Spartancrest

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!

Do you think it is a Chinese netsuke?, they make a lot of fine carved fruitwood trinkets. It is an obviously anorexic 'Dragon' who has managed to lose all his limbs.

What's not to like? Happy Birthday Grev. Now you can add "SEPTUAGENARIAN' to your title ! Sounds impressive to me ! Regards Dale

Check this unusual object. Pity the nakago-ana is upside down, it would have taken some time and effort to carve. https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/Japanese-Boxwood-Tsuba-Dragon-Decor-329-c-31540AF883?utm_source=inv_kwalert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=keywordalertlive&utm_term=2

I like the idea of 'Alaska style.' Robert - cold, wild, a bit rough? My favourite tsuba "typō"

Ian B. This is from 'Catalogue of a loan exhibition of Japanese sword fittings held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, August 1 to December 31, 1922' INTRODUCTION: A SUMPTUOUSLY illustrated folio volume by John Ogilby was published in London in 1670, made up of English translations of collected journals and reports of embassies from the Dutch East India Company to the "Emperor of Japan"— presumably the reigning Tokugawa Shogun, to whom the Dutch paid annual tribute as part of the price for the exclusive privilege of trading with the Japanese. In the early part of the book extensive quotations are made from "a good author, Johannes Petrus Masseus." Among the characteristics of the Japanese observed and noted down by this good author are these: "They much delight in war; Their arms, besides Guns, Bows and Arrows, are Faulchions and Daggers, which they begin to wear and exercise at twelve years of age ! Their Faulchions or Scimeters are so well wrought and excellently temper'd, that they will cut our European Blades asunder, like Flags or Rushes, the edge being neither rebated nor notch'd. "They also have javelins tipt with gold or silver and their Pikes, which are longer but lighter than ours, they know how to handle dexterously." "They also set a strange rate upon Sword-hilts, especially when made by some peculiar masters." As this publication dates from only 19 years after the English Civil War it would seem reasonable that the English knew of the quality of Japanese weaponry from both the Dutch and Spanish traders who were dealing in Japanese swords at least, since 1600, as the 'San Diego' wreck would prove https://tsubakansho.com/tag/ship/ And it is also likely that, as now, weapon traders find a ready trade in times of war. Those traded swords would find a ready market in Europe in the 17th century. And not only Europe it would seem from: 'American Anthropologist' by Bishop, C. W. 1917-01-01 "A piece of evidence of Japanese relations with Indo-China is presented by a Japanese sword guard found at Angkor Vat." [Wat] The KHMER kingdom spanned the years 802 CE to 1431, Angkor Wat as its capital. So the Japanese were trading weapons as far back as the 15th century. Dale

Getting this thread back onto tosogu - https://www.reddit.com/r/SWORDS/comments/1shj68/interesting_tsuba_dug_up_while_metal_detecting/ Just a suggestion, but don't trawl through the rest of that tag - there is a dead nihonto in it, shot !

Ken Wouldn't we all! It looks fairly large - any idea of the dimensions.

Why not a 'Presentation' tsuba, a gift, but never intended to be mounted? It does seem to be a lot of work to sell to some unknown 'Gaijin' (外人)

I like the way the omote side shows such detail with a complex nature to the design whilst the ura is simplistic and naive. [ of the two I am more impressed with the naive]

I like some of the guards - but the prices are a bit out-there! Do the clocks still have the $2.50 Chinese clock movement?

Mike there is a similar style guard in the Metropolitan Museum no. 91.1.807 it has the same raised wire effect with some very minimal enamel spots. - I was going through my book, 'Tsuba in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Vol. 1' and came across it on page 64.

I have had the same experience with Jauce.com and eBay - still waiting for my order 2 months now.

Nothing is ever truly lost - well, apart from memory !

Just doing a trawl on the 'net' and came across this little snippet from 2014 https://www.minelab.com/consumer/success-stories/old-Japanese-samurai-tsuba This is something we won't get to do here! "Stop the presses" - this is unbelievable - I only down loaded my latest book last night to Blurb and it arrived at 1.20 pm today! Now that is not service that's witchcraft ! ['Additional Early Articles for Tsuba Study'] Now the proof read!

I recently bought the Museum book and was impressed with the quality, I even attempted to do a similar book at the same time Grev was doing his, I need not have bothered!

Fantastic Piers I think you have nailed it! It is an interesting story by a very famous writer, and it shows how even great artists can have human failings. Still looking for those tsuba designs......

Great the mystery seems solved, has anyone seen any tsuba designs by Kyosai Suiga?

I found this very interesting article from a book on Rudyard Kipling's travels through Asia at the end of the 19th century, and would like to share it. From Sea to Sea : Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling Publication date 1900 Talk to every one you meet, if they show the least disposition to talk to you, and you will gather, as I have done, a host of stories that will be of use to you hereafter. Unfortunately, they are not all fit for publication. When I tore myself away from the distractions of the outer world, and was just sitting down to write seriously on the Future of Japan, there entered a fascinating man, with heaps of money, who had collected Indian and Japanese curios all his life, and was now come to this country to get some old books which his collection lacked. Can you imagine a more pleasant life than his wanderings over the earth, with untold special knowledge to back each signature of his cheque-book ? In five minutes he had carried me far away from the clattering, fidgety folk around, to a quiet world where men meditated for three weeks over a bronze, and scoured all Japan for a sword-guard designed by a great artist and — were horribly cheated in the end. 'Who is the best artist in Japan now ' I asked. 'He died in Tokio, last Friday, poor fellow, and there is no one to take his place. His name was K.., and as a general rule he could never be persuaded to work unless he was drunk. He did his best pictures when he was drunk.' 'Ému. Artists are never drunk.' 'Quite right. I'll show you a sword-guard that he designed. All the best artists out here do a lot of designing. K... used to fritter away his time on designs for old friends. Had he stuck to pictures he could have made twice as much. But he never turned out pot-boilers. When you go to Tokio, make it your business to get two little books of his called Drunken Sketches — pictures that he did when he was — ému. There is enough dash and go in them to fill half a dozen studios. An English artist studied under him for some time. But K...'s touch was not communicable, though he might have taught his pupil something about technique. Have you ever come across one of K...'s crows ? You could tell it anywhere. He could put all the wicked thoughts that ever came into the mind of a crow — and a crow is first cousin to the Devil — on a piece of paper six inches square, with a brush of Indian ink and two turns of his wrist. Look at the sword-guard I spoke of. How is that for feeling ?' On a circular piece of iron four inches in diameter and pierced by the pole for the tang of the blade, poor K..., who died last Friday, had sketched the figure of a coolie trying to fold up a cloth which was bellying to a merry breeze — not a cold wind, but a sportive summer gust. The coolie was enjoying the performance, and so was the cloth. It would all be folded up in another minute and the coolie would go on his way with a grin. This thing had K... conceived, and the faithful workman executed, with the lightest touches of the graver, to the end that it might lie in a collector's cabinet in London. 'Wah ! wah !' I said, and returned it reverently. 'It would kill a man who could do that to live after his touch had gone. Well for him he died — but I wish I had seen him.' Is it a reasonable guess that the mysterious K.... is none other than Kano Natsuo? [The book being published in 1900, and taking time to write and get printed - the death of Kano Natsuo in 1898 would certainly fit the timing.]