Uncommon Bowl Shaped Tsuba. Idea About School Or Origin?

[Krystian]

Hello, 

 

I have this this bowl shape tsuba and can not find any similar ones or read the kanji. Could you help me with that? 

 

 

In my opinion shape and decorated seppa dai point to Namban but I could not find any with similar inlay. 

 

Best Regards, 

 

Krystian

[kissakai]

Not too unusual

The one I have may be Shoami

 

Described as:

Dished form. Wan-gata, bowl shaped.

Possibly copied from a European sword.

It is open to interpretation which way it is fitted but more likely to be like a European sword

[Krystian]

 

Thank you.

 

Do you have the exact same kanji on your tsuba? Where you able to read them? 

 

Well I just started collecting and while I have other bowl shaped tsuba this on is very different. I have no other tsuba with inlay like that. That is why It appears uncommon for me. I should have anticipated that for NMB members It could be a common design.

[kissakai]

Although not rare there are not too many around, I bought mine so I had an example of this type

Mine is plain (just the hammer marks)

Size in mm's = 73 x 73 x 4.2 mm (Dish = 7.7)

 

One of the others members will probably help with the translation and inlay

[Henry Wilson]

Could the kanji be 思 (judge, believe) 邪 (wicked, injustice).  The last one could be a stylised 天 (heaven, sky) but I doubt it because of the dash on the left between the two horizontal strokes.  My dictionary interprets the strokes as 死 (death).

 

[John A Stuart]

Maybe, 思天邪  'think no evil'. That is if it isn't 矢.  John

[SteveM]

I was thinking it might be a reference to Bishamon  毘 rather than 思

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vai%C5%9Brava%E1%B9%87a