SF Show Pickup (...its an iron sukashi Tsuba!)

[kaigunair]

Other than bottles of choji oil, my big SF show purchase was....an Iron Sukashi Tsuba! Picked it up during the last hour of the show. Definitely tons of eye candy pieces and $$$. This is not one of those pieces...

 

Yes, its not kinko, but, I think I can be forgiven given the motif. Now, if only it also was contained within a circle!

 

I was told that the bean shape hitsuana and the nakago punch marks might point towards a particular school and period. Its about 3-3/8, no calipers to check thickness but it isn't tosho thin. Would 1700's be about right?

 

Any opinions or assistance in narrowing down the time and school, if even possible, would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Henry Wilson]

It could be a tsuba by the Ito school from the Owari area, if not a late Tosho tsuba. What is the patina like? In the pics it looks black and a bit dry.

 

You seem happy with it. Congratulations on your new buy Junichi.

[kaigunair]

Thanks Henry. Not having other examples to compare too, I would agree that the iron might be dry. I was going to use a horse hairbrush on it before putting on any oil. A completely different animal than the kinko I normally go for (feels funny not having to handle with gloves).

 

Having the crest is very satisfying. Now if I could find a formal goto, yoshioka, or hirata with the kamon!

 

Will look up the school later tonight. Thanks for the help.

[kaigunair]

would Owari Hoan school be a candidate also? Just trying to see if I can find similar punches in the nakago and shape of the kozuka hitsuana....

 

http://www.shibuiswords.com/haynesTsu53.html

[ROKUJURO]

JUNICHI,

 

I would not emphasize the TAGANE too much as they could have been made also at a much later date after manufacturing.

 

To me it looks like a quite nice late EDO TOSHO style TSUBA, and unless you find some very distinctive features in the steel or on it's surface it might be difficult to relate it to a school or a smith. The SUKASHI might even be just a decoration and not a KAMON, but I understand that you had to buy it!

[Pete Klein]

Looks like Tadatsugu work, unsigned.

[kaigunair]

Thanks Jean and Pete for the info. I don't know how to differentiate between ito, owari, hoan or tadatsugu, but the Pete's call seems like the best candidate to my uniformed eye (was great meeting you at the show too!). There was post on tadatusgu with the haynes info talking about simple sukashi work. Then there's this papered piece which looks darn close:

 

http://yakiba.com/Tsuba_Tadatsugu.htm

 

I think there may be some kanji scratch marks on my little tsuba, similar to the one listed on yakiba but even more faint. Problem is, they are on the wrong side and face of the tsuba compared to the yakiba, so perhaps it is my mind playing tricks with me....

 

[Soshin]

Hi Junichi,

 

I would go with Umetada Tadatsugu as Pete K. recommended. Another thing to check is the tickness of the seppa-dai vs rim. On all the Tadatsugu tsuba I have seen the seppa-dai is much thicker than the rim.

 

 

 

P.S. Welcome to the darkside...