Spartancrest

I just received this guard from Japan and was wondering if anyone might have an idea of the School or maker - it is unsigned. I know of a very similar piece in the Cleveland Museum of Art, but that museum has very little by way of information. I am undoubtedly biased but I think mine is in much better condition. Size is 55 mm x 45 mm

Dan: Not all cast iron is brittle it can be annealed. https://www.technologystudent.com/equip1/heat3.htm Also as you say there was a long period where the tsuba was purely decorative and as has been discussed before, the tsuba is not solely for defense against an opponents blade but more importantly as a counterweight and to stop the user's hand sliding upwards. The theory that cast iron guards would not stand up under a blow would also apply to most kinko, leather and maki-e guards so from my view point the question is irrelevant. You might also notice in a few cases that though the guard may be obviously a casting [and in iron] that tagane-ato have been punched in after it was made and were not, as in most cases, part of the casting pattern - you can't put punch marks in 'brittle' cast iron so it seems reasonable that they were annealed and more often than we may think. Don't get me wrong there are a huge number of cast iron guards that were made as export ware and most were never fitted to a blade and are intended to deceive a novice buyer, but not all of them by a long shot.

I have seen this guard before - stealth bomber!

Could it be Okame pelting what she thinks is an oni with soybeans? Instead of chasing off evil she is trying to chase off one of the 'Lucky Gods' by mistake? I just interpret the gold dots and divots around the lower figure as thrown beans or peas. It is an interesting piece and a bit difficult to interpret.

There are images of Daruma wearing masks, but I think with the very high forehead it may more likely be Fukurokuju (福禄寿) Though why he might be wearing a mask or hiding his appearance is beyond me.

The claws look like those of a 'Spanner Crab' but the rest of the anatomy doesn't fit. The 'Samurai' or Heike crab doesn't have symmetrical claws, so it isn't that species either.

THAT'S NOT A BOOMERANG . . . THIS IS A BOOMERANG

Piers: Not sure if this will help - also listed on - https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/h1033077981 肥後　象嵌　光助作　未使用品　美品　共箱入りサイズ：全長12.3cm 巾2.3cm 素人採寸に付、若干の誤差はあるかもしれません。 I thought it may be a kozuka but I couldn't work out why it had that bent angle end and tassel? The images don't help much with the other end, is it open or closed? Can you fit a blade to the 'handle' - just odd [and I do like odd!]

I spotted this on an auction site - https://www.jauce.com/auction/h1033077981 But what is it?

Peter it was nice to see the second guard example with a conventionalized lattice barrier or 'Kakine' (垣根), also used to signify sacred places.

Bob. [Glen might be busy?] https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/17816/lot/25/ roughly ten times the price of Yahoo! http://www.connoisseurarms.com/meito.html

I am already cringing.

Just throwing this little spin of what the vertical 'beams' or bars may also represent. Taken from https://varshavskycollection.com/kamakura-bori-tsuba/ Possible? The Udenuki-ana can also represent water droplets in a design. Once again the original artist is making us speculate and keep guessing - part of the mystique of the art form.

I found Glen's gold highlighted Tengu - it sold back on January the first for ¥ 22,960 or close to $200 US. https://www.jauce.com/auction/s1028555726 It pays some times not to clean out your old watch lists.

Plank bridges - in paintings usually Yatsuhashi 'eight planks'

For Roger. Darn good choice to aspire to! Nice one in the Walters Museum as well.

Mark S. Who or how can anyone define a 'proper' collection? Two tsuba could be called a collection [albeit a small one]. Basing your collection on is probably the most honest and important way to do it. Go for it!

Sorry but can someone explain why this tsuba would be awarded Juyo status when it was made in some numbers - possible Shiiremono, or may even have been made in Sri Lanka?

Michael, where did you find number two? Just noticed it is top row far right, the nakago-ana gives it away. Only two with dimensions which is a pity. [I can't see one being bigger in only one dimension - it may be a typo or bad measurement?]

I would tend to go along with Jean & Curran - try getting someone to make a quality tsuba today, the cost of labour would be prohibitive compared to what you would pay for an antique piece. It would seem that the sheer number of tsuba available does factor into it, there are stories that at the turn of the twentieth century tsuba were sold by the barrel load or for pennies apiece. As collections took off and collectors increased in number, demand started to dictate prices a lot more. But I can also see that many pieces particularly in auctions can sell very cheaply one day and almost identical ones can fetch thousands the next. I have yet to see any real consistency with prices or find the rationale of what makes one more expensive than another based on a like for like comparison.

Hi Pippo, I think the guard was originally made for a practice sword - sometimes called 'dancing sword' Mozoto 模造刀 The background surface is in a very poor imitation of nanako-ji. The 'sekigane' [if you can call it that] is poorly done and lopsided in the nakago-ana. The rendering of the birds is pretty poor - overall not something collectable unless you are into 'retro reproductions'. I think a lot of swords were stripped of their correct fittings and replaced with sometimes more decorative replacements to catch the eye and sell to the novice. I hope the blade is better, tsuba and fittings were designed to be replaced so it is not a big deal to refit with something better. Good Luck.

They are that unique Asian breed "Him-a-layer"

The dimple at the bottom of the seppa-dai would suggest that at the very least three are copies [more likely all four]. Why would you make a 'mistake' four times? Other details are not the same, such as the part of the signature immediately above - would this suggest the signatures were added after the casting or just the die wearing out? Bob, it is nearly impossible to tell authentic pieces in isolation, some copies are just so good. It is only when they start to multiply that they start to stand out - a good visual search of similar pieces will often lead you in the right direction but finding them can take a long time.

If it is convention not to create beauty, then to hell with convention! Great job! [But could you take the images with a less camouflaging background ]

Thanks very much Kyle. Doh! I should have picked the Kinai just by the style! I do favour the Myochin though, fantastic mokume and the roosters are beautifully done. [Pity it is not mine!]