A kozuka with gilt and silvered bronze decoration of a general's baton and banner on dark patinated bronze nanako ('fish roe' textured ground.) The utility knife handle with shakudo (a pickled gold and copper alloy) back and sides. Surfaces showing wear and slight distress from use but in fairly good and serviceable condition. Could benefit from a light cleaning and oiling. Length, little more than 3 3/4 inches (9.53 cm)

Solid gold, silver, shibuichi and sentoku inlaid shakudo tsuba. The setting presents us with a Japanese warrior slaying an enemy wearing foreign armor that seems to be Chinese or even Mongol. This could be a reference to the attempted invasion of Japan by China Mongols in the 13th century. The tsuba bears the signature of Yoshiaki who was one of the greatest artists of his time...

Shakudo tsuba with a relief decor representing foliage and flowers, with gilt highlights on a background of tiny dots. The tsuba is unsigned. Japan, late Edo period. Height: 7.2 cm. Very good condition despite a slight erosion all over the piece. Sold with its box.

An armorer's iron tsuba, possibly for a wakizashi as it is somewhat diminuitive in size. Or perhaps more in keeping with its apparent age, an early example of a proportionately small tsuba used with an uchigatana as was first the fashion. Sukashi decoration of a conch (horagai) traditionally used for ritual practices and for signaling on the battlefield...

Two stacks of each 5 flat boxes or trays for storing kozuka, fuchi-kashira or other small and flat objects, the tops both covered with a lid. Both stacks stand on a rectangular bottom plate, tied with a braided silk rope. Shitan (sandal wood). Meiji period, around 1900.
Bottom plate: 9 7/8 x 8 5/8 in. (25 x 21.8 cm). Each tray 8 3/8 x 4 ¾ x 1 1/16 in...

Tsuba in shakudo decorated with a floral basket flown over by butterflies. Inlays (Taka Zogan) in solid gold, in fact the flowers are not in gilded copper as usual but in cast solid gold. The nanako background is particularly regular and deep. The artist used gold of two shades, a pure yellow and a pale yellow probably due to the addition of platinum or silver. Anonymous despite the excellent quality. Japan 19th century or before. 76x4mm

Tsuba in cut iron, details inlaid in solid gold. The characters are excessively in relief, thickness of the tsuba 4.8 mm and 9.6 mm for the characters. Diameter: 76mm. Decor representing Jô and Uba with their broom and rake under a pine tree. This refers to the legend of 2 lovers who, united for life, were very happy and together became very old. They died the same day at the same time. Their spirit lives in 2 old pines, one in Sumi-Yoshi and one on the beach of Taka-Sago...

Cut iron tsuba. Decor of dragons and sacred pearls. Inside the beads, tiny iron balls are mobile. The style is called Namban. This kind of tsuba is little represented without however being rare. But the model presented here is exceptionally of excellent quality. Indeed the blacksmith has cut out his pattern excessively finely like an iron lace. We do not know of a model with such thin wires cut at the extreme limit of the constraints of the metal...

Very beautiful tsuba in sentoku inlaid with shakudo, gold and silver by Jo-I, first-rank artist from the end of the 18th century. The funny subject represents a man driving demons out of his house by throwing beans on the ground. Excellent work, perfect finish. No restoration or hidden defects. Original patinas. 67x58x4 mm

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...

Two nicely matched Edo period mixed metal menuki. Each with decoration of a duck in water. Some difference in the detailing of the water and perhaps different duck species (though one could explain the lack of a crest and color on one because it was the female of a pair of mandarin wood ducks.) For the price, they would work quite well together on a tsuka (sword hilt.) Longer one, about 1 1/2 inches. Good condition.

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"

A 16th century Yoshiro Zogan tsuba. The type is named for a Kaga province artist considered to have advanced the late Onin period brass inlay art to that of hira-zogan - flush with the iron surface. The school also took hold in other provinces, most notably Bizen. The mokko-gata form of this tsuba would appear to be uncommon for Yoshiro Zogan tsuba particularly of katana size. Eight ka-mon are inlaid in open work fashion...