Jake6500

Yikes, now I'm paranoid about the fuchigashira I'll soon have coming in the post.

Bit late to the thread on this one but I concur with the answers of our fellow board members. The embroidery is depicting the various stages of Edo Period cotton production from picking to separating the cotton from the seed, weaving, etc.

Haha, I'd be too nervous to try and import any of this stuff into our country Dale, what with the strict wildlife protection laws and customs. Biological materials are an automatic pass!

Not the best pictures off my phone camera but hopefully they'll suffice... This pair 100% come from Nara. The maple leaf on the side is also a common Nara image. Not exactly the same style as yours but the spotted deer makes the association with Nara likely!

Yes I believe so, which is why I suggested it may be from Kaga! I'm pleased other observers have also picked up on it! Most of my collection are more artistic ornamental (mid-late) Edo Period pieces but I want to build a collection of 4 pre-Edo tsuba with mon such as this one if I can find them!

You are very likely correct about the connection to Nara as the deer trade was historically an important part of the Nara economy. All parts of the deer would be sold or serve a purpose in Nara and deer themed fuchigashira are common from the Nara area. In fact, I have a similar fuchigashira in my collection which I received as a gift.

Here is a tsuba I recently picked up... (possibly Azuchi-Momoyama tsuba from Kaga?)

Interesting reference to Chinese culture which of course was directly linked to early Japanese culture. Here is some more information about the link between the story of Amaterasu and the Taiko drum: Konagaya, Hideyo.   University of Pennsylvania ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,  2007. 3260933. https://www.proquest...e=gscholar&cbl=18750 Finding articles with pertinent info has sure gotten harder without access to Jstor! Maybe I should pay for a subscription. Anyways, given your post and the knowledge imparted I now think that there might be two separate themes in this thread! Mason's example tsuba (and probably also his own tsuba given the resemblance in the two designs) seems to be about the story of Amaterasu in the Nihon Shoki whilst the other tsuba in the thread seem to be references to Chinese culture. I think the defining differences seem to be A) whether or not the Taiko is being played by a person? B) If the chicken is atop the drum it is a clear indication of the latter rather than the former?

So the relevance of the Taiko drum here appears to relate to the contents of the Nihon Shoki which mentions a mythical account for the origin of the Taiko drum in Japan. It states that the Taiko drum was first created when the goddess Ame-No-Uzume emptied out a barrel of sake and danced on top of it in order to lure Amaterasu out from her cave. This dance performance is the mythical origin of Taiko music. It seems likely to me that ALL of these tsuba featuring the drum and the rooster are references to the story of Amaterasu and the attempts to lure her out of her cave. Note that the mitsudomoe is a symbol often featured on Taiko drums, specifically.

They certainly look like a match to me! Very interesting post.

So a couple of things... 1) What is meant by "Samurai era coins" exactly? Historically, Japan used the koku (rice bale) as a unit of measurement and currency for most of its history in what is referred to as the kokudaka system, so if you are in search of Japanese coinage pre-dating the Edo Period (from the wars) I'm afraid you won't find what you're looking for... It basically doesn't exist. 2) If however you are in search of more Edo Period things such as the Kin or Gin Shu Ban coins in your photo, you can find these from reputable sellers specialising in old/historical coins on Ebay with a quick search. I've also seen these on Jauce from time to time while browsing tsuba, without directly looking for them. Plenty of Japanese sellers also sell these internationally on Ebay. If you're searching for authentic Ryou gold bars these are going to cost a small fortune and are a lot rarer, however the JP government minted replica ryou bars a while back which are more affordable and accessible. 3) I noticed there is an absence of Edo Period mon coins in your collection. These are readily obtainable on Ebay also. A simple search of "Edo Period coin" will return results if these are what you're looking for. Just pick a reputable seller. They are not super expensive either as they were minted en masse during the Edo Period.

Hey Colin and Ian, thanks for your responses. Don't worry about disappointing me, I certainly didn't pay an exceptional amount for these and originally bought them for the designs without a second though about the lineage of the artists which only piqued my curiosity later. As I am new to Tosogu collection in general would you mind elaborating a little for me? All I know about Shakudo is that it is an alloy metal. Are we talking about the colour of the black nanako base of the fuchigashira? I should add that the last few photos are zoomed in by about x4 on a phone camera with flash photography and then compressed, so the quality of the work might not be fully represented by the photographs. Even if it's not authentic I think it's a pretty nice piece in hand so I am not disappointed! EDIT: Nvm I think I was being stupid and now see what you guys mean! Thanks for the feedback and the new knowledge Ian, as well as the wonderful visual reference!

