Spartancrest

https://www.jauce.https://www.jauce.com/auction/n420858425 A very poor cast example at a ridiculous price.

Robert S. With the 'Bell-ring' cricket or Suzumushi examples, of the three, two may be utsushi but the one on the right is a casting. https://www.jauce.com/auction/q385570272

I have this image of a dragon wrapped around a 'trident', similar design.

It is the same link. A bit hard to compare with only one example.

Due to what I see as excessive delivery costs overseas. I have to withdraw the book offer to any overseas buyers - it is cheaper for them to buy online, even if I could get the books sent to me free - which won't happen. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Hi all, I have three copies of my book "Additional Articles for Tsuba Study" for purchase at a cheaper rate than you will find online. The catch is that with the cost of international postage at the moment, I can only offer them to Australian buyers. The books are soft cover 222 pages. for $28 AU. + postage {approx $12} Pictures below show a few pages, printed in B&W.

There must be some reason why the designs all have the nakago-ana oriented the same way- the structurally weakest. For a combat weapon this makes no sense. Bruno P. s picture is an extreme example, there is not a lot of metal left to support the back edge of the blade.

Barry & all I just sent off an order for four soft cover books, that results in a cost of $28AU per book plus postage, for anyone interested in a much cheaper option than Amazon. This is a one off offer due to a special discount to me which will expire tonight my time. I expect the books to arrive within another week for anyone who wants a copy just let me know - no rush, as I say the books won't turn up for awhile.

Stephen does not mention he was a great help in the layout and proofreading of this book - too modest! We have never met and live 3,848 km from each other. For our American friends that is close to the same distance as Los Angeles to New York.

B. Hennick A selection of pages from "Additional Articles for Tsuba Study" The contents page displays only some of the articles contained, as the list is extensive. There are a number of French and German translated articles including one partially shown. All illustrations are in B&W, being originally that way or sepia. Also just listed on Abebooks. https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30698515895&searchurl=kn%3DAdditional%2BArticles%2Bfor%2BTsuba%2BStudy%26sortby%3D17&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-image1

I have just added a companion volume to my book "Early Articles for Tsuba Study 1880-1923". The new book is called "Additional Early Articles for Tsuba Study". Both books are available from 'Barnes and Noble' book store at a little more affordable price than Amazon can match. As well as these two books, both volumes of "Public Domain Tsuba in the Metropolitan Museum of Art" can be found on the 'Barnes and Noble' site and likewise at a marginally cheaper cost than Amazon. They may be available cheaper on other sites depending on what companies are available in your country of origin. https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/additional-early-articles-for-tsuba-study-various-contributors/1137345944?ean=9781715180881 222 Pages https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/early-articles-for-tsuba-study-1880-1923-enlarged-edition-various-contributors/1131587251?ean=9780368753015 339 Pages https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/public+domain+tsuba+in+the+Metropolitan+Museum?_requestid=4370779 Vol 1 - 474 Pages, Vol 2 - 336 Pages Please be advised that there are some scam sites Online 'selling' PDF versions of these books - they are fake and you will lose your money, none of these books are published in an electronic format. Regards Dale

Yas You are right - there must be a lot of this design, they turn up regularly. Do you think the dealers don't know what they are selling? Or should it be 'buyer beware'. Sometimes the pictures are too bad to make a good judgement, perhaps this is intentional? Another poor casting. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tsuba-Japanese-Samurai-Dragon-sukashi-copper-sword-fitting-katana-Edo-wakizashi/174336697085?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D118d3fa5e2f340df891dce0780a795b2%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D174336697085%26itm%3D174336697085%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A826bbcfb-c8a1-11ea-8b71-74dbd180be5d%7Cparentrq%3A5fd4f6741730aa12e54700f8fffabe28%7Ciid%3A1

Yas There is a better quality dragon in the same style as you have posted- I realize these are not the same pattern as the original post. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/OLD-Japanese-SWORD-IRON-TSUBA-DRAGON-GOLD-FLAMING-PEARL-FORGED/362699252450?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Dc2f86f180de044d8b8c4f3255fe611ee%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D264784173278%26itm%3D362699252450%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Aba9997cc-c823-11ea-97c0-74dbd18015b7%7Cparentrq%3A5c9ca5e41730a994816e5d50fffcd6f4%7Ciid%3A1 He seems a little more aggressive with his mouth open! He has a friend looking back over his shoulder from an auction back in 2012.

