1422 items found
basket0
As Usual, Our Brighton Gallery Will Not Be Open, This Coming  Easter  Bank Holiday on Friday the 29th March, Sunday the 31st, & Monday The 1st April. We Will Be Open Though, Mid-Holiday, On Saturday the 30th

As Usual, Our Brighton Gallery Will Not Be Open, This Coming Easter Bank Holiday on Friday the 29th March, Sunday the 31st, & Monday The 1st April. We Will Be Open Though, Mid-Holiday, On Saturday the 30th

We are closed on Friday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday as usual. But we will be open on Saturday the 30th March.

Of course the website operates as normal, 24-7. But we are always available by phone though, on 07721 010085, +44 7721 010085, and regular e.mail.

We re-open, after the holiday, on Tuesday 2nd April  read more

Code: 23810

Price
on
Request

A 1st Edition, Ist Impression Charles Dickens Bleak House Printed 1853 Leather Bound in Light Brown Calf and Black Title With Gilding & Marbled End Boards

A 1st Edition, Ist Impression Charles Dickens Bleak House Printed 1853 Leather Bound in Light Brown Calf and Black Title With Gilding & Marbled End Boards

Bradbury & Evans, first edition, with Ist impression imperfections and plates as called for ( pages with expected age foxing/staining), leather bound with marbled end boards.

A chance to own a rare first edition, and Ist Impression, of one of the great classics of English literature. Printed and first read before the Crimean War in Russia, and before the 'Charge of the Light Brigade' became infamous in British military history.
Original printing imperfections and flaws are detailed in Walter E. Smith and his wonderful work 'Charles Dickens in the Original Cloth'. Smith's comprehensive bibliography of each of Dickens's works enabled all to describe the flaws in the first impression.
The first edition of Bleak House is highly desirable. We have encountered a fair number of examples over the past 50 to around 100 years, in both the original cloth and bound in various bindings. Most of these bindings date from near the time of publication and most are before around 1880.

The edition points required for the first impression of the first edition are fairly definitive. The edition points are as follows to qualify as the 1st impression:

1) "elgble" misspelling for "eligible" on pp.19 line 6

2) "chair" misspelling for "hair" on pp.209 line 23

3) "counsinship" misspelling for "cousinship" on pp.275 line 22

There are also another issue present, in only a few of the first impression copies, namely pp.230 with the "2" in the page number complete. This copy has that scarce point

Basic premise: Jarndyce vs Jarndyce is a suit which has being going through the Court of Chancery for decades and decades and decades. Chancery is this old court to do with contested wills which has long since been reformed because it was impossibly incompetent and once you were in Chancery there was no getting out of Chancery and all costs are taken from the estates being contested, meaning that the Court benefited from drawing out proceedings. The young wards of Jarndyce are Richard Carstone and Ada Clare, young cousins. They are sent to live with their cousin Mr John Jarndyce and with them goes the orphan Esther Summerson, an orphan with a mysterious past. Mr Jarndyce advises them all to forget the suit, particularly as Richard and Ada fall in love, yet Richard struggles to settle to any profession with the suit still undecided. Simultaneous to this, the sinster lawyer Mr Tulkinghorn serves Sir Leicester Dedlock, Baronet and his wife Lady Dedlock, a woman desperately bored with her life. She also has a claim in the Jarndyce suit and faints dead away when Mr Tulkinghorn shows her a piece of legal writing written in a strangely familiar hand … cue much to-ing and fro-ing and the occasional untimely death. Nobody does tragic death scenes quite like Dickens, you end up really feeling the tragedy. Subtle he is not. Bleak House shows us a world where kindness is hard to find. Mr John Jarndyce tries to protect those he loves, but even he cannot prevent them being drawn in to the fogs of London. As usual, Dickens preaches against the workhouses and the ineffectiveness of charity, Mr Jarndyce is the sole positive charitable figure in the novel, his is a doctrine of love. It is the day to day cruelties that people inflict on each other that grind people down. The unrelenting legal profession, the way in which young men can be educated about poetry but not in how to work, that children can run wild on the streets and never really know that they are loved, this is a world where a man who has lost everything can die and barely be missed. Esther makes it clear that she feels herself to have been saved by the love of those around her – but Ada’s love could not save Richard, nor could Sir Leicester’s love save his Lady. All they can do is keep loving them still, no matter what the world may say. The bleakness of the title goes much deeper than the name of the house. 8.75 inches x 6 inches x 2 inches.  read more

