Dereks

Did you try google first?

The most suitable one in this situation is: It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man by argument. by William McAdoo @Brian This thread doesn't do anyone any good...People will keep on feeding him and It will just go on and on..Just a waste of time...

Again, it's just sad...

It is just sad.

Yes!

There were different ways to forge a tsuba. Some of them have 2-3 layers, with the upper crust being the top layer. Some not folded. Some inlays are applied on a heated plate so it affects upper layer as well. Two of the tsuba with missing zogan are applied to a prepared area. The other one, with the missing shi shi, is completely different.

That further corroded area, that layer, is the same one on your first tsuba! That is the answer to your question. Here, I'll put X on them now. It is not molten iron. Just the upper crust flaked off!

I don't need to think, I can see. Your question was already answered on the first comment but I don't understand why you can't accept it. Working on a new book maybe? Best.

Dan, See the circled area, that is the exact layer with your first tsuba. On this example, it is corroded nicely, so you don't see the shiny metal.

Dan, Please stop thinking.

Yours might be paint or urushi as well..doesn't really matter.

Most of these motifs attached to tsuba are made of softer metals. They are carved separately first and then soldered onto the tsuba using various techniques. The filling is most likely lead. Lead turns red under certain amounts of heat, or one side may have just been painted with urushi. Someone may have experimented with this piece recently, as it’s a very low-end tsuba, which makes it perfect for experimentation.

Dan, I don’t think there’s anything unusual about this tsuba; you might be overthinking it a bit. And, of course, the motif wasn’t hand-carved on the tsuba.

It popped up again

Gotcha! Thank you very much.