New to me Tsuba

[miner1436]

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I posted, but my interest in Nihonto/Tosogu has been renewed. I know some about Nihonto, but not a lot about Tosogu. I found a Tsuba I really liked online, so I took the jump and bought it. I was wondering what you guys could tell me about it, like the era, school ets... like I said I know virtually nothing on the Tosogu side of collecting. I just bought it today, so it's not in my hands yet, so I am using the seller's pictures for now.

 

Thanks for any information at all!

 

Rich R.

[Curran]

Later Muromachi Heianjo.

Might have been trimmed and a fukurin added.

 

Design seems atypical (in a good way), but a headache to ponder the active design with the tsuba upside-down.

[Lance]

Looks like Curran beat me to it:

 

I'd also look into Heianjo school, age somewhere around Muromachi/Momoyama period: 1500 to early 1600's.

 

From your pictures it appears to have a fukurin (soft metal rim)?

The size of the tang opening and the way the design runs off the edge, along with the patina of the iron and overall "feel" of it (To me) points to an older guard that was made smaller and a fukurin added decades to 100(s) of years later.

 

Like swords sometimes tsuba would be altered by an new owner, resizing, adding a rim, or whatever else depnding on their needs or wants, taste, sentimental reasons, etc.

 

Hope this is of some use,

 

Regards,

Lance

[miner1436]

Thanks for the information guys, I fixed the pics.. Is it better to leave the rust as-is on a piece like this? Ill put up more pictures when I have it on hand.

 

Rich R.

[raven2]

Thanks for the information guys, I fixed the pics.. Is it better to leave the rust as-is on a piece like this? Ill put up more pictures when I have it on hand.

 

Rich R.

 

You should make sure that you get any red (active) rust off of the piece. As long as it is not active, you should be OK.

[Toryu2020]

Rich -

 

I think I see the cloak of invisibility, the peach of eternal life, the lucky hammer of Daikoku and the key to eternal treasure house. if I didn't know better I'd say the theme here is "Treasure"

FWIW

-t

[miner1436]

Got it in hand today, measurements are: 6.3cm x 5.5cm x 0.5cm. The fukurin appears to be made of silver. Started on rust removal, it's going to take a while though. Seems like there is also a lot of a wax type of build up around the inlay.

 

 

Rich R.