Code: 25198

1125.00 GBP

A Beautiful and Rare Set Of The Original 8 Book Bindings, 'The Strand Magazine', That Famously Contains the First Bound Volumes of Sherlock Holmes Adventures

A Beautiful and Rare Set Of The Original 8 Book Bindings, 'The Strand Magazine', That Famously Contains the First Bound Volumes of Sherlock Holmes Adventures

The Strand Magazine July 1891 till Dec. 1893 bound in 8 Volumes } Vol. I to VIII}

First editions in bound book form . . the originals were published as a monthly magazine.

The first appearance of the 24 Sherlock Holmes adventures preceeding the first publishing of the books "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" (according A10 and A14 Green/Gibson). Including many of the famous original illustrations of Sidney Paget which help form the popular image of Holmes. Also very interesting is the article in Vol. IV about the daily life of Dr. Doyle with photos of him, his wife and his home. Volume II (July - Dec. 1891) Adventure I. - A Scandal in Bohemia Adventure II. - The Red-Headed League Adventure III. - A Case of Idendity Adventure IV. - The Boscombe Valley Mystery Adventure V. - The Five Orange Pips Adventure VI. - The Man With The Twisted Lip Volume III (Jan.- June 1892) Adventure VII. - The Adventure Of The Blue Carbuncle Adventure VIII. - The Adventure Of The Speckled Band Adventure IX. - The Adventure Of The Engineer's Thumb Adventure X. - The Adventure Of The Noble Bachelor Adventure XI. - The Adventure Of The Beryl Coronet Adventure XII. - The Adventure Of The Copper Beeches Volume IV (July to Dec. 1892) Article 'A Day with Dr. Conan Doyle' with Photos of him, his wife, his house and his study Adventure XIII. - The Adventure Of Silver Blaze Volume V (Jan. to June 1893) Adventure XIV - The Adventure Of The Cardboard Box Adventure XV. - The Adventure Of The Yellow Face Adventure XVI. - The Adventure Of The Stockbroker'Clerk Adventure XVII. - The Adventure Of The "GLORIA SCOTT" Adventure XVIII. - The Adventure Of The Musgrave Ritual Adventure XIX. - The Adventure Of The Reigate Squire Volume VI (July to Dec. 1893) Adventure XX. - The Adventure Of The Crooked Man Adventure XXI. - The Adventure Of The Resident Patient Adventure XXII. - The Adventure Of The Greek Interpreter Adventure XXIII. - The Adventure Of The Naval Treaty Adventure XXIV. - The Adventure Of The Final Problem There are many other interesting factual articles in addition to fictional short stories and series of different authors in these books. One example: "Towards The North Pole" by Dr. Fridtjof Nansen.

Plus, Volume III contains the first publication of Rudyard Kipling's short story "The Lost Legion." Volume IV contains the first English translation of Jules Verne's short horror story "Frritt-Flacc" as "Dr. Trifulgas."

If one wanted experience and read of the Victorian way of life in England, this is by far the best way to uncover it. The Sherlock Holmes stories are just a fraction of what they contain. Hundreds of wonderful stories and details of exploration, by dozens of highly rated Victorian authors, thus, thousands of unrivalled hours of pleasure awaits the next owner/s of these incredible books.

Books are in very good condition. Some light wear The bindings are very nice and some areas of foxing on the paper. A very rare collectable set of the first appearance of these famous stories. Hard to find in this nice condition. All articles are richly illustrated  read more

Code: 25194

1495.00 GBP

A Fabulous Victorian Set of 24 of Charles Dickens Works, Superbly Bound In 17 Volumes By Chapman And Hall

A Fabulous Victorian Set of 24 of Charles Dickens Works, Superbly Bound In 17 Volumes By Chapman And Hall

If you wanted a stunning set to enjoy or as an heirloom for future generations you would likely never see a better set of this type. Very good condition indeed, 17 beautiful volumes octavo, finest calf leather with marbled boards, five raised bands across each spine, with titles, in gilt on red leather with green leather title labels, and gilt decoratio. Marbled edges, with marbled end papers original illustrations, all contents clean and bright and bindings firm.
Charles Dickens
TWENTY-FOUR Works in Seventeen Volumes
COMPLETE
Sketches by Boz.

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.

