A question of antiquity

Ok, so I have a dilemma concerning a bowl that I bought from an antique shop in 2006. The bowl itself is either brass or bronze, and has intricate designs that look to be stamped out by hand. This is all well and good, but the most interesting aspect is that in the center of the bowl on the inside is the Tokugawa family crest. This is what caught my attention in 2006 and is the reason I bought it other than it's overall beauty. The reason I post this here and now is because I have faith in the members of this forum and of this site that just maybe someone may point me in a proper direction. I have yet to attempt contact with any museums in Japan, as the time difference is a bit of a problem due to the fact that I work from 5am to 5pm and have evening college courses. So I make this out to anyone who may have some information for me, and if you want to know more about the bowl, I have taken digital pictures and can upload them at any time. Thank you to all that view this, any help would be appreciated.

I would have it appraised in a couple of antique shops specializing in Asian art first to find out more about it. The photos are a bit of a help, but any specialist would certainly like to hold the item to see if it is genuine or a fake made at the time.

Why not first bring it to a museum in your country capital? many European museums for example have departments of Asian antiques and could give you an idea of the worth of your find. Did the antique shop give you a certificate of authenticity? not so much about the Tokugawa provenance but about the age of the piece? Museums buying pieces like to have an authenticated list of all previous owners. It also depends on which Tokugawa was involved! there have been a lot of them, some very famous, others much less so. By the way there is a Tokugawa in Japan (from the 18th generation) who is the head of the main Tokugawa house and the president of the Tokugawa foundation that administer the Nikko shrines.

I should have said "there is a Tokugawa now living in Japan (from the 18th generation)" etc...

hmm, I might have to see about getting in touch with this foundation. The one thing that I am absolutely sure about the piece, is that the crest is that of the Tokugawa clan. The local museum has not been of much help, and I've been unable to locate a local appraiser that could tell me how old it may be. When i bought the piece, the only thing that the shop owner was able to tell me is that it looked to be "pretty old" in his words. How old, is anyone's guess.

Why can't you contact museums in Japan because of "time differences"? Doesn't everybody do business over email, nowadays?

the thing is, I want to speak with someone in person or by phone, not just in an e-mail. This matter is too important to me to contact any expert by means of an impersonal e-mail. Plus, I have an upcoming vacation so I'm looking to see if perhaps I can travel to japan in order to get more information.

I found a few items for sale or sold on the internet with the Tokugawa crest. Not everything antique is worth a lot unless the provenance (who originally owned it or made it) can be proven without a shadow of a doubt. Anyone watching the Antique Road Show (UK and USA) can vouch for that. You do know that there is a great Tokugawa museum in Nagoya don't you?