Curran

PM sent

I'll take that. Sending a PM.

Posting a few more pics and will give it 8 to 24 hours more on NMB, before opening up to the masses on Facebook. The large ex-Denmark Museum Ko-Shoami . Circa 1450-1500. Acquisition number #812 inside the sukashi. Matsukawa design. We debated whether it was made for an O-dachi around the time of the Onin War. $1200 ask. Ask questions.

I understood #1, #2, and eventually #3 after another look to better perceive the 3-D and features. Leave final judgement till I had it in hand, or at least the room. Personally, I don't feel #4 is correct, and #5 I would have gone with Tosa Myochin unless something felt very different in hand. I think of this as a very popular Tensho 天正 era suggestive image. [I wish Ford were still here to argue with me about it.] You are going to see lots of interpretations from all over Japan, and the 3-D of the tsuba and working matter a lot. 2-D Black n White images are challenging. I sometimes wonder about the accuracy of old attributions done by mail correspondence with black n white photos. Especially with a design like this.

quadrilobe? Someone failed geometry.

Inside the nakago ana of the Ko-Shoami I'd guess the museum got it in the 1920s or 1930s, so this tsuba saw WWII relatively safe in Denmark. And another pic of the Uchigatana ko-kinko. It has a doppleganger in the Sukashi tsuba book.

For the next two weeks, offering out 3 tsuba. (1) Large Ko-shoami . About 9.17cm large. Thin. Ex-Denmakr Museum. Acquisition #812 $1200 I spoke to Bob Haynes on the phone about this one. He thinks 1450 - 1500. I'd lean towards 1500 AD. (2) Owari of Matsukawa design. The books reference the design as Kanayama, but I feel this one is Owari. $750 (3) Ko-kinko bronze uchigatana tsuba of Chrysanthemum design. Original black lacquer. $550 Original black lacquer. Muromachi-early Momoyama kozuka ana. Custom fitted or raised fitted boxes. Shipping in the USA $20 Shipping abroad: Depends on your country. We will discuss appropriate Customs Declaration, per your needs. PM me your questions or interest via NMB. I'll cross post this to the Facebook groups tomorrow. -Curran [Chris in ATL]

I too bought a tsuba from Bonham's Skinners (Marlborough, MA). Pre-tariff, I think premium, expensive shipping, and USA urban sales tax added +70% to the price. Then the expense of getting it NBTHK papered was about 175% of what I would have spent pre-tariff. All in all, not the bargain I originally thought it.

Hey... No worries! Good tsuba. There are a few of us in the USA that collect Norisuke tsuba and might put an exhibit together some day. I figured one of them had gotten this example. Though subtle, it pulls off the water ripple effect very well. It makes Hotei's bag look very fluid and generous. Even though I am a part time Corp Tax CPA, I totally got my own taxes wrong under the new USA tax laws. It will even out next year, but I owe a lot more than expected this year. Missing out on that tsuba was simply a casualty of timing and cash flows. I really did think it was going to one of the collectors in the USA.

I was an underbidder on the Norisuke, though it seems you and another bidder took it above my attempt to steal it. It is published in the Nagoya NBTHK Norisuke book, along with a smaller companion, as part of a daisho set. I also believe that there is a rubbing of it in the Norisuke sketch book, as illustrated in the back of the Nagoya NBTHK Norisuke book. God of luck's treasure bag.

Higo-san also has good stuff. I've dealt with him and can definitely recommend him .

Longtime but spartan collector: I purchased a kogai recently, so something need come out of that part of the tansu. If Ko-Goto is something you appreciate, i would be willing to sell my worn arrow quiver Ko-Goto arrow n quiver kozuka at $500. There is a similar example for sale in Japan, and similar published in the 2014 DTI catalog. The question is worn Ko-Goto within your aesthetic? To me, the 1500s black beetle shakudo is appealing, but the wabi-sabi aesthetic is not for all. For what it is worth, I did a lot of archery and do look at the arrow tosogu whenever I see it. If you are looking for a specific theme, I can always mention it to you when I see something. PM me, if interested. Curran

1,500,000 yen? *cough* *cough again* Be careful. Goodwill has been the recipient of at least 2 duds I bought over the years, but almost $10,000 is a big hit to take. As much as I am disillusioned with the current NBTHK, I'd want to see papers on something like this. I don't see any mention of papers. Instead, the dealer has written " As this piece is presented in its original, "fresh-from-the-workshop" state, it does not yet have a fitted paulownia wood box (one will be commissioned and prepared for the buyer). " Yes, very fresh from the workshop appearance. Kids..... Be very careful.

I haven't really studied this. Quite the old thread. An international member in one of the other groups I co-moderate sent me an image of a well known Sekibun dragon tsuba. He also sent me images of some iron ones that were visually very convincing as a .jpg I was aware that the Swimming Carp Sekibun design was also a target of casting, copying, or or other technique. Within a month or so of his convincing evidence to me, this popped up on a dealer site: https://www.samurai-nippon.net/SHOP/VT-038.html

Owari kinko or any attribution? Not that it matters much, if mumei- enjoy them. Complicated and pretty f/k with little wear. Nice.