The Adventures of Oliver Twist & A Tale of Two Cities.

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.

The Old Curiosity Shop.

Barnaby Rudge.

The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit.

Christmas Books & Hard Times. Including A Christmas Carol

Dombey and Son.

The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Bleak House.

Little Dorrit.

Great Expectations & The Uncommercial Traveller.

Our Mutual Friend.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood & Reprinted Pieces.

American Notes for General Circulation & Pictures from Italy & A Child's History of England.

Christmas Stories & Master Humphrey's Clock.  read more

Code: 25195

1250.00 GBP

A Most Beautiful Fine Quality Shinto Wakazashi With All Original Edo Period Fittings and Silver Mounts. Circa 1650

A Most Beautiful Fine Quality Shinto Wakazashi With All Original Edo Period Fittings and Silver Mounts. Circa 1650

Japanese Wakizashi, with a signed Shinto, very good shinogi zukuri blade in fabulous polish, with a fine suguha hamon, and wazamono sharp.

The sword has a tsuka with gold ito bound over a pair of superb shakudo shishi lion dogs on samegawa, a shakudo kashira with nanako ground and decorated with takebori sage wearing a court cap, with gold highlights, and a plain silver fuchi and shakudo nanako tsuba decorated with plants.

It is in its original Edo period stunning saya, decorated with pine needle and abilone shell lacquer, an inlaid silver kojiri of elaborate scrolls, and a plain silver koi guchi that matches the silver fuchi, and a kozuka pocket for an optional kozuka to be housed.

Kanzan Sato, in his book titled "The Japanese Sword", notes that the wakizashi may have become more popular than the tanto due to the wakizashi being more suited for indoor fighting. He mentions the custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering while continuing to wear the wakizashi inside. Wakizashi were worn on the left side, secured to the obi waist sash. Although they appear to be likely a relative expensive luxury compared to other antique swords from other nations, they are in fact incredible value for money, for example a newly made bespoke samurai style sword blade from Japan will cost, today, in excess of £11,000, take up to two years to complete, will come with no fittings at all, and will be modern naturally with no historical context or connection to the ancient samurai past in any way at all. Our fabulous original swords can be many, many, hundreds of years old, stunningly mounted as fabulous quality works of art, and may have been owned and used by up to 30 samurai in their working lifetime. Plus, due to their status in Japanese society, look almost as good today as the did possibly up to 400 years ago, or even more. Every katana, tachi, or wakazashi buyer will receive A complimentary sword stand, plus a silk bag, white handling gloves and a white cleaning cloth.

Excellent condition overall, superb polished blade showing a fine suguha hamon, a crisp, razor sharp cutting edge without blemish.  read more

Code: 25032

4250.00 GBP

Museum Grade French Ist Empire Napoleonic Imperial Guard Senior Officer’s, Finely Engraved ‘Blue And Gilt’ Sword. In Wonderful Condition & And Likely The Best We have Ever Seen Outside of The Les Invalides Musee de l’Armee, Paris of Mameluke of the Garde

Museum Grade French Ist Empire Napoleonic Imperial Guard Senior Officer’s, Finely Engraved ‘Blue And Gilt’ Sword. In Wonderful Condition & And Likely The Best We have Ever Seen Outside of The Les Invalides Musee de l’Armee, Paris of Mameluke of the Garde

One of the rarest and most beautiful styles of Napoleonic combat and dress sabres to be seen, in, or out of, Les Invalides Musee de l’Armee in Paris. The finest Napoleonic museum in the world.
A blue and gilt of luxuriant quality combat-dress sabre of a senior officer of the Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard, in its original scabbard. The hilt is in superb condition, with straight quillon, and has carved horn hilt grips, affixed with triple domed brass rivets, and inner finger rests, with a brass stylised bird's head pommel, with a circular rimmed aperture for a sword knot.