Yas. A You are correct, these are mass produced like minted coinage, there are some punch marks on one where the replica was mounted for a particular blade, sekigane simulation all the same and plugged hitsu were just surface features and never pierced. But it is amazing the variety of iroe used to fool buyers. $80 for a fake - cheaper than some I have seen.

Why not go after this one and get your own papers? https://www.jauce.com/auction/c837857740 or this one https://www.jauce.com/auction/p780233857 - they seem to be coming out of the woodwork!

There are several Asian fruits that may be the candidate - first thing though, how do we know if the fruit is to the same scale as the monkeys? Cornus Kousa, Korean Dogwood is an edible fruit found in Korea and Japan. But perhaps more telling is the 'Monkey fruit' found throughout South East Asia. The custard apple leaves certainly look right but there are so many varieties that finding the specific species will be difficult. particularly if we don't know the size.

Pietro Is this the same guard?, https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/Iron-sukashi-tsuba-NBTHK-Hozon-Origami-Shoami-School-Japan-1603-1868-Edo-period/26601365-iron_sukashi-01.6.19-catawiki It shows the opposite side to your picture.

I have found the origin of these replicas https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vtg-chicago-field-museum-tsuba-monkey-1858300739 The 'Alva Museum Replicas. Inc, N.Y.' operated from 1948 -1990 run by Alfred Wolkenberg. The company specialized in mass produced copies of a huge range of diverse museum pieces. Tsuba pendants etc. turn up manufactured in the 1970's. Nice to know where they originated from. The original guard is to be found in the 'Field Museum of Chicago', the images available are limited to some old black and white card references https://fm-digital-assets.fieldmuseum.org/1435/610/130774_CardScan.pdf The detailing of the reproductions is extremely good, the one giveaway difference is the pin and hole in the raised hand of the reproductions - not seen in the original.

Matching Menuki? https://gramho.com/explore-hashtag/kandatoukodo

Barry There is the same line on the example with the red background [not shown in picture] The slight differences may indicate a separated daisho set, At a guess NBTHK probably got this one wrong - or do they award papers for castings these days!

Robin & Yas I have compared the two examples you posted - Due to the slight lighting differences it is difficult to tell if in fact they are of the same guard - possibly years apart, or if not the identical guard then they are so close with the same tagane marks they must be cast from the same mold.

Brian Yes you can see why he took it from one home to the next, He also commissioned a Tsuba window. [80cm x 110.5cm] In a similar vein The A.A.Vantine & Co. produced an interesting lampshade in the 1920's. [As the guards are all identical it is likely they were produced just for the lamp shade and not genuine tsuba]

This monkey has had a good scrub, but it can't be said to be 'clean'. https://www.zentnercollection.com/items/1426669/Japanese-Antique-Silver-Tsuba-Monkey You will notice all the features of the museum reproductions. Particularly the sekigane as molded in cannot be real. if this is truly silver I will eat it - not that I could afford this apéritif!

Chris It makes me cringe too! Victorian and Edwardian clutter! I bet he never had to do the dusting! Still would have been nice to pick through! If you look close even the fire tools have tsuba guards - guess that much is practical?

I have come across this very interesting Blog site, that will either make you weep, or cheer the ingenuity of ultimate recycling. I like many collectors, like to display my collection but I don't know anyone who lives/lived within their collection as did Louis Comfort Tiffany. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/59036 Please look at the images at the highest resolution, If you think your walls are covered by tsuba, you will be surprised how far earlier collectors outstrip us.