Value reduced?

[Stephen]

Love this and not really bothered by the two holes. Just wondering if wanting to move later if it greatly reduces value.

And you tsuba guys what's with the teeth on the one ana, anything functional?

[b.hennick]

I would be interested in the tsuba if it did not have the holes. The holes are too high a hurdle for me. I once saw a table that was decorated with tsuba nailed around the outside of the table. It made me very sad.  Each had two holes similar to the ones in the above tsuba.

[GRC]

It would still be fantastic tsuba if it was mounted on a sword so you wouldn't see those two added holes... Otherwise, as a stand alone tsuba for display purposes, it's a tragedy really.

I think I saw another tsuba recently with two similar holes that had been plugged with something that looked like lead.

[b.hennick]

I knew that I had seen that motif before. Here is an iron tsuba that I have that is very similar. There is a thi line outlinig the jingasa.

[ROKUJURO]

Stephen,

that is a very nice TSUBA! Of course the value is affected by the holes. If it were mine, I would Ford Hallam have it restored.

[Stephen]

Tks all...lets see if the holes keep the bidding down.

 

Interesting Barry it's the same tsuba in different medium, I still wonder a purpose for the spiky teeth?

 

 

[roger dundas]

I am hesitant about putting my nose in here but could the holes be for rivets that might have held a seppa or some such overlayed attachment. The tsuba below has two rivets each side of the hitsu ana holding an inlayed copper sisc to an iron plate.

OR, I have read here (I think) that sometimes a tsuba has been used as a keyhole plate.

Roger j

[GRC]

I don't think there's a particular purpose or function to the teeth... I've typically seen it described as a snowflake motif, while the two large holes look like a variation on the sea cucumber motif.

The sea cucumber with one side as a snowflake shows up fairly often. Here are two of mine, the second one has a single cherry blossom added to the mix.

[Bugyotsuji]

I was going to say Namako (sea cucumber) but you beat me to it. Miyamoto Musashi is said to have made Tsuba on this theme.

 

As to the two central holes, Roger’s offering is thought-provoking. 

[Spartancrest]

Namako - trepang, While the snowflake is a common enough outline either positive or in negative, I think in this instance it could represent a different species of Namko [sea cucumber] there are hundreds if not thousands of species.

 

 There was also a fad in Edwardian times for using tsuba as key hole escutcheons - a deplorable practice. [I had an old article mentioning this practice - but darned if I can find it at the moment] You might notice the holes in this example are recessed for flush screws.

[ROKUJURO]

6 hours ago, roger dundas said:

...... could the holes be for rivets that might have held a seppa or some such overlayed attachment?

Roger,

that could indeed be the case if it were a SAN-MAI TSUBA. With Stephen's TSUBA I think it is a one-piece construction which was indeed misused as keyhole cover.  

See my sample

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, they screwed Dale’s on upside down. All the 大吉 luck would have poured out, like an upside down horseshoe. 

[Spartancrest]

Well Piers it was sure unlucky for the tsuba! 

[Infinite_Wisdumb]

Neat one @Stephen!

[Adamt]

I am hardly a expert and like Dale posted a different species of sea cucumber seems correct but I have seen this described as a wave motif which I found to fit in with the sea theme

[Stephen]

Yep im sure Dale has it. Tks mate, en all who posted.

 

[Curran]

16 hours ago, b.hennick said:

I would be interested in the tsuba if it did not have the holes. The holes are too high a hurdle for me. I once saw a table that was decorated with tsuba nailed around the outside of the table. It made me very sad.  Each had two holes similar to the ones in the above tsuba.

 

Rather common. Somewhere I have a photo of all the tsuba that one of the Tiffany family nailed all willy nilly around his big hearth.

 

Since this is a soft-metal tsuba, the holes can be made whole rather easy by many a bench smith. The end result could be quite pleasant. These holes don't bother me that much, but some of the WWII era cuts in iron tsuba for mounting on gunto koshirae- some of those kill me. Ex. Clip cut on an otherwise great 1500s Kanayama tsuba.

 

 

[Spartancrest]

Curran: 

The "Tiffany Tragedy"    http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/59036

 

I  cleaned and enhance the image - [jeez, I hate how dark photos are published]

Even the fire tools are made of tsuba as well as hanging lights. 

 

 

 

Stephen - have you been hacking into my 'WATCH LIST"?  https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1012478343  

Edited October 16, 2021 by Spartancrest
being silly

[roger dundas]

Looks like a scene from Macbeth but without any witches.

Roger j

[Stephen]

Blows my chance.... always always buy first ask questions after the win. 

[Spartancrest]

Stephen you posted it first - I will respect that and not bid, I hope others will do the same. But it is a good practice not to show your hand! Too many others have seen the deck [if you know what I mean]