Help needed,

[peter]

Hi Guys,

i hope you can help identifing these kozuka handles i picked up, i hear it was a big thing to put cutlery blades into them as 2 of these do, any help on age style well anything would be helpfull,

many thanks,

Peter

[peter]

Hoping these come out a little better as the message board won,t except pics from my digi camera and i don,t no how to sent it,

thanks for looking and for any help you gents might add,

Peter

[Marius]

Hi Guys,

i hope you can help identifing these kozuka handles i picked up, i hear it was a big thing to put cutlery blades into them as 2 of these do, any help on age style well anything would be helpfull,

many thanks,

Peter

 

Peter,

 

your pics don't really help, but from what I see (and I don't see much), most of your kozuka look like Meiji souvenirs. I am tempted to guess that IMGA0049.JPG could be the real thing.

 

BTW, "kozuka handle" is not exactly correct

Kozuka IS the handle of a kogatana, an accessory knife.

[christianmalterre]

Hello Peter,

 

Mariusz is right-those are no Kozuka(Kozuka were produced as described)

 

Those objects you posted were/are in fact handles for cutlery-knives(those were very en vogue during the time 1900+ in Western countries like France,Italy,Spain or also but not so much common in the U.S.

Ordered and purchased from in those times still existant burguoise households-used for "Tea-time" or "Fruit" dinners ect.

Their´s construction and fabrication is not like those of Kozuka even if they resemble near or equal in optic for an lay.

Mass produced for the western market and distributed equally on order for cuttlery industry(see for example the history of the Solingen cutlery factory,Germany)

Lots are actually to be found on all kind of Antiques-Fairs or Antiques-Stores specialised on Stile-Objects.....

(I first thought your´s dragon one may be a Kozuka-but this one,too is not in fact-the relief/carving is set on the handle-not massive and overproportional....also the "picturesques" never appear in such big proportions on Kozuka-even on those produced those times/well naturally there are a view exceptions-but those are rare...)

 

Christian

[peter]

Hello Guys

Thank You all for looking,

also big thanks to Mariusz and Christian, i did hear they where popular in victorian times but thought they had been brought to the west by travellers at that time, didn,t know they where mass produced, again if theres a market for it out come the fakes, they didn,t cost much so cheap lesson learned, gotta love the NMB for an education

Peter

[John A Stuart]

Most of these that were made for the purpose are double sided. I think they are great for dining in the sword collectors house, as a theme along with other Japanese silver, porcelain etc. John

[Marius]

know they where mass produced, again if theres a market for it out come the fakes, they didn,t cost much so cheap lesson learned, gotta love the NMB for an education

Peter,

 

they are not exactly fakes, just not kozuka BTW, is this a kogatana I see in IMGA0056.JPG ? You might want to make a better picture of this particular item. It looks like a kozuka to me, and a pic would help.

[Lindus]

Try Using a flatbed scanner on these small items,usually gives a good image and is a quick method.

Roy

[peter]

Thanks all for your replies .

Just something I was wondering. How was the kogatana fixed into the. Kozuka?

Peter

[John A Stuart]

They were glued using a pine resin glue. John