Spartancrest

Bob, one you may not be aware of here - https://www.liveauctioneers.com/en-gb/item/62106484_higo-school-tsuba-with-a-plum-tree-and-a-hatchet-motif to be honest it doesn't come across as nearly as nice as yours. And one even less inspiring - https://veryimportantlot.com/en/lot/view/tosen-sukashi-tsuba-mit-bluhendem-pflaumenzweig-un-199850

Ray - worse than fake, they are not even trying! Just interested in what the display is called and what it might be for? Year of the rabbit, tiger, monkey etc. or birth sign? They must have been made in commercial quantities but were they made over a twelve year period or just in one year?

Can anyone tell me the correct name for these wooden wall plaques? Are they Tanzaku ... or something else? I have two of these and I believe there are another ten designs, as I have managed to find images of un-mounted pieces [all made from fired pottery] two missing. I realize they are not strictly Tosogu but all the designs are in tsuba form. It is difficult to research something without a correct name - [please don't say junk, it is self-evident]

JMB - Dan is correct about it being mounted at least twice - so you can consider it was treasured. The copper plugs look like they are riveted on in the traditional way edges beaten thin and slightly irregular in shape. The surface of the guard is pitted in certain areas, a lot where the seppa would have been, all pointing to age. School difficult to say - it would just be speculation on my part. Someone might help by identifying the sukashi pattern in the corners - it isn't the common inome style.

Fins on this one - sorry the images are grainy.

Some other fat birds - at least the beak does not have to be imagined. A shy bird, a pretty plumage bird, a raven and a chidori.

I noticed a few birds passing through this month. Two unusual ones a Miochin/Myochin [Nobuie] you have to imagine as a bird and one that must be a casting or how else to explain the raised kanji?

Xander, I think late Edo, two tones of gold nunome-zogan (布目象嵌) for the most part in good condition [nunome is one of the easiest decoration types to damage]- it has a faint seppa shadow so it was likely mounted for some time. The patina looks a bit patchy but that might be the lighting - entry level guard but better than my first and I am sure this is true of a lot of collectors. When you post could you include the size? It looks Wakizashi size (脇差) to me but not sure. [how big are your hands?] You can always ask before the next guard you go for - with the caveat that you may be advertising your find to someone with more money in their pocket, don't include any links to auctions that have not finished, images are safer. [links after the fact are ok.] Good luck in your collecting - no one ever stops at one!

Consigned to the Hizen school - rather than binned? What's not to like? Wangata shape, nunome-zogan, star pattern ategane. It was all the rage at one time in Japan. I am glad you say it is darker in real life - the image is a little overexposed. I think you have two options on the design on the ura - waves or clouds - depends on the dragons. Gold clouds above the dragons heads on the omote.

Xander, perhaps you could you post the Jauce link - no images have come through.

One more from an old thread - this is a 'modern' alteration the guard in question originally a tourist piece that encountered a grinding wheel!

Okan you have sparked some interest in 'altered' guards which is a great thing. I am sure there must be a lot of guards that have been 'shortened' or modified to balance new blades. They would sometimes be difficult to tell depending on how well it was done and the time, patina has probably covered up a lot of alteration evidence. Thanks for sparking this thread.

I think it is more likely Akasaka or even Owari - both schools have similar design elements but still possible for another school to take on the design. Triangle sukashi guards are pretty few and far between so you were lucky to grab that one, delicate and functional at the same time. A few of these about but not the same quality as yours. Yagyu design.

Well we know where it came from. https://www.samuraimuseum.jp/shop/product/antique-tsuba-for-samurai-sword-t-108/ Another couple of triangle sukashi guards.

Sebastien, that is a great match up - saved me hours of searching What a shame the mimi is gone on that other one - looks like they went to a lot of work to remove it but not enough to keep the mon shapes intact. Must be a great clothing catcher now! Okan, Uchikaeshi mimi on that one. Looks Miochin/Myochin ?

This rather bizarre tsuba has just been listed - https://www.jauce.com/auction/b1053959631 - I cannot believe the guard was made in this manner and it must have been altered to this now very flimsy form. 70 mm x 68 mm x 7mm Wt. 55g

To quote Yogi Bear “Looks more like a sycamore to me.”

Long time coming but I found yet another Saké bottle, tanto size guard - https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/562809284676231213/ Three in 41 years Ford? I wonder why they are all small?

Taken with a camera - best I could do.

For me I have found this search for the origin of Okan's tsuba has lead me to an area of study that would seem to have never been explored before. I have to amend my earlier statement of because I have more than I at first thought. I would love other members of the forum to have a close look at their own collections and see if they have other candidates for 'cut down' guards. These are two more of my examples. For anyone interested in the tsuba display stands [which I highly recommend] you might like to give [Steves87] a PM. he can give you information on them as he prints them in a number of colours and styles.

This guard is shaped very close to the original guard posted but it has not been cut down as far as I can tell - the inome outlines are as first made. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/403618712930 73mm in Diameter The other images are possible cut downs but not much direct evidence so a big question mark remains. Phoenix guard - ironic, second life as a sculpture. The 'full' guard from the Copenhagen museum is pretty close but not an exact match.

Sorry for the grainy image it was from a very small picture. I thought it was close to the menuki image.

When it is worth doing it is worth 'over doing'. Like I said plenty of precedent out there.

Found this plain current piece - https://www.jauce.com/auction/b393880727 Just as an example, the red lines would represent the chisel cuts and then you would have a very similar guard [only four lobes in this case but I think you can get the idea.]

Wow I like that one! Do you think the hitsu were added latter? The holes look lined in silver? Very much a Chinese style seppa-dai [sure the Chinese don't call it that - no idea what it is in Chinese.]