Advice on crab/rock tetsubin

[Mterpstra]

Hey,

I'm in a little bidding war on a nice tetsubin. It seems that there are 2 others involved. Can anyone enlighten me with some info they might have on this tetsubin. Some things I'd like to know: What quality is it? Who is the maker? Some indications on the value would be nice, but I know how hard that can be to judge from picture. I mailed the seller, but of no avail.

I've searched for similar pots, but couldn't find much. And what I found was way more expensive than this will turn out, so it's probably not compareble. Here are some pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/10935803 ... 2703523297

Thanks

[hobin]

looks like a nice tetsubin in the kamebun-do style
have a look here:

https://www.google.it/search?q=kamebund ... 00&bih=732

https://www.google.it/search?q=kamebund ... kamebun-do

authentic ones are worth 1000s dollars.
there are some repros however in the 200-300 dollars range

you can find some of them on yahoo japan:

http://www.jauce.com/category-leaf/2084236784

[hobin]

sorry from the knob style it could be a ryubun-do...

http://www.ebay.it/itm/Old-Japanese-Ryu ... 1095876225

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21861/lot/573/
(look at the signature!)

[kyarazen]

sorry from the knob style it could be a ryubun-do...

http://www.ebay.it/itm/Old-Japanese-Ryu ... 1095876225

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21861/lot/573/
(look at the signature!)

the chinese absolutely love ryubundo tets..

[Mterpstra]

Thanks for the help!

Wow, those prices are pretty high. The highest bid is now mine at 130 euro, so it's a different ballpark.

@ Hobin: That signature is only the same for the lower 3 or 4 charecters though. What does it mean?

@ kyarazen: what do you mean with "the chinese absolutely love ryubundo tets". Do you mean that this explains the rather high prices for the testubin?

Mattias

[hobin]

I can't fully "read" your writing (anyway I'm not versed in japanese), I'm just comparing with other lids, and these characters are quite common (is it the artisan's name?)

check this:
http://www.rigouwang.com/index.php/Inde ... 52856.html

the kanji for ryubun-do is: 龍文堂
maybe you could search for this and (hopefully) google-translate

[hobin]

here's another interesting link, there are many signatures to compare, one is similar to you testubin. unfortunately the google translation doesn't make any sense!

http://blog.xuite.net/thetis9768/twblog ... %E7%93%B6)

[kyarazen]

@ kyarazen: what do you mean with "the chinese absolutely love ryubundo tets". Do you mean that this explains the rather high prices for the testubin?

Mattias

yup.. both ways! they usually drive up a ryubundo tet to around a couple thousand dollars for average ones, and up to ten thousand+ for a good one.

at the same time there's a certain factory in china that is pumping out clones......which are re-shipped to japan and sold at flea markets or on online auctions.. >.< most of these reproductions clear at a few hundred dollars.. but sometimes some are treated as real/authentic and go for way much more