AnewAgain Posted June 3 Report Posted June 3 Good morning everyone, What better way to start a collection of your own than purchasing the entire collection of someone else... It's just like jumping into the deep end of the pool without knowing how to swim! The original owner (who passed away) was an avid collector of all things Japanese. I'm planning on thinning this collection out and wanted to get some opinions from the much more experienced collectors here. Here are 1 through 17 side A: Quote
kissakai Posted June 3 Report Posted June 3 I'd do some research first as you may only have the one chance to see them in hand I see nothing wrong with your selection but check out No14, possibly Kaka . Generally standard tsuba Hopefully some will translate the kanji for No4 Quote
ROKUJURO Posted June 3 Report Posted June 3 Charles, first question for me would be "Why did you buy them? What do you like?" No 1 is photographed upside-down, no. 11 might not be authentic. Quote
AnewAgain Posted June 3 Author Report Posted June 3 Kantaro: Thanks! kissakai: Thanks! SteveM translated the artist name on the box of number 4 to be 貫齊 (Ikkansai) ROKUJURO: I went to the estate sale with the hopes of acquiring a katana (since there were several), but they ended up running far beyond what I was interested in spending. The tsuba collection caught my eye and I was able to get them for what I thought was a reasonable price. Numbers 5, 17, and 12 are the one's I'm most drawn to at this point. As for #1, my wife came in while I was taking the photos and picked up a couple of them... I missed that she put it back upside down! Ha! Better picture of #5: Quote
Spartancrest Posted June 4 Report Posted June 4 (edited) I think number 14 is the standout for me - very nice piece. I think Jean has a point on number 11, the sekigane is "odd" and the holes drilled through are very random and not well executed. 11 may have started off as something else or was home made. A few good pieces in the collection but condition is letting them down a little. The Shippo design of number 12 is good and I like its shape but the pitting on the ura is a little sad. A similar shippo design - https://sanmei.com/contents/en-us/p2433.html [I think the asking price is a little over the top!] may as well add this example - https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1187433530 Not the same theme but similar style to number 5 - https://www.slam.org/search/423%3A1949/ in the Saint Louis Art Museum Are you game enough to say what you paid for your "instant collection"? NOFI Edited June 4 by Spartancrest MORE LINKS Quote
FlorianB Posted June 4 Report Posted June 4 In my eyes these are study pieces for the beginner but for a decent price the collection seems OK. However, some day it won’t be easy to get rid of them again. BTW: No. 7 lost the rim, it should look like: https://world-seiyudo.com/product/tu-050522/ 1 Quote
Steves87 Posted June 4 Report Posted June 4 Would you be the same (good) AnewAgain seller I once got an Alva museum replicas item from? Quote
Spartancrest Posted June 4 Report Posted June 4 Just now, FlorianB said: BTW: No. 7 lost the rim, it should look like: Good pick up Florian! Quote
AnewAgain Posted June 4 Author Report Posted June 4 13 hours ago, Spartancrest said: I think number 14 is the standout for me - very nice piece. I think Jean has a point on number 11, the sekigane is "odd" and the holes drilled through are very random and not well executed. 11 may have started off as something else or was home made. A few good pieces in the collection but condition is letting them down a little. The Shippo design of number 12 is good and I like its shape but the pitting on the ura is a little sad. A similar shippo design - https://sanmei.com/contents/en-us/p2433.html [I think the asking price is a little over the top!] may as well add this example - https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1187433530 Not the same theme but similar style to number 5 - https://www.slam.org/search/423%3A1949/ in the Saint Louis Art Museum Are you game enough to say what you paid for your "instant collection"? NOFI Thanks for the links Spartancrest! I'm into the lot of 17 tsubas, 3 fuchi, and 1 kashira for $1100. 1 Quote
AnewAgain Posted June 4 Author Report Posted June 4 9 hours ago, FlorianB said: In my eyes these are study pieces for the beginner but for a decent price the collection seems OK. However, some day it won’t be easy to get rid of them again. BTW: No. 7 lost the rim, it should look like: https://world-seiyudo.com/product/tu-050522/ That might make sense (re: study pieces)... The gentlemen that passed was a professor emeritus at a prestigious university. Good catch with No. 7. Quote
AnewAgain Posted June 4 Author Report Posted June 4 9 hours ago, Steves87 said: Would you be the same (good) AnewAgain seller I once got an Alva museum replicas item from? One and the same! Small world! 1 Quote
Spartancrest Posted June 5 Report Posted June 5 12 hours ago, AnewAgain said: I'm into the lot of 17 tsubas, 3 fuchi, and 1 kashira for $1100. Fair price - it would likely cost that much for shipping individually plus fees, so a good start! [Now you know you can never stop at just 17 tsuba - the game has only just begun! ] My favourite quote is from Arthur H. Church in 1899. "But I was not able to resist for long the varied fascinations of these curious things, so that after much wide gathering, followed by severe weeding, my tsuba cabinet contains over a thousand examples." I have been collecting for about forty years and have only amassed about 300, so my collection is a little paltry by comparison. 2 1 Quote
Jesta Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 On 6/5/2025 at 3:49 AM, Spartancrest said: Fair price - it would likely cost that much for shipping individually plus fees, so a good start! [Now you know you can never stop at just 17 tsuba - the game has only just begun! ] My favourite quote is from Arthur H. Church in 1899. "But I was not able to resist for long the varied fascinations of these curious things, so that after much wide gathering, followed by severe weeding, my tsuba cabinet contains over a thousand examples." I have been collecting for about forty years and have only amassed about 300, so my collection is a little paltry by comparison. Alfred Church’s words hit hard… I reckon that a 1000 would be a reasonable number to end up with. I shall continue working towards that goal 1 Quote
FlorianB Posted June 7 Report Posted June 7 At least the mark should be quality, not quantity. But I must admit - lucky if you could combine both! 1 Quote
Alex A Posted June 7 Report Posted June 7 No 11 reminds me of a real chunky tsuba i saw on a wak at an arms show years ago. I assumed it was just something home made to fit, not necessarily a "fake", so to speak. 1 Quote
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