This sword is so fine that it is very likely the sword of the commanding officer of the Mameluke Garde, a sword made and signed by Charles Francois Alphand, a former captain of artillery and Director of the Maubeuge armoury, a contemporary of Boutet, Director of the Versailles armoury. Charles Francois Alphand, also used a smaller version of his same gold poincon of an intertwined AC, stamped upon the barrels of the pistols made for the Garde Du Corps. The absolute stunning deluxe blue and gilt double fullered blade, is engraved in the Napoleonic Marmaluke Sabre A L'Orientale form, with a Chinese mandarin wearing a traditional hat and drooping moustache, a hand to hand sword combat scene between a Mamaluke and a European officer, a sun, crescent moons and a constellation of stars, a row of three turbaned heads, palm trees and parasol, a pair of rutting stags, and at the forte a large poincon of an AC entwined, in gold, of the Director Charles Francois Alphand. Each side of the blade mirrors the engraving on the other side. Both sides have excellent blue and gilt with just commensurate light wear for age. The plain brass scabbard is in the same form as the plain brass scabbards made for the official rare daggers or the Mameluke Garde.

A picture in the gallery is of a portrait of Napoleon in Egypt with his identical mamaluke sabre.

Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard;
A squadron of Mamelukes (Escadron de Mamelukes) returned with Napoleon from the Egyptian Campaign in 1799. They were inducted into the Guard, and usually attached to the Chasseurs à Cheval. The squadron was never increased to a regiment in strength.

The Imperial Guard ( Garde Impériale) was a group of elite soldiers of the French Army under the direct command of Napoleon I, and grew considerably over time. It acted as his bodyguard and tactical reserve, and he was careful of its use in battle. The Guard was divided into the staff, infantry, cavalry, and artillery regiments, as well as battalions of sappers and marines. The guard itself as a whole distinguished between the experienced veterans and less experienced members by being separated into three sections: the Old Guard, Middle Guard and Young Guard. The Young Guard was virtually annihilated in the Battle of Krasnoi during the French invasion of Russia.

Throughout the Napoleonic era there was a special Mamluk corps in the French army. In his history of the 13th Chasseurs, Colonel Descaves recounts how Napoleon used the Mamluks during the French campaign in Egypt and Syria. In the so-called "Instructions" that Bonaparte gave to Jean Baptiste Kléber after departure, Napoleon wrote that he had already bought from Syrian merchants about 2,000 Mamluks with whom he intended to form a special detachment.
On 14 September 1799 Kléber established a mounted company of Mamluk auxiliaries and Syrian Janissaries from Turkish troops captured at the Siege of Acre. Menou reorganized the company on 7 July 1800, forming 3 companies of 100 men each and renaming it the "Mamluks de la République".
In 1801 General Jean Rapp was sent to Marseille to organize a squadron of 250 Mamluks. On 7 January 1802 the previous order was canceled and the squadron reduced to 150 men. The list of effectives on 21 April 1802 reveals 3 officers and 155 other ranks. By decree of 25 December 1804 the Mamluks were organized into a company attached to the Mounted Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. The officers were Frenchmen, the troopers were a mixture of Syrians, Greeks, Circassians, Crimeans, Armenians, Egyptians, Georgians, Arabs and Turks. Individuals came from Albania, Hungary, Malta and Tunisia. Every Mameluk was armed with two brace of pistols, a very curved saber, dagger, mace and eventually a battle-ax. During the remainder of their service the Mamlukes were issued at various dates with carbines, a form of blunderbuss and a musket. These firearms were manufactured by the Manufacturie de Versaillies.
In 1804 the company of Mamelukes had: 9 officers (6 of whom were Arabs), 10 NCOs (6 of whom were Arabs), 10 brigadiers (8 of whom were Arabs), 2 trumpeters and 92 privates.
Mamluks fought well at the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805, and the regiment was granted a standard and its roster increased to accommodate a standard-bearer and a trumpet. A decree of 15 April 1806 defined the strength of the squadron as 13 officers and 147 privates.

Pictures in the gallery;
Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard
on parade for Napoleon and his
General Staff outside of Les Invalides
in Paris. By Felicien Baron de Myrbach Rheinfeld

Painting by 19th century artist Jean-Léon Gérôme, 'Napoleon in Egypt',

It was originally owned and sold by us some years ago to a Napoleonic collector who has spent the past two years researching its history in Paris.

The original scabbard has twin ring mounts, and is very good, for its age, just commensurate wear and small surface denting  read more

Code: 25197

SOLD

T.E.Lawrence. Two Signed, Special US Editions, Published in 1938, Published in America. Lawrence, T.E - To His Biographer Robert Graves & To His Biographer Liddell Hart

T.E.Lawrence. Two Signed, Special US Editions, Published in 1938, Published in America. Lawrence, T.E - To His Biographer Robert Graves & To His Biographer Liddell Hart

Lawrence, T.E - To His Biographer Robert Graves; To His biographer Liddell Hart, 1938, in 2 vols, original buckram hardcover bindings, each 1 of 500 US copies, signed by Graves and Liddell Hart respectively, frontispieces, t.e.g., some leaves uncut, Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. New York, 1938. The special signed editions were 1 of 1,000 but 500 for America and 500 for the UK.

