A beautifully hand painted two panel byobu screen depicting a young samurai being prepared for battle. Signed and sealed by artist 仙挙 Senkyo. Painting is of a servant kneels before the samurai helping to assemble the many layers of protective clothing an armor...

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...

Framed painting of a warrior with a drawn sword, holding a severed head in his hand. On his back a flag with the image of a skull. Perhaps one of the heroes of the Taiheiki, such as Endo Giemon Masatada. But between Kuniyoshi and other Utagawa artists, several series of heroes were produced. Unsigned. The style of Utagawa Kuniyoshi or Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Black ink and colors on paper, mounted as a scroll, cut and framed. Japan, Edo period, 19th century.

Frame H 49 ½ x W 27 ¼ in...

A very rare find indeed, two early to mid Edo period matching Kashi-gusoku Yoroi from the same armory featuring Momonari Kabuto and Hotoke-Ni-Mai Do decorated with jagged bands of gold. A very impressive set. The sleeves are patterned blue and white hemp. The thumb on one sleeve is missing and the two hinge pins...

A very unusual Katana held in a saya (scabbard) made to look like a gnarled branch cut into a poor man’s cane. When pulled a spring-loaded mechanism releases two iron flanges creating a very effective tsuba hand guard. The blade is unsigned, measuring Nishaku nissun nibu {26-1/2 inches (67.3 cm)}. The remnants of a piece of paper remain glued to the saya with the name Masaaki Noma (?) written in cursive Roman letters, followed by UZUMASA, an area in Kyoto city...

A complete set of seven Japanese piercing Yajiri (Yanone) hand forged iron arrows heads. Signed with the pierced Mori clan family crest.
Watakusi (Flesh Terror / Barbed) These shapes are usually very ornamental in form and would have been originally used in battle. Each arrowheads can vary in length from 1 inch to over 6 inches and most have a saw cut piercing. The Mei (signature) on this style of arrowhead would usually be located on the nakago...

Circular jingasa with a gradual domed top. The composition is of bamboo, paper, layers of lacquer work with intricate shell inlay. The jingasa is decorated to the edge of three gilt lacquer circular crests (mon) The interior is finished in red with its original cotton gear straps and cushion...

Japanese circular jingasa with a gradual pointed top and curved rim in the front. Lacquered black with a crest in gold. The underside is lacquered red.

Jingasa ("war hat", a type of kasa commonly worn by samurai and ashigaru.
In the Edo period, the politics of display of sankin kôtai and other ceremonial occasions led to jingasa becoming more decorative in appearance, as was also the case for many other items of samurai arms, armor, and clothing...

Unusual Antique Japanese maki-e lacquer Jingasa (Samurai helmet) decorated in low relief lacquer work of a fierce looking red Oni with piercing gold eyes and teeth . A gilt lacquer mon, or family crest is seen below the Oni representing daffodils. The underside of the helmet is smooth, shiny black lacquer.
The samurai class in feudal Japan, as well as their retainers and footsoldiers (ashigaru), used several types of jingasa made from iron, copper, wood, paper, bamboo, or leather...

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"

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.

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. This was not done to save material nor economy, because the silver...

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

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. Japan early Edo about 1700. Dimensions: 65x2m...

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. On full moon evening...

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

Ni-Mai do complete armour, (tosei gussoku), the helmet (kabuto) of the hoshi suji bachi type (visible rivets) with 62 lames. Signed inside the bowl but illegible. Tehen in gilded and chiseled copper. Maedate with demon head (oni) and gilt lacquered wakidate. The mabizashi and the 5-lame shikoro are made of black lacquered iron. The menpo in brown lacquered iron and mustache is of the ressei type. The teeth are silver lacquered. The gorget (yodarekake) of 4-lame. The cuirass (do) is in 2 parts en...

This exceptional tanto is very original, unique in its kind, it represents a bundle of lotus flowers wrapped in a canvas. The mount is in silver, embossed for the leaves of the sheath and cast for the flower buds at both ends. The seppa are in shakudo and gold. Some elements in gilded bronze. The design of the sheath is unique, it is a perfect imitation of a fabric canvas. It is made of woven bamboo fibers covered with lacquer. The effect is striking, the impression of a real fabric is real, we ...