Bob M.

Item No. 113 - Tsuba 7.23 cm x 7.05 cm x 0.53 cm ' Mirror makers ' type Tsuba with shakudo fukurin and shakudo plates over a copper core . With signature ( unread ). Probably a tourist piece with gold paint to attract the souvenir hunters - the copper coloured ' faces ' have never been faces at all and are just pretending to be worn down. The signature has been carved into the piece . The extra cutout in the sideof the nakago-ana meaning it could be mounted with gunto fittings ? Is it worth keeping , as a warning , or should it be consigned to the rubbish bin ? Part of a large acquisition. Item No. 114 - Iron Tsuba 7.06 cm x 6.74 cm x 0.62 cm Subject of Horsetails Possibly about 200 years old , showing evidence of having been mounted several times . Surprisingly heavy at first impression ,but solidly made at over 6mm thick .Nice deep chocolate brown patina . Not a rare theme , but nicely done.

Well done John , I was lucky enough to purchase a few bits and pieces from the same source , but never really gave the millet pieces the consideration they obviously deserve - I wish you great pleasure with them...

Re. Item No. 112 Hi Evan and Patrick , Thanks for your contributions / kind words on this Tsuba. As I say , this is a relatively new area for me and so any help or advice would be gratefully received . I think that there are in excess of fifty Sukashi Iron pieces still to be posted on this thread , so , if you have the time , please come back and look every so often... Regards

Item No. 112 Iron Sukashi Tsuba 7.50 cm x 7.42 cm x 0.59 cm Subject of crescent moon & bats ? School unknown . Beautiful , silky , dark patina on iron . This is a recent addition to the collection - any ideas about subject ? This is all new material to me and I know there are a lot of Iron Tsuba specialists out there , if I could kindly ask for some assistance ... The piece seems to have been valued at some time - it has its own high quality custom made box . Thanks !

Hi Peter , Yes , of course you are correct - don't know why I went down that particular path... Regards

Item no. 111 - Tsuba in Shakudo with shibuichi , gold , copper and shakudo highlights 6.47 cm x 5.70 cm x 0.42 cm Subject of General being presented with sacred pearls by an oni ? With signature of Hamano Hiroyoshi ? A possibly rare piece of work from an artist who apparently died young 1810 - 1835 . Can anyone verify signature , also the theme features possibly a well known tale ? A nicely made piece , as one would expect from this School.

Item no. 109 - Iron Tsuba 6.96 cm x 6.64 cm x 0.58 cm Subject of single dragon rising through water and clouds with Udenuki-ana. Remains of a signature - age and school unknown. Acquired as part of a collection Item No. 110 - Iron Tsuba 8.49 cm x 8.29 cm x 0.48 cm on plain , 0.83 cm over pattern Subject of a pair ( male & female ) dragons by Masatsune? Bushu Ito school , late 18th cent. Large tsuba that appears to have been carved from a single piece of iron . Great patina and general condition.

Re Item No. 108 Genealogies shows Yoshihiro as coming under the Tsuchiya branch of Nara , which , together with the dates above , would put the tsuba in an age range of 260 to 300+ years. Again much older than I had anticipated . Thanks for the input ! Any comments on style or significance of the design ?

Item No. 108 - Iron Tsuba with gold 76.9 cm x 7.12 cm x 0.56 cm Subject of peony and shi-shi in sunken relief cave or caverns. Signed Yoshihiro- age unknown. Could this Yoshihiro be from the Myochin lineage ? If so it would be of considerable age but somehow it feels younger in the hand. High grade workmanship all round with painstaking details on the rock carving and a highly animated shi-shi almost leaping free from the plate. The peony, eye and bud appear to have been carved from solid gold . The plate itself showing pleasing grain structure , not untypical of Myochin , hence the question above regarding artist school. As usual , any comments , help or corrections gratefully received.

Item No. 106 Iron Tsuba 7.42 cm x 7.18 cm x 0.47cm at centre , 0.40 cm at mimi Plain iron Tsuba with sukashi of a Lotus ? Possible 18th cent. Another piece that is much better in the hand than photographed - it has a rich oily patina , dark chocolate brown with a subtly carved profile that is apparent to the touch but almost invisible to the eye . Possible traces of signature . A delight to hold in the hand - funny how sometimes the plainest looking things can deliver a lot more than anticipated. Item No 107 Brass Tsuba 6.68 cm x 6.10 cm x 0.50 cm Subject of waves , unsigned 17th/18th cent. ? Quite a heavy piece in spite of its small size - with a lot of detail carving of the water.

Re Item No. 105 Hi George , Yes , it is an unusual feature to see on a F/K set , don't think that I have seen it more than on 2 or 3 occasions . It is unfortunate that an acquisition number has partly obscured the design - which idiot decided to do that rather than use a plain portion of the fuchi's face , I wonder . It will just make the eventual clean up job even harder. Still , a nice piece to have in the collection. Regards

Re Item No. 105 Some alternate views as promised.

