Tsuba any info?

[oristt]

Hello all,

 

I have recently acquired a tsuba i would be grateful for any info on this piece, it has some writing on it if you can make it out, sorry my photography skills are not up to much :lol:

DSC02480.pdf

DSC02483.pdf

DSC02482.pdf

[oristt]

some more photos

DSC02481.pdf

DSC02484.pdf

DSC02474.pdf

[Stephen]

you have one photo of the full tsuba sideways on the back side, howabout the front with the ana up?

[oristt]

Hello Stephen,

 

I will get some sideways on photo but will have to be tomorrow now sorry.

 

Thanks all

[reinhard]

A few hints:

 

The three kanji on the right read: maker's name + saku (made this)

 

on the other side (right): Choshu Hagi (no) Ju (=resident of Hagi in Choshu province)

 

" " " " (left) : ?

 

A nice mei for further investigation

 

reinhard

[Ted Tenold]

I think this piece is a copy casted in a sand casting mold. There are a number of features that point to that;

 

Lack of crisper details that would be expected of Choshu.

 

Sandy Texture of the iron and generally gray appearance.

 

Small "bubble" nodules in some of the details.

 

Roundness of the seppadai and nakagoana edges.

 

Mei details are blurry and look melted.

 

In closing, it may be old, but it's not Choshu. Sorry, but that's my take on it.

[Mark Green]

I agree totaly with Ted. It looks sand cast.

Mark G

[reinhard]

Lack of crisper details that would be expected of Choshu.

 

Sandy Texture of the iron and generally gray appearance.

 

Small "bubble" nodules in some of the details.

 

Roundness of the seppadai and nakagoana edges.

 

Mei details are blurry and look melted.

 

These observations are all correct, of course, but there might be another reason for these flaws. Maybe the tsuba was damaged later by extremely high temperatures during a fire, like many blades were (and whose nakago sometimes look quite similar, BTW). Overall design does fit late Choshu Hagi-style quite well. Shadows and distortion of perspective make it probably look worse than it is. - It doesn't really matter, for it is no masterpiece and the damage/flaws are irreversible, but the mei remains a nice game to play.

 

reinhard