Merry friends of "Y! Auction".

[Yasaka Azuma]

For July.

 

 

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/c833621483

 

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/p780233857

 

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d460257524

 

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/v734230514

 

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/u362079193

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h490411447

 

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o410619830

[Gakusee]

Thank you,.... that is very telling

Many copies and fakes

[Jussi Ekholm]

Thanks for posting this Yasaka, it is very informative.

 

I used to own a cheap Japanese mogito (zinc-aluminium display sword) about 10 years ago that had the same tsuba as you have there in your last link. Unfortunately I have only bad pics of it remaining.

 

 

Hopefully it can be seen in these images. Very cheap item.

 

 

[Surfson]

All fake?  Even the iron one with the cricket?  

[Yasaka Azuma]

The board tsuba is easy to observe, and the watermark tsuba with many spaces is difficult to understand. I will not stop buying if you take risks.

What is important is that the exact same tsuba will appear after a few months or a year. It is possible that either the same item was resold or another clone.

[Yasaka Azuma]

 

 

I used to own a cheap Japanese mogito (zinc-aluminium display sword) about 10 years ago that had the same tsuba as you have there in your last link. Unfortunately I have only bad pics of it remaining.

 

 

Kanou Natuo used his technique to simply show Bushido's heart, "Bamboo blown by the wind and flowing water." Its shape is tasteful and protective on your fingers when "keiko (practice)".

[Spartancrest]

Robert S.

With the 'Bell-ring' cricket or Suzumushi examples, of the three, two may be utsushi but the one on the right is a casting.

 

 

 

https://www.jauce.com/auction/q385570272

[Surfson]

One has to have sharp eyes and critical mind to find the gems and avoid the turds in Yahoo.  I have bought a few that disappointed once I received them.   Having said that, in most cases, it is the opposite - much better in hand than on the listing.  

[Jussi Ekholm]

Thanks for the info on the original tsuba Yazama. After seeing that cast copy on the display sword, I wouldn't have thought it was from original by Natsuo. Would be great to compare the original and copies side by side.

[terminus]

Thanks for putting this to everyone's attention.

In my short 1.5 years of tsuba collecting I've seen so many fakes of that Sekibun carp tsuba, the Kato Teruaki Gold Rim tsuba, and Natsuo bamboo tsuba. It's interesting they picked those ones specifically to reproduce though 🧐

 

[Spartancrest]

Tony

I have seen Museum examples that have been copied straight from a photograph, in fact some Museums only display the omote side of the guard - this doesn't seem to worry the fakers, they substitute another design on the ura side, often nothing even close to the original. It is possible to find two Museum examples from two different schools/masters on the one fake guard. If the design appears in a good quality book and is 'famous' it will be copied, even modern pieces such as by Paul Chen have been copied [some very crude] and with omote views of two guards in one.

The examples show two Paul Chen originals then the combined fake example [you will note no kogai hitsu ]. The hitsu seems to present some problems with design so some examples flip the nakago-ana so both sides line up the hitsu, see the third picture example [The middle one could not make up its mind]. These are easy to identify fakes some go to very much more extremes to fool the buyer.

[Surfson]

Wow Dale, the one above Jauce.com looks like he took too much LSD!

[Yasaka Azuma]

贈り物や鑑賞のツバは別として、職人が刀身の実用的な側面を検討する場合、彼は切羽台エリアを妨げる極端なインレイやレリーフを作るべきではありません。
切羽跡からは、このような小さな象眼でも侵入していないことがわかります。

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b488291304

 

同じことがこのお買い得商品にも当てはまり、エージェントが落札しました。明らかに、切羽台を避け、鉄と軟質金属で巧みに浮き彫りを表現しています。

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m429510867

 

 

Edited August 8, 2020 by Yasaka Azuma
Thumbnail image size is too large!

[Spartancrest]

Translation of Yasaka Azuma's last post in English [google translate, as usual google needs a little help] 

 

"Aside from gifts and brims (tsuba) for appreciation, if a craftsman considers the practical aspects of the blade, he should not make extreme inlays or reliefs that would interfere with the face stand area (seppa-dai)."

"From the face of the face (seppa-dai) , it can be seen that even such a small inlay has not penetrated.

The same was true for this bargain, with the agent winning the bid. Obviously, it avoids the faceplate (seppa-dai) and skillfully expresses the relief with iron and soft metal."

 

[Yasaka Azuma]

I did it again! I posted in English, but machine translation was turned on.

Thank you, Dale.

[Spartancrest]

No worries Yas, your English is much better than my Japanese. 😃

[Yasaka Azuma]

For Aug.

