A Japanese bronze Wakizashi (short sword) from Edo Period (1603-1868). It comes with a Tokugawa symbol - the “Triple Hollyhock”.

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.

Pair of early 19th century menuki - Japanese sword fittings - each depicting different hanaike - hanging container for flower arrangement, one made out of a bamboo stem, the other out of a hollow double gourd. Fantastic unusual design in Japanese taste, excellent casting and detailing, beautiful patina. Length 1 7/16 inches.

Pair of early 19th century Japanese sword menuki each depicting a pair of armored samurai in sword fights in different attitudes. Wonderful work, bronze with gilding, slight wear, in very good condition. Length 1 1/4 inches.

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

Pair of early 19th century Japanese sword menuki depicting what appears to be different proverbs. The first one llustrates a sentence “A gourd against a catfish” meaning useless effort similar to trying to catch a slippery fish with a gourd. The other one depicts a puzzled man scratching his head by a samurai spear - I am not sure what this particular story is. Elegant design, bronze and shakudo with silvering and gilding, overall in great condition. Length 1 9/16 inches.

Pair of 19th century Japanese sword menuki each depicting an undulating dragon among clouds in different attitude. Did not photograph well - photos came out too harsh. Excellent design, bronze with fire gilding, superb casting and detailing, beautiful patina. Length 1 7/8 inches.

19th century or earlier Japanese sword set of fuchi (bordering piece between the sword guard and the handle) and kashira (metal pommel at the end of the hilt of a sword) with design of geese in flight over fishing boats with woven roofs and oars moored among reeds in the marshes. Excellent set in Japanese taste with wonderfully captured mood of autumnal melancholy. Very well made, some wear to gilding. Kashira length 1.41 inches, fuchi length 1.48 inches.

Late 18th to early 19th century Japanese sword iron tsuba decorated on the front with 3 scholars and an attendant under a pine tree viewing the moon partially obscured by the clouds. There is yet another scholar on the back of the tsuba looking towards the moon as well. Excellent piece with gilding, multimetal (gold, silver and shakudo) inlays and precise detailing - see the incised textile patterns on the golden robe of the scholar on the back. Some wear, overall in excellent condition...

Pair of Kinko (soft metal, as distinguished from iron) menuki. The soft metal copper alloy with dark patination (perhaps shakudo) depicting a pair of shishi or dogs (these are more dog like than most shishi I've seen, which are often thought to be lions.) The dogs with hair defined with fine incising. Decoration in gold including spots and pupils on the dogs, the collars each with a bell, and sprays of flowers...

Pair of early 19th century Goto School menuki - Japanese sword fittings - each depicting a bundle of rice stalks with other plant leaves and berries. Different design for each piece, very good casting and detailing, beautiful patina. Come in very well made fitted kiriwood box. Length 1.6 inches.

Single 19th century Japanese sword menuki depicting a water lily bud with two leaves on stalks. Elegant design in Japanese taste, excellent work with superb detailing, bronze with beautiful coppery patina, in great condition. Signed with a single character KO on a plaque inside. Length 1 5/16 inches.

Single 19th century menuki - Japanese sword fitting - depicting a twisting dragon clutching a Precious Gem in its claws. Great design and detailing, crisp work with gilding, beautiful patina. Length 1 5/8 inches.

19th century or earlier Japanese sword set of fuchi (bordering piece between the sword guard and the handle) and kashira (metal pommel at the end of the hilt of a sword) with design of flowering prunus branches issuing from an old tree stump. Silver inlays and gilding (wear), finely textured ground called nanako, which means “fish-eggs” as it resembles fine rows of caviar. Kashira length 1.32 inches, fuchi length 1.5 inches.

Pair of early 19th century menuki - Japanese sword fittings - each depicting a pair of pigeons in different attitudes. Superb design, excellent casting and detailing, beautiful patina. Length 1 3/16 inches.

18th century iron Japanese sword tsuba with inlaid brass decoration of rice plants with seeds and leaves. Essentially the piece is a wish for prosperity. Superbly elegant design, crisp metalwork, in great condition. Height 2.9 inches.

Early 19th century Japanese sword knife (kozuka) handle made of sentoku (alloy consisting of copper, zinc and tin) with inlaid scene of two birds on the riverbank by rocks, grasses and a woven rattan container with stones - such bundles were used for shoring riverbanks during floods. Excellent quality mixed metals inlays, wonderful crisp work. Some indents to the narrow sides from usage, otherwise in very good condition. Length 3 13/16 inches.

The Katchushi style of this tsuba gives it an earlier look and feel. But it is probably an Edo period work (might expect more wear on the seppa-dai or more conspicuous tekkotsu on an older example.) The thin body nonetheless resilient. Strong, sparse, decorative file marks on the vertical add to character. Adept use of the file, thin plate and slight taper toward the rim could support argument a swordsmith may have made the tsuba...