Tsuba Kantei

[Rich T]

Just for fun, here's a little kantei I ran elsewhere recently, and thought I would share it with you all. For those that know, please do not spoil it.

 

Type: Ita Tsuba.

 

Ji: Iron.

 

Treatment: There are no tekkotsu in the mimi or is there any form of tsuchime. The iron is smooth. The patina is very dark (black) and rich.

 

Signature: Mumei. (NBTHK Tokubetsu kicho attribution )

 

The dimmensions are 76mm x 69mm x 2mm (nagago ana) and 5mm (mimi)

 

Special Features: Kan mimi kaku ko niku.

 

Please provide the following answers if possible.

 

Age:

 

School:

 

Artist:

 

Here is a tsuba with beautiful iron, almost like silk. The Amida Yasuri design is wonderfully executed and the lines are so fine, they are almost undetectable with the touch. The mimi is a strong clue in this kantei. It looks like a fukurin but is masterfully carved from the iron. The Yasuri run all the way up to it.

 

Good luck

 

Richard

[Mark Green]

Kokinko? Momoyama?

 

Oh, and WOW! what a good looking Tsuba!

 

Mark G

[b.hennick]

Look at the tusba for sale listed today. His is called Bakumatsu Miochin

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5590

Interesting contrast/ comparison between the two. :D

[Rich T]

Kokinko? Momoyama?

 

Oh, and WOW! what a good looking Tsuba!

 

Mark G

 

Not Ko Kinko Mark, as I noted in the description, this is tetsu, so iron, not soft metal.

 

Rich

[Gunome]

Hello,

 

This tsuba looks fresh. Carving come to nakago ana without seppa dai area.

So I thinks it is not a too old item. Maybe 19th century ?

 

No idea about the school

 

Sebastien

[remzy]

Look like a tsuba from Ford Hallam! :lol:

 

At first i thought it looked like shakudo, very nice patina! great look.

[Mark Green]

Iron, right then, sorry Rich , looked past the dis.

I love this tsuba. Very pleasing to the eye. Unlike your holy tsuba from the other post, that only a mother could love. That one pained me to look at.

On this Tsuba, are the yasuri done, and then the edgeing placed on in some way. How do they get these so smooth to the edge?

Do you have some kind of nice tsuba wax on this, of does it just have that natural shine?

I still think Momo. will study more on the other.

If you ever want to sell this one, or maybe trade (for one of my kids)

Let me know.

Mark G

[Gabriel L]

I'm sorry I cannot contribute to the kantei, but that is one stunning tsuba.

[Rich T]

Iron, right then, sorry Rich , looked past the dis.

I love this tsuba. Very pleasing to the eye. Unlike your holy tsuba from the other post, that only a mother could love. That one pained me to look at.

On this Tsuba, are the yasuri done, and then the edgeing placed on in some way. How do they get these so smooth to the edge?

Do you have some kind of nice tsuba wax on this, of does it just have that natural shine?

I still think Momo. will study more on the other.

If you ever want to sell this one, or maybe trade (for one of my kids)

Let me know.

Mark G

 

Hi Mark, I never Ever use any waxes or other substances on my tsuba. This is the natural state of the iron.

 

This extra images may help in the dating a litltle. Barry's post was pertinent.

 

Cheers

 

Rich

[Pete Klein]

Hi Mark, I never Ever use any waxes or other substances on my tsuba.

 

 

(lol)

[Mark Green]

Rich,

Just kidding about the tsuba wax.

Ok, I have looked all my eyes can stand.

Myochin, looks very much like many of these I have seen. The color looks right. The size looks right. The Yasuri going to the ana, looks right. No seppa dai

Like Sebastien said, it has a very new look to it. To me, I would have to doubt that it was ever mounted. there seems to be no wear at all. So, I will have to guess late Edo.

Smith?????

Thanks mate, this has been fun, and I have learned a bunch in my search

Mark G

[reinhard]

Richard,

 

Thanks for sharing this very nice tsuba. My first, ignorant guess would be: Dewa Akita (no) Ju Shoami Dembei or one of his followers. My approach is: This tsuba was made during later Edo-period. Elegance and refinement exclude an earlier date of manufacture. Nakago-ana and seppa-dai show hardly any signs of wear and there are no seki-gane. The "simple" design of Amida-yasuri can be seen on pieces for export made during Meiji period, but the supreme craftsmanship displayed on this particular example is excluding this option. It is almost hypnotic. It makes the difference between Samurai aesthetics and plain craftsmanship. Shoami Dembei is the one TsubaKo, whom I associate with strong devotion for Buddhist motives (like Amida-yasuri) and this kind of workmanship.

 

reinhard

[Rich T]

Hi all, well it's tapered off a little with replies, and thanks for all the comments so far, so I will add a bit more.

 

Most now have the time right, but still no joy on the school.

 

It's a Bakamatsu period piece, and it is from what I believe, quite rare that is it mumei. I could give a couple off big clues here but I will try not to let too much out of the bag.

 

So, you'll find the group these 2 guys come from or are associated with on the Tokaido Road

 

Cheers

 

Rich

[Alan Morton]

Hi Rich, I know it's stupid to try this but here goes, Umetada Myochin.

[Alan Morton]

Rich,this peice is far to new for you, I think you had better send it to someone who doesn't know any better.

 

Regards Al.

