JBHIII Posted February 4 Report Posted February 4 I am new to this forum. My father was in Tokyo during the Korean War. He collected over 30 kozukas. I am trying to evaluate their value and don't know where to start. I am looking for advice. thanks, Jim Quote
Ray Singer Posted February 4 Report Posted February 4 Hi James, you will need to attached a larger, higher resolution image in order to receive feedback. The details cannot be seen these photos. Show each piece clearly, front and back. Best regards, Ray 1 Quote
drbvac Posted February 4 Report Posted February 4 Welcome Jim: First thing you need to do is take pictures that anyone can actually see the Kozukas you are inquiring about - it is impossible to see anything on these pics Quote
ChrisW Posted February 4 Report Posted February 4 (edited) 6 minutes ago, JBHIII said: I am new to this forum. My father was in Tokyo during the Korean War. He collected over 30 kozukas. I am trying to evaluate their value and don't know where to start. I am looking for advice. thanks, Jim James, There is a sword club located in your state. Search for "Texas Token Kai" here on this website and reach out to them. I am sure they could help you better than anyone could. In person is always better than squinting at photos. ~Chris Edited February 4 by ChrisW 2 Quote
John C Posted February 4 Report Posted February 4 Jim: It looks like several have menuki (matching?) with them. You could have some nice pieces there. Definately seek out some sword collectors (NOT pawn shops or the like - they aren't likely to know the good stuff from average) or at least post some good quality pics here. John C. 1 Quote
Ed Posted February 5 Report Posted February 5 (edited) What part of Texas do you live? I am nearby, shoot me an email (see below). Edited February 5 by Ed 1 Quote
JBHIII Posted February 12 Author Report Posted February 12 I appreciate the responses. I am trying to attaching more photos. I only took one photo of the back of one, but can take more. thanks for your help. Jim Looks like I will need to send more photos because of size limitations. 2 Quote
John C Posted February 12 Report Posted February 12 James: Wow. You have some really nice pieces! I don't know enough to give you a specific valuation (something we avoid doing anyway), however I can say that I have seen similar pieces sold on ebay for hundreds of dollars EACH. Individually, you may have some even nicer than that. I think it would be worth your time to seek out an expert - someone who deals with this kind of stuff regularly - or find a Token society meeting near where you live. But PLEASE take you time with this. I think you may be surprised at the overall value of what you have. John C. 1 Quote
SteveM Posted February 13 Report Posted February 13 Are any of these signed on the back? And, possible to get a clearer shot of this one? 1 Quote
kissakai Posted February 13 Report Posted February 13 Did your father have records of these items? Most collectors would have details of their collection If he did these would greatly assist in an evaluation Quote
Lewis B Posted February 13 Report Posted February 13 Some really nice pieces there James. If you are in the Dallas, Houston or Austin areas you could start be visiting this store. They have a big selection of antique tosogu and could provide some information on your fathers collection. Call ahead and make sure the person in charge of that department is available for a consultation. https://collectorsfirearms.com The Tokenkai list shows one branch in Austin. No idea how up to date the info is but could be worth an email. https://japaneseswordindex.com/swordgrp.htm Quote
Rivkin Posted February 13 Report Posted February 13 Unfortunately each one has to be photographed individually, or at least no more than 3 per frame, front and back, strictly from above - no angles, no lazy smartphone shots. Sorry, but this is the only way to appraise those by photo, which is possible to do. There are some nice pieces here, couple for which I would offer 1500 as is, and I am sure you'll get a very decent description of what you have with better pictures. 1 Quote
ROKUJURO Posted February 13 Report Posted February 13 This thread should be in the TOSOGU section I think. 1 Quote
Scogg Posted February 13 Report Posted February 13 @JBHIII Relocating your thread to the TOSOGU section. I think you will get more input and opinions over there. Best of luck with your fathers collection, Some cool items there. -Sam 1 Quote
Curran Posted February 13 Report Posted February 13 Welcome to the Tosogu section. That is quite a mix of kozuka. There are several nice ones in there. Personally, I like the Edo Goto one of black [shakudo] crabs. There are also two or three Hamano, a Kaga kinko, and one or two others. Signatures on the back might help produce more information, though there were a lot of "added signatures" done in the late 1800s to make them sell better to the visiting foreigners. Still, we can judge. If you feel like going through them one at a time... Some of us welcome the challenge. Also, visiting Ed M. over in Louisiana should give you some quality answers. Curran 3 Quote
Curran Posted February 13 Report Posted February 13 The kozuka with the large tiger on it is in Sekibun's style. It is probably signed on the back with a sloppy looking signature. Ie. Not as neat as the signatures on the back of Hamano kozuka. 3 Quote
SteveM Posted February 14 Report Posted February 14 This one is signed Gotō Hōgen (aka Gotō Ichijo), made at 78 years of age. This would place the date of manufacture around 1868-1869. 5 Quote
Jake6500 Posted February 15 Report Posted February 15 (edited) I see some beautiful stuff there including what (I think) are some pieces with Hamano school influences... (Tiger could also be sekibun as Curran said). The tiger kozuka and the Nioh kozuka next to it both have what look like Hamano style influences with the gold eyes and striking colour contrasts... Are either of them signed on the reverse? If so, please post images of the signatures. It wouldn't be hard to find a buyer for many of these pieces if you're looking to sell. (Hell, I'd probably make an offer on these two myself! Possibly for the tiger menuki too...) As others have said though, take your time evaluating each individual piece, even if it means extra work. Posting images of any signatures here would be a good start. Edited February 15 by Jake6500 3 Quote
Robert S Posted February 15 Report Posted February 15 This is the sort of collection that it might be worth having a quick discussion with an auction house - Bonhams, for instance. Quote
Curran Posted February 17 Report Posted February 17 On 2/15/2026 at 3:58 PM, Robert S said: This is the sort of collection that it might be worth having a quick discussion with an auction house - Bonhams, for instance. Why? If he wants to shotgun sell it, maybe. If he wants to learn more about the pieces, he'd do better here or with the help of some of the private forums that exist around. Ed is more likely to help him than Bonhams. I have the greatest respect for Jeff Olson at Bonhams, and I have sold with him both there and when he was at Christies. When you walk into an auction house to sell something, you should really know before hand what it is that you are bringing in. 3 Quote
jlawson Posted February 17 Report Posted February 17 James if you are in the San Antonio area we have a group here and would be happy to take a look at your items and help out. Feel free to send me a PM. Quote
Rivkin Posted February 17 Report Posted February 17 Auction house will send photos to a friend who will do B- job on translating signatures... and that's about it. You'll get better information going through a trouble of good photography and posting it here. 5 Quote
JBHIII Posted February 17 Author Report Posted February 17 I appreciate all the responses. I will did deeper into this when I have more time. Thanks for all the suggestions. Quote
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