Bob M.

Item No. 72 - Iron Sukashi tsuba with gilt details 5.50 cm dia x 0.6 cm Subject of buffalos head to tail - can anyone decipher the signature , please ? Item No. 73 - Iron tsuba 7.22 cm x 6.82 cm x 0.41 cm Signed Choshu Jyu Hagi Tomotsugu early - mid 19th cent. A nice landscape with peaceful scenery by a specialist in this type of subject , unfortunately with some water damage.

Item No. 71 - Iron Tsuba with silver , gold ,copper etc - 7.97 cm x 7.45 cm x 0.38 cm Subject of sage and pupil in forest near waterfall , with various accoutrements Arikawa school , signed Saneyoshi on a silver plaque or cartouche . Haynes H 08001.0 . First half of nineteenth century. Highly detailed scene - is this an illustration of a tale or story ? Can we name the characters ?

Item No. 70 - Iron Tsuba with Shakudo - 7.55 cm x 7.38 cm x 0.58 cm In the form of a spiral , Shakudo insert liners to the hitsu-ana on each side of the seppa-dai. Well made strong piece , nicely carved with good attention to detail , rich , deep dark patina. Signed - Fujiwara Akimasa - the only smith shown in Sesko under Akimasa is from Kono school - any other listings in Haynes or Wakayama ?

Item No. 69 Any thoughts on this ? Obviously Tomei is mainly known for his millet designs , do we have any other works to compare to ? The kao - is it close to verified examples ? If you fraudulently wanted to put a ' big ' name on this piece , why choose someone who is not associated with this type of work in the main ? On the other hand could it just be a 'tribute ' signature ? I don't think that there are any obvious right or wrong answers to the questions , but it would be good to have some views.... Regards

Item No. 69 - Kozuka in shibuichi with gold , silver , copper and shakudo Subject of crane and pine , with rising sun on rear. The shibuichi ground has almost an iridescence , from the silver content . Another of these pieces that glow in the hand , very difficult to portray through photos. Signature - Tomei with kao . The kozuka was taken to Japan in 2009 , when we visited the DTI and a TKK gathering , to canvas opinions on this and some other pieces , amongst other things. Three Japanese sensei looked at it and said that they could not decide on authenticity and it should be sent to shinsa . I asked them not to be just polite about it , but they said they weren't and really could not decide - I still think they were being polite about it... As usual , any help with Wakayama images or other pointers would be gratefully received - Thanks ! Hopefully these pictures will give an idea of the quality of workmanship.

Item No. 68 - Fuchi Kashira in shakudo with gold, copper, silver and shakudo iroe-takazogan inlays Subject of insects and wild plants on a field of fine nanako Signed Horie Okiyoshi saku Nicely produced fuchi kashira with much detailing on plants and insects . Horie school was started by Shozui ( Hamano ) and Teruhide which would probably date this work to early 1800s. ex Lundgren Collection no. 253

Item No. 67 - Iron Tsuba with gold and copper details 6.33 cm x 5.93 cm x 0.54-0.96 cm Subject of wasp emerging from cavity in tree - unsigned , thought to be Nara school - any ideas ? Beautifully detailed piece , texturing on tree bark is particularly well done. Bought from an American dealer 10-12 years ago.

Hi Dale , Could well be wrong but I don't recall seeing dragons with flames in water . However , as you say , an unusual backgound. I would suggest with the first tsuba that a light coat of almond oil or similar will help to bring out detail , help stop active corrosion etc. This should be carefully applied as some of those inlays look ready to pop. Regards

Re Item No.66 A few closer views for anyone who is interested - Strangely enough , my remark about a root route leading back to Yokoya ( Item No. 65 ) also applies to this piece.

Item No. 66 - Kozuka in shakudo and gold with copper and silver Subject - New Year with a Buriburi on wheels and wakamisu scene on reverse ( first drawn water of New Year ) Superior quality all round with miniature nanako , inlays on the Buriburi etc. Signed Akichika , with kao ( Kono school ) - as a student of Haruaki Hogen ( famed for his incredible attention to detail ) the level of workmanship is , perhaps , not surprising. From a European auction about 4 years ago Scale on close up pictures of nanako is in millimetres

Re Item No. 65 Thanks for all the comments and help on this . It would appear then , that the menuki date from around 1710 ( again , much earlier than I had thought ) and their maker started the Furakawa school. According to Sesko's Genealogies , whichever way you interpret the signature , there is a route back to a Yokoya - maybe a root route ? ( Sorry ) Yet again , items showing hidden attributes that reward research.

Re Item No. 65 Some additional pictures taken in brighter light...

