Possible Heianjo Tsuba

[ChrisW]

Hey everyone,

 

Happy Easter!

 

I have a tsuba here which I was told is possibly Heianjo (I thought Sukashi). Looking for opinions if you all don't mind! I know it looks somewhat off-center but that is due to my photography skills more than not.

 

It has a diameter of 3 1/8" or thereabouts with a nakago ana of 1 1/4 by 5/16". It appears to have some age on it.

[b.hennick]

Heianjo have inlays. This has overlays.

[ChrisW]

Ah. So just a run of the mill sukashi probably?

[rkg]

Chris,

 

Well, sukashi is a generic term for openings, so there are a great many "sukashi" tsuba, but its typically used as a descriptor rather than a classification.

 

There's a couple of groups that typically did zougan like this.  One would be from the Kyouto area (the "Heianjou zougan" bin - I actually think these guys were specialists that would put inlay on whatever they were paid to put it on) and the other would be Aizu shoami guys.  There's a third bin "Ounin" tsuba ( who were also in the Kyouto area that supposedly predate the Heianjou guys), but this doesn't look -that- old, the inlay is different, etc.  And there are adherents to other theories as well (like somf of these were done outside of Japan, etc). 

 

And also, later on, all bets are kind of off when you get to the revival stuff - there were lots of artisans who would do pretty much whatever they were commissioned to do.

 

Kind of hard to tell from your images about the age other than it probably not being late edo though.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

[Pete Klein]

Chris - if you look at the 'ura' (reverse) side you can see the channels where the wire was inserted.  The 'omote' (obverse) shows the wire.  The design is then created with a fine 'tagane' (chisel) to make a rope effect.  It's all been lost on the ura (the plate appears to have been re-patinated as well but a bit difficult to tell in the pics).  Suffice it to say it's probably 'Heianjo' generic work but not pre-Edo.  The mimi (rim) is possibly colored by another method.  I can't tell from the pics.