An Edo Period Kozuka (utility knife handle.) Kinko (mixed soft metals) decoration on shakudo alloy with nanako (fish roe textured) background. Depicted in a farmer with horse in water plowing in prepartion to plant rice. A willow or other weeping tree, to one side, not yet with blooms. Nicely detailed with featured highlighted with gold and silver overlay. The water nicely textures with an itame (wood grain) effect. Serviceable, fair to good condition...

Antique Japanese tsuba (hand guard for a samurai sword), made all of iron and cast in the form of a daikon raddish. The leafy tops of the daikon are highly raised and the raddish root itself twists around becoming the circular rounded edge of the tsuba. Wonderful three dimensional quality. Edo Period. Size: 3" wide diameter

Japanese antique tsuba (hand guard for a samurai sword), cast all of iron. The motif appears to be a combination of two kamon (family crests); one being the inside part of a mokko crest and the other the swirling comma shaped arms of a tomoe or mitsudomoe (Shinto) mon. The resulting design is an open work of elegant lines. Edo Period. Size: 3 1/8" wide diameter

Antique Japanese iron tsuba. Used as a sword fitting where the blade meets the handle. Designed to protect the hands of the Warrior. Unusual three dimensional rippling wave/cloud patterns. Hand forged to look like natural wood graining. Includes padded storage box. Edo period (1615-1868) Size: 3.25" x 3"

Antique Japanese tsuba (hand guard for a samurai sword). Made of bronze in the form of bending grain and leaves inlaid with gold details.
Meiji Period (1868 -1912) Size: 2 3/8" long x 1 7/8" wide.

A well forged, handsome mokume tsuba in mokko-gata form with katakiri-bori landscape decoration on both the omote and ura. The mokume grain is large and well controlled reminding one of ayasugi hada. In fact, this tsuba is indeed a tosho (swordsmith's) tsuba, being made by [Kai Ju] Kiyonaga and dated the third year of Bunkyo (1863) believed to be the same as KIY 298 referenced in Hawley's, Japanese Swordsmiths...

Japanese tsuba, a sword fitting to protect a swordsman's hand from sliding up the blade during use as well as to provide balance. The tsuba depicts a scene of hunters, one on horseback and the other on foot wielding a staff, in pursuit of a leaping rabbit, in gilt and silver. The backside of the tsuba depicts a running fox in gilt and copper.

Dimensions: 2 1/2" x 2 1/8"

Japanese hand-forged iron tsuba, used to protect a swordsman's hand from sliding up the blade during use as well as to provide balance. The openwork tsuba depicting two sages, their robes accented in gilt, one sage with a face of silver and the other with a face of copper. The front image is signed 'Soheishi Nyudo Soten' , the other side reads 'Goshu Hikone ju' (resides in Goshu-current Shiga prefecture).

Dimensions: 3 1/8" x 3 1/4"

Japanese hand-forged iron tsuba, used to protect a swordsman's hand from sliding up the blade during use as well as to provide balance. The openwork motifs depict a man and ox resting below pine trees and a cottage with gold gilt, with a faint signature illegible from wear.

Edo Period (1603-1868)

Dimensions: 2 5/8" x 2 3/4"

Antique Japanese group of 6 tsuba (samurai sword hand guards), made of iron. Each tsuba is unique. From top left to right: suksahi tsube with aoi leaves and tiny inlaid gold details, sukashi tsuba with boat with sail in the mist and signed Masayoshi, sukashi tsuba with three gourds aubergine motif, sukashi tsube with boat and sail, sukashi tsuba with pine branch and mist, wangata tsube with two characters...

A Rare pair of antique 18th – 19th century Japanese samurai kozuka knife handles, each made of darkened copper alloy exterior adorned with a hand chiselled in relief and highlighted with gold raised bouquet of flowers in takazogan on a shakudo jitta with a ground of fine nanako, and a silvered kabutogane.

CONDITION: Age and usage are showing; with its original patina

Please notice that the pictures in the listing are part of the description of the condition of the object...

A bag made of deer skin with indigo dye hemp rope. It was used for coins which were distributed among citizens in Edo period. Paper moneys were issued later, in Meiji period (1868~1912). The first half of the 19th century. 26cm x 62cm

Japanese tachi-kake or samurai's sword stand, black lacquered and rich intricate shell inlay work, with a reishi mushroom shaped finial.

Late Edo period (1603-1868)

Dimensions: 10 1/4" x 8 1/4" x 25" H

Japanese iron tsuba, or hand guard for a samurai's sword, with openwork motifs of peonies and scrolling leaves, with silver and gilt inlay pollen, detailed on the reverse, with signature.

Edo period (1603-1868)

Dimensions: 2 3/4" x 3"

Japanese iron tsuba, an important fitting on a samurai's sword to protect their hands from the blade and provide balance. Decorated with relief gold lacquer image of a gourd and opposing catfish. The backside of the tsuba is gold plated, with commemorative inscription "Bill - Christmas, 1972". The plating is signed with 14k and 18k gold marks, and stamped Potter Mellen. With custom base.

Mid Edo Period (1603 - 1868)

Dimensions: 3" x 2 3/4" x 4 3/4" (w/ stand)

Antique pair of Japanese menuki. These small but detailed elements of a traditional samurai sword were originally made to hide the pins (mekugi) that hold the back end of the blade (tang) to the hilt (tsuka). Made in pairs, they were positioned on either side of the handle. These menuki are especially fine and depict two men, likely sages by their long hair. Probably they are the friends, Kanzan (the Zen poet) and Jittoku (a servant at a monastery)...

Menuki wirh gold and silver metal, presenting an octopus with a towel-like tissue. Japan Edo (1630 - 1868) 19th century 7 x 3 cm

An excellent shakudo tsuba inlaid with a "thousand flowers" decoration in gold, silver and sentoku. The technique is particular, the tsuba is first cast in shakudo with all the flowers in relief, then chiseled. Then each flower is covered with a thick sheet of metal, gold, silver or sentoku, this sheet is hammered on the sides of the flowers as one would border a bed sheet. Excellent work , exceedingly difficult more than inlaid...