Suspicious looking Tsuba (thoughts?)

[lotus]

This one looks a bit suspicious to me so I thought I would get your opinion. I see what potentially looks like flashing in the Ana (circled on the pics). Also, what looks to be a sharp ridge along the dragon's body. Plus the artistic style seems off. Patina has odd pinkish tones and one area looks stained or painted.

 

So, is it a fake? That is my suspicion.

 

Pat R.

[Grey Doffin]

Fake.

Grey

[Cello]

For what it's worth real or fake it looks cast to me.....

[ROKUJURO]

It is probably a fancy Chinese belt buckle.

[sanjuro]

Patrick.

 

To answer your question, yes its a fake. Its apparently cast. Chinese would be a good guess at its origin.

Incidentally, the motif is a phoenix not a dragon. Neither Chinese nor Japanese dragons have wings (or feathers in their tails).

 

Obviously you are looking on ebay for these tsuba, and you don't really know what you are looking at. No fault there, we all have to start somewhere.

My advice....... Don't. Instead, look on dealer sites if you want to see real tsuba. Better yet buy a few books on the subject before looking for a tsuba to buy. A little education will at least arm you with some basic knowledge and the ability to spot obvious fakes.

When you do buy, buy quality. It will cost more but it will be less painful in the long run.

[raiden]

someone knows how to use superglue....