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"

An antique Japanese tsuba done in a fluted style. The tsuba is inlayed with different copper, gold, and silver colored metals done in the zogan and shakudo styles. The image is depicting the famous scene from the Tales of Ise known as Azuma Kudari where Ariwara no Narihira goes to the East and sees Mt. Fuji. Size: Diameter 2.5" Height 0.2" Age: 19th century

Antique Japanese horse saddle, wooden frame with brass hardware, leather is decorated with orange and gold lacquer with peony design, indigo cotton fabric with woven mesh saddle cover with long fringe, Meiji Period (1868-1912). Size: 18" high x 31" wide x 25" deep.

Small bronze cannon of this type where made for shooting flaming arrows at ships, launching fireworks at festivals, and for signaling purposes. The example of cast bronze with a bore that is described as at the breach and the bore is reduced to a half round section to form a chamber for the powder mount for use. The gun would be imbedded into a wooded block such as the lower half of the barrel and the entire breach end is covered...

Small bronze cannon of this type where made for shooting flaming arrows at ships, launching fireworks at festivals, and for signaling purposes. The example of cast bronze with a bore that is described as at the breach and the bore is reduced to a half round section to form a chamber for the powder mount for use. The gun would be imbedded into a wooded block such as the lower half of the barrel and the entire breach end is covered...

Antique Japanese hikeshi banten, fireman's coat. Made of layers of cotton fabric and stitched in the sashiko quilting technique. Fires were common in Japanese urban areas due to the dense population as well as construction material (primarily wood and paper). Fire brigades were made up of samurai class (buke hikeshi) as well as common class (machi hikeshi). Their primary goal in containing a fire was to tear down the surrounding buildings so the fire had no more fuel...

Antique Japanese menuki of a snarling fu dog's head over gilt flowing "fabric", made with gold ,silver, shakudo,copper and bronze.. Menuki are one of many components to a Japanese sword, mounted as an ornament on the tsuka (handle). They are believed by some to secure the swordsman's grip. Size: 1.75" long, .5" wide

Antique Japanese bronze Shakudo (mixture of Gold and Copper) menuki of a fu dog with signature engraved on its backside. Menuki are one of many components to a Japanese sword, mounted as an ornament on the tsuka (handle). They are believed by some to secure the swordsman's grip. Size: 1 1/4" Long x .5" wide

Rare Antique Japanese Edo period samurai kozuka knife handle, made of copper-gold alloy (shakudō). Exterior adorned with a finely executed raised design of a snail cruising on a warabi. Very nice Kozuka with a rare design of a snail.

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 object's condition...

Antique Japanese Edo period 1600-1868, Samurai war hat Nirayama Jingasa kabuto made of finely hand-woven bamboo fiber with a black lacquered exterior, adorned on each side with gold samurai nobility family crest - moon. The interior is lacquered with red urushi...

Antique Japanese light weight Jingasa (Samurai hat) made with a basketweave bamboo and paper coated in black and red lacquer. The front of the hat has the gilt paulownia leaf mon (family crest) with the top decorated with a three prong yari forming a trident.

Edo age (circa 1830's)

Size: 15.5" W x 3.5"

A small antique Japanese iron tsuba decorated with motifs of cherry blossoms blown in the wind. The tsuba is decorated in a way where on one side is a branch of the cherry blossoms and the other side is the flowers scattered on the ground. The flowers are done in a shakudo style technique. Size: Diameter 2.75" Height 0.2"

Introduced to Japan through the Portuguese in 1543. Intended for use by mounted samurai, these pistols where called horsemen cannon's (Bajo zutsu).
They proved however to be totally impractical weapons to fire, since the rider had to ignite a piece of chord to the lock, while aiming the chamber and at the same time controlling his moving horse. None the less, owning a pistol remained a symbol of a samurai family's power, rank, and wealth...

A pair of Japanese lacquered iron abumi (stirrups) decorated with gold lacquer on a roiro ground with dragonflies (some with aogai inlay) within scrolling leaf background, the interior in red lacquer, different necks, some chips, cracks (on red) and retouching. Edo period (17th/18th century). 11 1/2" high, 4 3/4" wide, 12 3/4" long.

This superb helmet bowl is comprised of 64 iron plates that are slightly embossed between the suji, double front plates, and a washer underneath the top front riveted inside. The bowl has been given a very dark russet finish and fitted with a simple iron visor. The meadate is a forged iron hornet with gilt brass wings. The shikkoro of five - lames of false scale laced in blue silk and brown russet lacquer...

A simple, small but stout iron tsuba. The Myochin line of metal workers were armor makers who also produced tsuba. The simple decoration upper-right here could be a flower head or a snowflake. Udenuki-ana appear lower left. Good condition. Height 2 3/4 inches (69 cm), Width 2 9/16 inches (65 cm), and 6/32 of an inche (5 mm) thick.

Rare and exceptional tanto of the Koto period with a polishing perfectly revealing the metallurgical qualities of the blade accompanied by a completely extraordinary lacquer and inlays sheath. The blade is in hira zukuri with a forge (hada) itame, a quenching in suguha. The tip (boshi) is chu maru. On the nakago in ubu keitai there are 2 mekugi ana...