Matsunoki

These menuki look cast and then hand finished…imo.

Hi Grev Was he talking about mercurial gilding? That is indeed a lost process mostly because it can kill the user due to the release of mercury vapour during the firing process.

Yep, it is Chinese. Well outside of my knowledge! Looks old but the Chinese are masters of ageing things including ivory.

As Piers suggests……. “Signature” is not a Japanese one. Crudely carved and awkwardly orientated. The underside is not finished to Japanese standards. Can we see the okimono please? I feel this could be Mammoth tusk.

Not quite the same as our local horsetail grass but if it’s the same family…..it gets used in cosmetics for skin and hair. Perhaps I should try it 🙂

Sometimes it is not the importance or rarity of an object that warrants restoration or saving but it most definitely is the pleasure and peace that so doing brings. Reward of a different kind.

Bob and I have discussed this elsewhere but just to be clear this is definitely not shibayama mei or work as @Bugyotsuji correctly infers.

Piers, can you make it a bit trickier next time?🙂

Arghhh, I can’t play ……don’t know what a Genbu is (without cheating) Guess….something to do with one having a very hairy tail (minogame) that the other does not?

……….the proud new owner of these comes on here asking for opinions?☹️ https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/lawrences-auctioneers-of-crewkerne/catalogue-id-srlawre10245/lot-a702559b-d2ea-481e-afb4-b43500bfb46e or https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/lawrences-auctioneers-of-crewkerne/catalogue-id-srlawre10245/lot-a483c013-6d87-4afd-83ea-b43500bfb46e ….and others in the same sale all with misleading descriptions.

👍

Modern Chinese fake. Sorry.

Possibly, but more likely testament to the skill of the combatant wielding it. The survival of a blade lies in not hitting anything that would damage the blade. I would suggest that just about any blade from any age of any quality would suffer damage if whacked hard into a substantially constructed piece of iron defence. “Taking a head” means nothing……he could have been dead already, or disabled slumped on the battlefield……stories and legends are great but that’s all they are. Yes I know, I’m a sceptic (or is it realist?🙂)

Blades do not kill people. People kill people. The blade is just an inanimate tool albeit it of varying quality or value or age. To me personally such hypothetical marks would be irrelevant if unproved. Who owned the blade (if substantiated) is a whole different ballgame……imo who owned it is the provenance worth considering.

Golden rule that applies to all antiques/works of art etc…….of any variety…. No repair is far better than bodged repair🙂 I suspect I am “teaching granny”……🙂

Evaluating 60 tsuba quickly en mass is a bit tricky! Many have condition issues (rust and de-patination etc) and the images might mislead (in both directions) but if you took an average of $150 each that gives you an idea. Sale at auction would obviously take a large slice out of that. Just my opinion, other views will be interesting and educational. The cloisonne one that Brian mentions looks Meiji period from a decent cloisonne katana koshirae.

Well he did a superb job. That is top quality work.

Did you do that beautiful re wrap?

I have already told the auctioneer that this (and some other swords in the sale) are fake. I’ve sent 5 messages. They ignore all of them. They know what they have but seem determined to deceive people. unprofessional to say the least.

I never found it🙂

Well to my eyes it looks carved in exactly the same way as mei on swords…..a series of close taps/chips/cuts with a small very sharp cutter. Wood and ivory carvers had a vast array of different tools, cutters and chisels of great varying sizes and shapes at their disposal (probably not the same as used to carve iron) and used them depending on the effect required and the rapidity of material removal needed. This looks like a very fine “v” shaped tool not unlike those used in katakiribori. In wood carving the material is actually removed whereas in mei on swords it is usually pushed upwards leaving a “ridge” around the mei kanji.

Or this……(I wrote all the text under “read more”) https://steveslyjapaneseart.com/product-category/bronze/

This should keep,you occupied for a fair while!🙂🙂 Not everything is priced which is pretty normal for the expensive stuff Just think of a number and add several zeros! https://kevinpage.co.uk/collections/?fwp_collection=okimono

That was a nice find Brian. Unusual subject…..I’ve seen many in ivory but not one in bronze. Usually they are farmers or Bijin. Great example of late Meiji high quality naturalistic casting and finishing.

Hi Alex, nowadays it’s like walking in a minefield….great many repros/fakes of varying quality from pretty good to pretty awful. Also many modern pieces being made in Japan apparently from a process that takes moulds from original items and then recasts ( many of these are solid whereas good Meiji bronzes are hollow and often rattle inside a bit which might sound bizarre but true!) There are many fakes of Samurai, plain or partially gilt, monkeys, birds of prey, koro…..the list goes on and on. Some made in Japan, some China and probably elsewhere. Its just like swords…..you simply have to develop the “eye” based on handling many genuine things. Alloys used in genuine pieces can vary a lot as well and patina can be equally variable in colour. It comes down to being able to recognise artistry, quality of casting, quality of subsequent finishing (carving, gilding, patination etc) Some makers are obvious….Seiya, Miyao, Maruki, but again….there are fakes of these as well. I dealt in Meiji bronzes for many years when good pieces were available but nowadays not so much good stuff surfaces. 99% of small bronze okimono for sale in the UK via UK auctions, especially things like insects, crustaceans, rats, creepy crawlies, scorpions, dragons are all fake (loosely in Meiji style). Even UK antique platforms (Selling Antiques and others) are littered with mostly fakes. No easy answer……know your subject……caveat emptor. Websites to look at…Kevin Page, Steve Sly (both personal friends and excellent trusted dealers) plus of course Bonhams. Malcolm Fairley and Grace Tsumugi probably have pieces on their websites also. Happy to look at anything you are thinking about. Best. Colin