pcfarrar

On hold pending sale.

Final price of $225 shipped, which is a real bargain for a papered Higo tsuba.

This is an ubu shinto katana signed So kyûdai no den Minamoto Nobukuni "9th Generation from the ancestor Minamoto Nobukuni". It's in high quality gunto mounts with a silver mon badge. The gunto mounts are in overall good condition. The blade is 25" nagasa and healthy with itame jigane. The old WW2 period polish is still decent and you can see lots of activity in the sugha hamon. £1250, buyer must collect.

A Dewa Gassan Koto Tanto in Shirasaya. Signed "Gassan", this is a late Muromachi period tanto with an iconic ayasugi hada. 21.2 cm nagasa, mihaba 2 cm, motogasane 0.5 cm - very elegant blade. The tanto has seen its fair share of polishes. It is tired, but no shingane or ware are to be seen (except for one 6mm long yaki-ware in the kissaki). The double, gold foiled habaki shows that someone in the past cherished this tanto. The hamon is running just on the edge and it disappears in the upper part of the monouchi, just at the beginning of the fukura. Thus, the tanto has no boshi. What you see in the image is kesho polish. It's a lovely tanto and the lack of a boshi never really bothered me or other collectors who've viewed it, the stand out of this piece is the superb ayasugi jigane. £800 - UK only and buyer must collect.

As far as I'm aware I can't ship at all, even to people in the UK. I know dealers like Matt Easton here are able to ship but I'm not sure how they are doing it.

I thought this would have sold by now, but I'll take it down to £800. Doubt you'll find a better gendaito in the UK for that price.

It's just this tsuba alone for $250, the other one has sold now. I'll include free shipping worldwide with this my last one, it includes a tsuba box as well.

$125 + shipping at cost.

One last discount to $250.

Remaining books and I've added a couple more. 3. Cutting Edge - Japanese Swords in the British Museum - Softback $10 8. Gendai Toko Meikan by Tadashi Ono, 1971 - Hardback with dustcover: index here: https://japaneseswordindex.com/gtmindex.htm - $40 14. The Craft of the Japanese Sword by Leon and Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara, 1987 - Hardback - $10 21. Art of the Samurai - Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868. The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Morihiro Ogawa, 2009. Lots of high quality images of swords, fittings and armour from one of the biggest ever exhibitions outside of Japan. Hardback - $50. 22. Japanese Swords of the Bizen Tradition: Swords in North American Collections by Robert Benson & Darcy Brockbank. 2007 Softback - $30 23. Token Hyakka Nenpyo by Iida Kazuo, 1971, in Japanese, the author has done a presentation inscription in the front to the famous BW Robinson. Hardback - $10 24. Shin Nihonto no Kantei Nyumon, good book on how to do kantei, I've got a digital copy of the translation I can include. Softback - $35

Remaining Books 3. Cutting Edge - Japanese Swords in the British Museum - Softback $10 8. Gendai Toko Meikan by Tadashi Ono, 1971 - Hardback with dustcover: index here: https://japaneseswordindex.com/gtmindex.htm - $40 14. The Craft of the Japanese Sword by Leon and Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara, 1987 - Hardback $10 19. A Muramasa Blade by Louis Wertheimber 1886 first edition hardback, good condition, 2nd hand book sellers selling copies for silly money my price $75 21. Art of the Samurai - Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868. The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Morihiro Ogawa, 2009. Lots of high quality images of swords, fittings and armour from one of the biggest ever exhibitions outside of Japan. Hardback $50.

These are the remaining books and a couple of additional ones added. 2. Miltary Swords of Japan 1868-1945 by Richard Fuller and Ron Gregory - Hardback $25 3. Cutting Edge - Japanese Swords in the British Museum - Softback $10 6. Japanese Master Swordsmiths - The Gassan Tradition - Museum of Fine Arts Boston By Morihiro Ogawa (1989) - Softback $20 8. Gendai Toko Meikan by Tadashi Ono, 1971 - Hardback with dustcover: index here: https://japaneseswordindex.com/gtmindex.htm - $40 13. The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing by Setsuo Takaiwa, Yoshido Yoshihara and Leon and Hiroko Kapp, 2006 - Hardback $10 14. The Craft of the Japanese Sword by Leon and Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara, 1987 - Hardback $10 17. Swords and Wordsmiths of the Gendaito Period: 1868 to 1989 - by Frederick A. Fimio. $10 18. The Hartman Collection of Japanese Metal Work. Christies 1976. 676 lots with good quality photos of important fittings. Hardback $20 19. A Muramasa Blade by Louis Wertheimber 1886 first edition hardback, good condition, 2nd hand book sellers selling copies for silly money my price $75 20. Ono Yoshimitsu Juka Choji no Sekai, was personally signed by the swordsmith when he was in London with a calligraphy at the front, 26 of his swords pictured, text in Japanese $75 21. Art of the Samurai - Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868. The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Morihiro Ogawa, 2009. Lots of high quality images of swords, fittings and armour from one of the biggest ever exhibitions outside of Japan. Hardback $50.

11 now sold

Kevin Jones is active on Facebook so you could contact him on Facebook messenger. https://www.facebook.com/kevin.jones.716195

Final discount to $300 before it returns to the safe for another decade.

