Nice Big Iron Tsuba

[Prewar70]

It's seen some honest use, but a nice design in my opinion.  One edge/corner has some corrosion, perhaps from that part being closest to the body or where a hand naturally would have rested.  Something to think about.  Any thoughts as to age, school and quality would be appreciated.  Thanks!

[Rich S]

My guess (?) would be early Edo, Heianjo school. But that's just a guess. Nice tsuba. Too bad some of the inlay is missing.

 

Rich

[ROKUJURO]

James, 

this is probably an early EDO JIDAI item, executed in KAGA ZOGAN. The brass inlay is level with the iron ground, so perhaps not HEIANJO. Design looks like KARAKUSA.

This was a nice TSUBA, but it has lost much of its inlay, and it has a bad dent in the MIMI. These KIZU are not good for the value and collectability. The heavy corrosion has nothing to do with normal use; the TSUBA was neglected at one time in its life.   

[zanilu]

Rich, Jean

 

If I may ask, which are the ponits that lead you to guess Early Edo?

 

In my understanding hira zogan (kaga zogan) is found in Heianjo tsuba too.

For example see the attaced file of a NBTHK HOZON tsuba attributed to Heianjo.

 

Regards

Luca

[Peter Bleed]

Recycling and 're-purposing' of fittings seems to have been a reality of the Edo period. Read the stories presented in the book Misui Story which clealry shows that there was a trade in used and old fittings in mid and later Edo times. There must have been a market at the low end for trendy fittings. The most obvious old tsuba that were reused are the so-called "gomoku zogakan" guards  that have jumbled of brass bits caked on one or two surfaces. Sometimes these look like nice old tosho guards that had gone out of style  and were embellished. It seems to me that many later Heian-jo pieces may have resulted from a comparable process.

This tsuba seems to me like a rather generalize iron guard that had stylized Onin or Heian-jo  elements added. I would imagine that a trained brass inlayer could start with an old tsuba found at a temple flea marker and produce this in a couple of hours. The guys who did the inlay were unlikely to have been involved in producing the iron planes so re-using finished old tsuba would have been a small step.

Peter

[Livio 3rd]

Helpful information here - thanks. I agree with the Kaga line of reasoning (Yoshiro's flush inlay comes to mind) but maybe a little earlier to Momoyama. I have a very similar tsuba in work and feel but with more the attitude of a tachi fitting - probably the same circle of tsubako and also missing inlay (not so uncommon for this type but maybe more so with lack of care in its history). I don't think the inlay was later added. Looks like one of the hitsu-ana was though.

 

Lee

[Livio 3rd]

  On 10/5/2016 at 8:11 PM, zanilu said:

Rich, Jean

 

If I may ask, which are the ponits that lead you to guess Early Edo?

 

In my understanding hira zogan (kaga zogan) is found in Heianjo tsuba too.

For example see the attaced file of a NBTHK HOZON tsuba attributed to Heianjo.

 

Regards

Luca

 I believe Heianjo, referring to a style or school, could be as late as early Edo. Yes, I believe Kaga artists are thought to have carried the Heianjo art further - Heianjo having progressed from Onin (Please correct me, someone, if I am a bit off or way off.)

[ROKUJURO]

Luca,

the fact that the inlays did not all stay in place and the more refined shape of this TSUBA lead me to believe that this was a later than MOMOYAMA production. Some "better" MOMOYAMA HEIANJO TSUBA I have seen, were carefully made and had their inlays very slightly raised above the surface level. Also, their shape had a tendency to the more simple side (round or rounded square) and no MIMI.

I am afraid I cannot offer a competent KANTEI on this one, so all my assumptions may well be wrong.