TELL ME ABOUT THIS TSUBA?

[kealpe]

This is my first time posting, I hope the pics come out. I mainly collect WW2 stuff and most of my things are German. I do have several Japanese edged weapons. I added a few pics of one of my stuba. Was wondering if anyone could tell me what the markings say or tell me a little about the stuba? The stuba is 8 cm wide by 3mm thick.

 

Thanks, Keith

[cabowen]

The markings read: 26

[Brian]

Tsuba, not stuba

 

Brian

[Marius]

OK, Keith needs our help with his stuba... oops, I mean tsuba.

 

 

Keith, is the colour like it appears in the pics or is it just the flash?

[kealpe]

Sorry about the spelling. The Tsuba has a dark patina to it. The shine comes from the flash.

[Marius]

Ah, that is good. You don't have a masterpiece, but at least this is a real tsuba.

 

Please do not ask about a school, as it seems a mass-produced, run of the mill, late Edo/Meiji piece. But real it is. Hope you haven't paid to much for it.

[Antti]

I wonder what those two marks are on 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock on the first picture. Almost looks like they have been made with a drill.

[Marius]

It seems they were, indeed. Possibly an aborted attempt at re-purposing this tsuba as a decoration of some kind? I have seen such holes in tsuba before.

[Antti]

I've seen one picture of a tsuba where two similar, unfinished drill holes were next to each other on the lower part of the tsuba, which was supposed to be an aborted attempt to create udenuki ana.

 

The placement of the holes in this tsuba is weird though...

[Marius]

Imagine that someone would want to fasten the tsuba to a wooden surface. Two holes, two nails... And suddenly, the position of the holes makes sense, doesn't it?

[Stephen]

does it not looked cast to anyone?

[Marius]

I am usually the first one to cry out "cast", even if the tsuba is forged iron

 

Anything is possible but this looks forged to me.

[Marius]

Nad this tsuba is now on eBay:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EDO-PERIOD-TSUB ... 3f2ff34c9f

 

 

So, we should refrain from comments.

[Stephen]

Not I, pix two looks like cast lines in the far left holes, just saying,but i do like his other auciton Smokey the Bear hat..LOL

[Geraint]

Dear All.

 

Some years ago one of the major London auction houses had a lot which consisted of several yari in a stand. The stand had been made of wood and for each yari shaft a pair of tsuba had been drilled in just this way and screwed to the stand to hold the yari shaft............. I will try to find the catalogue and scan the image for you.

 

All the best.

[John A Stuart]

I just couldn't stand seeing Stuba anymore and fixed the title. John

[Antti]

Nice to see that tsupid word was corrected

[Marius]

Some very nice stuba have a very nice stupa sukashi

[Soshin]

Hi Mariusz K.,

 

I am still waiting for a tsuba like that to show up on eBay... :lol:

[Marius]

Miracles happen, David :-) But chances that such a tsuba will remained undetected are slim.

 

We are moving off topic, but what the heck...

[John A Stuart]

Actually that is a Gorinto 五輪塔 . You can see it in the text. John

[Soshin]

Hi John S.

 

Gorinto (五輪塔) is one type of Buddhist stupa often found near or in old graveyards in Japan.