An Edo period kankyûtô
A double-edged samurai tool with morbid origins.
Signed nakago kozuka
A by-knife for a Japanese sword, with a hilt shaped like a sword tang.
Japanese steel plate
Worked in repousse, possibly once part of an ornamental piece of armor.
Wakizashi in Burmese hilt
An unusual cross-cultural mix, blending Burmese, Japanese and Indian parts.
Kusari katabira zukin
Japanese mail set, with small ring vest and coif sewn to a thick cotton undergarment.
Qing openwork saber guard
A very rare Chinese saber guard dating from the height of the Qing dynasty.
An interesting Japanese yari
Signed Yasutsugu, with sayagaki referring to the Tokugawa family.
A Japanese wari-kōgai
Iron chopsticks that combine as a kogai, with silver inlaid Paulownia mon.
Kiyou-Toujin Tsuba
A Japanese style sword guard made in 17th century Nagasaki Chinatown.
Tachi tsuba of nanban tetsu
A rare 17th-century sword guard made of foreign steel.
House of Aviz tsuba
A Japanese sword guard with the cross of the House of Aviz.
Fuchi kashira by Hisayuki
A beautiful signed Japanese ferrule and pommel plate.
Classic Choshu ship tsuba
The work nice and crisp, the execution has a naturalistic charm to it.
Ono school ship tsuba
Description
A classic Japanese ship tsuba with a motif called “kazeho” (風帆) or “b
Ezo style tsuba
Introduction
What are today known as "Ezo fittings" are a style of Japanese sword mounts that are character
A Japanese nanban style tsuba
Description
An interesting little sword guard, of fairly simple form with designs carved i
Asian Export sword guard
A large imported "Canton" sword guard with paired dragons chasing a jewel.
Nanban kogai & kozuka set (futakoromono)
The only set of its type known to me in both private and museum collections.
A Japanese kusarigama
The Japanese kusarigama is a variation of the gama, a scythe-like weapon that was likely inspired
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Things Chinese, 1719
Description
A Japanese volume from the 唐土訓蒙圖彚 or "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Things Chinese", it was publi
A nanban kozuka / kogatana
Nanban kozuka are extremely rare, and this is a particularly fine example.
Converted Chinese guard
A purely Chinese guard and not a very ornate one.
Chinese export sword guard
An iron openwork guard two dragons chasing a flaming pearl.
A nanban tsuba with Christian orb
A near round tsuba with beaded rim depicting two dragons in vegetal scrollwork.
A nanban tsuba
A rather good example of a Japanese-made nanban tsuba.