I've found a few more books I can sell. 16. 100 Masterpieces from the Collection of Dr. Walter A. Compton by Christie’s 1992. Hardback in Cardboard slipcase. Massive book with really good photos of swords and fittings. $50 17. Swords and Wordsmiths of the Gendaito Period: 1868 to 1989 - by Frederick A. Fimio. $10 18. The Hartman Collection of Japanese Metal Work. Christies 1976. 676 lots with good quality photos of important fittings. Hardback $20

These are pretty much the last of the books I have for sale. 1. Hizento Hanbook by Eguchi Soshin - Translated by Gordon Robson - Hardback $25 2. Miltary Swords of Japan 1868-1945 by Richard Fuller and Ron Gregory - Hardback $25 3. Cutting Edge - Japanese Swords in the British Museum - Softback $10 4. Nobuie Tsuba by Ito Mitsuru - translated by Markus Sesko 2016 - Hardback $25 5. Kyomono no Ko-Meisaku (Famed works of the Kyoto Smiths) by Yoshikawa Koen - translated by Gordon Robson (JSSUS) - Softback $20 6. Japanese Master Swordsmiths - The Gassan Tradition - Museum of Fine Arts Boston By Morihiro Ogawa (1989) - Softback $20 7. Tanto: Japanese Daggers by Suzuki. 1969, with English translation - Hardback $30 8. Gendai Toko Meikan by Tadashi Ono, 1971 - Hardback with dustcover: index here: https://japaneseswordindex.com/gtmindex.htm - $40 9. Tosogu Classroom, Volume 1 - Markus Sesko - $20 10. Tosogu Classroom, Volume 2 - Markus Sesko - $20 11. Masamune - A Genius Swordsmith and His Lineage, 2002 Sano Art Museum - Softback $30 12. Japanese Art and Handicraft by Henry Joly & Kumasaku Tomita. Hardback in cardboard slipcase - $35 13. The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing by Setsuo Takaiwa, Yoshido Yoshihara and Leon and Hiroko Kapp, 2006 - Hardback $10 14. The Craft of the Japanese Sword by Leon and Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara, 1987 - Hardback $10 15. Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths: From 1868 to the Present by Leon and Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara - 2002 - Hardback $10 Photographs available on request Shipping charged at cost and payment via paypal f&f or Wise.

Discount to $350

If anyone wants my last 2 Higo tsuba, then I'll do both together for a special price of $700.

Excellent Iron Sukashi Tsuba with an old NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho paper to Hayashi. Design is Yatsuhashi (irises and bridge). The style is distinctly that of the famous eight plank bridge in the Tales of Ise. In the story, the hero, Narihira, was exiled from Kyoto. While wandering in the eastern part of Japan, he came upon an eight-planked bridge over a marsh where irises were growing. Narihira composed a poem, longing for his loved one left behind in the capital. Each line beginning with one syllable of the Japanese word for iris (kakitsubata). The bridge and irises are often depicted in Japanese art as reference to the story. There is also a Noh play about Narihira's poem. I have a beloved wife, Familiar as the skirt Of a well-worn robe, And so this distant journeying Fills my heart with grief. The previous owner believed this tsuba was actually the work of the 5th Shimizu Jingo master Shigenaga who worked in the late 18th to early 19th century. This was due to the shape of the tsuba, the nakago ana, and the gentle slope from seppa dai to mimi. Yatsuhashi was a favourite design of Shigenaga. 7.75cm x 7.25cm x 0.5cm > 0.4cm at the mimi $500

Some more photos showing the edge damage. I would recommend keeping the sword as is, you can see everything you need to see and no real point polishing it.

Sold thanks

This tsuba dates from the early to mid edo period. It has the beautiful warm tone known from Owari work and a melted glassy finish. This is really good iron and a interesting study piece, you can see the layered construction of the iron in the nakago ana. 7.8cm x 7.8 x 0.5cm Comes with custom fitted box and pillow. From the Rich Turner collection. Price: $200 + shipping at cost. Payment via paypal f&f or Wise.

Gendaito signed Kanenaga and dated 3rd Month 1943 a lucky day. In good quality gunto koshirae with a removed mon badge visible on the kabuto gane. "Kanenaga (包永), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – „Nōshū Seki no jū Kanenaga kore o saku“ (濃州関之住包永作之), „Kanenaga“ (包永), civilian name „Amachi Ginjirō“ (天地銀次郎), older brother of Amachi Suzuichi (天地鈴市), he was born on the fourth day of the ninth month Meiji 17 (1884) and died March 8th 1958, he worked as guntō smith, posthumous Buddhist name „Enkaku Chikyō“ (円覚智鏡)" Lovely Bizen style choji hamon with a lot of hataraki, Kanenaga did make showato as well but this appears to be a true gendaito. It has some damage to the ha which probably happened during its use in WW2. The saya has a carved name which seems to be A HYND. Alexander Hynd was a Scottish Corporal who fought in the battles of Kohima and Imphal. He was also at Dunkirk during the evacuation. The sword was found during a house clearance in the lake district, I can't prove its the correct A. Hynd but it seems likely. I've seen quite a few of Amachi Kanenaga's swords and so far nothing comes close to this one. £900, unfortunately it's buyer collect only from the UK. With the recent changes in the law it's just not worth trying to ship, I'm not far from Manchester.

One final discount $150 + postage.