7 on a tsuba

[Grey Doffin]

Hi guys,

Do any of you know why this tsuba has the number 7 (shichi) on the seppa dai?

Grey

[John A Stuart]

It might be my eyes, but, isn't there two horizontal strokes like the katakana for 'mo' sound. John

[Grey Doffin]

No, just one. Looks like 7 to me.

After I posted this I got to wondering if this tsuba hadn't been talked about on NMB before. I have faint recollection of a 7 on a tsuba discussion before.

Grey

[Ted Tenold]

Yup, looks like a seven to me too. Mayby part of seventh as in generation, or perhaps something like Nanjusai "seventy years old" with the other characters obscurred. The obverse left character looks like Mune, and the two on the right X shu. Mune was a popular Myochin character, maybe start looking in that school.

[Grey Doffin]

Thanks Ted. There is no evidence of any obscured characters above or below the 7, and the condition of this tsuba is good enough that I'd see something if that were the case. I agree with something shu and Mune; I thought of Myochin too.

One thing I really like about this tsuba is the hammer work. Notice how the marks radiate out? Amida yasuri done with a hammer, not a file or chisel.

Grey