Tsuba With Sukashi, Lead Filled

[Ron STL]

Looking for some ideas as to what is being depicted on this tsuba. The design is negative sukashi with a portion of it being filled with what looks like lead. The two hitsuana are also filled with lead. The lead punched with random and somewhat bold design (like nanako, but not). On the omote side, this lead filled design appears with a rock in low relief at its base. On the ura side, there is no rock. I've been studying the design and can possibly see the depicting pine trees with the filled sukashi being a tree trunk. Not sure about this since I've never see pine trees (often "distant pine trees") made in this manner. The lead fill is rather interestingly made, what with the punched design cover its surface. Tsuba is of iron and is large and thick, 81 mm x 83 mm x 6 mm at the edge. The plate surface is slightly sunken, measuring ~ 5.5 mm thickness. The plate surface is covered with the hammer marks you see (not rust pitting, as it might appear on the photos).

Any ideas??? Ron STL

[Peter Bleed]

Ron,

I can't answer any of your questions which is typical, but I always like your stuff, and...

Are we sure that is lead?. It looks pretty sturdy and fresh for old lead. Could it be one of the other "grey" metals, zinc, or tin - -   -    or platinum  mebbe?

Peter

[Rich S]

Zinc or tin or some Japanese alloy. Platinum doesn't tarnish. Interesting tsuba.

 

Rich

[Tanto54]

I think it is definitely a pine tree - see examples below:

 

 

 

[MauroP]

The tsuba could be a Tenpō school. The filling of sukashi spaces is usually referred as gan-kin (嵌金).

Bye, Mauro

[Greg F]

My first thought were pine tree like George. Love that bonsai!

 

Greg

[Geraint]

The texturing appears to have been made with the usual y shaped punch.  I seem to recall that this was introduced by a particular school.........?   http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/10237/10391 Not that this would point to the work being by that school, the filling is almost certainly a later treatment the tsuba, no?

 

All the best

[Bazza]

G'day Ron,

 

Your "lead" could be sawari, an alloy of copper, tin and lead.  I have read it is used for producing Buddhist utensils.  However, this link:

http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?54365-Shakudo

(beware - I got a "threat warning" from Avast anti-virus)

is an interesting read for Japanese alloys.  In this thread Patrick Hastings addresses another poster's alloying attempt with this comment "... what you ended up with is a Japanese alloy called "Sawari" or pretty close. appoximately 33 tin balance copper. It was used for inlay work. Instead of being a mechanical inlay it was melted in like Niello."

 

EDIT:  See post #8

Bestests,

BaZZa.

[Ford Hallam]

In my opinion the infills are unlikely to be sahari/sawari as that alloy is simply far too brittle allow for any sort of deformation and punch work decoration. In fact it's so brittle that it can be broken up by hammering on it and then further ground to a fine powder in a simple pestle and mortar. It's in that form that it is used like enamel powder and melted in to prepared cavities like on Hazama tsuba.

 

It's possible the infills are a variety of Japanese pewter. Typical compositions are in the region of 80% tin and 20% lead.

[Ron STL]

Thanks everyone for your input on this tsuba and the filling material used on it. I'm sure the motif is as everyone says, "pine tree." Maybe with a little more looking around the work can be placed to a group but if not "textbook" work, that can be at best a good guess. It is interesting to think about the fill used for the tree trunk. First impression seemed it was obviously lead; you see lead used on many of shinshinto Naokatsu's works. But I'll go take a closer look at the filling with a loop. I do recall seeing a "hint" of color existing at the very bottoms of the punches, but passed it off and something not really there. With our icey weather past here in St. Louis, there is a good chance one of my sword buds who has a degree in metals may venture up for a visit. If so, I'll see what he "sees" when study this material. I'll keep the topic updated.

Ron STL