Spartancrest

Yas - That is very appropriate! 🤣

This post relates to - I have noticed an increase in these Tiger tanto guards recently, the latest I have seen has been a real disapointment. https://www.jauce.com/auction/e482832265 While most are no doubt cast and then reworked this example is not reworked and for what it is, is exhorbitantly priced. The first image shows the casting besides an example found in the Toledo Museum of Art [ old B&W photo from 1912 ] The second is a reworked piece from Worthpoint, and the last is a modern hobby piece. I have seen one in iron recently also poorly cast. They seem to follow the same manufacturing as the 'Rain Dragon' design.

Kyle - I rather like your guard it has that stamped leather look that is rather appealing [regardless of who may have made it] Sebastien - do you think the hitsu on the left was cut in later or enlarged? It eats into the Mon. Which side is the omote/ura?

There must be a run on these this week! - https://www.jauce.com/auction/c870425526 A much cleaner more decorative example.

This weeks supply has arrived ! https://www.jauce.com/auction/522772366 and before you ask, it is from a different seller from a different part of the country. And here is one from ebay with its original box! [bonus] https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tsuba-guard-Japan-Samurai-Sword-sukashi-Engraved/402586358521?hash=item5dbc0452f9:g:C84AAOSwwMJfxxLu Indeed this particular seller has two other nambu tekki souvernirs also with their original cardboard boxes - so we can add two more designs to the non-tsuba collection. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tsuba-guard-Japan-Samurai-Sword-sukashi-Engraved-KAZISAKU/402586355314?hash=item5dbc044672:g:fCUAAOSwnFJfxxHj https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tsuba-Samurai-Japanese-sword-Katana-Engraved-NOBUSHIGE/402586351872?hash=item5dbc043900:g:K00AAOSwqARfxxAN

This just turned up on Jauce, it certainly follows on from the first post and you can see what that was trying to show. https://www.jauce.com/auction/h522268863 - neither are tsuba of course.

Bazza - so you are what an ordinary collector looks like! [Its not an exclusive club I hope- can I join?]🤓

Yas, I did a two page spread in my beginners book about the 'Geisha & Demon" fakes, there are so many versions it is difficult to keep track of them. Good Meiji 'reproductions' have themselves been copied - getting worse and worse over time. I believe somewhere out there is an original and I also believe it may have a roped edge fukurin - but I have so far not found it. There are other guards just like this example, some have been discussed before.

I love the tsuba, the nanako is excellent, [ not perfect ] the delineation of the seppa-dai is sharp and well done. They all look like good acquisitions. Namako [sea cucumber] and nanako (fish eggs) - fishy!🤓

Dmitry - I am no expert on sukashi guards, there are a number of schools that have similar designs. Schools show trends toward thickness or shape of rim or shape of seppa-dai but there is a lot of crossover and lots of designs are 'borrowed', so it is often just a guess who made a tsuba. Your tsuba has unusual hitsu-ana that lead me to think it is early, there is also a lot of tekkotsu ("iron bones") from first glance - but it is difficult to judge the difference between tekkotsu and partial corrosion, as your guard also displays. Tekkotsu is also a good indicator of great age and is a feature of many early Owari guards. [ http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/tekkotsu.html ] I hope some of the other NMB members can give you a better idea of your tsuba's lineage.

Dmitry - could be Owari sukashi? I would guess it depicts arrowheads? or Ken blades like this one. It has seen better days.

Picking up this thread from awhile back, I have three very different Wangata guards and was wondering what you may think. The first, as far as I have found, is the first 'lens' shape guard I have seen (it is not oval) - it looks to have started out to be finished in Gama-hada or 'toad skin' silver drops , but got over cooked. [see Fords post -https://www.facebook.com/tsubaman/photos/?tab=album&album_id=517676764959692 ] I have a Kogai with Gama-hada as it should look. The next is a thick and heavy 'Mokugyo' wooden temple gong shape it has an indistinct mei. And thirdly a squared shape with a dragon hidden in the decoration and rectangular outlined seppa-dai suggesting namban influence?

