Matsunoki

You have to give us a price.

Your thoughts echo many others Alex.

Pure guess…..crashing waves. Beautiful iron texture imo.

I believe all of these were made in a”studio” environment where many artists collaborated but it is reasonable to think that there were specialists….maybe on faces especially. I don’t think just one artist made each panel.

These plaques are Meiji period and yes, they were made in large numbers aimed at the gaijin/export market. Your is most likely one of a pair (usually sold in pairs) as suggested by the figures both looking one way. It’s pair would show whatever it was they were looking at.. The one shown is of good quality The carving in the figures (Ivory or bone) is highly detailed. Many are surprisingly low quality made quickly whilst some are truly stunning…..this one looks to have all its inlay….often areas fall out and are a sod to restore. You will find quite a few in this link…. https://www.bonhams....uery=Shibayama+panel

@Bugyotsuji Agreed Piers, almost certainly percussion lock as per one of the ones you show. Easier to see if you enlarge one of the images Probably the rarest kozuka subject I’ve ever seen and with the backstory it’s probably worth the money. If I was buying and not selling…… Brian, sorry to hear of the eye trouble, hope something can be done to help.

@Brian @Bugyotsuji I am thin ice and probably need my eyes tested but is that a left handed gun? The cheek rest is on the side for a normal right handed shooter as is the lock (only partially visible on the other side?) ….and is the geometry correct for a percussion lock? Is that a frizzen I see and the remains (?) of a cock with the top jaw missing but jaw screw intact Possibly depicted with the lock facing away to avoid all the work in actually carving the complex lock….or maybe the now absent Kogai had it facing the other way with lock visible. I know I know stop being pedantic🙂🙂 OK…I’m waiting to be made a fool of! 🙂

Did you see the link to the Hikone example above?

Link still works.Scroll down.

Compare the quality to the real thing……. https://www.bonhams....y=Netsuke+rat&page=3

Sorry but it’s most likely a modern (probably Chinese) very low quality fake. Might even be resin but difficult to tell the material from these images.

Just for interest…. https://www.ebay.com/itm/297001587025

Do they even own the sword or have they just stolen the images hoping to sell it before they buy it. Be careful. All sorts of tricks happen on these sites. Ask them for a very specific image…..a close up of say the kissaki/ boshi or the nakago mune or similar and see if you get one. Personally I’d start running now.

Thanks John, I rather thought that would be the case which is why I asked the question about reliable period dating….which seems not to exist…..but some papers I’ve seen have really “surprised” me. I ponder “how on earth did that get papered?” Anyway best I stop there or I’ll be strung up!

Dunno. That’s why I asked. I assume not then? So we must judge by technique, quality and prevailing market drivers. Most just seem to be attempts to emulate Mino or maybe Omori. I can fully understand and appreciate the real thing being papered but poor quality copies??

Sadly we are now seeing a far more effective offensive weapon used…..cars. They going to be banned?

Agreed but I think they all fell under the category of “zombie knives” or the like or were classed as “offensive weapons” along the lines of flick-knives or gravity knives….whatever the hell that means. Well I guess we just have to keep our fingers crossed but I still think we are safe. We would be talking a vast sum of money for the total of everything that is in the country. Then …..what about antique guns that can knock a hole in a brick wall …..percussion revolvers etc etc. Hmm, a right can of worms. Fingers crossed for now I guess. Im going to collect ring-pulls and beer mats🙂

Sorry Alex, I wasn’t clear….i was talking about internal UK shipping for Auctioneers, dealers, private transactions etc If you watch the sheer volume of antique weapons of all types ( not just knives/sworss) going through the rooms every week there is a large potential customer base for a specialist carrier.

Is there any reliable dating source for tsuba like the daisho pair being discussed here? I don’t mean quoting shinsa results which seem very doubtful to my eye (ko-kinko???) - but serious historical evidence? In no way can these be considered good quality……cheap poorly copies of the real thing….imo Do the NBTHK paper shiremono kozuka?…..because these tsuba fall into the same category of work….imo

Just to add….i don’t believe that any UK Govt would impose an outright ban on ownership of genuine old/antiques/collectable bladed pieces …..unless they are prepared to pay massive compensation as per the handgun ban (which has achieved nothing in reality but cost the taxpayer a fortune). Where would they draw the line?…..impossible to enact imo. Maybe an opportunity for an entrepreneur to step in with a specialist weapons shipping proposition?

Brian, I don’t think we will be written off judging by the huge interest I’m getting at the Birmingham Fair…..and that is despite all the ridiculous shipping restrictions and media distortions. Same applies to the other bladed weapons dealers at the fair……you couldn’t fall over if you wanted to….its packed. What I think might happen is that we revert to being a “Fair based” market, like it used to be before internet etc. After all, having something in your hand before you buy it is still the best and most enjoyable way to collect.

The UK has become so paranoid about “knives” that all reason has already been lost and I don’t think any political party would dare suggest any relaxation of the current situation. Indeed quite the opposite is likely……clamping down even more with the attendant “positive publicity” is likely to attract far more votes from the brainwashed masses. Still, you can always just go look in the kitchen drawer. The issue is rooted in the way the kids of today are brought up amid social media madness, peer pressure, exposure to hell knows what on the internet and are then left totally ill prepared for life by our education system and of course a lack of parental responsibility or awareness. Add in the simmering totally unresolved issue of illegal immigration (and it’s links to knife crime) and it feels like we are sitting on a social volcano. This reality is so utterly depressing. Never mind, our new chancellor is now accused of falsifying her online CV and of some very dubious expenses “problems” at her old employers. Just the profile we need to sort things out🫢 Rant over, where’s the vino.

Despite papers, I would get this statement checked out. A kizu on each blade? I wonder why they haven’t illustrated those up front rather than making you go asking further questions? Always makes me uneasy that sort of approach.

Could it be a tinder minus the striking mechanism? That’s what the shape reminds me of. Probably not - but all brass suggests a need to avoid unwanted sparks…..gunpowder? No idea really, just guessing.

Buy one or two good pieces, not 7 very ordinary things. Nothing there I’d even consider buying…..but just my opinion.