Spartancrest

These two are perhaps the worst quality you can find - just check the nakago-ana and lack of features on the horses heads. https://www.jauce.com/auction/s1083922572

https://www.jauce.com/auction/e1059682033 silver https://www.jauce.com/auction/h1081618789 silver https://www.jauce.com/auction/b1081694665 brass? https://www.jauce.com/auction/o1081618633 dark bronze https://www.jauce.com/auction/s1082599688 copper https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/124118105589 silver plated https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/333365588420 silver plated

Even one in the V&A - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O462027/tsuba/ Strange museum - it tells us almost nothing! Another expensive "Buy it now" https://www.jauce.com/auction/g1019545638

Just found this in the V&A - Just proves even the biggest museums can collect rubbish [actually found at least six fakes in the V&A] https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O466167/tsuba/ Images are once again copyright so you will have to open the link.

Three more examples from the V&A - copyright images so check the sites. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O461701/tsuba/ https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O461647/tsuba/ https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O465834/tsuba/

People should check this V&A example of the horse - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O464603/tsuba/ image is copyright so I can't reproduce it here. Top of the range! And two 'run of the mill' - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O466610/tsuba/ https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O466622/tsuba/

I found this today - You will notice the two dragons are almost identical to the ones in the first post - I have no way of knowing what the ura side is like. Same artist? [becoming more convinced "Unique" is hard to find!] It is the last image on this YouTube site

Hold your horses! How about a signed Daisho? https://www.jauce.com/auction/o1083741877 Starting bid is very low and comes with a daisho fitted box. I see daisho of this pattern very rarely.

Just using the silhouettes I can see the Kiri leaves motif and there is no doubt that the other part of the design could be conventionalised bracken shoots, though Sasano sometimes offers up "Ivy scrolls" in his description of similar Kyo-sukashi designs. [Not that I am proposing Chris's guard is either Kyo-sukashi or Nishigaki.]

Could it be a form of udenuki-ana? One of mine on the right. More examples on this thread - https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/14733-udenuki-no-ana-two-holes-near-edge-of-tsuba/

Could it be a stylized image of a person at prayer? The Amida-yasuri [symbol of Buddha's aura] radiating lines on the guard would tend to have a Buddhist devotional meaning. Closest I can find in traditional garb.

Vitaly, why not try before you buy! https://archive.org/details/legendinjapanese00jolyuoft/page/n3/mode/2up Free PDF and a little quicker to find subjects. Daikoku and Ebisu / Yebisu two of the Seven "Gods of Luck."

Thank you very much Piers, I wonder if the original owner ever wrote a book? Perhaps just a private collector - dare I say just like all of us? For the sake of anyone interested these cards did turn up on Jauce/Buyee and Yahoo JP usually as individual cards [which is a very expensive way to collect them] But I have no problem with an image of my collection, the face of the cards only. There were 50 cards in the series and another single example.

Some time ago I had an opportunity to get a full set of old postcards relating to a group of famous makers. They have English translations on the face of the cards which is handy. What I would like to find out is what the writing on the back actually is? A description of the tsuba or maker etc. Or is it "having a great time glad you are not here!"? Most of the writing is printed and stuck on the card, some is simply hand written. Too much to ask for a translation of it all but I would like to know if it has relevant information worth keeping or if it is love letters to a sweetheart, in which case I would like to keep as private as possible. Thanks in advance.

Can that be Ginger beer? How is this one for "Paw" taste! Australians should hang our heads in shame!

Hi Stephen have you seen this little fellow - https://www.jauce.com/auction/u1082427086 Same shape different design - and no darn ambiguous bird!

I could fill a two hundred page book simply with this design of tsuba - so many of them my eye tends to skip them altogether in searches - not one of my favourites. I do agree stay away from any of the iron versions they tend to be much worse than the various soft metal ones - Perhaps you would like a papered one? https://www.jauce.com/auction/o1082423157 Why it was awarded papers is beyond me - no signature and not particularly good work, I think they will paper anything these days. NO surprise they have many for sale on Japanese auction sites. https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1082422224 https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1082420831 https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1082350136 https://www.jauce.com/auction/h1080028678

Ed looks like he has it. You can see some better signatures here - https://varshavskycollection.com/collection/tsu-0408-2021/ I have two but mine do not have the Kao. You have to consider that Kaneie tsuba are one of the most copied/faked guards in existence and there were at least three smiths by that name.

Thanks Thomas, there is a rain dragon tsuba in that collection that brings me up to 102 of those! I will have to have a look at the museum's site for a clearer image.

Vitaly you might like to contact - Kyle Shuttleworth Ph.D. Token Society of Ireland, Oita Branch NBTHK kyushukairu

Egrets and a Night Heron - both have very short tails - keeps their bottom drier! Stephen I love the rectangular shape as well, I have a few - hard to come by. You are having the same luck as me with the snipe bids - I put a few low ones in lately and they came through, watching an auction I almost always miss out!

Ploughing a flooded rice field, the bit at the back is a type of sled to keep the farmer up out of the mud.

I guess this belongs here as well? https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/275698089088 Not tsuba on tsuba but on sword fittings?

This is pure conjecture based on a guess that part of the missing inlay/onlay represents the moon, either seen through clouds or with other common themes like Geese in the moon light. Certain elements would need to be moved around, I doubt we will find the original design exactly. If the central part is not the moon - all bets are off![JMO] It could be a dragon emerging from the clouds or even a Shachi? Perhaps you can find a Katamenuki and do a repair job?

The price sounds about right for that quality - Another over cleaned example - https://www.jauce.com/auction/l1080943255 Is the other one like this shape? Still Hamidashi tsuba, Tanto usually have the hitsu-ana enclosed