Deez77

Obviously a napkin holder, Dale. 😂 🤷🏼‍♂️ Good find.

A tsuba - themed candlestick holder. https://page.auction.../auction/w1143668137 Damon

Very cool little standing screen. https://www.artcuria...36-art-dasie/lots/20 Damon

Great advice. 👍 Thanks for that. Damon

Very good point, Dale. How do you usually go about finding items that way? Trawling through pages of items on Japanese auctions sites, or reverse image search, or something else? Damon

Thank you for your help again Moriyama-san. I always really appreciate it. 🙇 Damon

Hello all. I'm seeking your support in translating the below hakogaki. Tsuba images also provided for reference. Many thanks for all of your invaluable help. Damon

Hi, While the motif is a common one of the Echizen Kinai school, and there are many variations of signatures across the 250+ years it was productive (the signature minus 'saku' is also correct for periods during that time), based purely on the single, low quality image (with poor lighting and a bad background) I would not recommend this piece as there is still a lot 'off' about it, IMHO. Perhaps with better, natural lighting and higher quality images of both sides of the tsuba, we could provide better guidance. If you are a potential buyer, and this is all you have to go on, I would pass. Damon

The arrowhead idea fits really well, Piers. Thanks for that. The larger cutouts initially made me think of a Kabuto maedate, but that may be a stretch. Damon

I would be grateful for any insights as to the motif of this Echizen Myochin Katsu Haru tsuba. I've not been able to find any reference examples. Perhaps simply decorative? Dimensions of the piece are 74mm x 70.4mm x 5.5mm. Thanking you in advance. Damon

Thank you all very much Moriyama-san, YBBB, and Piers. You've all provided me with some additional information on this piece, and I'm grateful. 🙇 Btw Piers, the dimensions of my piece are 74mm x 70.4mm x 5.5mm. Damon

Could someone kindly confirm the mei, please? I believe it's Katsu Haru, although originally listed for sale as Katsu Ji. Very hard to make out. Y'all know I like my Echizen makers. Also, any idea on this motif? Many many thanks Damon

Thanks again Morita-san. With just the right light, you are able to clearly see that you hit the nail right on the head! It also appears to be written in a kind of cursive, and you can see the chisel lines connecting the characters. Damon

Thank you Steve and Morita-san. I really appreciate it. Regarding the Hayashi family member names mentioned in the story, are there various ways to read these: 1. 林左治衛 2. 林越奈 Thank you all. Damon

Thank you Steve. Can you share your source for the stylistic writing examples? Damon

I also realized the banners appear to have been carved with 'ha tsu u ma' (はつうま) or something like that as well. Easier to see when enhanced. What do you think? Damon

Thank you Piers...and agreed. Pretty interesting motif that I've never seen from this school...so likely a custom order. Too bad about the damage as I'm sure the details would have been very nice. Damon

Thanks piers... I found it, Muchi (鞭).

Here are a couple of additional images. Damon

Thanks Dale, I believe the horse is related to when the hatsu-uma takes place. Here's something I found on how to calculate it: " Hatsu-uma (初午) refers to the first day of the Horse in February. It is a significant festival celebrated at Inari Shrines across Japan. Let me share some details about it: Zodiac Calculation: To determine the date of Hatsu-uma, the zodiac signs are used. The 12 zodiac animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog, and Wild Boar. Starting with the zodiac animal for January 1st, you count in order. For example, if January 1st is the Chicken, then January 2nd is the Dog, 3rd is the Wild Boar, and so on. The Horse is the 10th zodiac sign from the Monkey. The subjects in the tsuba seem to represent many items associated with the celebration (and with matsuri in general)...and include: - kitsune mask - spinning top - toy horse - wooden placard with fox symbols - flag and pole - (possibly) some kind of bamboo item worn at the waist - taiko drum I found some interesting woodblock images of hatsuuma celebrations with various items (from the link I shared in my previous post). All in all, in interesting piece with a (possibly) interesting story and some noticeable (fire?) damage that doesn't concern me as I'm not a reseller. I am interested in trying to figure out the names mentioned in the 'story' to see if that is something that could be traced. It would seem the story was written/documented in the box in 1975, some 50+ years after the great earthquake...possibly based on a recounting by someone who would have had first hand knowledge from that time. 🤷🏼‍♂️ It's not often you get some additional information/story to accompany a piece. Anyway, thanks a lot for the interest and contribution. Damon

Thank you very much for the assistance, that is extremely helpful. Google translates the samurai name as "Hayashi Sajie" but I presume there are multiple ways it could be read? There are plenty of pages on the hatsu-uma festival/celebration, but this one (https://www.nippon.c...Japan-topics/c11802/) notes many of the symbols featured in the tsuba itself. Who knows if the information captured on the box is at all legitimate, but it does make for some interesting research. Damon

I have what appears to be a Kinai tsuba that was a family heirloom and was damaged in a fire caused by an earthquake. That's all I could really get out of Google translate. Would someone be kind enough to provide a line-by-line translation of the top and bottom of the lid? Top Bottom Tsuba Many thanks in advance Damon

Although I've never sent one of my tsuba away for papers, I HAVE considered it for some of my best pieces in order to see how high they could be rated. For me, it feels perhaps like a way to bring more recognition to fine works of a particular school...AND...validation of the significance of the collection. I have no interest in papering for purpose of selling or increasing monetary value (per se). Damon Edited: fixed typo

What looks like a nice lacquered box with mother of pearl tsuba. Starting bid 50k JPY. https://page.auction.../auction/k1128295086 Damon

A shachi-themed Myochin hammered box with some sort of inscription (according to listing). Asking a pretty penny. https://page.auction.../auction/j1127496260