Tosho Tsuba

[Andi B.]

Hello,

here I have a Ko-Sukashi [(Ko?)-Tosho] Tsuba but I have no more information about it.

Size is 73 x 75 mm, nearly 3 mm thick at the nakago ana and 2 mm at the rim.
Motif are mushrooms and there is an oddly shaped hitsu-ana as you can see on the images.
Sekigane are missing (...and I'm almost tempted to think about adding some because - from my uneducated point of view - this nakago-ana looks naked without...).

 

I like the simple old sukashi style but have no clue, whether this pice is old or a young remake...

So any input and lecture is welcome!

[Henry Wilson]

The conventional wisdom says that the long hitsuana suggests an older piece.  The motif is quite pleasing of two mushrooms.  A look at either of Sasano's book would be interesting I think. 

 

Hope this helps.

[christianmalterre]

"there is an oddly shaped hitsu-ana as you can see on the images" you wrote...

 

-yepp!, and this is good so!

i do not really like the colour- this but,can simply result due light influence and the taken pictures here...???

 

a nice, typical iron-

a nice, typical work-

 

a good Tsuba!

(i dare to say...)

 

very nice!

 

Christian

[ROKUJURO]

In my opinion, not a KO-TOSHO, but an EDO JIDAI TOSHO-style TSUBA. Design and execution of mushrooms are quite nice.

[Grey Doffin]

Do we know for a fact that these are mushrooms and not pine trees?

Grey

[Henry Wilson]

Coud be both.  A pine tree in front of a mushroom or the other way round... 

 

 

 

Or umbrellas.

[Andi B.]

Thanks for the feedback,

 

Acc. to my books (silver Sasano and golden Kurogane no hana) it looks like mushrooms.

Atached I have 2 pine tsuba and 4 mushroom tsuba images:

[christianmalterre]

i  REALLY!  do love these umbrellas!  !

Laugh!   !

 

(bottle of bordeaux!)

 

Christian

[FlorianB]

Tosho tsuba have been made until late Edo and some of the later ones are so cunningly made they look older as they are. Thus it is sometimes difficult to determine the actual age.

Your Tsuba seems to be an old one. However, from my point of view the nakago-ana appears newer. Note the sharp-angeled edges - in comparision to the smooth edges of the sukashi - and the notches left for sekigane. This don’t fit to Ko-Tosho.

At least it is not in the original form but has been modified later.

 

FlorianB