Spartancrest

Yas you are right, I thought the old grainy picture was not very clear with some ink and smudge marks, but the sekigane are not there in the old picture. That means there are likely many more of these out there, like so many others. My goodness they are good copies though.

Yagu [Gag-you] 4 hrs out up to 96,000 yen. Oh the humanity!

Yas. They are getting better fakes every day - it is getting very difficult to tell from auction photos - you need to see in hand but that is not always possible. Michael. Yes they cover their tracks with those disclaimers, Bonhams though missed out badly on that Konkan [or is it Konkwan?], someone didn't do their research very well - they could have added some provenance on that guard as having once belonged to Marcus B. Huish a prominent early collector and writer on the subject. I was hoping someone would pick up on this when I included it in the post - sadly not. At least we have a rough time line when the piece was made - prior to 1912.

Thank you Ford and Brian, I received a proof copy of the book only yesterday in matte paper format and found it was printed very well and about fifty dollars cheaper than the 'Deluxe gloss' version [which I can't afford!] As the original was compiled on fine rice paper glued in some cases into the 'scrapbook' the matte is in my opinion closer to the original, but at least there are options. The matte will take a little time to get listed on the book sites [usually up to six weeks] but the gloss is available now from Blurb. Now I am happy to arrange any matte format book direct from the printer now, but if people could hold off for a while Blurb run special discounts from time to time like 40% off or free shipping so when this happens the book would be much cheaper - I don't like the middlemen making all the profit! My intention is to make information available to everyone as cheaply as possible, not make money. I am hoping there will be a special offer to mark the beginning of the new year and will keep you posted. As an example a softcover gloss would cost $63 US. plus postage, a hardcover $78 - the matte $13 and $23 plus postage. That is a big cost difference in my opinion for little gain. Stephen has got in early and his book is a few suburbs away from his lap as we speak, I do have some images of the finished pieces from the book but hope as Ford has pointed out other members of NMB can track down other finished or original examples and compare. 'Throwing Stephen under the bus' he has copied a few pages of the original book and sold framed reprints with some success!

I have just put out a 'new' book updating and refreshing an 1850s design book of metal carving patterns, mainly for sword fittings. Two versions will be available, the first is printed on gloss paper through Blurb - https://www.blurb.com/b/10516296-album-of-designs-for-metal-carving-ch-sen-gafu-de The second will soon be available through other book outlets like Amazon, Abebooks etc. on matte paper at a cheaper price. Text is limited to a few pages in the original Japanese with approx. 150 pages of multiple illustrations in colour. The book is called "Chōsen Gafu" Album of Designs for Metal Carvers by Ranzan Tsuneyuki. The original is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a scrap book collection of designs compiled over a number of years, the images have been cleaned up and enhanced with many of the smaller designs enlarged for better clarity, so it is not a facsimilie copy and is aimed at showing the designs to their best effect. I hope the book finds a good audience.

Brian, I will take your offer and post this picture of the tsuba from the opening post. If I might add another to ponder on, also from a Bonhams auction. https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26087/lot/1147/ What thoughts on this piece?

Yes Yas I saw those, a modern take on Hokusai [ I like the 'Great Wave' the most]. They were out of my price bracket though. They don't pretend to be what they are not.

Great work Yas as usual. You can add these things to the growing list - there are a few now being listed with the original factory packaging - can't see that it makes them more saleable. https://www.jauce.com/auction/c874356864 Also https://www.jauce.com/auction/g474999929 - It is almost like "If you want a fake, we have it!"

Thank you so much Piers. Would that second sentence roughly mean "Cross tsuba, copy, in the style of Nobuie" ? I know Nobuie made a lot of tsuba but in so many styles?

Japanese made Christian tsuba paperweight https://www.jauce.com/auction/371174105 I think these were made to celebrate the opening of the 26 Martyrs museum in Nagasaki - could be wrong, could someone translate the script on the box? I have one that was presented by Mr. Kitamura, the director of the Osaka Namban Bunkakan Museum in 1975 to an American seminary student. They turn up infrequently, may have been a limited number produced.

For those interested in the Sophia Museums collection of 'KIRISHITAN' tsuba - https://digital-archives.sophia.ac.jp/laures-kirishitan-bunko/view/kirishitan_bunko/JL-TSUBA-1650-KB1 [it is a little difficult to find through Google, but I stumbled on it years ago] Like all Museums I have my doubts on the age of some of it's collection.

John B. This is probably veering off topic, but not only auction houses get it wrong, there are many instances of Museums [Not just middling ones either] that are displaying reproductions or out right fakes. If auction houses are reluctant or inept in order to check their stock, Museums are often much harder to convince even with overwhelming evidence. I don't know what can be done about it but as Ford, Brian and others have said, we all need to keep our eyes open. The second illustration is not a fake, but the Museum is claiming it is something it is not. [PS. I am not picking on English Museums, they were just examples close at hand.]

Peter D. I can imagine the asking price was higher than the auction price? This is one aspect where the 'manufacturers' get peanuts while the middlemen make the big money - and no one likes to lose money on a bad deal. Does Bonham's and Christies have their own assesors? If they do it is time for retirement! Ford, Just like Yas's examples - these turn up https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TSUBA-Antique-samurai-sword-guard-koshirae-katana-wakizashi-Rare-F-S/184026335453?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 and like the rooster guard they are either plain or come with iroe - could I suggest they are/were made by the same factory? This is not some backyard business melting lead sinkers, this is high end forgery. [These are a pet peeve of mine] Brian, I know you posted the Bonham's link which gives us all the information, but I have noticed that many links from posts - disappear or are removed from the parent site over time. Could I put a suggestion to copy an image and include it so that when the original site vanishes we still have an image to compare [It would be a good general practice for all members so that information is retained] Just a thought.