Bernard, there is a first cousin example very much like your guard - https://www.jauce.com/auction/u404604446 In this case rather than waves being depicted, it is amida-yasuri representing the halo of the Buddha and a single cherry flower. It is described as contemporary work.

I have to agree with John J. the ten-zogan is real and what remains of it is well done. I would say the theme is Chrysanthemum flower on water like Thomas S. suggested "Floating Chrysanthemum" = kikusui. The waves are a bit hurried but I have seen worse.

Thanks for the link Ford, I have seen that post before, it is of some interest that the example seen in that first post has sekigane - the only one I have ever seen. How it was put in is a great mystery as you would expect the guard being so brittle would break. I should have said I agree with the lighting, the change in background was probably to simulate the original picture from the previous owner? Not blaming the 'fixed' photo, you do need the before and after shot for the effect of the damage.

Ford I believe either the first image before the break already showed a hairline crack. - - or the first image is just the two pieces pushed back together and thus shows the 'before' image after it was already broken. I have seen a number of these rather fragile guards broken into two , three or more pieces almost as if they were made of glass, some even set up for sale, with plenty of glue in evidence from hasty and in my opinion useless repair. Broken or not there are so many of these out there for sale that I can only feel sad that anyone would/has paid more than a few dollars for them. They are in their own way worth about the same as any of the fake Chinese alloy decorations that resemble tsuba - because they aren't tsuba.

The image seems to have disappeared from the previous post - replay.

I was sent this image taken from facebook (face-ache) from S. King in Western Australia - he knows my pet peeve about these things - it would be funny, but I don't suppose the owner got it cheap enough to see the funny side. [Supa Glue work on cast iron?] There is always a replacement available https://www.jauce.com/auction/o439044478 one almost every week in fact!

This week on a Japanese auction site two virtually identical tanto tsuba were offered, the first was not papered and started at a low 1,000 yen price, this increased slowly as you would expect to around 5,000 in a few days - then the other papered version turned up with a buy it now price of 600,000 yen - this seemed to set the bidders off on the first guard, I suppose because they saw a 'real bargain' until some 'lucky' person finally won the first guard for 34,360 yen [$340 USD] Now for its size and condition that sounds about right - however the seller had obviously also seen the papered example's price and figured he wasn't getting anywhere near as much, so pulled it at the last second. What all who took part, got wrong, was accepting the papered example was worth the near $6,000 US. There are some condition problems with the first guard but nothing that can't be corrected, and the papered version is not perfect either. I can't help wondering what the first guard would have sold for if the papered version had been listed next week? You may also note one guard is described as Yagu while the other is Owari - which is correct?

I have seen this design a number of times, usually two moths/butterflies facing each other. Yours seems to be incorporating other details reminiscent of a temple gong in the top part of the design. Is the reverse the same or with the elements inverted?

Michael, the Kinai 'school' was well known for its production of Aoi pattern guards, they were produced in some numbers and as usual in various states of quality. Yours shows no casting signs, but I would agree the Mei looks 'hasty'. A large number are from 'student' craftsmen who happily signed their work with the masters name. Yas's example only goes to prove the numbers made. Another two examples with the same signature.[sorry for the partial image] Another similar to yours [ura view] and an even more common version. [the right hand pattern are so common they are still being copied] One going on auction now as well. https://www.jauce.com/auction/s784060301 I hope the images are of some use for comparison. [As you noted the nakago-ana is the fingerprint and the tagane-ato are the clincher for individual guards.] Regards Dale.

As an update the 'pot -lid' attracted 24 bids and sold for 16,000 yen. Someone thought it was good!

Found this on a Japanese auction site, what are your opinions? A true tsuba or a modified begging bowl? There is no visible evidence that it has ever been mounted and is not decorated in anyway. , https://www.jauce.com/auction/j690128184

http://mon.xavid.us/Mon/Three Color Diamond Banner

English translation of the Georg Oeder collection. https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Decoration-ornament-collection-Dusseldorf/dp/1364114488 https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/94725053/posts/2485101137 Not that you will need it Peter!😉