spartancrest

I just found this "menuki" listed for auction that strongly reminded me of the negative silhouette Bamen style horse tsuba that turn up from time to time. https://www.jauce.com/auction/q1018588943 I am not sure if in fact it started out as a menuki it may have been a tobacco pouch ornament. There is an old thread from 2015 for those interested. I can't remember seeing a 'hollow horse' menuki before.

Well Brian - you are not the first to come up with the idea. [good Photoshop work by the way] It seems Anime and role play is taking up the idea!

TOO RIGHT! [also in my watch list, in this case extremely unlikely to win list as well] it is a beautiful example. I love the three overlapping layers - how is the seppa-dai attached, a groove cut all the way around and the riveted portion inset? Fantastic skill.

Why is everyone interested in what's in my 'watchlist'! Oh well I can 'wave' good bye to that one! Stephen I can see a pattern forming here! Kimono no, Haori yes? [from the time line, I saw it listed half an hour earlier than you - I have email witnesses ] Brian I don't think customs would allow that one into Australia, is it something that you could get sent to South Africa? Chris is right it would do more damage to the owner. Probably a prison sentence here! [and to think we used to make our own throwing stars as kids watching 'Shintaro' 1962 + repeats, It was a huge success here, did anyone else see it as a kid?] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Samurai_(TV_series)

A nerikawa is listed here for auction - https://www.jauce.com/auction/m397466150 You might note the de-laminating layers and it looks to have been lacquered on the edges, so may not have had a fukurin. I don't know why one of the hitsu is only partly cut through?

I can't help with the school or maker but here is a Utsushi (写). No udenuki-ana.

Dirk you must be correct - yet another with .top domain. https://www.sonry.top/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_72&products_id=22456 This one is being funny with it's company name I wonder if it's not an acronym for "Undoubtedly Fake Organizations, Asia"

Greg, he is no angel - you might be able to make out his gang affiliation teardrop tattoos on his lower eyelids - I think he is a 'cartel canine'. American Staffy - oh no they have longer legs and can reach the higher shelves!

He must have misunderstood 'Tekkotsu' Iron bones? Or just wanted to hang out with his friends?

I did read somewhere that many tsuba were tested by pounding in a mortar and pestle to ascertain which smith made the strongest guards - My new Bulldog puppy has been taking lessons! [Only replica guards were hurt in the 'Testing' - but I am not anxious to let him near the rest of the collection!]

Two more to add. Klefisch Auction house archive.

Yet another site to be wary of https://www.spectical.top/index.php?main_page=index just check these pages https://www.spectical.top/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_242&products_id=23490 https://www.spectical.top/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_242&products_id=29921 Free shipping on non existing goods! What a bargain-

https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1012097670 Johan you are correct the Tachi was still worn at the imperial court right up till the Meiji period as 'formal' attire. Do you only have the one O-seppa? normally one either side of the tsuba. With most other tsuba you would display in the position of the first image you posted but being Tachi they were worn 'upside down' as in the last image. From what little I know the leather used was either horse hide or buffalo and most often in up to six layers glued together with the grain being alternately placed. Many had a thin metal plate within the layers for strength and usually had a fukurin securing the outside edges. Unfortunately leather does not last very well over time and very few intact pieces remain. Example of delaminating leather tsuba http://i.imgur.com/BVqw9DD.jpg I see partial remains of a fukurin on your piece and some gilding to the leather still remains on one face, but time is not kind to the leather. There is another discussion on Nerikawa tsuba here:

I agree John's piece has much better inlay work and has 'come up' well. [besides the Amida-yasuri one is not mine and I have no 'motherly' protection interfering with my judgement]

They never die! [and they never get cheaper!] https://www.jauce.com/auction/k554853441 https://www.jauce.com/auction/g475813843

Love the tsuba!

Hi everyone I just purchased a small tanto sized tsuba, my problem is that unlike numerous other examples of the mei, this one is only partial. The right hand side looks to have been erased. I have a Mito guard that has been similarly defaced - can anyone offer a reason why part of a signature would be removed? The image on the left shows a full mei [from another example] the two images on the right are different angles of my example. I also note that the kao [seal] on other examples can vary but in this case both show the same. One in the Ashmolean http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/10237/10392/20814 Other kao linked to Seiryuken Eiju

Tenpo/Tempo/Tembo - various spellings - 天保. Or Saotome with 'hot stamped' Tonbo [dragonfly]. Difficult to make out but definitely there. Unsure of the ten-zogan, is the image overexposed? Could be silver inlay? Very fine dots and rather sparse.

A modern take on the design, images are copyright - unfortunately. https://www.kinkoshi.com/stories-in-steel?lightbox=dataItem-ipeq8ea8

John very similar to this one [more expensive than what you paid ] I don't think the description of 'design of bamboo' should be taken at face value. I could be wrong but it is reminiscent of the snowflake type.

Stephen you posted it first - I will respect that and not bid, I hope others will do the same. But it is a good practice not to show your hand! Too many others have seen the deck [if you know what I mean]

Curran: The "Tiffany Tragedy" http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/59036 I cleaned and enhance the image - [jeez, I hate how dark photos are published] Even the fire tools are made of tsuba as well as hanging lights. Stephen - have you been hacking into my 'WATCH LIST"? https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1012478343

Well Piers it was sure unlucky for the tsuba!

Johan is it possible to see the other fittings- they may offer us other clues. I just enlarged the 'gold comb shapes' and they look a little like cottages further away in the distance? It is a mystery, but your piece is keeping a few of us active trying to work it out.

Namako - trepang, While the snowflake is a common enough outline either positive or in negative, I think in this instance it could represent a different species of Namko [sea cucumber] there are hundreds if not thousands of species. There was also a fad in Edwardian times for using tsuba as key hole escutcheons - a deplorable practice. [I had an old article mentioning this practice - but darned if I can find it at the moment] You might notice the holes in this example are recessed for flush screws.