Spartancrest

You can say that again Jean! But they are unlikely to let the truth get in the way of a quick sale. Way off subject but I find a number of sellers citing their pieces as appearing in books, but they never really have a close look at the evidence. This one recently. I notice a certain rigidness to the layout of the "lattice" squares in most of the images I have seen, each has five 'windows' two have different figures which may be monograms or kao? [except for Dan's which looks symmetrical and only has four 'windows'] If the lattices are Tetragraphs then I assume they would read a certain way and may have an overall meaning rather than as individuals? [Where is Alan Turing when you need him?]

I uncovered two more with one signed SHOAMI MATAJIRO https://onlineonly.c...-iron-tsuba-19/12103 and this one on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/294849989719 One that was shown by Bruno is said to be Katchushi? The papered one above Den-Umetada. So like a lot of designs does this mean more than one school copied the pattern?

I love the Nawame edge on that first guard, I have a couple like that but different schools - one being Shoami Kanenori I was wondering if it might be Myochin?

Wow he seems to have some good pieces! https://www.touken-m...roduct/ichiran/tsuba Den-Umetada - not what I would have thought. I was wondering if there is a clue in this papered example. Google translate is no so great. Denrichu ? "Baked hand-roasted bullion covered ring ears" sounds like an expensive coffee blend rather than a useful description of a tsuba!

YES! I will throw my hat in for Hamano - not sure I like the way the figures look like they were smeared on, the edges are not sharp and there is a fuzzy border around them? Shakudo or shibuichi plate? Very nice though!

Thanks Bruno and Piers, so far all I get from Google are these sukashi types. But I will keep looking.

I was trying to do some research on a type of tsuba that has square inlays in the manner of Yoshiro, but not by that school. The square mon if you can call them that, look like the chapter headings from the 'Tale of Genji'. It is difficult to find examples if you don't have a name to go with it. These turn up infrequently and from what I can find the descriptions are very vague. Anyone know the school or technique name? Thanks for any help.

This question will likely get you lynched in certain circles [you and me both!] I suggest you look at https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/38416-tsuba-casting-molds/ If you like having a weekend to do some reading The filled hitsu [Ategane or Ume] looks to be Shakudo [gold/copper alloy] so a little 'up-market'. It simply means that the guard was fitted to a saya that didn't have the slot for a Kogai and the hole in the tsuba was filled because it could not be used - [it still eludes me why they went to the trouble in many cases] There is a theory that the plugs were made of precious metals as 'emergency cash' but that would not cover the many made in lead. Also just how much gold would there be in the Shakudo?

Yes the others appear genuine to me, though I have seen dozens of number 3 as cast copies, yours is the real deal. Another 'Akasaka' one here http://www.nihonto.us/AKASAKA KIRI TSUBA.htm if you notice the price, imagine what yours could be worth with a little cleaning work! Another auction piece with some gold nunome https://www.jauce.com/auction/e1113251200 or https://page.auction.../auction/e1113251200 Also a papered piece https://www.jauce.com/auction/1049690563 or https://buyee.jp/ite...o/auction/1049690563 Number 2 may have been mounted two or more times, when you analyse the image there is only one section where too much metal has been removed. The tagane-ato [punch mark] has pushed the nakago-ana back to a central position. You could fill that void with some sekigane/ategane but if a seppa was placed over it you wouldn't notice it at all. Number 1 is "Gunbai" or war fans similar to this site https://world.seiyud...m/product/tu-350115/ from memory we have had a thread on this design before and perhaps someone can find it? Cast junk, part of a "buy in bulk" auction https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1115533175 I would not despair over the cast 'peapod' tsuba, this one is better but still cast and part of the Auckland War Memorial Museum [NZ] collection - many museums harbor cast guards Ebay had one - somewhat overpriced! https://www.ebay.com/itm/225703612364

Number four is unfortunately a cast piece. Sorry

Getting a little off topic, but here is some startling information on Tiffany's glass tsuba tiles [and others]. At an auction held this year in February, a group of 52 tiles sold at auction for $30,000 USD. This roughly comes out to $577 US each ! [4" square being the largest and the majority having chipped corners or cracks!!] https://www.invaluab...les-52a-c-2454cf3aad A single Mokko design sold for $100 back in 2019 https://www.liveauct...y-studios-glass-tile - so either the unit price went up markedly or buying in bulk has turned out much more expensive. I wonder what this fireplace and the glass tiles would be worth today! https://www.sothebys...-and-assorted-jewels

Can I take a poll on how annoying the narrator's extreme use of the word "tsuba" was used - it seemed to me tsuba was every second word!

I just added this to my somewhat 'eclectic' collection of tsuba related objects - at least I won't get thirsty Jeez I hope it didn't have crab juice in it! PS. That teapot coaster from the post above is selling at only eight times the cost on ebay - do people still buy on ebay? https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/386265534445

Would you believe Louis Comfort Tiffany [Tiffany Glass - Tiffany Lamps etc] was an avid tsuba collector, he tended to buy en masse hundreds at a time. One of his designs for glass tiles must have been "the Moustache" ! https://www.acstickl...glass-tile-c1910s-2/ More information on Tiffany as well as another tsuba tile can be found here - https://www.lilliann...a-favrile-glass-tile

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/305214001923 "Masahiro Goami"

https://www.brooklyn...ection/objects/38470 [very poor images] This one enhanced. I like this one from the Brooklyn Museum - European carrying a gun and the dog is wearing a harness rather than the leash being on the collar.

https://www.samuraim...hk-certificatet-171/ Signature: 其阿弥 (Go-A-Mi) https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4461967 Muromachi period (16th century), signed Goami, a circular iron plate carved with impressions of coins and flowers. [Image quality was unfortunately poor 29 Mar 2005] https://sanmei.com/c...tuba_guard1788_E.htm

A pottery [or porcelain?] paperweight with Celadon glaze - https://www.jauce.com/auction/g1099036313 or https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/g1099036313

This paperweight could never be confused with a Yanigata but still a pretty little thing JMO

Posted September 15 Something for Christmas tree decoration? Well we are nearer to Christmas and the 'baubles' have made a reappearance. https://www.jauce.com/auction/u1075165555 or https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/u1075165555 along side this 'blackened' stainless steel teapot coaster - https://www.jauce.com/auction/s1091174842 or https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/s1091174842 And something nice to put under the tree - a folding Silver Mekugi-Nuki https://www.jauce.com/auction/p1114950482 or https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/p1114950482

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabuton ? Traditional Zabuton are square at least according to Wikipedia http://jameelcentre....nd/1686/object/21370 Lobed tsuba in the form of a rice bale with two rats (front). © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford https://www.ngv.vic....llection/work/54336/ I think by the look of the two designs we are meant to see the rice bale end-on looking down on it from above as opposed to side view in the case of the five bale design? [although the mice/rats are side view in all cases] More of the multi bale type - no rodents-

Thanks Ford, that makes perfect sense. I suppose the material could also be 'corrected' if there was a small fault or some damage by applying a little heat? Something you can't do with pottery or porcelain.

Very dark museum image of a long eared dog at the feet of his 'Datan' or Tartar master. By Hirochika Cleveland Museum of Art https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1919.380 Very similar design to the Hamano images above.

Can I ask why fired pottery clay or porcelain was not used to make these models? The Japanese were as renowned for their pottery as their metal work - just curious why they chose something that breaks down with time as Ford has pointed out, compared to something that could stand the stress of time?