Spartancrest

Hi Roger, are you sure there is a shim? It looks to me [thanks to the new lenses in my eyes] that there are long chisel marks (tagane) to tighten the fit around the nakago of the sword. But to be honest I don't know why a shim wouldn't have been better? The guard looks good to me but you are probably correct that it has been re-patinated at some time [looks in great condition none the less.]

Another one, but it may be just an inkpot made to look like a tsuba rather than the other way around. By the way what is the European standing on? A pier or some school boy anatomy scribble?

Thanks guys. The only one like it I have seen before was hiding some Christian items inside it. For the Eagle eyed you might notice the 'nail' through Jesus's ankle acts as the pivot to open the lid - handy so the cross won't rattle and give itself away.

Can someone tell what this guard is? https://www.jauce.com/auction/l1059590351

Thanks a lot Roger. As it happens I am about to release a new "old" book on the Tadamasa Hayashi collection from back in 1906 and I stumbled on one of his images of a "16th century cast bronze" guard only to turn around and find it's utsushi listed on eBay [I have grave doubts either are 16th century.]

One from the Tadamasa Hayashi collection. [image from 1906] Translated from the French description "Number 138. Iron guard chiseled and openwork. Aoi plant and rolled blind. By Bushû. Beginning of the 17th c." A very similar design to the one posted by Glen [GRC] on February 13, even down to the open book.

Mike, could these be linked to your kozuka mystery, you mentioned back in April?

Not number 345 in the book - close utsushi but tagane-ato wrong and nakago-ana longer. Collin's one is not signed so it is just an attribution. [guess]

The way the eyes line up - giving each other a good nasty stare? [Well Florian, if it comes to it - Who has seen a real Dragon?]

I know, it is a long time between drinks - Found this one in the British Museum. No ura view. Total four and counting.

Talking of Tsurumaki I have one with two bow strings in my box of tricks - and no bow!

For comparison there is this one - same theme just different layout. https://emuseum.cornell.edu/objects/9274/openwork-tsuba-with-design-of-a-bow-and-two-arrows

I got the other side for you as well.

Hi Gary. I would say this is a pretty close fit! Owari.

Unfortunately the Met is pretty poor on its information on about 80% of the guards - no more information is available, other than who gifted the guard to the museum. The measurements are pretty close! Do you have the weight of yours?

Wings not fins - https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1059114285 700,000yen - Way out of my pay grade!

Grev, nothing exists in isolation! This is a stock photo - they want to charge money for something already in the public domain. This is a guard found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art no. 36.120.179 Diam. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm); thickness 3/16 in. (0.5 cm); Wt. 3.7 oz. (104.9 g)

Alex. Every collector will have a different reason to be drawn to tsuba and other Nihonto. For me I think it is the wonder that we can hold such history in our hands at all. Every piece has a story to tell - it may not always be glorious, some are downright dishonest others are beyond the imagination of mortals. I like Alban's theme method of collecting, in a way that was how I started - I was 'drawn' to ten-zogan [dot inlay] but I seem to have strayed far and wide into different areas as time went on. Currently more into Kawari-gata -[odd shapes] the odder the better! You will have lots of fun finding what works for you.

Hi Alex and welcome to the ride! I would agree with Dan and Alban for the most part - mainly because you have to start somewhere you feel comfortable with. Spending big money on things you are only just learning about can get you into lots of trouble. You might liken it to choosing a dog [bit of a stretch I know]. You can go out and buy a pedigree show dog or pick up a mongrel from the street, you can get the same companionship from both, one you can 'show off' one you can play rough with. Personally I like the road trip, you might start off with 'road kill', but every once in a while you find a bag of jewels that fell off a truck from when the kids cleaned out granddad's shed! See this thread-

I found an old image from 1902 - formerly from the Tadamasa Hayashi collection - sold at auction as "Chased and openwork, Six saber guards. By Umétada.- number 112"

Oh the good old days of just last week! 11,044 yen https://www.jauce.com/auction/e1058868606 BUY IT NOW for 46,000yen - now four times the price! INFLATION INFLATION INFLATION!

Bruno, I think these are the same menuki. A lot of dealers sell on multiple sites. How they work out who wins - I have no idea! You will often see a huge markup on eBay items compared to the Japanese sites, I call it Gaijin prices.

Tsuba on tsuba, I will try and keep this one secret - [small hope!]

I have seen a number of museum pieces recently, that have been badly copied and faked - this one caught my eye today. https://www.jauce.com/auction/b1050961601 The evidence would suggest that the fakes are made straight from the image - I doubt the museum would lend the piece to be copied! [especially so badly] I have been unable to find the ura view of the original, but I would doubt the image is mirror reversed as the fake has done, maybe they couldn't find the ura view as well! The mystery to me is who buys these things?

Something you don't come across every day - Anchor menuki. https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1058509368 I would not think this was ever true inlay work to start with - I would suggest they should have used better rice or fish glue when they were attaching the features. There are a number of guards made this way - unfortunately.