Two tsuba query

[kissakai]

Hi

Just bought these from the UK Birmingham Antiques for All yesterday

 

Wondering if it may be Mito school?

 

 

 

Yasuchika - Tsuchiya school

Assuming it is not gimei I wonder which Yasuchika it is

Looked through Wakiyame, Sessko, Kink Meikan but can not find a dead match

 

 

 

 

 

Feel a bit of traitor to my old iron preferences but they are nice

 

 

Grev

 

 

 

 

[vajo]

Intersting Tsuba Grev.

 

I like the "yasuchika" Good buy.

[kissakai]

Thank you Steve

I did mean to ask about theme for this tsuba

Something like the rats wedding or procession

Why rats and not mice?

Did I read about prosperity in that rats are attracted to food! 

[vajo]

For me they look like rats not mice.

I would go for tesso.

[vajo]

Or Raigo the iron rat.

[vajo]

Thank you Steve

I did mean to ask about theme for this tsuba

Something like the rats wedding or procession

Why rats and not mice?

Did I read about prosperity in that rats are attracted to food! 

Who is Steve? 

[kissakai]

Ooops Chris a slip of the grey matter

Getting like an old friend of mine who called every one mate whether it was male or female as he never remembered names

[SteveM]

Hello Grev,

I looked for Rat Procession on Google to see if I could find any clues, and while I didn't find any back story, I did find a nice matching kozuka for your tsuba.

https://yushindou.com/kozuka-06-217/

 

I wonder what the story is. I'll keep looking. (There is also a Fox Procession theme, but I think yours are mice/rats). In Japanese, there is little distinction between mice and rats - both are referred to as nezumi. Small or large, cute or dirty, they are all referred to collectively as nezumi. As one of the 12 zodiac animals they are considered a lucky animal: smart, clever, symbol of fecundity. There must be a story behind the samurai-rat-procession. 

 

(Here is a link to the fox procession too, just for reference)

https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/445223113132530813/

 

Oh, I also couldn't pinpoint which Yasuchika. 

The mushroom and snail tsuba is also nice. 

 

(the real) Steve

[TETSUGENDO]

The motif of the "Yasuchika" tsuba is rats imitating a Daimyo procession, the 'triple entendre' should be obvious to all.

 

-S-

[Curran]

Hi Grev,

 

1st one, Mito school is a good guess.

Nice tanto tsuba.

 

Yasuchika:    yeah, pretty solid gimei.

Not sure I need to hit the books to confirm it isn't one of the lesser generations, but feels a far cry from the generations I have committed to memory.

[TETSUGENDO]

Grev,

 

Tsuba #1, most likely Mito or Shoami,, appears to be of Meiji manufacture or later.  I agree with Curran on the "Yasuchika" piece, unquestionably gimei, late production, and made by one of the many copyists producing works for the export market during the last quarter of the 19th century.  No need to hit the books, no member of the Yasuchika school laid hands on this tsuba.

 

-S-