[Rich T]

Hi Al, it's not a stupid answer, but it's not correct.

 

Rich

[Rich T]

Hi all, well it seems this kantei has run it's course, so I will end it here and reveal the answer.

 

This tsuba was attributed by the NBTHK to Futagoyama Norisuke 無銘 鉄板鍔 二子山則亮.

 

This tsuba would date to the Bakamatsu period 幕末時代. Mokko gata 木瓜形, tetsu ji 鉄地 construction, this is very nice iron and is well forged with a dark and glossy patina. The mimi is Kan mimi kaku ko niku 環耳肉小角 (meaning a ringed square mimi with a small roundness). It is large and powerful and the iron is smooth and while giving the appearance of being a fukurin, is in fact masterfully carved from the iron plate. There are two hitsu ana (ryohitsu shitate 両櫃仕立) and both hitsu are filled with shakudo atagane 赤銅当金 that are finished with a very fine ishime 石目.

 

In regards to the theme, the motif is Amida Yasuri no Zu 阿弥陀鑢図. The radiating lines presented are cut from the centre out and this design has a strong Buddhist connection. Amida is another name for Buddha and this design represents Buddha's aura radiating out to the world. These lines are extremely fine and are almost unditectable with the touch of the hand. The Norisuke masters were renound for making accurate copies of Yamakeichibei, Yagyu and other early Edo period works, but they also created their own design tsuba which were of a very high standard.

 

The Kan mimi (ringed rim) was common with both Niwa Norisuke 丹羽則亮 (shodai) and Iwata Norisuke 岩田則亮 (nidai) though in the book Futagoyama Norisuke Ko 二子山則亮考 by the NBTHK Nagoya branch there seems to be a leaning of this particluar variation to the shodai. With the theme of Yasuri though, this was very popular with the 2nd, and started larger and rougher at first, and becoming more refined as time went on.

 

I believe the the attribution to Norisuke is a good one and I would personally lean towards the Nidai for this tsuba.

 

Thanks to everyone who had a go at this.

 

Cheers

 

Richard

[b.hennick]

Now the question is how did he do the file marks? It seems impossible. Ford do you have an answer?

[Mark Green]

Thanks Rich,

I learned a bunch in my 10+ hours of surfing for info on this one. My Tsuba Lib. is very limited.

But I sure do love this one!!!

And as I asked before, and I'm with Barry, how the heck!!

I made a tsuba from scratch, with the help of an SCA smithy friend, and I did the Amida Yasuri on it, and I can tell ya, that is very tough! I also did a few boarseyes and all the other ana's. It was forged from a folded RR spike. That took some time as well. I will see if I can find it, and put up a pic, so Ya'll can get a

My Amida Yasuri were a wreck. If I do it again, I will build some kind of jig.

Mine was a flat surface, these had that rim in the way, they must have been done with a chisel, or hardened tool scraper. And with some kind of jig!!!

I would love the hear Fords thoughts as well.

Thanks again Rich, Mark G

[reinhard]

Amida yasuri on this tsuba don't look like file-marks to me. Some of them vary slightly in thickness and some of them aren't perfectly straight. They seem to be made by a very fine chisel. My guess would be: rather by pushing than by hammering (Ford?). My question to Richard: Do you think the rim was added after the plate was finished or is the tsuba made from one single piece of steel?

 

reinhard

[Rich T]

Hi Reinhard. I think this is one piece of steel, and not a fukurin.

 

I agree these are most like chisel carvings. I am sure when he is ready (or gets off Facebook) Ford will pop in with some wisdom.

 

cheers

 

Rich

[Mark Green]

Hi Gang,

If it is one piece, then I would think it had to be a chisel. And likely some kind of jig.

When I made mine, I felt the big mistake was cutting most of the other openings before doing the yasuri. (I was planning for it to be a plain disk) It made it near impossible to keep the file straight, without a jig that is. (maybe not making a jig was the big mistake.)

I wonder if he cut these Yasuri before the other ana, and such. It looks to me that was very possible.

Still looking for mine, I hope I didn't give it away, or put it on some sword I've sold.

Mark G

[Lorenzo]

or gets off Facebook

 

 

ahaha that's not an easy thing to do

[Klop]

Hello Gentlemen,

 

I haven't tried it yet, but if I would have to make this kind of delicate yasuri I would use a hand-driven cutter like goldsmiths do. See picture for a few of these, of course the widths and cutting profiles vary endlessly. The mushroom handle lies in the palm of the hand for power, fingertip on the cutter point for control. The handle is flattened on one side to allow a shallow angle. You wouldn't want the cutter to dig itself in...

 

An idea for the jig/rig would be a piece of wood with a nail through it, point upwards. Drill a similar sized hole in the exact middle of the tsuba blank, place it over the nail and then place another thin piece of wood (plastic, metal) with a slot for the cuttingtool over it. There you have the desired central vanishing point and guidance for the chisel. Move the the guide or the tsuba after each cut. See picture (and note the lovely mokume :D )

 

After all the grooves are made cut out nakago- and other ana's.

 

Btw; I too love the tusba that started this thread!

 

Kind regards,

Eric.

[Klop]

Zugabe; I guess that with this rim you could cut towards it until you are stopped by it, or start at the rim with the cutter vertical, belly against the rim. Then use the rim as leverage when pulling the cutter handle backwards.

Kind regards,

Eric.