Spartancrest Posted August 30, 2021 Report Posted August 30, 2021 Are Shibayama truly tsuba? I love the workmanship but are they truly tsuba or just tourist ware? They could never serve the function they are imitating - so are they outside the realm of tosogu and more in the way of 'decorative foreign exchange'? https://www.jauce.com/auction/q1002008505 [There have been some problems lately with links to Jauce. - I am uncertain why.] 1 Quote
Geraint Posted August 30, 2021 Report Posted August 30, 2021 Dear Dale. I think your questions answer themselves, though the examples I have seen have been stunning. Indeed some of them were the very first Japanese works of art that made a profound impression on me as a child when I saw them in our local museum. Major auction houses tend to catalogue these in a different section to the tsuba they list so for most people I would suggest they are a different class of item. All the best. 1 1 Quote
Kurikata Posted August 30, 2021 Report Posted August 30, 2021 Dale, I am 100% in line with Geraint. As far as I collect Tosogu, I never saw such fragile items mounted on swords. Purely aesthetic attempts therefore... 1 Quote
Spartancrest Posted September 5, 2021 Author Report Posted September 5, 2021 For the interest of those out there - the Shibayama sold for 962,000 yen - with fees, that equates to close to $9,000 USD. Something of a drawn out battle of 214 bids! For my taste the wonky fukurin was a let down. 2 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.