These are staple products.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h493681754

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o415623129

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/j667331008

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/p780233857

 

This tsuba was sold for 386,000JPY in February. Maybe it was a failure at April shinsa.
 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/auction/b484604837

https://twitter.com/yakozen777/status/1230978756384182272/photo/1

 

There were over 100 large fires in Edo during the Tokugawa era, which were hit once every 2-3 years.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/s760387501

 

Buyers ask about the material of the tsuba, but the seller doesn't answer clearly.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/j642393537

[Surfson]

Yas, every time you do one of these great discussions, I cross my fingers that none of the items that I bought are there!  Seriously, I am waiting for a few that are supposedly on ships with a 60-90 day delivery time.  I have not been buying on Buyee recently.  It is my impression that many of the good pieces have dried up, at least during covid.  

[Gakusee]

Good job collating these Yasaka kun! 

[Stephen]

Papa Smurf

 

Why in the world go by sea? DHL has delivered as fast as EMS. IF sword nevermind.

[Yasaka Azuma]

Unusually, some good iron tsuba were exhibited at the start of $20 or $30 this month. As the auction went on, the Japanese fold due to lack of funds, and it seemed that the buyers for overseas had won the bid.

They may represent dealers, not collectors, and if so, they will show up before you. It is not wasteful to know the purchase price.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/x718280108

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/j668122388

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d463296422

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/l620180717

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n420517313

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e445925646

[Yasaka Azuma]

I'm slightly skeptical of this product only, but it might be wrong because of the image reproducibility of the example.

[Surfson]

Those are all nice iron tsuba.  

 

Steverino, not sure why they did that.  They were using DHL for fittings but suddenly changed for no apparent reason.  PS

[Yasaka Azuma]

For Sept.

 

The staple products. As usual, it was sold at a high price.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k490613391

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/l627126178

 

The transformation of the tsuba due to fire is diverse, depending on the degree of heating, elapsed time, etc.  It's easy to spot a fired tsuba, but the scars of heating are  mistaken for old age rust.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g451065926

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/492745836

 

Replicas of high-priced items will appear soon.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/s770822370

 

I feel that these two methods are similar. Be wary of listings with unclear images.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r432192241

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g455247122

 

 

[Brian]

Great info Yasaka san. Please keep them coming. Always interesting posts.

[Yasaka Azuma]

Thank you, Brian-san. The product I paid attention to this month was the Kaga Kinko tsuba. The previously auctioned item was put up for sale again. I wanted it, but I lost the bid again. 1,762USD.

 

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h499516439

 

 

[roger dundas]

Having followed this and similar topics pretty closely I haven't picked up just who may be responsible for turning these things out (unless I have missed something?).

We know where they  get sold but  do you think the subterfuge  is on a commercial scale or is it just the odd individual, possibly a Tech' College student making- designing or copying, casting, shaping these things as pot boilers( pocket money) or maybe just testing and refining their skills  and making money on the side?

It could be a lot of fun and financially rewarding for a young fellow wanting to supplement his finances and to trick the experts (and non experts) as well.

Copyists have always been a problem to the Art world.

 

Roger 2

[Yasaka Azuma]

They were once actively made in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, "a city with cupola", needless to say, in the 20th century. I don't know where it is now.

 

https://twitter.com/yakozen777/status/1215763627329773568

[roger dundas]

I hope I am not out of order to expand this questioning about the source of supply of some of these much reproduced tsuba designs. Apparently tsuba are in plentiful supply in Japan I have been told but no doubt some designs and types are much more marketable and in demand  than others, so supply of these types can become a problem to Specialist shops and Auction houses. This can be/is a headache for Art and Antique dealers of all art forms everywhere; that is getting marketable items for sale.

The art market here in Australia got a huge shot in the arm when Aboriginal dot paintings became popular. They could be churned out in large numbers, put up for sale and auction and became a wonderful source of income for existing dealers and the carpet baggers and urgers who climbed aboard the 'wagon'. The bubble has pretty much burst now.

That fact is what got me wondering about the source and intention of the much copied designs . And are they considered legitimate ?

 

Roger 2

[Yasaka Azuma]

23 hours ago, Yasaka Azuma said:

They were once actively made in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, "a city with cupola", needless to say, in the 20th century.

 

I made a confusing expression, "City with Cupola" is the title of a Japanese movie that poetically expresses the state where small foundries were crowded. Recent manufacturing bases seem to be in foreign countries, for example China.

The deception of buying and selling antiques are rarely legally caught and tried in Japan, despite their high popularity.