MauroP

I was quite puzzled by the attribution of this tsuba to Hirata (平田), as in my understanding, the Hirata school is typically associated with suaka, yamagane, or shinchū-ji tsuba, often featuring shigure-yasuri or okina-yasuri file marks, and sometimes an odawara-fukurin. So, I did a bit of research and found that most "Hirata" attributions seem to originate from Bonhams auctions. None appear to be papered by the NBTHK, and only a few are signed by Hirata Harunari (8th generation, late Edo) or Hirata Haruaki (Meiji period). Perhaps there is some confusion with Hirado (平戸)? Here some images: 1. signed Narikazu (hard to believe he's the 2nd generation Hirata master) 2. a typical Hirata piece 3. a shippō-zōgan tsuba papered as Hirado 4. a similar piece papered as Nagasaki shippō

I wish to suggest Nagasaki shippō as a more likely attribution...

Dan, please go here and read all the stuff... https://www.openmovportal.ca/argus/final/Portal/Main.aspx?component=AAFG&record=a7450643-c397-4d2e-a9a6-0cea5b180791

Thanks God the Museum of Vancouver also states that the material is copper and/or silver alloy (?). So no iron casting involved (or clearly the museum curators don't know anything). https://www.openmovportal.ca/argus/final/Portal/Main.aspx?component=AAFG&record=a7450643-c397-4d2e-a9a6-0cea5b180791

Actually the signature looks like 奈良重光 - Nara Shigemitsu, but I was unable to find this signature in my books.

The paper says the signature is Sashū jū Toshiuji (佐州住利姓).

Now I understand why Daruma shows such a sad face....

Here the genealogy of Hōan school according to "Genealogies of Japanese tsuba and tōsō-kinkō Artists" by Marcus Sesko. (the best I can do without a flatbed scanner)

The signature seems consistent..

Unfortunately zōgan means just "inlay", and does not describe the technique used to make it ...

Hi, I suggested Hizen relying on style alone, but of couse other schools/traditions can be considered. I assume the tsuba in made in iron, and the decoration is silver and gold nunome-zōgan (may be wrong). I'm unable to see true channels where inlay is missing, just minor wears in gin-nunome-zōgan could eventually result in that images. Finally, in my humble opinion the “anecdotal” example of what Alex consider to be representative of Kaga-zōgan is indeed a fair example of Kyō-kenjō (including the kin-zōgan kaō).

Could be a late Edo Hizen?

The problem is not in the tsuba.... it's in our brain. Pareidolia is the tendency of human mind to give meaningful interpretation of a visual input. That's my opinion.

The plant depicted is 樅 - momi - Japanese fir. see: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gew1fwujq25us4bpahzst/FHJ.pdf?rlkey=xqwem1jg9d243ej1wmub7a0hr&st=l12r1vch&dl=0

I don't think it's just an overcleaned tsuba. If the iron patina was abraded surely the nunome-zōgan would have been abraded as well. Nunome-zōgan over silver is unusual, nontheless silvered iron tsuba do exist (here one of mines).