Curran

That was a 3rd or early 4th gen Akasaka. Great tsuba where I thought the NBTHK papers were daft. -Irony is the current value of some Akasaka has fallen while Ono are getting more respect. Maybe its papers were ahead of its time. Like attending Stanford U. back in the day?

Small yet thick. 6.5cm round and 5.2mm thick. That is more of a Satsuma type portions, but it is a bit more elegant of flair to the waves and ducks. Thus, I think more likely Umetada. Nakago ana is large, made for a thick blade. My gut feeling is that it was probably mounted on a large and long Kanbun Shinto era blade.

Mid Edo period. Iron with gold highlights to the eyes. Copper sekigane. Clean, well carved, good condition tsuba. Outside of two main interests, but it has been pleasant to own and display for a while.

More pics.

$299 + shipping. No tariff and shipping issues. [Excluding Hong Kong and China] The theme of ducks is rare and usually one referring to a happy marriage or long compatible life. In Korea, wooden ducks are often a wedding gift and often found their place near the hearth of the house. This is a nice blue black iron. Emphasis on blue. The ducks and waves are very well carved, and gold eyes added to the nesting duck. Possibly to establish female from male? I bought a signed Saotome (Iesada) tsuba recently, so I want to let one or two small things go to balance the scales. Here is a nice tsuba that I can easily vouch is a good authentic work with some meaning behind the design. Ask questions and PM if interested. Curran

(a) Either locking mechanism slot (looks small for that) (b) or some sort of alignment slot for a different type of koshirae. We see a lot of (a) on tsuba added to WW2 mounts. Lots of variations of (a). I also have a unique tanto koshirae with (b) As Western influence hit Japan and Japanese designs in the late 1800s, you see all sorts of things on toppei koshirae.

Honestly- From the photos, it fooled me too.

Hi Steve, See the NBTHK papers here for the kanji for Ono. https://www.bonhams.com/auction/21861/lot/112/an-ono-tsuba-late-muromachi-period-16th-century/ Ono tsuba: (1) because less is written in English about them and (2) for a while the NBTHK used the attribution for Owari tsuba where they were not sure- ==== They do not get the respect they deserve. Sometimes they are nicer than the best Kanayama. I own the one from Bonhams link above, and also this other Tokugawa mon monster. 17 large tekkotsu and it weighs in around 165 grams.

that should have read 'provenance'. I too hope to see it in person some day.

That is a pristine beast. Given that it was displayed at the NBTHK Museum, are you able to find its providence? I have the strong feeling this was owned by someone historically important.

Time to get my copy too.

Nice bit of detective work there. @Spartancrest (Dale) Thank you for sharing this. Some very interesting unique tsuba, and a good point about seeing both sides of a tsuba.

$1700 then? 36 hours until I leave for Chicago. The lighter I can travel, the better. Curran

@cluckdaddy76 yes, I do think it is a ko-kinko that has been repurposed a few times. It was probably "in service" a long time. The kozuka ana was cut through the design work, implying it happened later. The nakago ana has been reshaped- expanded, then later filled with copper sekigane. Sekigane 1, 2, possibly 3. This tsuba probably started out as a tanto tsuba has probably seen several blades of various sizes and shapes over a period of ??? There is a simple honesty to some ko-kinko works that is unintentionally Zen when you think the little fellow has survived how many centuries and seen how much mileage on various blades with various samurai or soldiers. The ratios of metals in the shibuichi are less than perfect, and the designs are simple but often slightly hypnotic. The not quite ideal metal mixes, patinas, and colors create quite a kaleidoscope of works that are quite a beautiful gallery defying the more codified classifications we give most Edo era works. Note: if you are taking it to a bench jeweler, very few of them are going to have any knowledge of some of the exotic mixes and patina formulas used in Japan. While they pick up books on the Japanese metalwork, very few actually have experience. Consider their opinions as "educated guesses".