Each volume is, most rarely, un-numbered, and some pages remain uncut, on hand made paper, with the signed Robert Graves edition bearing publisher's printed red highlights on some text.

T.E. Lawrence (born August 16, 1888, Tremadoc, Caernarvonshire, Wales—died May 19, 1935, Clouds Hill, Dorset, England) was a British archaeological scholar, military strategist, and author best known for his legendary war activities in the Middle East during World War I and for his account of those activities in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926).

The month the war began, Lawrence became a civilian employee of the Map Department of the War Office in London, charged with preparing a militarily useful map of Sinai. By December 1914 he was a lieutenant in Cairo. Experts on Arab affairs—especially those who had travelled in the Turkish-held Arab lands—were rare, and he was assigned to intelligence, where he spent more than a year, mostly interviewing prisoners, drawing maps, receiving and processing data from agents behind enemy lines, and producing a handbook on the Turkish Army. When in mid-1915 his brothers Will and Frank were killed in action in France, T.E. was reminded cruelly of the more active front in the West. Egypt at the time was the staging area for Middle Eastern military operations of prodigious inefficiency; a trip to Arabia convinced Lawrence of an alternative method of undermining Germany’s Turkish ally. In October 1916 he had accompanied the diplomat Sir Ronald Storrs on a mission to Arabia, where Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, amīr of Mecca, had the previous June proclaimed a revolt against the Turks. Storrs and Lawrence consulted with Ḥusayn’s son Abdullah, and Lawrence received permission to go on to consult further with another son, Fayṣal, then commanding an Arab force southwest of Medina.

Lawrence was not the only officer to become involved in the incipient Arab rising, but from his own small corner of the Arabian Peninsula he quickly became—especially from his own accounts—its brains, its organizing force, its liaison with Cairo, and its military technician. His small but irritating second front behind the Turkish lines was a hit-and-run guerrilla operation, focussing upon the mining of bridges and supply trains and the appearance of Arab units first in one place and then another, tying down enemy forces that otherwise would have been deployed elsewhere, and keeping the Damascus-to-Medina railway largely inoperable, with potential Turkish reinforcements thus helpless to crush the uprising. In such fashion Lawrence—“Amīr Dynamite” to the admiring Bedouins—committed the cynical, self-serving shaykhs for the moment to his king-maker’s vision of an Arab nation, goaded them with examples of his own self-punishing personal valour when their spirits flagged, bribed them with promises of enemy booty and English gold sovereigns.

Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985)12 was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celticists and students of Irish mythology.

Robert Graves produced more than 140 works in his lifetime. His poems, his translations and innovative analysis of the Greek myths, his memoir of his early life—including his role in World War I—Good-Bye to All That (1929), and his speculative study of poetic inspiration The White Goddess have never been out of print. He is also a renowned short story writer, with stories such as "The Tenement" still being popular today.

He earned his living from writing, particularly popular historical novels such as I, Claudius; King Jesus; The Golden Fleece; and Count Belisarius. He also was a prominent translator of Classical Latin and Ancient Greek texts; his versions of The Twelve Caesars and The Golden Ass remain popular for their clarity and entertaining style. Graves was awarded the 1934 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for both I, Claudius and Claudius the God.

Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart (31 October 1895 – 29 January 1970), commonly known throughout most of his career as Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, was a British soldier, military historian, and military theorist. He wrote a series of military histories that proved influential among strategists. Arguing that frontal assault was bound to fail at great cost in lives, as proven in World War I, he recommended the "indirect approach" and reliance on fast-moving armoured formations.

