Hizen style Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. The mokko-shaped iron body with a sukashi-bori dragon in the clouds, carved in katachi-bori and set with in a square rim, kozuka- and kogai-ana filled in with shakudo, mumei. Height: 7.5 cm, Thickness: 4.7 mm

Two iron sukashi Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. Of irregular form, both unsigned; A. eight-petal with elongated ryo-hitsu-ana and an old collector’s number (B1/nr. 257) in white; B. quatrefoil with wave-like design. Height: 7 cm

A Heianjo Tsuba, Japan, Edo-period. Iron roku-mokko-gata tsuba with heart-shaped (inome) sukashi at the indentations, brass inlay arabesques and flowers and a rope outline. Mumei. Height: 8.0 cm

An Akasaka style Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. The iron surface of faint mokko-gata, decorated with the famous yatsuhashi-design (eight bridges with irises) in ji-sukashi, details in ke-bori. Mumei. Height: 7.2 cm, Thickness: 5.4 mm

An Iron sukashi Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Naga-maru-gata, decorated with Hotei, Inari and other symbols of luck and wealth in katachi-bori, set within a thin rim. The inside of the ryo-hitsu-ana lined with gold (?), bronze sekigane and a two-character signature reading ‘Bunsui’ (?). Height: 7.2 cm, Thickness: 5.1 mm

A Shoami Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Iron naga-maru tsuba with an abumi (stirrup) and kiku within a square rim in ji-sukashi and shishiai-bori, details in gold nunome-zogan. Ryo-hitsu-ana filled in. Mumei. Height: 7.7 cm, Thickness: 4.6 mm

An iron Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Of irregular shape, close to mokko-gata, with a hammered iron surface and a twisted edge, decorated with samurai artefacts in niku-bori, details in iro-e taka-zogan. Both hitsu-ana in the shape of a kogai-ana, mumei. Height: 7.8 cm

A Nara-school Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. The brass tsuba in nade-kaku-gata is decorated with a bird of prey sitting on a willow branch and bamboo in mixed metal on an ishime ground. Mumei. Height: 6.8 cm, Thickness: 5 mm

A Shingen Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. The hammered iron mokko-gata surface with decorative brass wiring, ryo-hitsu-ana, mumei. Height: 7.6 cm, Thickness: 6 mm

A Kyoto school Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. The pierced iron maru-gata tsuba is decorated with four phoenixes surrounding an itomaki design with heart-shaped (inome or boar’s eye) openings, set within a slightly rounded rim. Details in usu-niku-bori, ryo-hitsu-ana and left unsigned. Diameter: 8 cm, Thickness: 4.8 mm

An iron sukashi Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Naga-maru-gata, decorated with han-niku-bori irises in ji-sukashi-bori, set within a maru mimi. The mumei seppa-dai with sekigane, ryo-hitsu-ana. Height: 7.9 cm, Thickness: 4.2 mm

A Mito school Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. The naga-maru iron surface showing a temple grounds’ cleaner smoking a pipe and watching a bird flying away from a pine tree, executed in niku-bori and iro-e taka-zogan. Ryo-hitsu-ana and unsigned. Height: 8.4 cm, Thickness: 4.3 mm

A Mito school Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. The hammered iron surface of mokko-gata is decorated with a shishi next to a rock with peonies in raised iro-e taka-zogan. Both hitsu-ana filled in with shakudo, mumei. Height: 8.6 cm.

A Sunagawa school iron Tsuba, Japan, late Edo period. A katachi-bori tsuba of slightly oval shape decorated with chrysanthemum leaves and flowers in ji-sukashi- and han-niku-bori. The seppa-dai signed ‘Sunagawa Masayoshi’ and a ‘kao’. Masayoshi is the 3rd master of the Sunagawa school. Height: 7.6 cm, Thickness: 4.8 mm

A Soten style Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. The round iron body decorated in maru-niku-bori with samurai on horseback fighting oni amidst clouds with details in gold. The round mimi in nunome-zogan. unsigned. Diameter: 7.0 cm, Thickness: 4.6 mm

An iron Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Mokko-gata with an iron ‘lattice’ surface decorated with wisteria in gilt bronze zogan, surrounded by a slightly raised rim. The ryo-hitsu-ana filled in with shakudo, mumei. Height: 7.9 cm, Thickness: 3.9 mm

A Ko-Kinko Tsuba, Japan, early Edo period. A shakudo mokko-gata tsuba decorated with multiple overlapping kiku flowers. Ryo-hitsu ana and a slightly raised rim, mumei. Height: 7.1 cm, Thickness: 4 mm

An Akao school Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. A katachi-bori iron tsuba with an unidentified design and thick seppa-dai, signed ‘Akao Yoshitsugu’. The Akao school was active in Edo, current day Tokyo. Height: 6.8 cm, Thickness: 5.8 mm

An iron Kyo-Shoami Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. A maru-gata iron sukashi-tsuba with a clouds, lightning, drums design with details in ke-bori, niku-bori and brass ten-zogan, within a kaku-mimi. Mumei and ryo-hitsu-ana. Diameter: 8.1 cm, Thickness: 4.6 mm

