Tsuba Mei

[b.hennick]

Hello:

This is a tsuba with a difficult to see mei. I think that it reads Nobuyoshi but I'm far from sure. When the mei is magnified greatly it becomes very difficult for me to read. 

 

 

   

 

[TETSUGENDO]

Barry,

 

For me the signature is not discernible, perhaps the following may help, good luck-

 

1-Higher resolution photographs.

2-Try some photos with raking light.

3-Hilight the signature using chalk, powder,etc.

 

-StevenK

[Bazza]

KANE 金  something????

 

BaZZa.

[SteveM]

↑　Interesting. I was going to say 家 for the second kanji, which leads to the possibility of 金家 (Kaneie).

 

 

[Curran]

Tsuba formerly known as "Nobuiye".

[christianmalterre]

Hi Barry

 

i just see your´s post here.....

into what timesheet would you post your´s Tsuba ? ( early Edo?- mid Edo? or latter Edo? ) or even earlier than early Edo ?

do compare the work and iron with Tsuba from the Tempo/Tenpo school and Tsuba made by the Sadahiro and Nobuie groups....( including the Futagoyama from latter Edo)...

 

interesting indeed!

 

Christian

[b.hennick]

Hello Christian:

I have owned several Tenbo/Tenpo/Tembo/Tempo tsuba. They all have hot stamp impressions. This has carvings of what looks like bundles of straw. I will try to take better photos of the mei but when I added powder not much showed. 

I cannot see any feature that I can use to date the tsuba. Richard George post similar tsuba recently but I have been unable to find it here or on his website. I think that he called his Ko Shoami.

[vajo]

You guys impress me really. I didn't see any signature on this piece.

 

Great! 

[uwe]

"Kaneie" would match most of the "visible" strokes. Maybe oblique light of a certain angle might help?!

[b.hennick]

I hope that these photos help. I'm leaning towards Kaneie.

 

[Curran]

Still seeing "Nobuiye".

[Steve Waszak]

Curran is correct:  Nobuiye.

[SteveM]

I agree. The photo manipulation this time brought out more useful detail. It is quite worn, but I think there is enough to declare it as Nobuie.

 

Both Kaneie and Nobuie samples are in the link below. The slanting first stroke of Nobu 信 looks like the slanting first stroke of Kane 金.

Not many other similarities though. Meanwhile, the original Nobuie 信家 signatures look very similar to the bits that can be seen in Barry's tsuba.   

 

https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/diarypro/archives/174.html

 

 

 

 

 

[b.hennick]

Thanks for the input! My first impression was that the first character was Nobu. 

When I first got this tsuba it was difficult to read anything but it was apparent that something was there. Some TLC, oil, deer antler and ivory helped to bring things out.

A friend wrote this to me:

 

``The mei on your tuba is Nobuiye ( faint) it is late Edo, revival piece likely made by a armour maker in style of.

... There are a lot of revival Nobuiye in that period, they are not so common in the West, and they are worthy of collecting.

...

others may say Kaneiye from the photo, but definitely Nobuiye after magnification.``

[Steve Waszak]

Hi Barry,

 

Your friend is spot on...

[Henry Wilson]

I love the kebori of cut rice straws. I would like to see more if you have time to post more shots. If you ever get tired of it Barry, drop me a line!

[Shirogitsune]

Hi Barry,

 

I also read it as "Nobuiye" and think that it's consistent with the later revival pieces. I have had and traded a number of these. They are sometimes not sufficiently valued in the West (there's an unsigned one on eBay now for $150). I have another interesting Kaneie style piece which I will put up later in the week, seems to be Aizu Shoami. And I do still own the Ko-Uda, it's with David being mounted as a Dai-Sho with a similarly early chisagatana as the sho.