Item No. 65 - Menuki in shakudo Subject - Views of Mount Fuji with clouds and sailing boats in the foreground With signature Furakawa Mototaka - according to Sesko's Genealogies , Oyama/Sekijoken School ( Mito ) Nicely made , unfussy pair of Menuki Bought from Japanese Dealer 10 years ago.

Item No. 64 Large Iron Tsuba with Gold 8.47 cm x 7.86 cm x 0.50 cm Subject of Sukashi Dragons in a field of gold key pattern inlay , unsigned. The inlay continues around the mimi , dragons' eyes are gold . Unknown age or school , described by Auction House as dating to approx 1780 , ie 240 years old... Bought a few years ago at a European Auction.

Careful what you say - he might start thinking that he's good at it...

Item No. 63 Iron tsuba with gold inlay - 8.13 cm x 72.4 cm x 0.47 cm Modern made tsuba by Ford Hallam , about 14 years ago , subject of Orchids against a textured background , reminiscent of Natsuo style. A few views under different lighting conditions.

Stephen King on Tsuba ? The Horror of it all ! Seriously though , most books will help , but , if you want an idea of the state of the market , it would be useful to look at results of recent auctions at some of the international houses. Sothebys , Bonhams , Christies , Hermann Historica , Zacke etc are worthwhile checking out , also some of the secondary auctioneers like Thomas del Mar or Van Ham. Look at auctions involving Japanese works of art , but also Antique militaria. The advantage of looking at the results is that you are seeing actual prices paid , and not a dealer ' flying a kite '. Don't forget to factor in costs of shipping , import etc etc. This is not foolproof by any means , but should be a starting point. Best of luck ! Regards

Item No. 62 - Iron Tsuba with gold highlighting - 7.1 cm dia. x 0.45 cm thick Choshu Tsuba of typical design , signed - Coshu Hagi ju Kaneko Jurobei nojo Yukinaka - Kaneko school around 1700 - Haynes 12435 ? Nicely worked piece with good overall colour and patina - much darker in hand than in pictures Ex Paul de Coninck Collection Ex Ivan Lepage Collection Ex Deutz van Chouiek Collection Purchased from a European Auction 8 years ago.

Just occurred to me - for some reason the decoration / symbols around Item No. 61 reminds me of the Phaistos Disc.... Undecipherable ?

Item No. 60 Iron tsuba with remnants of gold highlighting 6.6 cm x 6.4 cm x 6.1 mm Heavy , smoothly finished , nice tactile piece of iron , thinner in centre , deep chocolate brown patina - well made no fuss piece , unsigned Item No. 61 Iron Tsuba with brass inlay 8.32 cm diameter x 4.3 mm thick Cartwheel ? shape with brass inlays , all complete... Any thoughts as to its origins gratefully received. Both items from a large auction lot purchased some 4 years ago.

Item No. 58 - Kozuka in Shibuichi with gold inlays Item No. 59 - Kozuka in dark Shibuichi with gold and silver inlays Subject ( 58 ) Mons inlaid over turbulent water with plant detailing - unsigned Subject ( 59 ) Iris and dragonfly - unsigned Both pieces quite nicely made - a bit above the average , I think. Bought as part of a larger lot about 4 years ago. Comments , anyone ?

Re Item No. 57 Some oblique views as promised - And , just because , an Iris in my garden today ... Will have some more fittings featuring Irises shortly.

This is being posted earlier than originally intended as it is doubtful if I will have time available over the next day or so... Item No. 57 - Iron tsuba in mokko gata form , gold , shibuichi and shakudo details 7.28 cm x 6.88 cm x 0.45 cm ( over plain ) , 0.61 cm at thickest. Subject of a lake scene with a mountain in the background , fishermans sail boat to rear with skein of geese . A temple is partly hidden by the mountain , a house close to shore . A waterfall is depicted opposite the mountain. Signed Yasuchika , but which generation ? Whenever I show this Tsuba at meetings or exhibitions , I get two responses . The majority of viewers seem to be indifferent ( maybe it looks too plain and uninteresting alongside some of the other pieces ) , but a few pick it up and study it and are almost always positive in their comments. My personal view is that it dates from sometime in the 18th century and displays a lot of the elements that were also used by Natsuo in his scenic works. The mountain is carved from the same piece of iron as the rest of the tsuba , in other words it is not an inlay . I will try to take some oblique pictures to give a better view of this. I have also included a picture of this tsuba without its protective coating , as it is possible to see that the house on the shore is inlaid in shibuichi and the temple in shakudo and gold. The more you look at this one , the more you see .

Item No. 56 - Iron Tsuba Mokko Gata with silver and shibuichi detailing 7.5 cm x 7.3 cm x 0.48 cm Subject of Basket weave design with flowers. Signed Choshu Noju Tomohisa Saku? which would date it to around early 18th century. A nicely made quiet and understated piece .