I am doubtful this one is authentic, however I am hopeful that the first one (signed Goto Senjo) is. The style is a closer match as is the mei and the overall quality. These 2 pieces signed "Goto" were bought in two separate auctions from two separate sellers so the authenticity of one should not affect the other. I've taken a few new photos of the first one with the horses which I'm optimistic about, hopefully I can get some opinions on its authenticity!

Thanks for providing this info, there is a clear match in the signature and a lineage to research!

Hello forum members, I recently acquired a few new fuchi / tsuba and wanted to get some information and maybe a few opinions about them. This may be the first of a couple topics I start here in the Tosogu section in the coming days. I recently acquired this fuchigashira apparently signed "Goto Senjo", along with another fuchi purportedly from another artist of the Goto lineage in separate auctions: When I picked this up, I originally did so simply for the horse motif as well as the style/quality of the piece. Here is an older thread about the same artist and the Goto school: Now I am curious as to the authenticity of the piece and its attribution as I also picked up this piece with a similar style signed Goto Kiyonobu (Having looked into it a bit I think this second one might not be authentic as it is the one on the left that is signed as "Goto" and the right one is signed Kinsha Tomotsune? The left one doesn't seem to match Goto work to me...) The Goto Senjo piece appears to be of a similar style, has a neat, straight signature and features Nanako similar to other documented Goto school works, as does the fuchi on the right in the above picture although I have no information to go on regarding the artist Kinsha Tomotsune. Thoughts?

The style of the Tsuba and theme reminds me of this thread from a while back: I have seen a couple Tsuba of this sort with the sages/immortals as the theme floating about over the past 6 months or so. They all appear to be authentic Edo Period pieces.

With my limited expertise I concur with Dan. No sign of wear around the Nakago Ana, probably never mounted. As Dan has a tsuba with the same design we can assume it is probably cast. As for dating there is some controversy/dispute as to whether cast Tsuba existed in the Edo Period or whether they were only produced later. We can assume it is probably a product of either the late Edo or Meiji Periods. Hard to go wrong with a $25 Tsuba, even if it's cast.

Interesting to learn that Aoi-gata has a more extensive history than I had realised!

Honestly I would guess even a later period than that. The heart shape we see in the top Tsuba is a design choice that originates in the mid to later Edo Period? Here are some Edo Period example of it: The problem is the cross shape in the centre which to me is an indication these are both post-Edo productions emulating the Edo Period design. The insertion of another metal to form the cross in the second one is an indication to me that this second one might be even more recent than the first. If I had to guess, both of these are likely post-Edo works. The Aoi-gata (heart) shape has an association with cavalry. Perhaps these Tsuba date to the pre-war conflicts of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 or even the Second World War as the imperial Japanese army utilised cavalry units in all of these conflicts. EDIT: Some WW2 era items featuring the Aoi-gata (heart) shape design:

She's a keeper Take it to the bank lol

Nice start to a collection. If they all have hozon certification then you can be confident as to their authenticity. Personally I like the 3rd one very much, I think the river design is pretty unique. These all strike me as genuine later Edo Period works in the 1780-1850 range.

Looks awesome! I just bought a Naginata with wooden practice blade as sword laws are strict in my state, hope it looks half as good!

Is this picture from the same dealer with your tsuba at the end? Some of these other tsuba definitely look like Edo Period tsuba. The second from the left is a nice Heianjo style tsuba. Lends some credit back to the dealer again if these were some of the other options.

Certainly this is also true. I don't mean to say that any good craftsmanship = fake. What I meant is more that sometimes "perfect" looking line work or mei can be indicative of post-industrial or modern work. In animated motifs, post-industrial or seemingly "perfect" linework also can make the tsuba look lifeless or unnatural. There are plenty of other things to indicate OP's tsuba is fake such as no Hitsu-Ana, etc.

Obviously it's a matter of opinion but I would say probably about double the value. It would be best to ask a reputable dealer that question, but this is what I'd say. Tbh I am less knowledgeable about the price values of later periods and even for Edo Period pieces am still developing my price sense so I might be wrong.