Spartancrest

Now I know what to do with my old thick TV. screen - and it doesn't cost $10,000 ! [May be sacrilegious though, it's a Chinese TV.]

Though a little dated, Henri. L. Joly's 'Legend in Japanese Art' is often a good source for themes, particularly as this book uses many tsuba images for reference. Print on demand copies are reasonable cost wise.

Just an update back in 2007 a 'Bronze' guard of the same design turned up on Worthpoint. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/Japanese-bronze-tsuba-1820353372 Boxwood

An almost identical guard to that of the original post is going for auction soon on https://www.jauce.com/auction/v706865241 With some enamel spots. The design turned 90 degrees.

Robin. That is too nice! Let me know if you want to swap ! [i too have some doubt on it being Myochin]. Grev. has some nice Dragons as well, you should get in contact with him. I have come across a similar design to the bird and maple leaf guards, mentioned in the first post - perhaps someone can identify its mei? https://www.jauce.com/auction/d320270866

In the last few months I have managed to pick up two 'Serpentine' guards, one in Iron last night. Difficult to judge from the auction images, I will have to wait for its arrival to determine how it was made. Not too concerned as the price was not very high. My collection now has three of this design and in three different metals.

I like the Myochin "Hachiman bird" the treatment of the beak and eye are not the usual way they are done.

It could as likely be the result of simply dropping the sword and landing on something hard, I was tempted to say it was glanced by a bullet but the metal would have bulged only in one direction. That won't buff out you know

Bruno. I don't know if these will help. Tsuba for a tachi with design of paulownia crests Gotô School. Mfa Boston https://www.ebay.com/itm/IW-89-TACHI-Tsuba-of-KATANA/223580335414?hash=item340e6d2d36:g:s2oAAOSwASBdJDTs Chinese fake! A Mino school Shakudo - Bonhams auctions.

Back before the world went Covid, in 2019 Leon Kr posted a thread http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/30455-help-needed-with-mei/ That he never really got a straight answer to. I believe because at the time it was dismissed as 'oh no not another cast copy'. Well having just stumbled upon it, I thought to clarify a rather muddy topic. I am normally on the look out for mass produced copies and have posted a few threads on this subject - however this time I would like to show a collection of mass individual pieces 'utsushi' I would guess. From my research there are quiet a range of metals used in their construction but they tend to have three distinct features either a full signature. A partial signature. Or are not signed. The design is always the same but I have yet to see any, that are an exact copy of another. The signatures according to the various owners or sellers usually state to be 'Toshimasa' - Then it gets mixed up - Kofu ju Toshimasa, Kofu jyu Toshimasa, Sumu Toshimasa and the book by the members of the 'Japanese sword society of New York' 1966 describe the maker as 'Mitsunobu (Bushu {Musashi} Province) yet apart from the last, the Kanji is all the same? Toshimasa had several designs, Leon Kr's 'Waves and Birds' also becomes 'Waves and Maple leaves'. Then there is the Dragon - Rain dragon, Smooth dragon, Serpentine dragon, Water dragon, Kissing dragon - no one knows and does it really matter! The point is they are not cast copies. ps. There were several 'Toshimasa' including a father and son - take your pick because your guess is as good as anyone elses!

Luis To get back to your question of value - it is a bit like asking how high is up, whatever someone is prepared to pay. Have a look at these similar pieces. http://nihonto.us/AKASAKA%20BIRD.htm https://www.catawiki.com/l/22031053-akasaka-school-daisho-tsuba-set-sukashi-piece-depicting-the-subject-oborozuki-zu-shrouded-moon-Japan-1600-1867-edo-period https://soryu.pl/collections/tsuba/products/cloud-sukashi-akasaka-tsuba-nbthk-hozon-tosogu They are not exactly the same design but close. Also what appears to be an even more rough piece- no price given http://tetsugendo.com/kodogu/FT-189_Akasaka.html Hope this helps.

There is a walking stick with a concealed Yari on Jauce now, I have seen many concealed spear heads, etc on Jauce from time to time. I think there were two flutes last week that had hidden blades as well. https://www.jauce.com/auction/d450216305

Maybe I will save my money then- I built my whole house alone, so I sure can make a storage box!

For the bigger collections, I came across a long term storage cabinet [i believe they are a Canadian firm] and the price is rather reasonable. https://www.hathwaystore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=190411 Please don't rush the site I need time to get an order in before they are all gone!

I thought I just bought the last multi-black from that first dealer - but his listing must always come up as 'last in stock' because I see they are back! [it is a good come-on and it worked!] Other sites still have them in stock so do shop around.

I am sorry it is too hard to judge - I thought from the first pictures there was some casting spurs in the hitsu, but now I am unsure. The decoration looks like overlay not inlay, no evidence of nunome-zogan so it is possible that the design was applied by mercury gilding - a technique used by Higo artists such as Hirata Hikozo. The gilding usually appears dull compared to cold zogan. According to Marcus Sesko's book 'Handbook' p.12 . That is just a guess on my part but it might set you on the right path. If you appreciate the piece that's all that is really important.

