Spartancrest

That depends on if you believe the sellers information, I think personally they are meiji period but I think some of these have been produced for an extended period, so age would be a guess. Not helped by Chinese copies of Japanese copies! The first https://www.bonhams.com/auction/20190/lot/7/a-bakumatsu-shakudo-tsuba-by-seishu-meiji-period/ is described as Bakumatsu [turn of the 20th century] https://www.bonhams.com/auction/21008/lot/3459/a-shakudo-tsuba-with-mixed-metal-accents-meiji-period/ Meiji [I think it is more modern, junk!] https://www.catawiki.com/en/c/1261-Japanese-art?epik=dj0yJnU9aFpPRXptbnNkUmtSYmlLTUU4ZWxzYkRZV2tSczhfc2gmcD0wJm49MVV5VXYySHJUa18zRU5sdFdKTUt0ZyZ0PUFBQUFBR2tLOVpB The Hamano signed one can be seen: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/18980/lot/15/a-bakumatsu-shakudo-tsuba-late-19thearly-20th-century/ Described as Bakumatsu [turn of the 20th century] However a papered piece which is less convincing and still a copy in my opinion can be found here: https://world-seiyudo.com/product/tu-050320/ described as Edo period

Odd spots of depatination, looks like an alloy. Never mounted. Probably made as something for export. As Rivkin says there are areas where the carving is poor, the outline of the seppa-dai on the top right ura and the scratch marks around the top bird - why so much time spent on the rest but no clean up? Probably like these much more common examples: Colourful does not seem to be a problem - being mass produced is!

What is it with these two guys going over the bridge? https://www.jauce.com/auction/p1205198985

I think it is Jakushi - mainly from the scene but Jakushi also have nunome or very fine gold "wash" which doesn't seem evident.

You might be on the right track - also possibly Bira Kanzashi? - I guess they didn't have phone danglers

I found something from an old European book on Japanese design - unfortunately no information about what it actually is! An image found on a now non working site.

Piers, do you have the dimensions of that kiku tsuba? It looks very similar to one in the Metropolitan Art Museum - especially the hitsu. One of mine - only one hitsu

Slight resemblance to Trump? It might be the hair style.

Quite the band - the fittings all have different musical instruments

Back in black! https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1204309579

Kashira not a habaki - but still rather cool!

Heianjo with Dote-mimi ? Onin? https://tsubakansho.com/tag/onin/

Posted October 25, 2024 At last a good use for CAST tsuba. I converted this cast guard into a door handle on my barn door. Well another one [slightly more embelished with Mitsudomoe] https://www.jauce.com/auction/c1203630746 a little expensive for a cast iron handle. Shame I don't have another barn door to affix it to!

http://www.intk-token.it/forum/index.php?/topic/8584-scuola-umetada-埋忠/ From the different catalogue number this tsuba by Umetada Miōju must have been in another collection. Tsuba in sentoku, con inserti in oro eseguiti in hirazogan, mei: Umetada Miōju, 17-18 sec. [Tsuba in sentoku, with gold inserts executed in hirazogan, from: Umetada Miōju, 17-18 century]

You can say that again!

Hi Dee, yes I think that Tanuki [Bunbuku chagama] tsuba is legit. It is close to this one in the V&A https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O75227/tsuba-ichijosai/ This one in the Metropolitan Art Museum https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/642475

I really love it when they fake an already fake "tsuba-thing" https://www.jauce.com/auction/n1203270376 Good Lord these are bad!

https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1203014046 https://www.jauce.com/auction/u1196815603 https://www.jauce.com/auction/p1200726041

https://searchcollection.asianart.org/objects/530/sword-guard-tsuba-with-design-of-a-waterfall-and-rocks https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/tsuba-amurai-sig-kanenori-waterfall-1860203375

https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1202758143 Dark images but they show a raindragon on the ura and a village scene on the omote.

What also strikes me is they do get signed after they were cast - - so are they "really" cast iron? Are they steel, iron alloy or are they annealed to soften the metal? The mysteries keep croping up. They also appear in museum collections with provenance that they are not recent "modern", most are at least a hundred years old - we don't know [as far as I am aware] where they were made and by whom, it is not as if they have any factory markings on them and you sure can't trust the signatures. Like the whole subject of tsuba and tosogu they keep us intrigued.

They still keep turning up - I guess they will always be there! https://www.jauce.com/auction/n1202559131 At least you don't have to drop it to tell it was cast! Extraordinarily the description is accurate: "Tsuba with a picture of a tower landscape, by Munenori, cast iron, round, with double hole holes (modern work)" A few touches of gold to increase the "value" Price: 600 € Artist: Soten Period: 18th century https://www.proantic.com/en/1136826-tsuba-in-cut-iron-damascened-with-gold-nunome-zogan-school-of-soten-Japan-edo-18.html

This one has the Aoi leaves as part of the outline - no rim https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/2076-jp-samurai-sword-guard-aoi-openwork-tsuba Polished iron not Shibuichi and not Kinai either IMHO. No signature - who else used the Aoi pattern? another on ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/186824825810