Spartancrest

This one looks like a "negative" version to Dan's, the raised areas have been cut away in this one. I can't help thinking of a horse shoe when I look at it.

Love the Rain Dragons!

The major difference would seem to be that the piercings are squared on older Higo guards - a bit easier to drill round holes? https://www.instagram.com/p/CmODF4Dvb4E/ + https://www.instagram.com/p/DQDgniMCX62/ Kaku-nine-star Openwork Swirl Design [Nine Star? - I count either eight or with the hitsu - Ten ] Tsuba Inscription: Rakuju, Master Rakuju was a metalworker from Higo Province during the Edo period. He is the third generation of the Kamiyoshi school . His grandfather, Juhei, the first , was ordered by the Higo Domain to study the Hayashi family techniques .

I don't like some "museum quality tsuba" Museum of Vancouver DB 403 The Rijksmuseum [Amsterdam] has an authentic frog tsuba and one of the cast fakes. AK-MAK-1077 & AK-MAK-1063 Ashmolean Museum [Oxford] EA1956.2093 Maidstone Museum Plus there is another in the V&A M.1933-1931 and they have this thing listed as well!!! M.740-1931 Museum QUALITY??

Watch out for "the backyard blacksmith" as well https://www.jauce.com/user/CAWaKufXrxBdNGAA4UXmvfeWjVRf he likes putting big copper sekigane on brand new oily black patina fakes. He could do with changing his background image as well!

Let's not forget that the seller can also bid themselves up - as far as I know there is nothing to stop the seller doing this. Also the last second cancellation can be used which is also a big scam. Why don't these people just establish a minimum reserve? Would that mean they would get no bids or have to settle for a more realistic price? I have kept track of several items on Jauce now for uowards of seven years and the same item is still listed for the same stupid price today as it was seven years ago - you would think they would get the message by now!

Stephen King sent me this link to a nice Kozuka https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/157520149090

https://www.adams.ie/7068-lot-372-A-MUMEI-SAMURAI-SWORD-OF-WAKIZASHI-TYPE-Japan-the-blade-dating-to Auction estimate is in a pay grade beyond me! This guard is almost identical but not the same piece = Two the same, possible daisho? Or a popular pattern. Three makes me suspicious but they still look hand finished. They do make a modern fake version - of course! https://jp.mercari.com/item/m33685510648 $28 US. is a stupid price !!!

Yes sorry it is a cast "replica" - they do make good handles as long as you don't jag your clothes on them! Still a freebie bonus can't be a bad thing - do you do any deep sea fishing? Would make a great heavy sinker!

It is a type of tsuba that does not need a Katana Kake - [sword stand] as the flat base will allow the sword to lay blade up without rolling on any flat surface. It also has udenuki-ana but probably just as a form of adornment. Nice piece - beyond my pay grade! The Yahoo advert says it is "unique" but that is far from the truth. Nothing about it is "Ninja"

https://www.jauce.com/auction/l1144246914 https://www.jauce.com/auction/l675304642 https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1183155298 https://www.jauce.com/auction/u1205692100 A very expensive design if the auction asking prices are anything to go by!

Nanban or Hizen with two "Rain Dragons" - rain dragons generally have the split or dual tails. I have a similar style - they could only afford a single tail and didn't bother to dig out the ura side!

Not a dog really - more likely a seven tailed fox? https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1209118140 looks like a shoami tsuba Kitsune.

M.A. Anisimova (St. Petersburg) Collection of Japanese tsuba in the collection of the VIMAIViVS Translation of the Russian - Fig. 2. Tsuba with the image of samurai. Soten school. 19th century. VIMAIVIVS DIOF 0131/6

https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/3046T/lots/1058 Those these are all of the same general pattern, they are not identical and all show small variations. Like many of this type the tagane-ato punch marks around the nakago-ana were probably added in the workshop when manufactured, to give the impression that they had been mounted but are usually just cosmetic - some would have later been mounted but not many. https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g1197874839 https://www.jauce.com/auction/g1197874839 Auction still running. Another type that depicts the same scene are usually described as Hamano - the Hamano ones are identical and must have been mass produced but are often not finished to the same standards. I would much rather the hand finished Soten signed type! These can be expenive rubbish.

Spider web in the rain habaki! Where is the spider?

Sheikh Saoud bin Mohammed bin Ali Al-Thani, who was Qatar's former culture minister and a major art collector, but he died in 2014, not 2012. He was known for building Qatar's impressive art collections and was credited with the development of institutions like the Museum of Islamic Art. l think this must be the guy alright! Two from his collection up for auction soon - https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/masayuki-a-fine-hamano-school-sentoku-tsuba-depic-81-c-c958d4c1f8 And a "hundred monkeys" https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/mitsuhiro-a-hizen-school-sentoku-and-gold-'100-mo-62-c-7daad21d34

I have drawn a blank on the other guards - the rabbit is very distinctive and I am sure I have never seen it before. The Yatsuhashi design is more common but the examples I found have one squared hitsu: https://www.giuseppepiva.com/it/opere/tsuba-kyo-sukashi-con-motivo-yatsuhashi/ https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22685-iron-tsuba-of-lord-viewing-fuji/ "from a Princely Collection." Is a little vague as a reference to do a search.

Neil, can you post the image of the other 3 sukashi? I have a lot of old auction images and I might be able to find their provenance. Google images can sometimes be great to track things down but only if someone has actually scanned the images and they are on-line. Otherwise - thank god for old books!

Kanenori was a busy little bee!

Usually it is the most decorated side faces the tsuka and thus is on display the most. Your guard has hitsu that are only slightly different in shape so I don't think it is a big issue - there are a lot of guards with identically shaped hitsu either side and I often wonder how you can tell which way to mount them especially if the guard is fairly plain? I guess if you can find any tagane-ato punch marks around the nakago-ana that may help a lot.

Ever rule has an example where someone has broken it. https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/98651298-masterwork-tsuba-signed-with-nbthk-hozon-certificate-copper-gold-silver-iron-Japan-edo-period-1600-1868

Second row left - sukashi. Myoga ginger plant 茗荷 鍔 slightly more elaborate designs.