Spartancrest

Three Kanayama - - 0ne Owari - I am no expert but they look very hard to tell the difference? This one is described as Yagyu - but if we are judging surface texture or the cut of the mimi - good luck with that in this condition!

One for Sam and Matt https://www.tosogu.d...omiya-sadanaka-tsuba

I have several of Gary Murtha's books but not that particular one. His books are very helpful - it is sad he is no longer with us.

Well this is the result when you ask AI AI Overview "The price of a tsuba, a sword guard, during the Edo period varied widely, from around $30 to over $8,000, depending on the quality and design." It then goes on to auction prices or sales figures of current tsuba $29.99: A tsuba with raised gilt decorations of bamboo, a lobster, or dragons $122.50: A signed dragon sukashi tsuba $135.00: A signed daikoku lucky god tsuba $225.00: A high grade Choshu school fine carving landscape tsuba $345.00: An antique Japanese Edo era samurai iron tsuba sword hilt guard in frame $8,019.60: A tsuba with gold and silver inlays of cranes ¥4,000,000: An Edo period Bakumatsu antique tsuba for a samurai sword - so basically it has not got a clue! But we will soon be under its complete control so get use to the bullshit!

A find on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/296846175117

I don't usually stray over to the Nihonto side of the forum but I had a chance today to see a copy of Paul Martin's new book. Forgive me if it has already been posted. Nice slick piece of work on thirty of some of the best blades - but for me as a tsuba collector - not so much, I think it had all of two or three? It may be just fine for blade collectors and it appears to be available in several languages and just in time for Christmas.

Just be wary of these - Common and there is a reason why - mass produced. Some of the biggest museums in the world hold one of these, but that only proves most museums don't know what they have! One museum, the Rijksmuseum has an authentic frog tsuba and one of the cast fakes. AK-MAK-1077 & AK-MAK-1063 It is all in the Sekigane - the fakes are all identical and have simulated sekigane, the tagane-ato are also cast in. Tat's enough of Tat !

A similar style guard here https://www.jauce.com/auction/l1163054633 Bushu 武州 school? Not the same individual.

I am not sure the plant can make up its mind - generally two lobes but variations have many lobes or just the one - must be many "cultivars" particularly in China and Japan and they could vary with the age of the tree. I have one, which I am looking forward to trying the fruit [in about 20 years!]- The fruit has a strong, unpleasant odor somewhere between rancid butter and dog faeces [yum ]. The nuts resemble a pistachio. Only a few seeds should be eaten at a time. The nut, you see, contains bitter cyanogenic glycosides. These break down when the nut is cooked, but it retains the compound 4-methoxypryridoxine, which depletes vitamin B6 and is especially toxic to children [good for the neighborhood - keep the population under control .] So if your children come home with dog faeces breath get them to hospital fast - probably a mental hospital for eating something that smells like faeces to start with!

Fair enough not everything will appeal to everyone - I am not a huge fan of skulls either, but a few head or face ones do tick my boxes. [not fond of the decapitated designs] I like Mempo ones as well, but they are few and far between [not to mention expensive]

"Backyard Blacksmith" has a new guard ready for the unwary https://www.jauce.com/auction/r1163312575 File or bench grinder? It could be yours for as "little" as ¥30,000

I might be straying from the original intent of this thread but what do people think of these - - things - - and the prices paid or hoped for? [My opinion, total zero worth]

Just an image from an old book - museums what do they know anyway?

As you can see this one is attributed to Kyo-Shoami image from "Catalogue of Tsuba in the permanent collection of City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery." 1940.

Well I thought it had an Umetada "look" - but it would just be a guess. Aoi leaves were as you say, a staple for Kinai. Although I found some similar shaped pieces they don't necessarily look the same workmanship - hard to tell the school but I do like the style and the quality. [Not much help sorry!]

I think there are at the very least three metals in the inlay - patina might be hiding more? Hard to judge on a screen.

Sort of - maybe? If you look a little hard you might see three long arm monkeys in the design [strain- strain!!]

Hey Deanna, how many of these do you have? https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/395949588982 Are they starting to breed lately? https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1162744741 They come in a nice chocolate flavour as well. Now this is getting silly https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1136083150 12 lobes!

Grey Doffin seems to have had a lot of these plugged sukashi tsuba. Most also have the rough finished surface [Ji] a Christies auction piece

One formula of many for patination of iron tsuba - https://www.jimkelso...rials/ironpatina.htm All entail a little risk.

Not all of us - I am only here to annoy my wife and cause trouble.

You aren't selling yours are you? https://www.jauce.com/auction/h1162893289 No not enough "lobes"!

Keep rubbing it every now and then with a soft cotton cloth, it will pick up a glossy finish eventually, sun exposure can also help. I think it will look much better over time, you did a good job to get rid of that "pork crackling" rust [A term I just made up ]

Posted upside down but that is ok. Better than this design Aoi leaves [mallow] a symbol of longevity, top and bottom. I am less sure of the long thinner leaves around the seppa-dai. Sen-zogan a metal inlay technique in which thin lines of metal are inlaid into a surface. Kebori (?) hairline thin carving of the lines making up the veins of the leaves. I am not at all sure of the school. A nice piece, similar to a friend's who I hope won't mind me sharing his image. also a rather grainy image that looks like it has a Manji pattern on it which would make it Heianjo perhaps. Someone will have a better idea of what school or time period your piece is I am sure.

Yes I have noticed the smaller pieces are often much cheaper or even overlooked - I can't work out why myself, they take as long to make, maybe even more work involved - big is not always better. I am often amused by some sellers posting very dark images of tsuba they are trying to sell - Don't they have enough money for electric light or do they live in a coal mine? It automatically makes you cautious! This guy, I call him the "backyard blacksmith" https://www.jauce.co...j2hmyuc?search=tsuba He usually has more stock, but I think he is busy at his backyard forge getting next weeks designs done. He still needs some work on his patina which is always black and oily looking.