Matsunoki

Liang, no I don’t think it is nunome zogan. Nunome zogan is not usually used on a copper base because the adhesion would be poor and also the subsequent carving of the “fur” would tear the delicate foil. It is almost certainly true Hirazogan done in either silver or more likely pale shibuichi. ……(although you have the piece in your hands and I do not!) Also had you noticed the teeth appear inlaid, probably in silver and quite possibly the eyes also. Is that the case? All point to very high quality work.

Well, I think it is head and shoulders above the other one. The technical quality of the inlay is excellent and the treatment of the laughing face likewise. The composition works well on the narrow kozuka….and the subtle inlay on his lower robe is easily missed. Not sure if it is meant to depict deerskin? High quality well made kozuka. I’d happily own it and personally would not worry about the mei. Quality is quality. re Shinsa for fittings….I rather lost faith when they papered a Nagoya mono!

I agree totally with Curran…..some superb works have “questionable mei” but I often wonder…..are they really gimei? How can we be certain? Which ones are genuine and which not? Mei would doubtless vary as artists grew older, maybe even they even changed them deliberately …..we don’t really know. Records are a bit sparse. We do know many of these artists had teachers and pupils, perhaps even akin to many swordsmiths workshops. Iwamoto Konkan is a prime example where many wonderful works are catalogued as “after Konkan” or “school of Konkan” yet someone with immense talent made them. Who?….and why gimei something superb in its own right. Was it done with the blessing of the “master”, was it made by the master and signed by the student (as per some swords). We jump to the conclusion that it was done to deceive ie for £ but I remain hesitant to judge. Of course many pieces fall well short on technical quality or artistry and certainly we can be confident that they are indeed “wrong uns” but sometimes I wonder…… Just some wandering rambling musings🙂

Fox trap?…..vague memory I’ve seen something like this on a tsuba where a farmer was trying to catch a fox.

Looks like something a fisherman would make and use. I don't think it’s weapon.

Thanks….yes found it on Dale’s link to Jauce👍. (Never been on that site before!) they do not mention the alloy/metal that it is made from and the first thing that struck me was that the faceplate looked like it had been overcleaned at some point. It is a totally different colour to the back (that in itself may not be problem as many kozuka are made from different alloy plates) but imo it is shibuichi judging from the backplate colour. Also the copper colour in the design looks weak…..but that could be a trick of the light. It is an amusing composition but not technically challenging. i don’t think it’s a modern fake I will leave the Mei to those that have far greater expertise than me. maybe ask seller what it is made from? his Haynes entry…..

Can you show a couple of high res images? (we cannot access yahoo auctions in uk)

If only the whole world could display similar “appreciations” to those expressed in this beautiful video. Thanks Jean.

It is worth bearing in mind that during Meiji (and into Taisho and even Showa) the demand for Japanese ivory carvings was massively fuelled by the export market. In response very high numbers of poorer quality pieces were produced quickly by workshops whose skills were nowhere near those of the carvers of preMeiji domestic pieces. The artistry is often very wooden and the detail and subtlety largely absent. However the demand was there and the customer base often lacked any real knowledge regarding “quality” and thus items such as Kirill shows us arrived in vast numbers. It is easy to jump to “modern Chinese” but imo many are Japanese…just mass produced quickly by unskilled artists. Without doubt (imo) many of the pieces on this thread could be argued both ways. Some are obviously modern, others…hmmmm. Sadly no treasures though.

Dani, your images are upside down. Get em the right way up and I’m sure you’ll get some comments.🙂

This gives some interesting info……. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitte

@Exclus1ve Victor How on Earth did you find that?…..or did you know who he is?

Middle hall, rear wall. Table 81. See you there!

The flat head shape (possibly suggesting a depression containing water) made me think of a Kappa, but the face, hands and feet are not typical. Maybe the Kappa king??? Dunno. One for @Bugyotsuji perhaps.

Anthony, OK…..your kozuka is a “shiremono” which is the term used (in the context of Kozuka) to describe a mass produced cheaply made item designed to look like far a more expensive mixed metal inlaid piece. Basically the whole top plate is pressed from a thin piece of copper alloy to create the high relief effect and then multi-patinated and gold plated (as opposed to true mixed metal inlay) to look like shakudo, silver etc. This is then joined to a solid base plate and finished to look like a normal kozuka. Often a thicker than normal base plate is used to create the impression of “weight in the hand”. Some even get signed but that is usually an attempt to mislead. The one you have is a well known variant and I even saw one at last weeks Arms Fair. Sometimes two pressed plates with the same subject matter are joined together and used as cutlery handles and put into sets for export to the west. However sometimes real kozuka, often of considerable quality and value got used in cutlery sets and they are can be very exciting. It is important to be able to tell the difference because….about 30 years ago at a big antiques fair I came across a set of 24 cased knives and forks with silver blades ….all were superb quality genuine kozuka. I asked “how much” he shouted to his partner “how much do you want for those Chinese knives and forks” …the answer was £65. The antique gods smiled on me that day. If you decide to stick with this interest being able to discern quality is vital…..the same applies to tsuba and all other fittings. I apologise if I disappoint you, but these things fool a great many people. Happy hunting. PS….why not come to the Birmingham Arms Fair in June, happy to show you some better pieces (you don’t have to buy anything!!🙂)

On balance I think I’d still take a gamble. Can’t be sure from photos.. Been interesting hearing your views Jeff. Now, back to this nice Shiraz🙂 Keep well.

…and so could I🙂 That Chinese horimono is a bit unnerving. Can you get a higher definition of that dragon….id like to compare the detail. There is something about the dragons heads on this sword that possibly do not look quite right…..or perhaps it’s my old eyes. We know the Chinese can make some frighteningly convincing blades…..have they figured horimono out as well. Again I’d love to know how it’s done.

Interesting thank you. Do you know how these are made…..hand engraved or mechanical or….whatever?

My vote is genuine old sword badly neglected and subsequently badly mistreated with gimei added at some point. One of those gambles…..personally I’d roll the dice. I love a gamble.

Anyone else getting random delays loading stuff? At times just seems to get stuck on the wheel of death. Other times takes up to a minute to load or move. Using iPad but all other sites and apps seem fine when this one is misbehaving.

Interesting. Please can you show me one with horimono anything like these?….deeply cut into the shinogi-ji.

Modern forgery or old forgery? You think those horimono are “fake”?

Anthony…..would you like more info on the kozuka?

Yak hair, often used to trim a variety of armour components…..mostly Kabuto and Menpo. (Just the opinion of a total beginner!)

I can only see the background material through the nakago and kozuka ana so I guess the sukashi design does not go all the way through. Is it flat on the other side? Or some sort of backing?