iron tsuba - dragon

[shibeni]

Hello all,

With my new katana I got nice iron tsuba with a dragon on both sides. Is it possible to define an age or to tell something about the nice motif on it?

 

Thank you,

Bojan S.

[Mark]

I am not a tsuba collector, but it looks Namban to me. The square opening for the kogai is usually associated with early tsuba but my guess is that this is a later cast copy, maybe circa late 1800's

[docliss]

Dear Bojan S

 

I am afraid that I cannot agree with Mark’s statement that your tsuba ‘looks Namban’ — with the absence of any openwork and undercutting it lacks the main defining characteristic of that group. Admittedly, with its crysanthemoid mimi; its dragon-with-the-tama-jewel theme; and its decorative seppa-dai it does demonstrate definite namban influence, but is much more Hizen in its appearance. I do agree with him, however, that it is probably a late 1800s, cast tsuba.

 

Regards, John L.