A Tachi tsuba

[Bernard]

Hello everybody.

I read that Tachi tsubas must be photographed that way (nagako-ana upside down). Can somebody explain me why ?

On this one, the four "crosses" do not look as well preserved as the rest of the decoration. Any guess why ?

Regards.

Bernard D

 

NB : the four "arrows"

[Geraint]

Hi Bernard.

 

To answer you first question: because that is the way the tsuba would be when mounted on a tachi which were worn cutting edge down.

 

Your second question is more difficult from these pictures, my guess would be that two different techniques have been used, hon zogan or true inlay for most of it and perhaps nunome zogan for the crosses as you describe them. If under a magnifying glass you can see a cross hatched surface where the gold appears worn then that would indicate nunome zogan. As it is much more on the surface then it is more likely to wear over time.

 

Hope this helps.

[Gunome]

Hello Bernard,

 

Nice tsuba. the mimi seem to be circled in shakudo.

What puzzle me is that this tsuba has hitsu ana, and tachi normally don't have it.

So, not sure it was done for a "real" tachi koshirae, but maybe more a hantachi style koshirae ?! (just an idea, not an opinion)

 

You have a very nice collection

 

Sébastien

[sanjuro]

this tsuba has hitsu ana, and tachi normally don't have it.

So, not sure it was done for a "real" tachi koshirae, but maybe more a hantachi style koshirae ?!

 

I tend to agree. A tsuba originally made for mounting on a tachi never has hitsu ana since kogai and kozuka were not mounted on tachi Koshirae. Having said that, some tachi tsuba were later pierced with hitsu ana in order to mount them on katana. This tsuba however, was obviously made with hitsu ana so therefore it cannot be an original tachi tsuba. The style is called aoi gata and was used on katana as a 'formal' style and referred to as han tachi or han dachi.

Nice tsuba!

[Pete Klein]

My gut hunch is that this is not a tachi tsuba but one made in the style thereof. If you look at the rotated picture below you can see the hitsuana are original as the gold design follows the hitsuana. If it was a converted tachi tsuba the design would be cut into without the delineation.

 

 

PS: Keith and I were in Vulcan mind meld. (lol)

[Stefan]

Nice tsuba.

Nunome all over. slightly worn at the higher Points. (cross )

It is in my point of view an handachi tsuba in kaga-nunome style.

It looks a litte bit like kenjo tsuba.

[Bernard]

Thank you very much, gentlemen, for all these interesting and informative comments ( Geraint, you were right for the cross hatched surface).

Greetings from Switzerland.

Bernard D

[Curran]

Lucky timing.... as this topic just came up elsewhere.

 

I have seen a tsuba with recent NBTHK papers to 'Tachi Shi'.

*However*, the tsuba was photographed with the nakago ana blade up, rather than blade down.

Pre-Edo tsuba. No hitsuana.

 

While many regard it common practice is to photograph tachi tsuba with nakago ana blade down, is this the practice of the NBTHK in papering tsuba?

Anyone able to link to a tachi tsuba with modern NBTHK papers to illustrate?

[sanjuro]

Keith and I were in Vulcan mind meld.

 

Yep.....For one horrible moment Pete and I shared consciousness........ I may never be the same again. Thanks for that Pete, I can now hear all the voices that you hear. LOL

[Stefan]

Lucky timing.... as this topic just came up elsewhere.

 

I have seen a tsuba with recent NBTHK papers to 'Tachi Shi'.

*However*, the tsuba was photographed with the nakago ana blade up, rather than blade down.

Pre-Edo tsuba. No hitsuana.

 

While many regard it common practice is to photograph tachi tsuba with nakago ana blade down, is this the practice of the NBTHK in papering tsuba?

Anyone able to link to a tachi tsuba with modern NBTHK papers to illustrate?

 

Tachi-shi is, far as i do remember, a group of artists, like katsuchi. So a tsuba made by them does ot necessarly has to be a tachi-tsuba.

Please correct me if i am wrong.

Greets

Stefan

[docliss]

Am I corrct in thinking that handachi koshirae do not properly include kozuka and kogai?

John L.

[John A Stuart]

I have a good handachi koshirae that includes them. John

[Guido]

Although not the norm, both Kôgai and Kozuka were occasionally mounted on Handachi:

[sanjuro]

Am I corrct in thinking that handachi koshirae do not properly include kozuka and kogai?

 

John.

For what its worth, I have owned good examples of handachi koshirae that both included kogai and/or kozuka, and also those that didnt. It would seem to depend on the age of the koshirae as to whether the implements formed part of the koshirae, since from my own experience the older koshirae tended not to have them, whereas the more recent koshirae did include them. I am however making an observation here based on some less than a dozen examples over time, so it is not a large sample group. Illustrated examples in various works however, do tend to support my observation. Perhaps Guido can add something here, since his observations will be based on a wider scholarship than my own.