Simple Otafuku Gata Tsuba, but...

[Yves55]

Just got this little simple iron tsuba, kaku mimi, with 2 udenuki ana.

 

Measurements:

6,80 x 6,15 cm

x 0,40 cm at nakagô hitsu ana

x 0,35 cm mimi at top - x 0,37 cm mimi at bottom

x 0,41 cm mimi at L & R side

 

Kozuka hitsu ana: 1,84 x 1,06 cm

Kôgai hitsu ana: 1,64 x 0,87 cm

Udenuki ana: 0,42 & 0,32 cm

 

Weight: 74 gr.

 

Remarks:

The Kôgai hitsu ana is smaller than the opposite Kozuka hitsu ana;

The Sekigane are marked with flowers.

 

My questions:

Can the way of treating the Nakagô hitsu ana and Sekigane (the flowers) lead to date the tsuba or identify the school / maker?

 

 

 

[b.hennick]

The maker most probably did not add the copper inserts.

[Yves55]

Thanks Barry,

But I never saw such inserts on any sekigane. 

Should be a special reason to do so, what maybe can lead to maker (of the sekigane), aging the tsuba or other information.

[Geraint]

Dear Yves.

 

Assuming, as Barry suggest, that the sekigane are not part of the original tsuba then they were added to make it fit a specific blade.  Usually they would suffice so it seems probable that this tsuba has seen ervice on at least three blades, the original, the one where sekigane have been fitted and finally the one whch required the punching to make it fit.  As you know some tsuba makers used decorative punch marks as identifiers but I have never come across evidence of this applied to those who later modified the tsuba.  The use of decorative punches is unusul but I have seen it before.

 

All the best.

[Spartancrest]

There looks to be at least two types of Tagane-ato possibly three - so this would point to a considerable time span between each adjustment - I have never seen this many different punch tools used and decorative ones at that.

[Yves55]

Thanks for your replies.

Still hoping someone saw this before and can identify the marks.