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Tsuba on ebay

Strider
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Strider

Posted
Posted

I see a lot of tsuba listed on ebay and some of them seem nice but my question is this. Are these pieces in the nice wooden boxes fakes? It seems like there would not be a never ending supply of these things showing up on the market, and I wonder if they are not being created to fill a void.

Thanks for any input Scott E.

John A Stuart

John A Stuart

Posted
Posted

Hi Scott, Yes and no. Like most things collectable you have to be able to seperate the gold from the dross. Where ever there is a demand there are fakers/fraudsters. There were thousands made through history. John

Bungo Veteran

Bungo

Posted
Posted
I see a lot of tsuba listed on ebay and some of them seem nice but my question is this. Are these pieces in the nice wooden boxes fakes? It seems like there would not be a never ending supply of these things showing up on the market, and I wonder if they are not being created to fill a void.

Thanks for any input Scott E.

 

compare these two.........................

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &rd=1&rd=1

 

and then.............

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &rd=1&rd=1

 

have fun..............newbies. :badgrin:

 

milt the ronin

Brian

Brian

Posted
Posted

Scott,

 

If you are just talking about the proliferation of tsuba, then refer to the comments already made.

If however you are talking about the number of them that come with tsuba boxes, this is not an indication of how they were originally manufactured or stored. Tsuba boxes are the modern method used to store and display tsuba in a collection. The boxes are available everywhere, and those tsuba you mention are just supposedly old tsuba in new boxes sold that way for convenience and added benefit.

Most fakes don't come with decent tsuba boxes, but as you get to the higher level of fakes, then yes..they might be pictured and sold with these boxes. There are many levels of fakes..from cheap Chinese junk easily spotted to modern copies of famous makers done in Japan and elsewhere that are designed to deceive.

As for the number of tsuba out there..I would guess there are very many more tsuba than swords in existence. Lots of fakes...but plenty of good, original tsuba.

The fakes can be even more of a problem to identify than the swords, so the usual rules of buying from reputable sellers and stores applies.

If in doubt, ask the forum for advice.

Lots of genuine tsuba on eBay every day comming out of Japan and elsewhere in tsuba boxes. Quality varies of course.

 

Regards,

Brian

Stephen Grand Master

Stephen

Posted
Posted

on ebay tsuba what is everyones take on the new bidder id, no longer can i see that muramasaii is in on it and id just as soon back off than get caught up in a sniping war. I understad the reasion behind it as alot of second chance offers was making a muck of it. My self id like to know who's on first. how about you?

 

Ronin the one your bidding on looks more of a copy than the other...guess thats why i stay away from tosogu. thanks for pointing them out.

John A Stuart

John A Stuart

Posted
Posted

Hi Stephen, A few sellers have had ID private bidding before, and I did like to see who was bidding to check for shill bidding. Most auctions are still ID transparent are they not? I hope you don't mean they all will become private, too much room for manipulation. John

Stephen Grand Master

Stephen

Posted
Posted

you bring up a good point, Tsuba are most often looked at for their artistic merits and not the weight or balance it brings to a sword, that also came into play for the samurai, not just for the blissful Zen moment before he would cut off someone's head, he would be sure of the balance and fluidity of his cut.

John A Stuart

John A Stuart

Posted
Posted

Hi KM, I just want to mention here that the tsuba was not intended to parry a strike though of course it would happen occasionally. Remember there were actual tsuba that were made of lacquered leather. The primary function was to prevent the hands from sliding onto the cutting edge. John

John A Stuart

John A Stuart

Posted
Posted

Hi KM, The European sword had very simple guards until the innovation of the rapier like weapons and the change from slash to thrust style of swordplay. There was a period where they became more and more complicated then the trend reversed in the smallsword era. There were some slashing weapons that had large guards eg. falchion but even with the sabre like weapons of the late 18th and 19th centuries the hand guard was minimal. The parry to a nihonto, a slashing sword would have a better chance of success using the flat of the sword rather than the minute area of the tsuba. If you check some of the kenjutsu ryu you will see what I mean. John

Bungo Veteran

Bungo

Posted
Posted
Well Milt........... here we go... first one is fake second one is real.......

 

and i dont say that because of the price difference, i say that because of the punch marks...

 

WELLLLLLL?????????

 

KM

 

well, I wouldn't call it a " fake " but rather a later copy of the design.........it would be fun to clean it up and see how it turns out.

 

milt the ronin

Steffen W. Gjerding Newbie

Steffen W. Gjerding

Posted
Posted

Hi. I am new here and this is my first post at this forum and a beginner of authentic and antique pieces. Beginner at the sword actually.

So I hope that some of these questions do not sound stupid.

 

What do you see in an old piece? How is it possible to tell the different between an old authentic piece and a copy? Sure you have good copies and some not that good. Like those tsubas in question at the start here. Is it just that it have more rust spots that the other one? The second one looks a bit more symmetrical in bends and corners. Could that have to do with that the other one is older and have lost some of its shape?

 

Tell me some of your views on the two tsubas, and tell me what you think of when comparing them.

 

Kindest regards, Steffen Gjerding

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