Item No. 105 Fuchi-Kashira in copper with shibuichi and gold A copper set of Fuchi Kashira from 19th cent. subject of Kanzan and Jittoku on Ishime ground signed Joi with Gold Seal A well made F/K featuring the well known pair of eccentrics. The broom design follows the edge of the Fuchi and finishes by being half engraved on the face of the Fuchi Will try to post some additional , clearer pics , shortly. Bought some nine years ago Ex Randolph B Caldwell Collection Published - Masterpieces from the Randolph B Caldwell Collection: Japanese sword fittings No.118 ( London 1994 )

Re Item No. 104 George , Thanks once again for your interest in this thread and all the interpretations/explanations . I am sure that I speak for everyone when I say that without your input , this thread and indeed the NMB would be a much poorer place... Regards

Re Item No. 104 Thanks , Geraint - Never heard of this subject combination before . Now you say about it , the ' tree ' certainly looks more like antlers . I wonder what the plant like piece forming the left hand hitsu-ana is and if it has any significance as part of an associated group with the wasp and antlers...

Item No. 103 - Iron Tsuba with brass and copper 7.40 cm dia x 0.43 cm Iron Tsuba subject of Japanese Horse Radish - Wasabi . Unsigned - Heianjo Kinai ? Late 16th/early 17th cent ? Nicely inlaid piece with minmal losses . Ex Dr Phil Fellman collection. Item No. 104 - Iron Tsuba 6.82 cm x 6.41 cm x 0.55 cm Iron Tsuba subject of wasp in a tree - Unknown school , age , any ideas ? Looks particularly effective when held against white background.

Re Item No. 101 This tsuba is a recent acquisition and, looking at it properly for the first time , the following thoughts occur - In the design of the heron , is the birds ' crest ' what it seems or is it part of a crescent moon or both as in a visual pun ? Why the outsize signature and kao - there is plenty of room for normal placement of these in smaller form , what statement is being made ? Does the use of the rear of the tsuba for the signing suggest a commissioned piece ? Does the size and simplicity of the tsuba make it more or less likely to be a forgery , Tsuchiya Yasuchika being a relatively ' big name ' ? Ideas , anyone ?

Re Item No. 101 Hi Bruno , Many Thanks for that - Apparently Ist generation Tsuchiya Yasuchika signed ' To'u ' after the age of 64. Can anybody determine if this signature is possibly right ? This would place date of making to around 1735. Regards

Item No. 101 - Iron Tsuba with brass and gold 6.17 cm x 5.61 cm x 0.45 cm Tanto sized tsuba with subject of Heron and water margins , signed with inlaid kao Unusually shaped tsuba for a small blade - any help or suggestions with the age, signature and kao would be appreciated. Item No. 102 - Iron Sukashi Tsuba 7.43 cm x 7.30 cm x 0.62 cm Subject of Plum tree - attributed as Akasaka Ume no ki Nice , heavy iron tsuba with fully rounded mimi , shakudo plug , 18th cent ?

Re Item No. 100 Hi George , Thanks for your comments - perhaps the temporary reversal in the mei would tend to point away from a school piece and towards the tsuba being made by the master around the 1820 - 1830's ?

Hi Grev , Estimate 18 - 20k ' dots '...

Item No. 100 - Tsuba in Shakudo with gold , silver , copper and shakudo highlights 7.44 cm x 7.03 cm x 0.48 cm Tsuba from the Haruaki School , with Jurojin seated beside a crane and deer , crane and fledgling on reverse . Signed Hogen Haruaki with gold cartouche and seal. Fine nanako ground. Tsuba from the Masters of Detail - Haruaki School - with almost microscopic features and a nicely applied nanako field which continues over the mimi. 19th Cent. Acquired about eight years ago.

Item No. 98 Iron Tsuba with gold and silver 10.82 cm ( upright ) , 8.96 cm ( on square ) x 0.42 cm thick Subject of war fan ,conch shell and dandelion ? signed Tanshu ju Sadamasa possibly dates back to late 1600's. A large square Tsuba , showing evidence of mounting several times , in good condition for its age Acquired eight years ago. Item No. 99 Iron Daisho pair 7.10 cm x 0.55 cm & 6.50 cm x 0.52 cm 19th century ? Subject ? A plain iron pair of tsuba , have been mounted at some point , would the shape have been designed to trap an opponents blade ?

Item No. 96 - Iron Tsuba with gold, shakudo , copper and silver 8.30 cm x 8.70 cm x 0.38 cm Subject of bat in moonlight with cutout details of clouds and fog , plants and grasses to front and rear - mumei Unusual Octagonal shape with lots of detail . Thought to be late 18th cent. Bought nearly twenty years ago from a European Collection Item No. 97 - Iron Tsuba 6.56 cm x 6.04 cm x 0.51 cm Subject of bat in clouds ? Am I just being fanciful , or does the lower cutout represent a bat ?

Item No. 94 - Iron Tsuba 64.0 cm x 53.5 cm x 0.45 cm Iron sukashi tsuba for tanto - evidence of being mounted on numerous occasions Has a ' feel ' of a 17th cent. piece Item No. 95 - Iron Tsuba 9.21 cm x 8.83 cm x 0.35 cm One piece iron tsuba thin plate but heavy because of large size. Signed - Yatsuhiro Third Generation Jingo Made This tsuba is made from a single piece of iron with the dimension at the centre the same as the mimi. The metal has been carved away in order to allow the mimi to stand proud , rather than forging a lip on the edge . Quality piece of work as you would expect from the adopted head of the family . Haynes 02039.0 name - Nagayoshi ( 1691 - 1777 ) NBTHK papered