Your thoughts on some tsuba...

[menpo]

Hi everyone.

I have recently bought some tsuba and I'd like to know everyone's thoughts on what school they might be and if they've seen anything similar before. The first is a namban I believe, which has been converted to fit a European style basket hilt rapier, it most likely started life out flat but has been altered to be wan shaped and the Ana filled in, there are still marks where the cross bar has worn in. The second tsuba is also a namban but I've never come across any so thick and heavy. It's approx 11mm thick and weighs 270 grams! The third tsuba is, I think, hizen work but I'm more than willing to stand corrected. The design of the dragons I've seen before, but the design on the other side I haven't come across. The fourth tsuba was labelled as Sendai work when I purchased it but I'm not so sure, it is also wan shaped. Any comments would be most appreciated. Thanks all!

 

 

Gethin

[menpo]

Tsuba number three and four

[Curran]

1) Uncommon Namban

2) odd Namban- don't remember seeing a hamburger sized one like that before.

3) better Hizen

4) Namban, or low end Hizen

 

Those of us that fenced Foil, Epee, etc are drawn to these guards even though they were usually worn cup down towards the blade.

I have a Hizen one I like considerably, but posted for sale on eBay following a significant purchase almost 2 weeks ago.

 

While there are many Namban and Hizen tsuba, good ones don't come along very often.

A fellow at the Tampa show has 50 or 60 of them, and most just don't interest me at all.

[christianmalterre]

Dear Gethin,

Top one is indeed interesting-however your´s posted pictures do certainly not satisfy any serious intended comment.

Better ones available?

 

Christian

[Geraint]

Dear Gethin.

 

Your first tsuba has had the nakago ana filled and then drilled but from my very limited experience all the small sword shell guards and rapier hilts that I have seen dismounted have had square or rectangular holes for their tangs. You mention some marks, if you are going for better photographs could you capture those?

 

 

All the best.

[menpo]

Hi guys

 

Sorry for the late reply. My camera is on the blink and is off for rapair. I'll try and get some better pictures on here as soon as its fixed. Thank you all for your comments.

 

Gethin