Spartancrest

These are expertly done 'replicas' there are thousands of these - believe me thousands! Two general types - [1] those like your images with 'iroe' or colouring and [2] a plain one metal colour lot. Attached is an image from a bulk buy auction of the plain coloured ones - cheaper by the dozen! I have seen one mounted sword with the same design tsuba which may have been the pattern the rest are taken from, but with so many about I wouldn't be one hundred percent sure. These are not utsushi there is no individuality in them. The other image shows the nakago-ana - also usually identical except in this case where it was re-cut for a blade and the cuts have been made through the faked sekigane. [ If it had been real sekigane it could have been removed rather than cut through.] https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/Japanese-tsuba-oni-and-priest-large-katana There may be two sizes available for Katana and Wakizashi A single coppery example same tagane-ato around the nakago-ana.

Here is an ugly duckling winged version. https://www.jauce.com/auction/r1089997158 6.5-7cm

Number [3] has jumped over to ebay - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/404259163084 A little expensive, considering the Hachette company were selling the four boxed examples as a set for 8,000 yen ! Hey, maybe my number [1] has gone up in value too!

Hawk pattern - https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1089846054 The quality is waning.

Nice one Colin, extra detailing on the butterfly wings. Heck of a lot of flowers in that design, no wonder the butterflies like them!

https://www.jauce.com/auction/g1088062934 Rough unfinished openings - file anyone? This tsuba has an uncanny similarity to our Aussie "Bin Chickens" [ Mother Nature's revenge for destroying their habitat! We humans fill up the rubbish bins - the birds empty them all over the place!]

Thanks Dan, I sometimes wish Tasmania was a separate country to Australia and we could keep out all the 'climate refugees' who are determined to wreck the place just like they have the mainland [and the rest of the planet for that matter]

Great link there! Doubles the images of the style. Funny how an early style of inlay can easily be confused with amateur workmanship- I contend the skill could not and did not develope overnight , it always, always takes practice or precedent. Those people who see instant perfection are dreaming!

I believe it! I found several identical to my own in the V&A - which in my case is not saying much, one is a casting - [yes the V&A has a good selection of genuine cast crap just like most other collections!] Some spectacular pieces in there of course that would make you drool - information though is pretty poor.

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O466394/tsuba/ This one in the V&A M.160-1911 - Sunagawa I am wondering if he did any other design! Well he has examples in some of the best museums!

Victoria & Albert museum has a very similar one to the first post: M.190-1923 https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O467294/tsuba/ Ura view only. I will keep looking, there is likely one more in the V&A but as it has over 3,300 with images it might take me some time!

There is a single example in the Ashmolean Museum from the A.H.Church collection EAX.10115.a The museum has put it in the category of Early incrustation (Taka-zōgan) http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/10237/10343 The guard is described thus: "On each face simple low-relief modelling representing rocks and hillocks, those in base outlined in brass incrustation (largely missing); also in raised brass are two circular openwork basket-dykes (jakago) and the water swirling round them at the base of a cascade; further, in minute inlay of brass and copper wire, are to be seen various flowering plants and grasses; the brass incrustation also includes the branches of leafless trees; "wire" edge. This guard belongs to a rare and extremely interesting group of which every important collection appears to have a single example or (like the Victoria and Albert Museum) at most two or three." I can see why my searches have largely come up with very little - very uncommon and early type of guard.

Darrel spot on! Two circular raised openwork basket-dykes (Jakago 蛇籠 ) with the water swirling round them. We would call them Gabions in English [though the word originates from the French] A modern take on a practical object this site has Jakago as art objects - works for me, they are beautiful! - http://onlinecollection.asianart.org/view/objects/asitem/Objects@17806/4?t:state:flow=c9404b2c-68d4-416d-a850-4941fc5a0c3e

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/134507311431 I just bought one of these, pretty reasonable price. I will let the forum know how worthwhile it is when it arrives next week. It has usb and card storage for images, along with its own lighting - don't know what else you would need? If nothing else it looks the part for "Tsubaologists"!

Frank from the movie "Cliffhanger" with his painting of a banana eating a monkey? Or just a long tail monkey ?

These two examples are from the Cleveland Museum of Art numbers 1919.279 and 1919.537 The museum had no information on either of them, I put them down as Heianjo, muromachi or momoyama period as best guess? Jimi-san's piece is much more interesting, very envious!

FIIK! But it sold for 1,002,000 yen. Someone thought it was worth it - personally I could have bought ten better looking and more interesting for a lot less.

https://www.jauce.com/auction/b1088698328 Almost doubled the price in just a few hours - lots of interest - deeper pockets than mine!

With so many bids already made, it points to a larger number of bidders than usual - exactly why it is so desirable I can't say, but when you have a lot of bidders the price will often blowout beyond the true value of the object. Still it is a good looking piece, though I have seen better depictions of the Tiger and I don't like the way the stripes are done. JMO

Jeremy R. I can remember when these were selling for around 2,000 yen [not that long ago!] Now we are lucky if we can afford the shipping! Missed opportunities!

Shakudo Shishi playing amongst short bamboo and rocks - Shoami? Two similar designs here, one with a waterfall - Gold shishi rather than shakudo.

Target practice! No. Seriously I think it makes it stick out as more interesting than the standard shape.

https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1088772278 The double filled hitsu version - very poorly made. The single hitsu daisho pair - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/314536012999 - likewise very poor.

I think the darker image has been seen before in this thread, but I found another that confirms both are cast copies.

ツバ (Tsuba) saliva noun 鍔, 鐔 Kana Reading つば guard on sword, polearms, etc.; flange [Flange could also mean metal collar?] Parts of speech meaning: brim; visor (e.g. of a hat) 唾液, 唾 https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-meaning-of/Japanese-word-b533119613a3eded5d358c3ebdbbc8a8a182d91f.html https://www.nihongomaster.com/Japanese/dictionary/word/41651/tsuba-鍔-鐔-つば