Onin or was it Heianjo-Zogan tsuba

[roger dundas]

The following details might be insufficient to draw a response but are the best I can offer;

Posted on the NMB on March 28, 2014 by Grey Doffin was a tsuba with coplicated brass wire inlay design, all in good order.

Grey stated it to be an Onin (or Heianjo - zogan)  tsuba.  Another with similar inlay appears in Gary Murtha's book on Onin-Heianjo-Yoshiro book on page 85.

I just don't know how to get those depictions onto this post so if not good enough we can forget the matter, but if anyone can deal with this as presented I would be interested in purchasing an example of this type of work.

Thank you,

 

Roger Dundas

[Peter Bleed]

Roger,

Brass embellished fittings are truly wonderful and no one will fault your taste. With no more than a bit of digging you will find lots of items that will make you wonder, "Is that the one I need?" Google Heianjo . .  .  and get your credit card out!

Peter

[roger dundas]

Peter,

          Thank you for your response and clue to what to follow up. It was nicely done'

 

        Roger D

[Peter Bleed]

Roger,

Here is a snap shot of some brass-embellished guards. The sort of stuff that is "out there".

[Oshy]

Something like what I posted on the below thread?

 

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/31876-any-insight-on-this-styleschool/?do=findComment&comment=328426

[roger dundas]

 Peter and others,

                             My enquiry was for just one particular and intricate, quite convoluted inlay design which doesn't seem to appear often (in my experience) so will just have to keep trawling.

 

    Peter, I have just seen your latest post with examples shown- very nice.

 

   Thanks again,

    Roger D

[roger dundas]

   Thanks Oshy,

                         I did see and follow your post about your wakizashi which had the matching fittings with over lay brass wire décor plus the fact that the Metropolitan Museum of Art had similar items.

Well done.

 

Roger D

[Ken-Hawaii]

Roger, try these:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/High-Grade-Tsuba-Edo-Antique-samurai-katana-sword-Free-Shipping-from-Japan/264688465876

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Large-Tsuba-Bukan-sukashi-Yoshiro-Noble-Colorful-84mm-Box/264594702605

 

I've bought from the second seller, with good results.

[C0D]

i guess you meant this one?

 

[roger dundas]

Thank you Ken , I had a look and will keep in touch with both sites. Thanks for sharing them with me.

 

And thank you Manuel- that is the very tsuba I initially was referring to as posted by Grey Doffin.  Particularly it is the pattern that I find intriguing but for all that it is a lovely example in all ways -yours I presume ? There was one having the same inlay pattern offered on ebay three or four years back with a fair amount of inlay loss and I haven't seen another since but have only been paying close attention in the past year.

Does your response indicate that you might part with it Manuel or was it to help out with identifying which design was meant ?

 

Again thank you very much for your responses-

 

Roger d

[C0D]

  On 4/23/2020 at 1:09 PM, roger dundas said:

Thank you Ken , I had a look and will keep in touch with both sites. Thanks for sharing them with me.

 

And thank you Manuel- that is the very tsuba I initially was referring to as posted by Grey Doffin.  Particularly it is the pattern that I find intriguing but for all that it is a lovely example in all ways -yours I presume ? There was one having the same inlay pattern offered on ebay three or four years back with a fair amount of inlay loss and I haven't seen another since but have only been paying close attention in the past year.

Does your response indicate that you might part with it Manuel or was it to help out with identifying which design was meant ?

 

Again thank you very much for your responses-

 

Roger d

I just searched the topic on the forum and copied the link to the original picture   

I saw tsuba with this pattern before, but among the "heianjo" are quite rare, i guess you need to be lucky or very patient to find one

[roger dundas]

    Yes, I think you are right Manuel and thank you again for searching for and copying the original picture.

     My curiosity is just why would any inlay artist choose such a difficult design - difficult to chisel all the twists and turns and then to successfully inlay the brass wire and further- just when was this work done ? . Another thing noted by Gary Murtha was the fact that this design, for some reason, suffers a fair amount of loss from the plates- why would that be ?I saw it in such an inlaid tsuba three or four years ago on e-bay.

Anyway, it looks like patience is the game due to the pattern being quite rare as you noted Manuel and once again thank you very much for your interest.

 

Roger d

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Roger,

The loss is most likely due to corrosion.  As iron oxidizes it expands and pushes the brass loose.

Grey

[C0D]

  On 4/24/2020 at 1:01 AM, roger dundas said:

    Yes, I think you are right Manuel and thank you again for searching for and copying the original picture.

     My curiosity is just why would any inlay artist choose such a difficult design - difficult to chisel all the twists and turns and then to successfully inlay the brass wire and further- just when was this work done ? . Another thing noted by Gary Murtha was the fact that this design, for some reason, suffers a fair amount of loss from the plates- why would that be ?I saw it in such an inlaid tsuba three or four years ago on e-bay.

Anyway, it looks like patience is the game due to the pattern being quite rare as you noted Manuel and once again thank you very much for your interest.

 

Roger d

The reason the artist made so complicated inlay is the same reason you like it...cause it looks cool   

These works are probably datable at the end of Muromachi period or very beginning of Edo period.

As Gray said these are incline to suffer zogan loss cause the corrosion push out the wire or let them loose (wires are locked in position by the iron around them).

Actually a friend of mine has one, i suggested him to sell it to you but he doesn't seem much incline to 

[roger dundas]

Thank you Grey and I see what you say often enough on other Heianjo tsuba illustrated even as examples in old collections in museums (The Ashmolean) as well as on e-bay for sale sites. Up to about 10% loss is acceptable I seem to remember ? For this particular design I could easily accept greater loss.

 

 Thank you again Manuel, a date that fits my interest.

 

Roger d

[roger dundas]

Hopefully not to late to say but a figure up to $ 200- $ 250US more or less depending on the usuals.

 

Roger d

[C0D]

Roger, are you still looking for this kind of tsuba? I might get my hands on one 

[kissakai]

This is mine