Tsuba in everyday objects - the culture of Tsuba

[ROKUJURO]

He took a YASUCHIKA TSUBA as template - nice!

Another everyday-TSUBA: a 35 mm SUKASHI TSUBA with NATA motive to be used as key-ring hanger. 

[ROKUJURO]

Addition: I used the iron of a badly corroded TSUBA that I cut up for research purposes. I forged the plate of this one by folding and fire-welding. All openings were cut with a jeweller's saw.

[GRC]

Nice Jean, looks like a fun project 

How did you finish/patinate the surface?

I'm curious to see how long it takes for rust to start showing up after daily use, with keys banging into it.

 

[ROKUJURO]

Hi Glen,

quite some time ago, I used a recipe from Jim Kelso ( https://www.jimkelso.com/tutorials/ironpatina.htm ) as base for a self-made solution. In the meantime, I added some ingredients and water, so I cannot give you a precise formula. But I found it works. 

I am not too optimistic that the patina will survive the intended use for a long time..... 

[GRC]

cool, thanks Jean 

I hear you on the longevity aspect... never an easy task. 

[Deez77]

Hello all.

 

In case you might be interested in a tsuba encrusted zippo, there are three currently on offer here:

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/q1094664043

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o1094666253

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/v1094677511

 

Damon

[Spartancrest]

I don't think these leather "TSUBA" would pass as Nerikawa - not unless you have had too much to drink!

Leather coasters. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/166165788874   Cheers! 

 

[GRC]

beautiful set of carved copper bowls with silver inlay and fukurin rims:

 

 

[GRC]

 

 

[Brian]

Finally! An example of the cast tsuba that the kettle casters made!

[GRC]

Funny Brian...

,and here it is without the kettle... 

The one on the kettle has the identical pattern to the ura side of these cast tsuba:

 

Here's the omote side:

[Dan tsuba]

Hello all!

 

A lttle off topic here.  But if that water kettle with the tsuba motif could be dated (thanks GRC!), it may give an insight into if water kettle makers also made cast iron tsuba (possibly in the Edo period?).

 

Hey, just a thought!

 

With respect,

Dan

[GRC]

At the very least, it would give us a date range for that specific "type" of cast tsuba... Edo, Meiji, or both, it is what it is.

There's a ton of this "type" of tsuba, with a bunch of different motifs, but they all share the same easily identifiable characteristics.

So, it wouldn't be difficult to make the leap and assume with a fair degree of confidence that all the ones of this "type" would have been produced by this, or similar groups of kettle makers.

[Spartancrest]

A little off subject but I was wondering why the kettle makers highlight the ura side of the tsuba, inward looking? - saves having to do a fake mei? Yet there is a beautifully carved mei on the lid - carved into cast iron.

 

PS. anyone got an old kettle they need decorating? https://www.jauce.com/auction/e1096112329  or  https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/e1096112329     

[GRC]

Sorry Dale, but I have to add this info about the mei on the underside of the lid:

You probably couldn't tell from the seller's images I posted, but the lids on these kettles are typically made of copper, so it would be very easy to carve into.

[Deez77]

Hi all,

 

Anyone fancy a tsuba belt buckle?

https://www.ebay.com...r=artemis&media=COPY

 

Damon

[Okan]

 

 

 

 

 

[Spartancrest]

On 6/7/2023 at 11:52 PM, Deez77 said:

Damon

 

 

still in the packet!

[Deez77]

Oh, what a nice find, Dale. 👏

[Deez77]

On 7/8/2023 at 3:44 PM, Okan said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really like that motif of tsuba. Pretty interesting to see it used as a lid in this example. 

 

There's a beautiful example currently for sale. Very pricey, though.

https://page.auction.../auction/g1098643200

 

Damon

[Spartancrest]

22 hours ago, Deez77 said:

There's a beautiful example currently for sale. Very pricey, though.

You are right the price is a little 'stiff'- beyond my means!  All too nice to use as a lid!

A very similar one in the Ashmolean collection, this time with a 'Hannya' mask replacing the Shishi netsuke. http://jameelcentre....by/date/object/19983

 

Believe it or not the Shishi designed one as posted by Damon had a pretty close copy published way back in 1910 by Sir James Yoxall M.P. in his book "The ABC About Collecting"

and before that in 1889 in "The Scottish Art Review" by J.P. MacGillivray - the hitsu on the right being cut away.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Spartancrest
More history

[Spartancrest]

Getting seriously off subject here but I did find yet another netsuke/inro designed guard like Okan and Damon found - from the Klefisch Auktionen data base of sold tsuba.  

https://klefischaukt...sxgHNjqlMDWyo7m_CA2k  well worth a browse thru, yet sadly lacking any specific information on the over two thousand examples.

 

[The image has been lightened and some of the distracting shadow areas have been erased - the lighting quality with the bulk of the collection is not top rate.]

 

[Deez77]

Anyone fancy a tsuba-themed necktie clip? I think that's what it is.

https://page.auction.../auction/k1102000396

 

Damon

[Spartancrest]

Damon, I love the English translation - "Double Beef" -  Yum I feel like a good Burger!

But seriously I have a couple of these Tie-pins with tsuba on them, nice little things but sadly [or thankfully?] now out of fashion. 

[GRC]

Here's an odd one... the seller suggests it was used as an inkwell.

If that's the case, I assume there was once a glass or ceramic jar that the three prongs fit onto.

For the samurai calligrapher 

 

 

[Matsunoki]

50 minutes ago, GRC said:

Here's an odd one... the seller suggests it was used as an inkwell.

Hi Glen

The inkwell theory doesn’t really make sense imo

Aesthetically it looks much better standing on its “legs” with the tsuba uppermost. Quite a lot of effort gone into its making. Best offer I can come up with is maybe a small stand for something like a small food dish, netsuke etc Unlikely but…..?

…..or maybe it is simply a stand to display that tsuba?

Never seen anything like it before.

Best

Colin

[GRC]

@Matsunoki I wasn't terribly convinced of that suggested use either... but if it had a glass pot beneath it, sitting between the three prongs (legs), then the tsuba would always be at the top anyway (to satisfy the aesthetics). I assume that the nakago-ana would have been where the writer would dip their writing implement through to get access to the ink in the theoretical glass pot below... 

It's a fun theory though 

 

And ya, there was definitely a lot of work that went into repurposing this tsuba, for whatever its intended use. 

[Spartancrest]

This might be a stretch for this thread -   https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/204434211480

 

35 mm photographic slide - Retro now I guess? I have seen glass "Magic Lantern" slides with tsuba on them, so this is just a more 'modern' take on the same idea.

 

[Spartancrest]

On 7/12/2023 at 12:32 AM, Deez77 said:

I really like that motif of tsuba. Pretty interesting to see it used as a lid in this example. 

 

There's a beautiful example currently for sale. Very pricey, though.

Wow there is another close copy - https://www.jauce.com/auction/d1103419927 This one with Gold 'cat scratched' ategane

[Deez77]

Oh wow, Dale! That's a very flashy one. A lot of extra work seems to have gone into that piece when compared to the others with similar motif, although I'm most impressed with how the cord is depicted entering the ojime in the example I shared. Nice find, though.

 

Damon