shan Posted December 16, 2008 Report Posted December 16, 2008 I got this Today and i must admit it looks very very old compared to most (if not all) of my other tsuba`s. Its inlaid with copper and is a large round 8.5cm diameter thin plate. Its shiny because it is oiled and needs a clean. What school might it be.Yoshiro? would it be Edo or muromachi? Many thanks Shan
Bungo Posted December 20, 2008 Report Posted December 20, 2008 ummmmmmm, pushing aside the garlics. I think this could be a Hizen tsuba with namban influence ? not something i would actively seek out but it does have it's rustic charm( the dragon ). The reverse is ...... no comment ( can't think of anything positive to say and Mama said if you have nothing ........ ) I don't think this is early, most likely late mid to late edo. milt
shan Posted December 20, 2008 Author Report Posted December 20, 2008 Thanks Milt, I thought Namban might be another option. thanks again shan.
docliss Posted December 20, 2008 Report Posted December 20, 2008 Does anybody know what are the images on the reverse of this tsuba? Dragon's tonsils perhaps .... John L.
shan Posted January 1, 2009 Author Report Posted January 1, 2009 Hi all, I got this tsuba as a favour for a so called friend (the chap Named "Jim" from Northampton,you remember,The Guy who destroyed the Tanto nakago by grinding it to fit a tsuka because Don Bayney said it was worthless) and was to let him have it for exactly what i paid for it. He agreed and sent me a cheque but after about 3-4 days he sent me an email stating that he had Shown it to Mr Don Bayney of Greys antiques market London. Apparently MR Bayney stated that it is in fact a fake chinese tsuba that has been artificially patinated and so "jim" said he no longer wanted it. As i Bought this Tsuba from the website of Andy Quirt i find this hard to believe but perhaps This Mr D Bayney is right.(after all he has been for this guy in the past) I would love your opinions on whether this does look fake and whether it would fool Andy Quirt if it was. i will note responces and not defend the tsuba in any way. Thanks shan
Stephen Posted January 1, 2009 Report Posted January 1, 2009 whether it would fool Andy Quirt theres no fool like a old fool but i can tell you one thing Andy is not fooled on Tsuba or much of anything else.
b.hennick Posted January 1, 2009 Report Posted January 1, 2009 I agree with Stephen. Andy is a good dealer. I trust his judgment. He tends to err on the side of caution. On his site you can see things that read although signed this blade has not been to shinsa accordingly it is being priced as a mumei blade. He then provides examples of shoshin signatures. Many others would just tout the maker. Andy has been in the sword business a very long time. His reputation is what allows him to be successful. BTW I have purchased things from Andy. People can be pt off by comments from others that are not complementary to their blades or fittings. I know of one who recently put a blade up for sale as it did not receive praise as expected. The sword happens to be a very good sword but not to everyone's taste. You have to learn to trust your own judgment. It does help to buy from collectors or good dealers.
Bungo Posted January 1, 2009 Report Posted January 1, 2009 " MR Bayney stated that it is in fact a fake chinese tsuba " Mr. Bayney is wrong. milt
Ted Tenold Posted January 1, 2009 Report Posted January 1, 2009 Shan, A long time ago, I heard a very poignant saying regarding swords and fittings; "Show it to 10 different people, and you may get 10 different answers". So here's mine: I have seen this tsuba in hand. Andy showed it to me personally. I also pondered what it might be; Yoshiro, Hizen, Namban, and I more or less settled on Hizen. But I never questioned it's authenticity as a tsuba of Japanese origins. It simply did not strike me as a reproduction, Chinese or otherwise, in any respect. Though it has some conditional issues (which were disclosed) I believe it a righteous tsuba and I know Andy is a rightous guy. The problem is not the tsuba. The problem is that doing a favor for the guy backfired on you based on his lack of knowledge and someone else's opinion.
Brian Posted January 1, 2009 Report Posted January 1, 2009 This is actually a bit absurd really. Think about it. Person A buys a tsuba from person B. Person A sells it to person C, who takes it to person D, who allegedly says it is a fake. That's gone even further beyond third person allegations. To me, it seems like this Jim character is just playing you, and doesn't have much knowledge himself. You can't take what he alleges person D says very reliably. Frankly, I would stop dealing with Jim, who isn't happy with what you do for him anyways. And this has nothing to do with Don, who didn't even have a hand in the sale in the first place. No more of this nonsense. Brian
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