George I am not a fan of the hitsu-ana on your guard and the gilding almost looks painted on, any chance of a side view? I am not a big fan of shinsa either - from my point of view it is only a way for dealers to ask for more money, on the opinion of a small select number of 'experts' - and I will go further to say that very little is backed up with what we would call 'proof.' That little piece of paper is just that - a bit of paper.

I hate it when they display a guard with a dark background - it seems to suck the colour out of the image - [and when I want to copy an image I don't have Photoshop so I must trim everything in MS Paint !] Why can't people be more responsible, and make it easier to steal an image? PS I would like to steal that tsuba too !

I haven't been for a look for a while but I notice there are larger sizes available now, as well as a new 'Diamond' shape [really octagon or if you are pedantic 'hexadecagon' because the corners are trimmed] 130mm x 130mm which should fit even some of the largest tsuba. There is also a 180mm x 180mm for the really oversized [or two or three small] https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Clear-Jewelry-Suspended-Coins-Floating-Display-Case-Stand-Holder-Box-PRETTY/263924532053?var=563374971359&hash=item3d7320c355:g:AIEAAOSwQqJbk3R5 please note this site may be out of stock on some sizes but you should be able to get to other similar sites from there. https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Diamond+Clear+Jewelry+Suspended+Coins+Floating+Display+Case&_sacat=0

Here in Tasmania the OP shops are reopening,[no covid cases in over three weeks] and I came across a little trinket for $1 that I thought may be usefull - I think it was a mobile phone holder but works very well to hold one guard. The purists can please relax, the guard is a casting (not too bad) and no racial stereotyping is intended -

I am just the messenger relating a statement from 1895, an unfortunate cultural bias was evident at that time and certainly comes through in the dialogue. [not shared by me] I have other references to the production of 'replica' tosogu to meet the European/American demand, which was rife at the end of the Nineteenth and begining of the Twentieth Century.(One thing lacking is exactly who and where they were made.) The extract goes on to blame those wanting these 'Otherwise useless objects' ie. The West, and suggests an alternative. "If we are to assist the bronze artists of Japan we need to send to them the patterns and shapes of the objects that we want made and explain the uses to which we wish to put them." So in other words give the Japanese artists something worthy of manufacture and of equal demand levels. There is one more unsettling aspect to the thousands/millions? of 'replica' tosogu - most are now well over 100 years old and that makes them also legitimate 'Antiques' but as I said earlier doesn't make them valuable.

This links into the thread started by Grev. Cooke ' Tsuba gimei ' An article from my yet to be released new book 'Additional Early Articles For Tsuba Study' sheds some light on the practise of 'Meeting Demand' -CANTOR LECTURES ON Japanese ART INDUSTRIES BY ERNEST HART, D.C.L. Delivered May 20 and 27, 1895. London EXTRACT: "I regret to say that a very large part of the ingenuity of the most accomplished Japanese art workers in metal and in lacquer is devoted to the reproduction of clever forgeries. When I was in Japan I went to the shop of a very distinguished dealer. He showed me many hundreds of objects, and out of these he guaranteed four hundred to be genuine, and gave a written certificate to this effect. After casually looking the things over, I had them sent to the hotel where I was staying for further examination. I had then a good look at them, and found the result so unsatisfactory, that I sent for two of the greatest experts in the town, with the result that we found only five of the pieces were really genuine. While in Japan we had the advantage of the services of the Governor's secretary, so I arranged that this gentleman should come and meet the dealer and hear what explanation he had to offer, which was very long. We then asked him how it was he had certified that some 400 of the objects were authentic of which only five were genuine ; we pointed out that either he had been going on selling forgeries for years, or else he did not know his business. He replied with characteristic Japanese courtesy that he was much obliged for the information we had given him, and finally made the following concise and comprehensive apology :—“Old objects very few, buyers very many, my eyesight very bad." I communicated with the Minister of the Interior and suggested that it should be made an offence to forge well-known names on curios, but it was explained to me that in Japan there was no such thing as forgery, as a man may use what name he likes. It is however an offence to copy a seal, but that is only an offence against the living and not against the dead." I don't doubt that the laws of Japan have changed since 1895, but at the time of their manufacture the law clearly states that no forgeries were made - in fact it was impossible, unless the original creator was still alive. So all those old fakes you may have hidden in the back of your collection are valid - it doesn't make them of value however.

I can't help thinking that there is something badly wrong with the assessment during shinsa - any and all mei should be the very last thing to come into the judgement. Put some tape over the signature and have it assessed - then you will get an unbiased oppinion and once the tape is removed either the assessors will have a smile or egg on their faces. Anyone think this is unfair?

Grev I have a couple of guards that have had the mei partially erased, and not recently, would you have an idea why anyone would do that? You are older and wiser than me

I don't think it is old enough for a tachi and it has never been on a blade, Don't get me wrong though I like the work put into it. I have seen dozens of snake tsuba and virtually every one has the blade edge towards the snakes head. [probably some meaning in that?] - what it comes down to is, I want it but I can't afford it!