John C

Just heard back from the seller on the bone hanaire. He says it is indeed the shape of a hanaire but believes it is a netsuke representation due to its size (about 8cm long). John C.

Jack: I think you are right to be suspicious. I can't say which sword was surrendered and by whom, however this sword has very cheap late-war fittings with missing parts. I'm not 100 percent sure but I believe naval tassels were solid brown. Doesn't seem like an admiral's sword to me. Just my two cents. John C.

Piers: I would love to have one but this is too rich for my blood. The bad pictures and use of the word "minty" to describe it gives me pause in any case. John C.

Jean: Were they meant to hold water? The top of the pieces certainly look like a hanaire but these don't have bottoms and wouldn't hold water. John C.

A snaphaunce tinder box on ebay. Seller says it's brass and wants 2,400 dollars! Aren't most of these made from iron? Photos are just dark and blurry enough to obscure details. https://www.ebay.com/itm/127535806287 John C.

Just to add one more pic for identification, all of these (found 3 so far) have nearly identical holes including a large openning at the bottom. All listed as netsuke. But I don't think any one of the sellers has a clue what it is. I've seen similar items as pipes and powder flasks, though without the large openning. John C.

@Bruce Pennington Another from Showa22, if you don't have it already. https://www.ebay.com/itm/366030169526? John C.

I agree that it is antler. Doesn't seem like it could whistle with such a large opening. A powder horn attachment of some type? John C.

I've come across two of these things now labeled as "netsuke or sagemono ornamentation." Does anyone know how they were used? (third pic is the back side of pic 1) Seems like a handle of some sort. John C.

Works for me. I do the same thing then drop the photos into google search for a "reasonable" translation. John C.

This is why I have never purchased a netsuke. I have read 3 different books and still can't tell the difference between real and fake. Back to the drawing board.... John C.

Michael: To start your answer, you should post a picture of the signature in the "translation" section. You can get more info with the smith name, overall condition of the blade, and relative rareity. John C.

Hector: Echoing George above, I would be interested in any information about Kanehide mentioned in the catalog. John C.

You could try contacting Sue Romaine from the International Netsuke Society. She is listed as a contact on this page for Los Angeles. https://www.netsuke.org/netsuke-society-contacts John C.

Tyler: It's possible that not all the netsuke are fake. Auction houses get it wrong all of the time, where many people with means tend to shop. Did the original owner have any heirs? John C.

Here in the U.S., Tom Zowada makes his own tamahagane from Lake Superior black sand. John C.

Tyler: My knowledge on netsuke is very limited, however here are a few things I know to watch out for: 1. Arrow at the top right shows where the rotary tool veered off course. 2. Arrow in the middle top points to the ring around the himotoshi, which is common on fakes. 3. Arrow at left top shows that the himotoshi are the same size, which is also common on fakes (one should be bigger to accomodate the knot in the cord) 4. Arrow at the bottom is to indicate that the "signature" is only roughly Japanese, which again, is common on fakes. Real netsuke are only occasionally signed and it is done very artistically. John C.

Answer found on this item: Not even remotely Japanese - it's a betel nut lime paste box from India or Southeast Asia. Found a few just like it for auction. John C.

Interesting, Thomas. Whatever the new device was, there was water involved. The copper is a bit corroded on the inside. I suspect someone repurposed it for a matchbox or something. Thanks again, John C.

Hello: These are on the bottom of a copper inro about the size of a match box. I tried looking these up, however I'm not sure these are Japanese. I got the numbers 2 2 4 0 6, though I'm not sure if they relate to the writing. I would really appreciate some assistance on this one. John C.

A slightly different fake with brass handle. https://www.ebay.com/itm/135562460129? John C.

Another fake being sold as legit for 1300. Note the fake marks are similar to the one posted above on Nov 21st. https://www.ebay.com/itm/157427026200? John C.

@Bruce Pennington Bruce: Here is a sword with both tsuka and saya painted gold. The gold on the tsuka looks original to me (under the ito wrap). https://www.ebay.com/itm/167957209725? John C. p.s. same sword posted in translation section.

Stefano: The second two lines from Charlie's translation is the red seal. John C.

Takehisa, I believe. John C.