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Japanese Antiques

1970s Pilot Custom Kaede Maple Fountain Pen

1970s Pilot Custom Kaede Maple Fountain Pen
Photo Credit: kensindo

1970s Pilot Custom Kaede Maple Fountain Pen

Buy It Now Price: $145.82 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This Japanese Pilot Custom maple fountain pen from the 1970s sports a solid 18 karat gold medium nib and a hand-finished, solid Kaede wood body.

-Pilot is one of Japan’s premiere pen companies.  The origins of the firm can be traced back to 1918, when it was founded as the Namiki Manufacturing Company.  It later changed its name to the Pilot Pen Company in 1938.

-The wood used in this pen is from the Painted Maple tree (scientific name: Acer Pictum, sub-species Acer Mono), which is known as the Itaya Kaede in Japan.  This particular variety of maple tree is native to the temperate climates of East Asia and grows in Japan, Korea and China.  Kaede maple wood is renowned for its hardness and toughness, which makes it perfect for high-end fountain pens.

-The medium-sized nib on this Pilot Custom maple fountain pen is made from solid 18 karat (.750 fine) gold.  High-purity gold nibs, like this 18 karat Pilot nib, are considered an important mark of quality for vintage fountain pens.

-With its original Japanese ¥7,000 price tag still attached, this Pilot maple fountain pen is undoubtedly new-old-stock.  That is great news for pen enthusiasts because it means that the pen is more or less pristine.  In fact, it may not have even been inked, leaving the decision of whether to do so up to its new owner.

-Although it is difficult to tell from the photos, I believe the serial number on the pen’s nib indicates that it was manufactured in Pilot’s Hiratsuka factory in Kanagawa prefecture, just southwest of Tokyo.

-At mid 1970s yen-dollar exchange rates, the ¥7,000 original retail price for this pen was equivalent to a U.S. dollar price tag of around $25.  This was a not insubstantial amount for the time.  For example, $25 would have been enough to buy either a good pair of binoculars or a beginner’s acoustic guitar from the 1975 Sears Wishbook.

-As an added bonus, this vintage Pilot pen comes with its original leather-lined carrying case!

-Vintage Japanese pens from Pilot, Sailor and Platinum are substantially undervalued in today’s antique market.  For those who are interested, I recently featured a stunning Platinum Amazonas PAM-8000 from 1973 in another spotlight post.

-Like most high-end Japanese pens, the fit and finish of this Pilot maple fountain pen is absolutely outstanding.  No wonder pen lovers adore their Pilot pens.

-This fabulous 1970s masterpiece of the Japanese pen-maker’s art would make a great investment at a buy-it-now price of only $146.

 

Cons:

-Unfortunately, the seller does not include a photo that clearly shows the complete serial number on the pen’s nib.  This serial number is an invaluable tool for the Pilot pen collector because it discloses the location, month and year of the nib’s manufacture.  Despite this minor drawback, I feel quite certain that we are dealing with a genuine 1970s era Pilot Custom maple fountain pen.

 

Read more fascinating Antique Sage vintage pen spotlight posts here.

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1980s Mezzotint Print by Koichi Sakamoto

1980s Mezzotint Print by Koichi Sakamoto
Photo Credit: JapanesePrintsPlus

1980s Mezzotint Print by Koichi Sakamoto

Buy It Now Price: $79.99 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This signed and numbered limited edition vintage mezzotint print by the Japanese artist Koichi Sakamoto evokes a feeling of ethereal winter solitude.

-Including its generous margins, this landscape mezzotint print measures 50 cm (19.5 inches) wide by 33 cm (13 inches) tall.  The image portion in isolation is a slightly smaller 36 cm (14 inches) by 22 cm (8.5 inches).

-Mezzotint is a type of intaglio print where the artist mechanically roughens or textures parts of the metal printing plate with specialized tools.  This produces rich, velvety tones and half-tones, something that is not normally possible in conventionally engraved prints.  This website gives an excellent overview of the mezzotint process.

-Koichi Sakamoto was born in 1932 in Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo.  An active printmaker from the late 1950s until the 1980s, his works were exhibited at shows around the world, from Tokyo to Paris to Mexico City.  Sakamoto’s preferred techniques were etching and mezzotint, which helped him impart an unreal, dreamlike quality to his works.  Some of his earlier prints even experimented with surrealism.

-This haunting nightscape is both signed and numbered (#19 out of 50) in pencil, with is typical for Koichi Sakamoto’s work.  Limited edition prints are more attractive to the art investor because they have far more appreciation potential than art prints with unlimited runs.

-Japan went through a massive financial boom in the 1980s, which later collapsed with terrible economic consequences.  I find the otherworldly atmosphere of this Koichi Sakamoto mezzotint print to be fascinating because of its obvious parallels to 1980s Japanese culture – an unreal (economic) dreamscape that can’t possibly persist.

-I recently featured a different monotone winterscape print by Ohio artist Andrea Starkey.  I find it fascinating that two prints with a similar color palette and theme can convey such radically distinct impressions.

-Prices for Koichi Sakamoto mezzotint prints have steadily risen over the past 15 to 20 years.  It isn’t uncommon for them to sell for several hundred dollars apiece at auction now.  My expectation is that this trend of rising prices will continue for the foreseeable future.

-With an asking price of only $80, this vintage Japanese mezzotint landscape print by a recognized artist is an absolute steal.

 

Cons:

-Although not visible in the photo above, this mezzotint print has significant foxing and yellowing on the margins around the perimeter of the work.  While this is not ideal, most of it will be hidden when the print is matted and framed.  This minor defect is also the primary reason the work is selling for less than $100.

-The work comes unframed.  If you intend to display this gorgeously haunting print on your living room wall, you will need to pay an extra $100 to $200 to have it properly framed.