Michael, If its not about pleasant what's the point - you like, what you like, or do you have to put up with ugly just because it has a 'big' name or 'big' price attached? Oh and my eyes are 20/20.

Yas. Good work, there is a growing list of these 'good fakes'. We really must make a comprehensive list to avoid falling for them. If I had paid £ 2,125 (AU$ 3,795) to a bona fide auction house for that $20 replica I would be very, very unhappy! Grev. I personally think your example has a more pleasant visage of the man, certainly less surprised! [Authentic or not]

Malcolm T. It is interesting to see the Shoki chasing an Oni guard, Christies sold almost the same guard back on the 9th November 2005 for half that amount! https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4612068 Sorry but the resolution is poor and out of my hands. Same design a little more gold - not to my taste. Who ever said "No two are alike" was asleep at the wheel!

Stephen King [from Western Australia - not the horror writer ] has sent me a link to a very interesting guard that has strong features of the original posting. https://www.ebay.com/itm/154257121800 I think you would agree that in this case the design looks more like masks rather than owls? I see the original guard is still listed on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tsuba-Sword-Guard-Blade-Katana-Samurai-Japanese-Antique-T19/124500597415?hash=item1cfcd05aa7:g:em4AAOSwB8Bf5PQt added to this is another that I just found on shibuiswords.com http://www.shibuiswords.com/haynesTsu173.html 67mm x 70.5mm x 4mm. "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL"

A black Tiger has reappeared - https://www.jauce.com/auction/e469036800 He looks at first glance to be made of iron, however he is brass covered in some sort of black paint. The ura side shows spots where the paint has worn through and there are plenty of bubbles left over from the casting technique. Luckily there seems to be little interest from the bidding public.

Jauce and Yahoo Japan have this one, this week https://www.jauce.com/auction/s793294500 the seller is from Kanagawa Prefecture They just keep coming! Merry Christmas !!!

Chris I don't know what you are talking about, I never said Luis's guard was fake, it isn't - all I did was point out it was not the same one as in the Mino book, you could get the microscope out and cover the whole image in circles if you want, but the point is it is a beautiful piece but just not the one in the book. PS. if you are going to edit your post multiple times please point this out. [3 and counting] Great work Curran and Dirk, a picture is worth a thousand words - you must have a photographic memory like the one I have sometimes been accused of.

The image from Dirk is extraordinarily close to Luis's guard - the tagane-ato are almost exactly the same, but for some hard to spot differences you would think it was the same piece [It is not]. Are any sizes available? Forensic tosogu, you can't beat it!

The arrowhead is known as a Karimata ("Rope Cutter" / Two Pointed) They were used not only for battle but for hunting large game. They are sometimes referred to as 'rope cutters' but were most likely not used to cut ropes, as it is impossible to hit the rope at the correct angle every time it is launched. You would need a + shaped or Y shape arrowhead, as seen head on, to be sure of a cut.

There are similarities to your guard here - http://www.johnstuart.biz/new_page_11.htm MINO-GOTO TSUBA "This tsuba shows the typical Mino-bori autumn flowers theme. What differentiates this tsuba is the Goto style dragons found on the mimi. Four dragons, two that are forward facing and two that are looking behind with their heads looking over their right shoulders. This tsuba has a very fine nanakoji. I believe what we can term the Mino-Goto school developed from the Mino-bori artists which was the school Goto Yujo studied. Upon his retirement Yujo returned to Mino no Kuni and with his Kyokanagushi influenced style had created the mainline Goto Shirobei line of fittings makers. I think his influence on Mino-bori artists outside of his direct line created what can be termed the Mino-Goto school." The book Kinko Mino Bori, as mentioned by Curran has also just been listed on Jauce.com https://www.jauce.com/auction/n484286504

Hi Grev Don't you know Aussies are also called 'Diggers'? Found this guard on http://www.shibuiswords.com/tsuba.htm it hasn't got the monkey [though I have seen others that do] The kanji apparently reads as "For you" a presentation tsuba in other words. Shibuiswords has it for sale -- KO-SHOAMI $900.00 "Iron square mokko shape (iri-sumi kaku) of sukashi design of a kanji meaning 'for you'. This was a gift tsuba. Remnants of gold and silver inlay, gold representing the sun and silver representing the moon. A fair amount of the inlay is missing but cherry blossom flowers can be seen. Dates to Momoyama period, ca. 1700." (Long) 7.90cm x 8.15cm x 0.45cm One on aoijapan as well - https://www.aoijapan.net/tsuba-mumeiowari-the-kanji/ again no monkey and Maru in shape. Tsuba: mumei(Owari) the Kanji Tsuba: (NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho Paper) Mei (signature) : mumei(Unsigned)(Owari) Length : 7.98cm x 7.90cm (3.14 inches x 3.11 inches) Thickness of rim: 0.52cm ( 0.20 inches) Jidai(era) :Edo period Weight: 116 grams Special feature: Round shape iron Tsuba, the Kanji is engraved with open work. AOI estimation paper In Kiri box. Price : JPY 65,000- I will keep 'digging'

There is one on Jauce at the moment - https://www.jauce.com/auction/t779229469 Has seen better days but currently going very cheap - at least a thousand dollars cheaper!