Spartancrest

Louis A The worm eaten wood MIMI and the tortoise shell pattern on the HIRA are common Nobuie themes and he is also known for his irregular shaped Tsuba. I think you may have a good piece. Would like to have it my hands to feel - - - not sure you would get it back though! Dale from Tassie

These are very common castings, the one you are looking at in fact more worn out than most, some had touches of gold overlay, and fine details - - depends how much izarae (Lit. to clear a cast piece) was done after casting. These attachment pictures are other examples, in fact the large detailed example is one I got cheap nearly 30 years ago, I would not buy it now! Dale from Tassie

Shamsy This is Edo period as John says. It is a little worse for wear, it would have been very nice originally, the gold has saved the features of the Dragon fairly well. I would not pay more than $80 for it, you can get better on eBay for that much if you are patient. Not that you will find the very best on eBay. Jauce.com sometimes have bargain buys, though you will be stung by rather heavy fees and bank charges. Picture is one with Dragons I bought for around $65 total, some wear and the gold nunome has totally worn off. Dale from Tassie

Mauro and Jean As for comparing TSUBA and trying to determine their lineage, I am always grateful to that great early collector Bashford Dean- his quote "Let him but try to classify these tsuba before him, and he will find how complicated is his task. Most of us would not attempt it, but he who is thoughtful will long be haunted by the problem which he cannot solve: try as he may to distinguish clearly the groups of sword guards, he will ever find that his criteria "interlock" inextricably. Thus he may try in vain to classify his guards according to their material, whether finished or roughened, whether perforated or plain, whether smooth, encrusted, or inlaid; or according to subjects; or, if he follows his task more thoroughly, even according to the "schools" of the artists who created them." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. Vol. 16, No. 7 Author: Bashford Dean 1921 This allows me to sleep at night when I can't assign a particular piece !

Ford The Shinto is not my ideal either, just showing variety of designs. I have seen many Tsuba with depictions of the Torii gate, so I guess the maker in this case thought it was ok, but you are probably right, Westeners would not like Christian style Tsuba, displayed nailed to a wooden cross . Dale

Hi Darius The dilemma of display as opposed to storage is interesting. I have some display boards that hold just so many Tsuba, this allows me to rotate every so often with others that are in storage. I find I get the best of both words this way. I was very impressed with the Torii display case I found online awhile back, the other is one I made myself. I used brass pins so as not to scratch the tsuba. Maybe you can get some ideas from these pictures sorry they are not hi-res. Dale

Thanks for all that information, I did think the antler one was very modern. Would it have been given as some sort of present perhaps? I have seen another one recently on a site in America and corresponded with its owner who gave me permission to use the image, it looks like a stripped down version that was less well cared for. What do you think ? The not Sanmai (some references give different spellings, but I stand corrected) was not actually cast, it is difficult to see in the pictures but it is constructed with thin twists of metal that are folded over almost like crumpled paper with a lot of solder, the iron section does not quiet line up with the hitsu so that would certainly fit with the keyhole idea. Thanks also Ford for the information on the maybe Saotome it was fairly cheap and I had no great expectations for it. Actually it is still in Japan so I have no idea what it will eventually turn out to be, for all I know at present it may turn out to be a cast iron trivet, I only posted it in reference to the size of Saotome type Tsuba as that is what it purported to be when I bought it. The other picture is a new one I bought recently, the subject matter is pretty ordinary but I do like the nibbled biscuit look of the shape! Thanks again. Dale.

To Jean C. The picture icon on my post is one of mine, it is made of Deer antler cross-section, the spongy core is reinforced with silver and the mei is carved in gold (kakihan ?) I have not got a translation for it. Would the rough outline constitute Kawari or maru I wonder? Dale.

To Jean C .i only joined this group for mutual exchange not aggravation My collection is small, all up about 70, most are not great works of art that's for sure ! There is one that is very ugly by any standards but it still interests me. It is very crude, the seppa is iron with two rivets to the (copper?) body. rather heavy but surprisingly tactile, no sharp edges. Maybe it was a hobby piece but it seems to have some age to it. Wonder if any one has seen one like it? As I said it is ugly!

Jean C. I collect mainly iron guards, lately I have a growing interest in kawari-gata the more unusual the better, some just don't make any sense to me. I know that wearing swords often involved a fast draw and the one thing you don't want is to get tangled in clothing. I also realize that the tsuka was held out slightly from the body to clear this problem, but why did they take the chance? I have examples that are kawari and exactly the same design with a smooth maru-mimi. I find these mysteries great fun. I had one comment from the Administrator "For the record, we study art. The fact that they are weapons is secondary, but nonetheless important. However there is already 1000 years of tradition that tells us how and what to appreciate. If you think you need to change that, suggest you contact the Japanese. I'm quite happy with the way we do things, and looking at other forums...quite happy with the way we do it too." This is fine but doesn't the heading of this very page state "Dedicated to the Study and Preservation of Genuine Japanese Swords and Fittings." surely this can include even the 'junk' and we all know the Japanese also produced plenty of that. I did not join to cause trouble but the administration also states "Losing my patience with the old accusations of snobbery" Does anyone have the number of accusations- - could be a pattern - ! Dale

I have read a great deal of the sites posts and the reaction to my post suggests that some members are really not good readers. At no stage did I say 'all' members were snobs , newbie or not I can read. Some posts are relevant and fair and everyone should have a right to an opinion. We cant all afford the very best and in its own way that is a good thing. If we all had the very best would that not distort the truth? From a purely historical standpoint don't we need the balance? One comment that I had no experience was dead-set wrong, I have been a collector for more than thirty years and like the rest, that does not mean I know it all. Thanks for some of the kind comments. Dale

I realize a lot of the members of this site are lovers of the pristine, the never used, over decorated- - dare I say decadent types of Tsuba. I have gone the other way and much prefer those Tsuba that were used by the guys who did the fighting not those who stood to gain from it. Even though I am a new member, some comments I have seen made on this site are downright snobbish. Is this a site for enthusiasts or is it for those who want to show off? I noted some time back a discussion on soft metal Tsuba not being 'real battle' guards as they would not deflect a blade from the hand or else be ruined in the process. Can I put my two cents worth in and say that you guys need to look outside the box a bit! There are a great deal of sword types throughout the world that have no guards at all. one instance being the traditional Cossack sabre - do you seriously believe it could never have been used in combat? The existence of Tsuba is NOT solely for defence if it were, an awful lot of weapons would need to be thrown out- tanto for instance, what protection does a tanto tsuba of any material offer other than to stop the grip going up the blade? Dale from Tassie

This is my first post even though I have dipped into some archived material over the years, so I hope you are not too critical. I have just purchased what I hope is an early Saotome tsuba of very large dimensions 112mm x 5mm. As I have yet to receive it all I can post is a rather grainy photo. It certainly looks - - neglected but I hope that with some care It may improve. The question was asked 'Just how big did Saotome tsuba get?' Well mine is pretty big - - if it is a genuine piece and I can't honestly tell from the photo but I am hopeful. Dale from Tassie