Plugged vs unplugged hitsu ana

[Kurikata]

For you kind comments please....

 

I have a tsuba which shows at least two specific characteristics:

 

1- Original Histsu Ana have a very funny shape looking similar to a "chinese hat" (Kantei point ?)

2- Then, they have been plugged with a very high quality shakudo (strong bkack one) which should have been expensive

3- Finnaly, one of the hitsu ana as been cut to become a kogai ana

 

As a natural conclusion this tsuba has been used in different koshirae styles but any other explanation are more than welcome.

[parfaitelumiere]

the diameter also has been reduced.
What is strange is the actual hitsu ana is on the kogatana side, I saw most of the waki have the kogatana handle on the inner side on the belt.
Should it be a katana tsuba, reduced and modified to become a wakizashi tsuba?
I read about a law late XVIII, for blade lenght, tsuba size, under 9,5cm for katana, and prohibited knifes in the katana sheat.
I try to find informations about tsuba without hitsu ana, because this is the theme I try to collect.

[Geraint]

Dear Bruno.

 

Well I really like your tsuba!  Hitsu ana are easy to cinsider as a functional part of the design but they are also very much part of the design in some cases.  These large hitsu ana tend to appear in Higo/Edo Higo schools, I will leave it to the experts to steer that thought.

However it is also the case that sometimes hitsu ana are included in the design but fitted with plugs from the start, It seems to happen more often in later work from what I have seen.  Often the size is diminished so that the hitsu would not fit standard implements.  It is possible that this tsuba was so fitted from the beginning.

I am interested that Patrice can tell hat the existing hitsu is cut on the side for the kogatana,  I am not sure I can see that and would have assumed that it was for a kogai on the usual side. 

 

All the best.

[Brian]

Really nice tsuba that at various times, someone spent a lot of money altering. Must have been greatly appreciated to spend that on customizing. I like it a lot.

[Kurikata]

1 hour ago, parfaitelumiere said:

the diameter also has been reduced.
What is strange is the actual hitsu ana is on the kogatana side, I saw most of the waki have the kogatana handle on the inner side on the belt.
Should it be a katana tsuba, reduced and modified to become a wakizashi tsuba?
I read about a law late XVIII, for blade lenght, tsuba size, under 9,5cm for katana, and prohibited knifes in the katana sheat.
I try to find informations about tsuba without hitsu ana, because this is the theme I try to collect.

Patrice, the change of size makes sense as the Kiri flowers are just aside the fukurin. Even so, the current size is not that small (7,8 cm X 7,3 cm)

 

23 minutes ago, Geraint said:

Dear Bruno.

 

Well I really like your tsuba!  Hitsu ana are easy to cinsider as a functional part of the design but they are also very much part of the design in some cases.  These large hitsu ana tend to appear in Higo/Edo Higo schools, I will leave it to the experts to steer that thought.

However it is also the case that sometimes hitsu ana are included in the design but fitted with plugs from the start, It seems to happen more often in later work from what I have seen.  Often the size is diminished so that the hitsu would not fit standard implements.  It is possible that this tsuba was so fitted from the beginning.

I am interested that Patrice can tell hat the existing hitsu is cut on the side for the kogatana,  I am not sure I can see that and would have assumed that it was for a kogai on the usual side. 

 

All the best.

Geraint, thank you for your kind words. I thought this tsuba had  more Kaga school influence but Higo opens new doors. Why not?

 

22 minutes ago, Brian said:

Really nice tsuba that at various times, someone spent a lot of money altering. Must have been greatly appreciated to spend that on customizing. I like it a lot.

Brian, it looks like we have the same taste 😁

[parfaitelumiere]

big size, interesting.
What is strange is why the fukurin has been added and maybe the diameter reduced, it seems the design, even not the kiri flowers, but the hirazogan foliage itself is missing some room on the rim.
Geraint, you're right, my mistake, the ana is on the outer side, I virtually put the tsuba near my belt, but forgot to reverse it, putting handle on front side...
So it's a kogai ana, at the right place.

[Yasaka Azuma]

The hitu-ana in the Ita-tsuba is set by the user as needed. That has already been revealed by Mr. Sasano.

Still, I'm a little surprised by chance. 墨絵象嵌(sumie-zougan)and 片笄櫃(kata-kogaihitu) may be referring to the Umetada School.

 

https://blog.goo.ne.jp/tsuba_001/e/ddd37030c3dfca86d88a8543b5f20666

[Bugyotsuji]

Could the silver Botan flowers not be Mon, with three on the front and two on the back?

[Surfson]

I very much like that tsuba, Bruno!  And I agree with Yas that it has a very strong Umetada influence.   Here is a thread a while back where the second tsuba has some similarities (mostly the shakudo inlay of tendrils in a copper tsuba) and has been attributed to Umetada.  

 

 

[Kurikata]

Umetada (Thank you Yas and Robert) , ... Why not?  ..... But I am personally more convinced by a strong Kaga school influence......

[Yasaka Azuma]

Speaking of the Umetada school, there was a person who won the Tsuba for over $ 10,000 in June. It shows the high evaluation of Sumie-zogan.

[Surfson]

Here is one in a different style that I bought a while back.  There is some subtle fretwork inlay at the top right.  Sorry I don't have better photos.

[Kurikata]

http://nihontocraft.com/Kunishige_Kinko_Tsuba.htm