Iroe zogan materials

[andreYes]

When I've looked closer on some of my tsubas, I noticed that the zogan details are made of copper and plated. Besides, the flower (see the picture #1) is made of copper too, then plated with silver, and then lacquered. Is it a usual technique? Maybe it's a method to reduce the cost ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the way, any comments about the style and age of the following tsuba? Maybe Aizu Shoami, mid Edo?

And what plant is it?

 

[Keith Jennings]

Looks like a clematis vine & flower. Keith

[Mantis dude]

I would say that you hit upon an important part of looking at tsuba, cutting corners is a major activity and quite frankly what happens on most of the tsuba in our hands. These metals were expensive and if you compare real top work with mediocre, it is very likely that instead of using all shakudo, a piece may be iron with shakudo overlaid or gold overlaid instead of solid gold, etc. even in the base metals, sometimes you will find a tsuba where there is a middle layer that isn't the high cost metal. Mito, Nara, and Aizu shoami are hard and I still struggle with them. However, the technique of Aizu shoami I think could be as good as those they are copying, but the base plate is the difference. At least that is what I think based on a few tsuba I have where the mantis execution are dead on for each other, it goes to the plate and that is the difference. Still, looking at base metals and seeing if corners were cut - so to speak is a definite area to evaluate a piece. Even Early Mino pieces can be made of copper and colored black to simulate shakudo. Menuki may be a base metal that looks like shakudo but isn't. I don't have an eye for all of that but that is one are I hope to approve upon. Looking at real quality pieces can be a real help in that and learning what the real quality inputs are versus the mediocre items. Would be nice to have a teacher and collection to see these differences.