Iaido dude

Price reduction $300 each.

Price reduction $750

Is this still available? What are your thoughts on the dating?

It turns out to be a brass plate with mixed alloy colored inlay/overlay. I get it now. Thanks. I listed all of these tsuba for sale now on NMB.

Raising $ for my Kanayama/Owari fund. This brass Shonai kaku-maru-gata tsuba with some elements of copper-colored metal overlay is similar to several currently on eBay except that a moon replaces the geese and there are stars. Nanako appears to be worn on the front, well preserved on the back. $900 including shipping in the US (request quote for international shipping). 69.3, 63.5, 5.1 with fukurin Similar on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/285565279191 https://www.ebay.com/itm/144831048303

So is this Shakudo? Non magnetic. Hammered effect on back. Theme appears to be boat and oar under moon and stars. I have posted the other iron plates for sale. I’m just throwing up a price and will see how it goes. I’ll post this one as well.

This is the back of #2.

Raising $ for my Kanayama/Owari Fund. Offered are a few nice iron plates with high relief bird motifs and silver and gold colored mixed metal inlays/overlays. Excellent condition. $350 or best offer each including shipping in US (request quote for international shipping). Tsuba #1 Crane over waves. Very fine detail of feathers over top of wings. 72.7, 69.2, 4.7, 3.3 mimi Tsuba #2 Millet amidst reeds or cat tails. Rendering of millet was apparently challenging for artisans of this period. 71.6, 67.4, 4.4, Fukurin rim cover.

Raising $ for my Kanayama/Owari Fund. This is a love daisho with plum branch and blossom theme in copper, silver, gold, shakudo inlay/overlay. $650 including shipping in US (ask for quote for international). Links to similar examples with various attribution to Ko-Nara or Umetada. https://www.worthpoi...-guard-ume-tsuba-for https://www.ngv.vic....llection/work/54298/ Katana: 73.2, 68.6, 4.5, 4.0 mimi Wakizashi: 69, 62.8, 4.0, 3.2 mimi

Classical design. Beautifully executed.

I would hate to be the one to go at that rust. I recently tried to use a piece of bone for this purpose and felt that it affected the iron surface more than intended, leaving some of the bone embedded as very fine residue and changing the texture. Perhaps antler is softer than bone.

I do remember seeing an old post commenting on Tagane-ato patterns as possible signatures of specific schools. I just don’t know what these patterns can tell us. I do note that the patterns are not identical for each example of the very similar design of two plum branches.

So, do you think my daisho are Umetada?

You've unmasked my complete ignorance. They are indeed magnetic. So, Shakudo inlays of varying alloys of copper, silver, gold on an iron plate? I need to read up a bit.

Thanks so much for this valuable information. So, Uemon, silver-brass-Shakudo inlay was used for the iron plates. Ume is also plum in Chinese. I love sour plum preserved as dried fruit with seed or wet over shaved ice (my favorite, but can only get this in my native Taiwan. The Worthpoint piece is for Wakizashi. Attribution below from National Gallery colleciton: Plum branch and blossom, copper, silver, gold inlay. Att. Maneaki Umetada, Kyoto, Yamashiro.

Thanks very much. How interesting that rendering of millet heads was difficult.

Tsuba, #4, 5 (Daisho) Katana (73.2, 68.6, 4.5, 4 at mimi) Wakizashi (69, 62.8, 4.0, 3.2 at mimi) Theme appears to be plum blossoms and reed (?).

Tsuba #3 (71.6, 67, 4.4 with raised edge on rim) Some kind of bird amidst reeds or cat tails ?).

These are from among a small group of shakudo tsuba acquired while I was living in Singapore from 1998-2005. The remainder will be posted separately. I think I purchased them from eBay without any real knowledge about tsuba—not unlike my present state. They have just resurfaced from a forgotten old box at the back of a closet. I’d appreciate any help in identifying the materials, school, period, and current value. I intend eventually to offer these for sale to NMB members. My collecting focus is early sukashi tsuba especially the kanayama and owari schools. The plates are all iron. Tsuba #1 (78.6, 72.7, 4.8) The theme of this large tsuba is birds (geese above, plover below?) flying over waves with a beautiful deep dark brown patina (different exposures front/back), pleasing design, and skilled execution. The condition is excellent throughout. Tsuba #2 (72.7, 69.2, 4.7, 3.3 at mimi) Similar theme as # 1 with crane over waves. Silver and gold colored mixed metal with very high relief crane with finely detailed feathers on shoulders of wings.

Yes, exactly. 4.6 at the seppa-dai. Still getting the hang of it. Thanks so much.

😂 Beginners luck. Eat your heart out!

None of the flaws detract from my enjoyment and learning. Thanks, Steve

It has the dimensions in the range of kanayama and motifs are characteristic, but it doesn’t seem to have been well cared for and/or it has suffered damage.

I was rummaging around in a closet and came upon a case that I had not opened since 2005 when I relocated from Singapore back to Boston. It contains a small number of Sudoku tsuba (I will post separately) that I acquired while still in Singapore, including a daisho. I vaguely recall buying them probably on eBay. I must have been interested in them because of a general interest in Japanese culture. I certainly was not a tsuba “collector”—perhaps until now. There is a final oddball sukashi tsuba. I don’t remember this one at all. Any thoughts on what this tsuba is (school, period, fake)? Surface is irregular, dark brown patina. It has some rust in several places. A part of the nakago-ana is missing. 66, 4.7-4.85 at rounded square rim, 4.6 at mimi (not accurate by my caliper that is not suited for measuring this dimension)

Doesn’t make sense either. The hakogaki description inside lid is correct. The “kinai” on outside of lid not correct it would seem. That seems to be a mistake.