Matsunoki

Not quite the same as our local horsetail grass but if it’s the same family…..it gets used in cosmetics for skin and hair. Perhaps I should try it 🙂

Sometimes it is not the importance or rarity of an object that warrants restoration or saving but it most definitely is the pleasure and peace that so doing brings. Reward of a different kind.

Bob and I have discussed this elsewhere but just to be clear this is definitely not shibayama mei or work as @Bugyotsuji correctly infers.

Piers, can you make it a bit trickier next time?🙂

Mario, I have sent you a private message if you have a few minutes. Colin

Arghhh, I can’t play ……don’t know what a Genbu is (without cheating) Guess….something to do with one having a very hairy tail (minogame) that the other does not?

Congratulations…..a beautiful collection. Eagles, hawks, tigers, dragons……evocative powerful images.

……….the proud new owner of these comes on here asking for opinions?☹️ https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/lawrences-auctioneers-of-crewkerne/catalogue-id-srlawre10245/lot-a702559b-d2ea-481e-afb4-b43500bfb46e or https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/lawrences-auctioneers-of-crewkerne/catalogue-id-srlawre10245/lot-a483c013-6d87-4afd-83ea-b43500bfb46e ….and others in the same sale all with misleading descriptions.

👍

Modern Chinese fake. Sorry.

Possibly, but more likely testament to the skill of the combatant wielding it. The survival of a blade lies in not hitting anything that would damage the blade. I would suggest that just about any blade from any age of any quality would suffer damage if whacked hard into a substantially constructed piece of iron defence. “Taking a head” means nothing……he could have been dead already, or disabled slumped on the battlefield……stories and legends are great but that’s all they are. Yes I know, I’m a sceptic (or is it realist?🙂)

Blades do not kill people. People kill people. The blade is just an inanimate tool albeit it of varying quality or value or age. To me personally such hypothetical marks would be irrelevant if unproved. Who owned the blade (if substantiated) is a whole different ballgame……imo who owned it is the provenance worth considering.

Golden rule that applies to all antiques/works of art etc…….of any variety…. No repair is far better than bodged repair🙂 I suspect I am “teaching granny”……🙂

Evaluating 60 tsuba quickly en mass is a bit tricky! Many have condition issues (rust and de-patination etc) and the images might mislead (in both directions) but if you took an average of $150 each that gives you an idea. Sale at auction would obviously take a large slice out of that. Just my opinion, other views will be interesting and educational. The cloisonne one that Brian mentions looks Meiji period from a decent cloisonne katana koshirae.

Well he did a superb job. That is top quality work.