CHEAP AND NASTY - BUT I'M STILL TEMPTED

[Guest Simon R]

Just saw this on a Japanese dealer's website where it is simply described as 'non-ferrous metal' with no dimensions given.

It looks like a brass casting to me but I collect things with images of crows - and this is either a crow or one hell of an ugly crane.

 

In any case it's cheap and would make a nice paper weight so I just wondered if anyone had seen anything like it before?

[Matsunoki]

Simon

Never seen the like before but that is no crow. Looks like an attempt at the crane with upswept wings to my inexpert eyes. All the best.Colin.

[rematron]

Being a big fan of crows, I'd say it would be one hell of an ugly crow as well!

[Kurikata]

Modern!

[Ray Singer]

Please take this as a lighthearted comment, but this reminds me of something that Andy Quirt said to me once: "The only thing I'd prefer less than owning that tsuba is getting hit in the head with it."

 

No doubt that this is a modern piece and as said above, likely some attempt at a tsurumaru design.  

[Spartancrest]

Reminds me of the medieval "Plague Doctors" 

Hey there are much worse ones out there, it has seppa shadow so it might have been on a practice sword or "dance sword"? 

 

[Steves87]

Yep crane and i also yep, do it... there is nothing wrong with buying this modern repro stuff for other purposes, especially if it costs "nothing". I do it, either for iaito/working shinken mounting, sticking to boxes for decoration, or even as coasters or paper weights. It all falls perfectly into the other thread on Tsubafication.

Just like I opened my big mouth on the Murtha collection (and thus, knocked myself out of the market) I'll also say it for modern repro... some of it IS collectable, the only examples I'm throwing out there are, the cas Hanwei/dragon king "Tsuba sets" and the Alva museum stuff. 

Have some fun with throw-away Tsuba!

[Larason2]

Looks like an attempt to render the mon from the Mori clan, which is a round crane: Tsuruno maru.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mori_clan_(Genji)

[Alex A]

Don't see any point in buying anything you don't really like. One day when you see something you really want you will look at the ones you shouldn't have bought and think well, i could of used that money to buy this one but now im skint 

[Bugyotsuji]

Top left feathers are unfinished! In a hurry? 

 

Saw one of *these on consignment at an antiques store in Tsuyama, home of the 森 Mori clan mentioned by Carlos above, in one of the many versions of the tsurumaru (JAL uses a similar logo mark). It was made of solid copper, but slightly bent out of shape. A friend laughed at me for buying it. Since it did not cost an arm or a leg, I took it home, and made it flat with a rubber hammer. Looked like it had come out of a mold, with some sprue.

 

Later I sold it to a dealer who surprised me by paying exactly what it had originally cost me. A fun object anyway. Cranes seem popular.

 

*Like peas in a pod with the one above, but I've just checked my photo records; they are 99% similar but not exactly the same.

[Spartancrest]

12 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Top left feathers are unfinished! In a hurry? 

The Master wanted the chisel back? - The children had to stop playing and go to bed? 

[Spartancrest]

https://www.jauce.com/auction/g1088062934   Rough unfinished openings - file anyone?

 

This tsuba has an uncanny similarity to our Aussie "Bin Chickens" [ Mother Nature's revenge for destroying their habitat! We humans fill up the rubbish bins - the birds empty them all over the place!]

[Baka Gaijin]

Good afternoon Gentlemen, 

 

It does remind me of the sort of thing that is fitted on some Chinese made Iai-To.