Matsunoki

@hddennis Hi Howard without doubt these cabinets were made in workshops by teams of specialists. There would be cabinet makers, lacquerers, carvers etc…..all specialist in their own fields. However one constant was the quality overall. You would not find poor quality flowers (no matter how many of them were needed) on a good quality cabinet. They might not be the same species of flower or the same material but they would all be constant quality. The Japanese would not usually spoil the ship for a ha’peth of tar.Having said that quality did drop and corners were cut in later Meiji all in the pursuit of $$ So imo the remaining flower that you show next to the bird is later. Your cabinet is a large one of complex construction with many quite good inlaid lacquer panels. When new it would have been quite a sight and very expensive. Another option you might want to explore is whether you could find a plastic moulder who could run you off a batch of these possibly even with a mother of pearl effect (as seen in many buttons) He could use the remaining good ones to create a mould. Or maybe even have a go yourself using some of the resin moulding stuff that is available nowadays….but that is way outside of my knowledge! Good luck!

Hi Howard, your cabinet is, as you say, Japanese and dating from the mid Meiji period when such things gained enormous popularity with both the gaijin in Japan and worldwide via a buoyant export market. Some can be mind boggling quality. Yes I have (now retired) spent years restoring such things (as a hobby, not a business) for some of the UK dealers. Missing inlay is obligatory on these! I used to actually carve whatever was necessary….be it shell or coral or ivory etc but it is very time consuming and therefore rather expensive. You need a specialist workshop set-up. I doubt you will find anyone to actually carve replacements nowadays but another trick is to search for simpler panels (made in their 1000s) and very often heavily damaged and thus very cheap. It is sometimes possible to “harvest” elements of inlay that can be adapted far more easily to either fit in or even stuck straight over the top of missing areas. Flowers, leaves etc are common and thus quite straightforward. Faces are a real pain, they hardly ever fit, usually looking the wrong way or the wrong size which usually means a lot of hard work or a vaguely acceptable compromise. The best advice I can offer is to look for panels (auctions etc) in the hope of “do it yourself” repairs.

The women in the bath house is Japanese Meiji tourist….more a small okimono than netsuke The one behind it….an Oni?…..looks more promising, maybe. Image?

Zodiac animal group…..Japanese tourist Meiji.

2 Men smoking…..what Piers said Kingfiser with fish on lotus leaf…..looks resin fake Toads on bamboo shoot….modern Chinese fake Dutch/Mongol archer…poor attempt at a popular Edo subject. Modern. Possibly Chinese but more likely Japanese tourist. Shishi (seal?)..low quality modern. Looks resin but apparently has cracks so not sure …..imo….from images.

@Nobody Moriyama san, many thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge.

What’s wrapped up on the tray? Mochi and black bean paste balls to keep you going?🙂

Said to continue a bronze incense burner. Many thanks in advance! All the best.

Not true Piers. I could have carved a hand hiding the spliced and pegged joint in a crack similar to those just above the break😊

Good afternoon, my name is Carolina, I'm from Argentina, Buenos Aires province. I have to sell this old Katana that was from a great-great-grandfather. I was researching forums and they told me to take the handle out of the katana to see its authenticity, and we found that the blacksmith's signature was from Masamune, I wanted to find out its value since we want to put it up for sale but at its real price. I'll send photos. Thank you very much, I look forward to your reply.

Probably but strange thing is it only happens in this thread. Bizarre. Dont get me started on our ***😡*** govt (politics is banned in here anyway🙂)

Brian, when I try to view the images I get this message…..AI in action?

Excellent idea. These fakes are just a waste of your money? Well, assuming you are going to collect wooden netsuke then you can buy something “basic”, maybe something more “folk art” than “high art” for around $200-400 but beware, there are thousands, probably millions, of fake wooden pieces. The worldwide marketplace is overflowing with them. Just look on eBay! Keep training your eye until you can spot the fake immediately and be patient. Spend a lot of time looking at this link…… https://www.bonhams.com/search/?chronology=past&query=Netsuke

I agree Piers…..and if ivory they are a contributing factor to the modern mass slaughter of elephants in Africa which in turn has led to ivory bans on the sale of wonderful older works of art which hasn’t saved a single elephant. ☹️

Sorry, still the same conclusion. All fake. Not sure extra images will tell us anything else.

Sorry to say that from these images they all look like modern fakes. None exhibit the skill and subtlety of Japanese carving. Some may be ivory which just makes it worse. Personally I would rather own one genuine piece than a multitude of these.

Captures the chaos of the battle. I love the huge war club!

? Shill bidding? haven’t heard it called shipping! The perils of auctions. Very dishonourable if suspicions are accurate…..but not surprising.

Do anything you can to avoid auctioneers. With their massive buyers premium and sellers commission they will keep between 40-50% of what someone pays and you will probably have to do all the descriptions anyway or risk their lack of expertise ruining results. The advice above re trying to work with a trusted dealer is good advice. You might even find one to buy the whole collection but choose carefully.

Maybe Lewis is referring to the yawning gap that appears to exist below the shikoro to the back and sides where tare and nodawa offer no extra protection? Lewis …..anything else you can tell us? Location, age etc? Looks in near perfect condition

Indeed depending on your local laws. Illegal to sell in UK.

Hi Mal Agree with Piers…..elephant ivory and fairly “modern”. As for function….most likely (imo) a tourist souvenir of modest quality. Is there a small hole going into the mouth in which case could be pendant or a key ring having lost its loop.

Possibly……you ask em? I’ve never had dealings there……🙂…..bit too posh for me…

Is that really the reverse Piers?….seems strange if it isn’t seen…..but I know nothing about this type of netsuke

And…….?🙂