His pre-war publications are known to have influenced German World War II strategy, though he was accused of prompting captured generals to exaggerate his part in the development of blitzkrieg tactics. He also helped promote the Rommel myth and the "clean Wehrmacht" argument for political purposes, when the Cold War necessitated the recruitment of a new West German army.  read more

Code: 25196

SOLD

A Beautiful Edo Period Original Samurai Armour, Gosuko Likely 17th Century and Used Into The 18th Century With 12 Plate Goshozan Suji Bachi Kabuto Helmet And A Super Ressai Fierce Full Face Armour Menpo And Clan Mon Tassets of The Honda Tadakatsu Clan

A Beautiful Edo Period Original Samurai Armour, Gosuko Likely 17th Century and Used Into The 18th Century With 12 Plate Goshozan Suji Bachi Kabuto Helmet And A Super Ressai Fierce Full Face Armour Menpo And Clan Mon Tassets of The Honda Tadakatsu Clan

A superb early to mid Edo samurai yoroi, with the symbol in gold of deer antlers emblazoned on both haidate thigh protectors tassets, which would indicate a samurai of the clan of the great Honda Tadakatsu, a 17th century general and later daimyo serving under Tokugawa Iayesu, whose symbol was his famous deer antlers worn upon his kabuto helmet.
Deer antlers were seen as symbols of the messengers of the gods.

Honda Tadakatsu (本多 忠勝, March 17, 1548 – December 3, 1610), also called Honda Heihachirō (本多 平八郎) was a Japanese samurai, general, and daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō) along with Ii Naomasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Sakai Tadatsugu.

It has a fine helmet kabuto of 12 plates, a 12 plate goshozan suji bachi kabuto. A helmet which is a multiple-plate type of Japanese helmet bowl with raised ridges or ribs showing where the 12 tate hagi-no-ita ( helmet plates) come together at the five-stage tehen kanamono finial, with the fukurin metal edges on each of the standing plates. The mabisashi peak lacquered and it has a four-tier lacquered iron hineno-jikoro neck-guard laced with dark blue. The interior shows four very ancient helmet plates rivetted together to form the interior support basis of the 12 plate skull. Unlined. With full face ressai menpo {the grimacing expression face armour} sets it off superbly with a most intimidating presence. When this was worn by its fierce-some armoured samurai, he must have looked spectacularly impressive. Dou or do, a chest armour made up of iron plates of various sizes and shapes with pendents
kusazuri made from iron or leather plates hanging from the front and back of the dou to protect the lower body and upper leg.
Sode, large modern rectangular shoulder protection made from iron and or leather plates.
Kote, armoured glove like sleeves which extended to the shoulder or han kote (kote gauntlets) which covered the forearms. Kote made from cloth covered with iron plates of various size and shape, connected by chain armor (kusari). Haidate, thigh guards which tied around the waist and covered the thighs. These were made from cloth with small iron and or leather plates of various size and shape, connected to each other by chain armour (kusari) and sewn to the cloth.
Suneate, shin guards made from iron splints connected together by chain armour (kusari) and sewn to cloth and tied around the calf.

The “deer-horn helmet” and deer horns, came henceforth, to be known as his symbol.

Tadakatsu’s helmet “Kazuno Wakidate Kabuto,” or Japanese armour (yoroi/kabuto), was a simple black helmet. His helmet is famous for its deer horn flanks. There are various theories as to why deer horns were used as the side of the helmet. When Yoshimoto Imagawa was shot in the Battle of Okehazama and Ieyasu’s army had to immediately return to Okazaki Castle, Tadakatsu found that the river was swollen, and he could not cross. At that moment, a deer appeared, and when he was watching the deer also trying to cross to the opposite bank, he found shallow water at a certain point and crossed the river. Thanks to this, the deer was able to return safely to Mikawa. Since then, Tadakatsu made up his mind to “protect Ieyasu-dono for the rest of his life like the deer did that one time,” and made a helmet out of the deer’s horns. Deers have also been cherished as messengers of the gods since ancient times. There are various theories as to why deers were regarded as messengers of the gods, but in mountainous Japan, the deer’s ability to run through steep mountains may have portrayed them as animals with mystical powers. In addition to his military prowess, Honda Tadakatsu was also attractive because of his large figure as a man, which is probably the reason why he is still popular today as a military commander who attracts many people

In the 16th century Japan began trading with Europe during what would become known as the Nanban trade. Samurai acquired European armour including the cuirass and comb morion which they modified and combined with domestic armour as it provided better protection from the newly introduced matchlock muskets known as Tanegashima. The introduction of the tanegashima by the Portuguese in 1543 changed the nature of warfare in Japan causing the Japanese armour makers to change the design of their armours from the centuries-old lamellar armours to plate armour constructed from iron and steel plates which was called tosei gusoku.

