New Opinions On This Tsuba Edo Period

[autodex]

Does this look genuine? Edo Period Iron, asking $450 from AOI Art

[Kronos]

Everything on Aoi is genuine.

[Stephen]

not so everything, Tsuruta san can be fooled as well

 

real or cast copy?

 

[autodex]

So does this look like a cast repro?

[Shugyosha]

Not to me but nor did Stephen's. 

[Stephen]

Steven did not mean to hi jack, your post looks good to me, ill be corrected if wrong.

 

I should have asked first as well. ;(

[Rivkin]

I would say its genuine, but of average quality.

Tsuruta-san is a very respectable seller, and extremely helpful with questions (which is not very common in Japan), but overall I would say when buying from Japan (surely a completely erroneous and personal stereotypes on my part):

 

a. There is substantially less emphasis on buyer satisfaction guarantee. If you bought a fake, many will say that the seller is skillful and you are stupid.

b. Most do not like too many questions asked. You see the item, that's it. Few sellers haggle, most don't. Haggling is usually possible when you buy many items and pay cash. Then you get 10-25% discount.

c. If they don't like anything about the transaction they just stop responding. It is not considered rude. They might also never speak to you again. Its just the way - with some you develop great relationship, and others will always be sick when you are in town.

d. Average tosogu even at the current yen rate is more expensive there. But there are also very many bargains to find, as the market is huge and most tosogu are not papered. Internet retail prices for lowish end tosogu are comparable in Japan and the US.

e. The blades are less expensive there, but buying by photographs is difficult. The fakers there are much more sophisticated and sinister than so often maligned Chinese copies on ebay.

f. Very high end tosogu is much more expensive there and its often highly papered. In the US there is not much market for 3mil Juyo menuki.

 

Hope that helps.

[autodex]

Thanks for the info

[Guido]

 (surely a completely erroneous and personal stereotypes on my part):

 

I'm a fraid I have to completely agree with that statement, especially when it comes to a., b. & c.