Tsuba With Stamped Numbers

[Timur]

Please advise if any of you has ever came across tsuba stamped with some numbers under nakago-ana?

Looks like a museum number. Probably an American museum, that made a sale of part of its collection? Just a pure guess from my netsuke background - I recall one such a sale of netsuke in US.

 

[Fuuten]

Usually this is done with lacquer or something. In what world the stamping was an appropriate way to number items i have no idea - i wouldn't want to live in that world.

[vajo]

I notice that too on some tsuba. I avoided buying but now i belive that these tsuba made on series. They are mostley artisan work. Late Edo/Meji. I dont know why they are stamped. But i would buy them now, because they are good work and not repro or something like that.

 

Btw: All of your examples are beautifull Tsuba. Like that woman tsuba very much.

[peterd]

Hi Valery. I have two. I was told some old european collectors did this, who knows ?. Heres one of mine.

[Timur]

Hi Peter, that's interesting! 

As for mine - 2 came from Europe, 1 - from US, 1 - from Japan. Enigma! Had to be quite a big collection - at least 363 kinko tsuba! 

 

Update: obviously not only kinko but tetsu as well.

[Curran]

The number font is very old,

the metal around it seems moved,

but the patina looks correct.

My curiosity just went to 11.

 

Yes, this is one heck of an Enigma.

I hate to bother Ford, but this is one where Commissioner Gordon should probably turn on the "Batman Signal" light and ask for help.

 

Great tsuba too.

The archer tsuba, is it the Tale of Tadanori?

https://sites.google.com/site/warriorsofjapan/home/Chronicle-of-the-Battle-of-Ichinotani__Taira-no-Tadanoris-poem-slip

That is one of my favorites, and what is on the kozuka in my avatar. It is enough to distract me from the pretty woman tsuba.

 

[This is a good escape from work.]

[peterd]

A few more to see. In tosogu 01 jan 2014 under Stamped tsuba

[Timur]

A few more to see. In tosogu 01 jan 2014 under Stamped tsuba

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/13273-stamped-number-tsubas/?hl=stamped

Pete, it was an interesting reading! I was sure not to be the first one to ask this question.

I was thinking about huge collections. Behrens? Naunton? Needs further investigation.

[Timur]

And taking in consideration that all four tsuba in the sale (in England) were stamped, that had to be a huge old English collection.