And the package arrives!

[Geraint]

So!

 

You are browsing tsuba and one catches your eye, it's got a bit of a Higo vibe.

 

It's not much money and you are thinking of taking a shot but something about the seppa dai seems off so you can it. 

 

It pops back up at half the money and on a bit of reflection you reckon the seppa dai has seen some use but for what it costs it's worth it for a look see. 

 

You place a minimum bid, sit back and wait.  Lo and behold you win.

 

The package arrives and as you take it from the postie you can hear the tsuba rattling around inside it's box.  

 

You open the package and see that it is in a deluxe tsuba box so that's a win whatever happens to the tsuba.

 

But the sender has sealed the box with duct tape.

 

You manage to get the duct tape off without damaging the box

 

And the tsuba is genuine, what's more it is better in hand than the photos.

 

 

 

 

I'm sure we all know the feeling but thought you might enjoy this one.

 

All the best.

 

[Infinite_Wisdumb]

a rare treasure!

 

[Geraint]

You are very kind Jesse, I'm sure it doesn't qualify as that but the excitement is still there when you open the parcel.

 

All the best.

[ckaiserca]

Nice find. I’m glad the duct tape didn’t damage the kiri box. That stuff is the bane of my existence in my theatre. I throw it away if I find it otherwise my cables end up with adhesive all over them. 

[Geraint]

Dear Charles.

 

Yeah!  It's great when you need it but evil when you don't.  Sounds like you have an interesting job.

 

I am fairly convinced that this one had a hole cut in the seppa dai to accommodate the catch on a gunto mount.  Someone has patched it subsequently, not sure they did it any favours.

[ChrisW]

Sometimes, you're just handed a win. I think you got a winner here Geraint!

[ckaiserca]

  On 6/24/2021 at 5:05 PM, Geraint said:

Dear Charles.

 

Yeah!  It's great when you need it but evil when you don't.  Sounds like you have an interesting job.

 

I am fairly convinced that this one had a hole cut in the seppa dai to accommodate the catch on a gunto mount.  Someone has patched it subsequently, not sure they did it any favours.

Expand  

My job is pretty entertaining sometimes. I just hope I can get back to doing it again soon!

 

I see where you are talking about the seppa dai. For the display of the tsuba it's a bit of a problem, but if you were to mount it on a blade, any sins would be hidden by the seppa and fuchi.

[Bugyotsuji]

Lots to consider within this interesting Tsuba. The fill-in on the seppa dai was an education. I kind of like these windows for the gunto catch, though, indicating further practical use at a different time-frame in history. The dragons are fascinatingly sinuous. 

 

Among the thoughts that bubble up are: whether that is the Buddhist wheel of the law, and have the blades lost their zogan, and why are the seppa dai completely different shapes?

[Geraint]

Dear Piers.

Thank you for your thoughts.  I had assumed it to be a wheel of the law design, in fact most of the zogan on the blades is present, not showing very well because it is in silver and tarnished.  It is in net form, that is discrete lines of silver crossing each other.

 

The difference in the seppa dai was one of the issues that made me pass it up on first inspection, I can't remember coming across this before.  Any ideas?

 

All the best. 

[DirkO]

Difference in seppa dai I think just proves it's a late piece.
Regarding the ana, they have a Higo feel to them, that Higo influence can also be seen on the missing zogan, it's common for them to have a fabricated 'worn' look. I do stress 'influence' however, this isn't a Higo tsuba.

[ROKUJURO]

This is certainly an interesting piece, and to my eyes, it has a HIZEN touch (or 'influence' as some say ).

I am sure that the right craftsman can make the repair invisible.

[Geraint]

Thank you Dirk and Jean for your thoughts on this one.  In hand the repair is almost invisible, the photographs expose a lot of things that are not very prominent and hide some others.  From the online images I even wondered about it being a casting seeing some of the marks around the seppa dai but it has clear evidence of forging from the inside of the nakago ana and one or two other things to confirm it as a forged plate.

 

Thanks to all who have contributed.

 

All the best.