 

Read more fascinating Antique Sage spotlight posts here.

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Japanese Edo Era Shakudo Tsuba

Japanese Edo Era Shakudo Tsuba
Photo Credit: subjaudio

Japanese Edo Era Shakudo Tsuba

Buy It Now Price: $225 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-A stylized wave motif and delicately gilt flowers adorn this gorgeous 18th century shakudo tsuba (samurai sword guard) from Japan’s Edo period.

-This old Japanese shakudo tsuba measures 5.5 cm (2.17 inches) long by 4.4 cm (1.73 inches) wide.

-The body of this tsuba is made from shakudo, a traditional Japanese alloy containing 93% to 97% copper and 3% to 7% gold.  The unique, velvety-black patina of shakudo is a hallmark of high-end antique Japanese metalwork.

-Japan experienced major social changes during the Edo era (1603 to 1868 AD).  Although the militaristic samurai were ostensibly near the top of feudal Japanese society, the increasing prosperity of merchants and artisans allowed them to flaunt their wealth via eye-catching luxury goods.  It is possible that this tsuba was just such an item, meant to reflect the wealth of its affluent owner (who may not have been a samurai).

-The craftsmanship of this shakudo tsuba is absolutely superb.  The elegance of the central wave design provides a subtle, yet interesting contrast with the etherealness of the flower border.  There are many surviving antique Japanese tsuba, but few of them attain this level of aesthetic sophistication.

-Because most of this tsuba is made from shakudo, it actually possesses a not insignificant intrinsic value.  According to my best guess, there is anywhere between 0.5 and 3 grams of gold locked up in this piece.  With spot gold trading at around $1,200 a troy ounce, the item has an estimated melt value between $19 and $93.  Of course, it goes without saying that you would have to be crazy to scrap such a lovely antique Japanese tsuba.  But it is nice to know that your investment downside is protected nonetheless.

-I don’t think you can look at this shakudo tsuba without being struck by its stylistic similarity to the famous woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai titled The Great Wave off Kanagawa.  That seminal print was completed in the early 1830s while this particular tsuba probably dates from the mid 18th century to very early 19th century.  Both works were obviously incubated in the same cultural and artistic milieu.

-I believe that antique Japanese tsuba are really undervalued investment vehicles.  And this shakudo tsuba underscores my argument.  How can such an artistically outstanding, historically important piece be so cheap – a mere $225?  And if that price is still too high, you can always make the seller a lower offer!

 

Cons:

-It is really difficult to see any cons with this wonderful old Japanese tsuba.  I suppose you can argue that the metal surrounding the central blade hole has been banged up a bit.  Of course, that also speaks to the item’s age and authenticity, as well.

 

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Edo Era Signed Japanese Tsuba from the Ishiguro School

Edo Era Signed Japanese Tsuba from the Ishiguro School
Photo Credit: matsu-kaze-japan

Edo Era Signed Japanese Tsuba from the Ishiguro School

Buy It Now Price: $770 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Elegant herons wading in a bamboo-lined stream adorn this late Edo era signed Japanese tsuba from the Ishiguro School.  A tsuba is the decorative sword guard from a Japanese samurai sword.

-This antique Japanese tsuba measures 63 mm (2.5 inches) long by 57 mm (2.2 inches) wide by 4 mm (0.16 inches) thick.

-The body of this signed Japanese tsuba is made from shibuichi, a traditional Japanese alloy composed of 25% silver and 75% copper.  However, this particular specimen is a slightly lighter color than the normally metallic gray material.  This indicates it is most likely a shibuichi variation called “nami-shibuichi uchi-sanbu”, which is an alloy of 30% silver, 69% copper and 1% gold.

-This particular tsuba is signed “Hiroyuki (with Kao)”.  Hiroyuki was the student of Ishiguro Masaaki, a well-known tsuba craftsman of the Ishiguro School who lived from circa 1815 to 1875.

-The late Edo era, also called the Bakumatsu, was a period of chaos and social unrest in Japan.  The feudal Tokugawa shogunate, which had ruled the country uncontested for the prior 250 years, began disintegrating due to the encroachment of foreign powers.  This societal upheaval upended the samurai class’s traditional status in Japan, leading to their demise in the 1870s.

-According to the book “Tsuba: Japanese Sword Guards” by Gary D. Murtha, the Ishiguro School was founded by the master Masatsune in the late 18th or early 19th century.  They often employed shakudo (composed of 93% to 97% copper and 3% to 7% gold) and shibuichi alloys in combination with designs featuring birds or people.  The late Ishiguro School was also notable for its fine chasing technique, which is easily apparent on this magnificent specimen.

-Because this Japanese tsuba was signed by a disciple of Ishiguro Masaaki, it narrows down its date of creation to sometime near the end of the Edo period, possibly in the 1860s.  This is a positive attribute, as it is not normally possibly to date an antique Japanese tsuba so precisely.

-This Japanese tsuba from the Ishiguro School is an exceptionally high quality piece, with its applied heron and bamboo decorations superbly crafted from shakudo, gold and silver.  In addition, a signed tsuba is generally a hallmark of quality, and will be more valuable than a similar tsuba that isn’t signed.

-I firmly believe that Japanese art and antiques, like this lovely tsuba, are tremendously undervalued in today’s investment market.

 

Cons:

-It is difficult to find much fault with this gorgeous signed Japanese tsuba.  I suppose you can argue that it is somewhat expensive at $770.  However, I have found that superlative antiques always sell for a premium.  And as long as that premium is not egregiously high, it is my experience that you will be sorry for not opening your wallet when the opportunity arises.

 

Read more fascinating Antique Sage spotlight posts here.

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Read in-depth Antique Sage investment guides here.