Jade Tsuba

[BIG]

While watching met treasures, find that Jade Tsuba..

 

http://metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/33387?sortBy=Relevance&what=Edged+weapons&ft=*&pg=2&rpp=20&pos=31

 

Best Regards

[dominnimod]

Beautiful,

but pretty uncommon,

noticeable artist freedom just as

with the samegawa or wood laquered tsuba.

Also thanks for showing this,

I got the idea of buying one of those modern

cheap chineese jade pendant and 

putting a nakago ana on it.

Has someone attempted this before?

I think that done correctly,the result might

be a great unique piece.

 

[vajo]

It's not my taste. A Jade Tsuba make no sense. Looks like "kitsch" 

[ROKUJURO]

Josh,

why should one try this?

Yes, it would be unique, but not an original, not of good quality, and of course not a TSUBA, so it will be nothing more than just a decoration piece.

By the way, Jade is difficult to work with, I have heard!  

..... got the idea of buying one of those modern

cheap chineese jade pendant and 

putting a nakago ana on it......
 

I think that done correctly,the result might

be a great unique piece.

[dominnimod]

Josh,

 

why should one try this?

 

Yes, it would be unique, but not an original, not of good quality, and of course not a TSUBA, so it will be nothing more than just a decoration piece.

 

By the way, Jade is difficult to work with, I have heard!  

I'm talking about doing it on a practical katana,Iato,

of course it wouldn't be original nor good quality and wouldn't have place

on my Tsuba collection.And by the way,if you add a nakago ana,

ANYTHING can be a tsuba,just like those early tsubas made

with the back of chinesse mirrors 

Just a different approach,

there is no accounting for tastes. 

But yeah,the main problem here would be

avoiding the fracture of the Jade.

[vajo]

Tsuba is part of a deadly weapon not part of a toy?

A Tsuba made out of jade is like glass. If it gehts hit it broke in thousend pieces? You or another could get hurt.

For me it make no sense.

[Greg F]

Good for display though. I probably wouldnt use it in iaido though.

 

Greg

[dominnimod]

Yet,

even if uncommon on Japanese swords,

there have been a lot of historical jian swords with jade fittings,

and Jian swords were also deadly weapons,no toys,

so why so serious about them in Japanese swords?

 

Pd:In Iaido i ment to use on individual katas

not parry or anything, i know what jade is 

[sakura_matsuri_antiques]

I've never seen a tsuba like this one. Obviously is a pure academic exercise by the artist but it'd be nice to discover if it's just an isolated case or had some purpose. Shakudo/shibuichi tsuba from Edo jidai already are items crafted with aesthetic in mind rather then practical use, but this one as hand guard is useless. Maybe thought as a gift to a temple or a shrine, like the many bone/ivory koshirae mounted swords (sword shaped steel...).

[BIG]

Not so rare tsubas...

 

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/28621

 

Best Regards

[sakura_matsuri_antiques]

i've never even heard of these kind of tsuba before. Since it seems i've missed a part of kodogu history i'd like to study the subject!

[dominnimod]

A lot of chinese influence in these,

Jade is quite important in chinese culture

as it symbolised wisdom,power,wealth...

But overall,it was like a status symbol, so

it wouldn't be surprising to find some of these,wich

were most likely been mounted in swords owned

by chinese who moved to Japan.

but i would still say they are quite rare or at least

uncommon,

Peace,

[Rodenbacher]

This Jade Tsuba could have been a Netsuke or Okimono, various examples of such Netsuke in form of a Tsuba exist, some made of wood, others of lacquer. Things like that where appreciated as an Interpretation of a common thing just made from an uncommon material.

[Spartancrest]

I realize this is an old thread but it seemed the best place to post this.

Lapidary tsuba are a niche group and those other jade [nephrite] guards all seem to have a Chinese basis, even the one from the Metropolitan Museum collection. However one described as 'Agate' has turned up on auction with a definite Japanese style. https://www.jauce.com/auction/w1021112215

Though agate is usually banded it can occur as a solid colour, which this would appear to be. There is some discoloration in the nakago-ana so it would seem to have been mounted, but due to the stones nature it would be extremely difficult to judge when it was made. It is possible that it is an Edo period piece and also possible that it was made much more recently. I would note that so far all the stone tsuba are on the small 'tanto' scale and would be most suitable as a hand stop and not intended to ward off a blow from an opponent.

 

 

Another Nephrite 'tsuba' is listed on ebay with once again Chinese origins. The tang hole would seem very small and I have doubts it was ever intended as a guard for a knife or sword. https://www.ebay.com/itm/174580133350

 

 

[Brian]

Don't think that's Agate. Jade maybe. Probably modern, and decorative. Would not survive very long on a sword. Would likely snap if bumped hard.

[ROKUJURO]

Yes, the upper one is not agate, but probably carnelian or red chalcedony. Nice!

[GRC]

There were many koshirae with fittings that were intended for ceremonial use and would have never seen a battle field. With 400 years of relative peace in the Edo period, I could totally see someone mounting a tanto with a stone tsuba. It sure would have made a statement if that's what you were going for. I think all the museum pieces are tanto sized. I haven't seen one that would fit a wakizashi or katana.

[Spartancrest]

This is an old thread but a small guard has just turned up and I was wondering what people think?   https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1057443930

The seller is not doing much to advertise his piece - virtually no information. Rectangular nakago-ana with sekigane at the bottom. Roped edge. 

For me it has a lot of Chinese style or even Indo-Persian - something you would normally find on a Mughal dagger?

[roger dundas]

Not an expert Dale (Rivkin is that) but probably not Indo-Persian or Mughal . I don't recall seeing any of their daggers with guards. Certainly none that I have had. Indian and Afghan Khyber knives (swords) and daggers, Turk yataghans, Caucasian shashkas and kindjals (swords and daggers) all went without guards.

Roger j