Spartancrest

Glen the first image from the D.Z. Norton collection. The Shachi cast copies have been around for awhile - found one mentioned from 1893 and another from [Tomkinson collection] 1908 get your own copy here! https://www.ebay.com/itm/203827909498 A little too pricey for my money. I should point out the Tomkinson image appears earlier in his collection in 1898 and resurfaced in the later article. [1908]

Chris can you send the Walters an email - museums are sick of hearing from me! Most won't even reply - some museums can't be wrong. Actually either that is a huge snail or a very small plant! Seriously you should try contacting them.

Ian they don't look happy. [neither would I, if I was twisted like that!] I think the Romans liked the design [they probably stole it from the Greeks] A guard going for auction now - https://www.jauce.com/auction/r1036158097

Has anyone noticed that there are designs of banana leaves found on tsuba [and no doubt other tosogu] but as far as I can find not the fruit? [the fruit is inedible] The Japanese banana plant [Muso Basjoo] [originally from subtropical China] was used for fibre production (bashōfu (芭蕉布, "banana cloth)) and made into products like hand-knotted carpets, tablecloths, kimono and paper. Exactly why it appears on tosogu though eludes me?

That is great information, Piers. It must get confusing when a symbol can mean many things- a bit like English in some respects where you need the context of the sentence, for words like '"seal" Noun. One of many types of fur-coated sea mammal. From Old English seol. Verb. To close something so that it cannot easily be opened. Related to the next meaning: Noun. A design pressed or stamped into a piece of wax to close or authenticate a document. From 13th century Old French seel.' [Getting very close to being I know]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shachihoko Piers I don't know how the design could be confused with an Orca, the killer whale is a mammal and does not have scales. Not that these facts got in the way of early European explorers. I'll go with your second definition of a mythical creature. This 'Sea Pig' or 'Sea Swine' lived in the North Sea on Olaus Magnus’s 1539 'Carta Marina'. There are some striking similarities to the Shachi [or is it Shiachi?] I know of only one vertebrate that has more than two eyes [the Tuatara of N.Z.] I can't imagine what the three eyes on the animals flanks [both sides?] would be used for, or are they something 'different'?. Watch out this version can come out of the water!

I have collected several images of Shiachi 'dragon-fish' guards - there would appear to be two types of this design. 1. with pearl above the mouth. 2. pearl in the mouth. From what I have seen those with the pearl above the mouth are likely cast copies or modern fakes. There may be exceptions. Shiachi should not be confused with Shiachihoko, Shiachihoko have the head of a tiger not a dragon or dragon-fish.

No Jean I think a tsuba on a naginata served the same purpose as on a sword - stopping the hand from running up the blade. There is still little to no evidence tsuba were intended to stop an opponents blade. Someone please show me the thousands of guards with cut marks please. Half a dozen examples would merely suggest incidental damage. The tsuba was not a parrying guard as on European weapons, the Japanese sword was not used tête-à-tête even though it is shown in 'spaghetti" samurai movies that way. It comes back to practicality, if a guard was to stop an opponents blade why use leather, copper, shakudo, ivory or maki-e? On a side note can anyone tell me the cost difference between producing a plain iron guard compared to copper, yamagane, shibuichi etc? Same use as on a Guandoa.

The words "minimal protection" spring to mind. On the example above the guard would be close to the size of the shaft itself. The orientation of the guard must come into the discussion. We know that the guards are always oriented as the first example - but if it was to parry an opponents blade surely the other orientation would work better. I think in the case of naginata the guard is more likely to simply serve as a stop when fitting the saya.

Someone needs glasses! Glen might be close to the mark - it does look like it has been blown to bits! Etsy have a better one - NOT https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1106553329/tsuba-very-distinctive-shape-eyoju The scrap metal price is outrageous! 'Distinctive shape' alright! With a little modification you could turn this one into a daisho of the other one! [it is a bit of a rushed job. ]

I already made use of one of their images. It is a variant of a design I have in one of my books.

There is an auction running now with a Naginata bare blade [cut] which shows the plain small guard mounted and un-mounted. https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1036264492 I can't see any use on a Naginata for having hitsu-ana on the guard. How was a Naginata carried? Surely kogai & kozuka would fall out when the weapon was carried vertically. However I am sure some guards were recycled, just not made with hitsu to fit a Naginata.

Please be aware the images are under copyright, I had the occasion to contact them to find this out. Great reference though for a huge variety and possible source for provenance on sold pieces.

Semegane are reinforcing bands on the saya to prevent the saya splitting. They can be made of a number of metals, early ones in iron others in bronze or copper alloys. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/Japanese-edo-period-samurai-sword-3772390771 an auction description and images of two iron ones. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/edo-yari-semegane-tsuba-katana-yoroi-172705105 a reinforcing band for a Yari https://nihontoken.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/rare-nambokucho-saya-koshirae/p1090977-3/ Double semegane

Ding dong - https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1016196295

When you see a namban like this - run, run, run! Same design as Glen's first example but it came out of the mold a bit different. I know, I know!

Can anyone spot the difference between this - - and this- apart from the scratches? Answer is 30,500 yen https://www.jauce.com/auction/q1025366646 + https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1036012236 Ok so what about this one compared to this one Answer is 48,600 yen [the rusty plain one is the more expensive!] https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1035229661 + https://www.jauce.com/auction/w1035433253 Talk about price gouging these two designs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to modern fakes. I have to give thanks to Roger Dundas who sent me an example of the gilded guard [same as that at the top] to examine.

Les, any images with a similar seppa-dai? I had a look but can't find an example. Also what about the niku around the hitsu-ana, any Higo like that? Comparable images might help Soren to narrow it down. I am not an expert on either school so I am just going on visual similarities. Wouldn't brand names have been helpful!

Soren, in the case of your example it is the shape of the seppa-dai that points toward Hizen. Hizen are often confused with Namban/Nanban from whom it is believed Hizen drew their designs. Not all Hizen had this Namban style seppa-dai but from what I can find Higo never had Namban style seppa-dai. So your piece would fit Hizen from the shape of seppa-dai - if you had one with a standard Japanese seppa-dai we would still be debating which school to attribute. More knowledgeable members feel free to correct me!

Hizen school also from me - which is good, it is made in Japan and not a Chinese or Southeast Asia import. Like Dan says great pictures and its a nice guard.

Stephen, there would have been a few members out there who had never even been born when that song came out. [1979] You are right though it is darn hard to get it out of your head once it is in there! [and it's not a favourite either!]

Thanks Piers that is a very comprehensive link. From what I gathered, the wind chime could be seen as a place of sanctuary from evil influences.

Practical use for an antique - thanks Jesse!

I just received a little tanto guard with a wind chime motif on it and noticed another still listed for auction. Has anyone seen this motif before and can anyone tell me the story or legend of the wind chime in Japan?

Dan [and others] there is some information on the The Techniques of the Japanese Tsuba-Maker by Elaine I. Savage and Cyril Stanley Smith [1979] here - https://art1lib.org/book/27951721/79fc1b also found here - https://archive.org/details/arsorientalisar111979univ/page/n1/mode/2up?q=tsuba but you will need to scan through to page 291 An interesting analysis of tsuba construction carried out on vandalized tsuba - who gave their lives for science!