Bullet resistant armours were developed called tameshi gusoku or (bullet tested) allowing samurai to continue wearing their armour despite the use of firearms. This armour has areas of worn and naturally aged lacquer and areas of cloth/material that are perished due to it's great age and just as would be expected.
Complete with storage box unlidded  read more

Code: 20251

9950.00 GBP

Ko Tosho School Swordsmith Made Koto Katana Tsuba Circa 1400

Ko Tosho School Swordsmith Made Koto Katana Tsuba Circa 1400

The strong, softly lustrous metal and very well cut, the large Hitsu-ana, and the antique chisel marks around the Hitsu-ana are all characteristic indications of early-Muromachi period works. Carved openwork clan mon. The Hitsu-ana, made when the guard was first produced, suggests that it is a work of the time of Yoshimitsu. A well worked and hammered plate. According to tradition, it says each time a Tosho made a to-ken, he made a habaki with his own hands, and at the same time he also added a single tsuba such as this.
The earliest Tosho tsuba are referred to in Japanese as Ko-Tosho old sword smith and date from the Genpei War (1180-1185) to middle Muromachi Period (1400-1500).

During the late Kamakura Period large Ko-Tosho tsuba were developed and were used mostly as field mounts for odachi by high-ranking Samurai during and after the Mongol invasion of Japan in Genko Jidai (1274-1281 ) in the Muromachi Period (1336-1573) the Ko-Tosho tsuba became even more common with the development and popularization of the onehanded sword uchigatana as the only sword of Ashigaru.
The most common design characteristic, next to the plain flat plate, for Ko-Tosho tsuba is kosukashi the simplistic use of small negative silhouetted openwork. The most common openwork designs are of mon (family crest), sun, moon, tools, plants, Buddhist, Shinto and sometimes Christian religious symbols. The plates iron is characteristically of a good temper, having good hardness and elasticity. The plate is made of local iron forged by the swordsmith or apprentice, the same as for Japanese sword blades. 74mm  read more

Code: 19741

750.00 GBP

A Most Unusual & Rare Edo Period Katana Tsuba, With Rotational Fitting. This is An Incdibly Rare Form of Tsuba in that it Has Two Methods To Mount It On Katana. Vertical or Horizontal

A Most Unusual & Rare Edo Period Katana Tsuba, With Rotational Fitting. This is An Incdibly Rare Form of Tsuba in that it Has Two Methods To Mount It On Katana. Vertical or Horizontal

An iron sukashi tsuba, cut with four different shaped symbols as kozuka-ana and kogai-ana, and two, North and South, or East and West facing blade apertures, to enable the rotation of the tsuba when mounting it onto the blade. Thus altering the profile of the tsuka from wide to narrow.
The tsuba is always usually a round, ovoid or occasionally squarish guard at the end of the tsuka of bladed Japanese weapons but always usually designed to be worn one way upon the sword, either the katana and its various declinations, tachi, wakizashi, tanto, and polearms that have a tsuba, such as naginata etc.

They contribute to the balance of the weapon and to the protection of the hand. The tsuba was mostly meant to be used to prevent the hand from sliding onto the blade during thrusts as opposed to protecting from an opponent's blade. The chudan no kamae guard is determined by the tsuba and the curvature of the blade. The diameter of the average katana tsuba is 7.58 centimetres (3.0-3.1 in), wakizashi tsuba is (2.4-2.6 in), and tanto tsuba is 4.5-6 cm (1.8-2.4 in).

During the Muromachi period (1333-1573) and the Momoyama period (1573-1603) Tsuba were more for functionality than for decoration, being made of stronger metals and designs. During the Edo period (1603-1868) tsuba became more ornamental and made of less practical metals such as gold.

Tsuba are usually finely decorated, and are highly desirable collectors' items in their own right. Tsuba were made by whole dynasties of craftsmen whose only craft was making tsuba. They were usually lavishly decorated. In addition to being collectors items, they were often used as heirlooms, passed from one generation to the next. Japanese families with samurai roots sometimes have their family crest (mon) crafted onto a tsuba. Tsuba can be found in a variety of metals and alloys, including iron, steel, brass, copper and shakudo. In a duel, two participants may lock their katana together at the point of the tsuba and push, trying to gain a better position from which to strike the other down. This is known as tsubazeriai pushing tsuba against each other.  read more

Code: 16704

585.00 GBP