A Japanese stirrup or Abumi, Japan, Edo period, 18th century. A buckle suspends the vented, tapered neck signed to the back ˋKashu ju Kaneko Ujihide saku’ (Made by Ujihide Kaneko of Kaga). The iron shoe with inlaid silver decoration of scrolling foliage (kusabana) to the front and lightning among clouds to the base, the interior painted with red lacquer. Height: 27 cm, Length: 28 cm, Width: 12.5 cm

A silk brocade Chinese export album containing 12 pith paper paintings each depicting a lady or gentleman in rich costume and an attendant within a richly-decorated interior. A loose page at the front with the stamp 'Foongshing - Dealer in Silk Goods, Ivory & Pearl Wares, Old China Street 16', Canton, China, mid 19th century. Exceptionally well painted! -Page size: 33 x 25 cm, foxing, album with wear, overall condition of the paintings is very good-

Two iron Tanto Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. Hamidashi-gata and unsigned; A. Tenpo school, hammered multiple times with the characters ‘ten’ and ‘bo’ (forming Tenpo); B. decorated with irises in iro-e taka-zogan. Height: 5.6 cm

A Kinko Tsuba, Japan, 19th century or later. The naga-maru shaped plate of shibuichi is decorated with geese among reeds in gilt bronze and shakudo. Kozuka-ana and shakudo sekigane, mumei. Height: 6.5 cm, Thickness: 3.9 mm

Two Kinai school Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Both round iron tsuba in katachi-bori showing a botanical design and signed ‘Echizen ju Kinai saku’ (made by Kinai from Echizen). Height: 6.9 & 7.6 cm, Thickness: 5.5 & 5.4 mm

Two Tsuba with silver inlay, Japan, 19th century. Two iron naga-maru-gata tsuba with a raised rim; A. amida-yasurime with silver nunome-zogan rain dragons in a heart shaped cartouche, h. 7.5 cm; B. a hammered surface with silver nunome-zogan geometrical designs, set within lingzhi-shaped cartouches, height 8.5 cm

Three iron Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Unsigned and constructed of hammered iron surface with details in iro-e taka-zogan; A. naga-maru shape with decor of a boatsman, height: 7.3 cm; B. mokko-gata decorated with a hawk flying over a pine tree and wisteria, height: 7.2 cm; C. naga-maru (oval) shape, decorated with herons in a willow tree, height: 5.9 cm.

Signed iron Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Mokko-gata with a niku-bori design of Handaka Sonja, details gold and gilt bronze. The kozuka-ana filled in with shakudo, a two-character signature to the lower left corner of the seppadai reading ‘Haruchika’ (?). An irregularly raised rim. Height: 8.6 cm, Thickness: 3.5 mm

Two iron tanto Tsuba, Japan, Edo-period. A. naga-maru-gata, the hammered surface decorated with shell in iro-e taka-zogan and a signature on a small silver plaque at the back, height: 5.5 cm.; B. a heavy tsuba with a hammered surface decorated with a gilt bronze lobster, curling around the edge. A large and a small hitsu-ana and sekigane, mumei. Height: 6.2 cm.

Two Tsuba with dragons, Japan, 19th century. Two iron tsuba; A. irregularly hammered surface with a design of a dragon in the clouds, square kozuka-ana and raised rim, mumei, height; 6.6 cm; B. maru-gata with two facing dragons in maru-niku-bori (or maru-bori-sukashi), mumei and two hitsu ana, height: 8.3 cm

An Akasaka school Tsuba, Japan, Edo period (1600 – 1868). The naga-maru shaped iron body with ryo-hitsu-ana is decorated in sukashi-bori with maple leaves over streaming water, set within a maru-mimi. Mumei. Height: 6.9 cm, Thickness: 5 mm

Three iron Tsuba, Japan, 19th century. Unsigned and in naga-maru (oval) shape, decorated with details in iro-e taka-zogan; A. Hotei and karako, height: 7.8 cm; B. Hotei walking in the marshes, height: 7.7 cm; C. Chinese scholar in a boat, height: 7.7 cm.

A Sukashi Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. Naga-maru tsuba with a ji-sukashi design of a blossoming plum-tree, details in ke-bori, set within a maru mimi. Seppa-dai with sekigane, Mumei. Height: 7.1 cm, Thickness: 4.7 mm

A Nanban Tsuba, Japan, late Edo period. The iron body with a maru-mimi is of slightly elongated round shape, decorated with a Chinese ship openwork relief. Details in kin-zogan and a kozuka-ana. Mumei. Height: 7.3 cm, Thickness: 4.8 mm

A Nanban Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. Of naga-maru-gata, the iron body with hares among waves, also known as the Chikubu-jima fairytale, set within a straight border. Ryo-hitsu-ana, mumei. Height: 7.2 cm

Two iron Mito style Tsuba, Japan, Edo period. A. naga-maru-gata, the hammered iron surface with a monkey trying to catch the reflection of the moon, height: 7.6 cm; B. kaku-maru-gata, the hammered iron surface with a chiselled frog on a lotus leave, details in iroe-taka-zogan, the hammered rim slightly raised, height: 7.7 cm

A signed iron Tsuba, Japan, late Edo period. Of naga-maru-gata with a mountainous landscape scene in taka-niku-bori. The seppa-dai signed ‘Joshun’ close to the kozuka-ana. Height: 7.5 cm, Thickness: 5.5 mm