Iron tsuba, shakudo dragon, well inscribed. Views?

[Matsunoki]

Hello yet again from the UK.

Putting this tsuba on (as usual) for all/any comments, views etc

I bought it a few years ago at auction (£far too painful!), then it left home in a deal, now it has happily returned home  in another deal!

It has a very thick heavy iron plate with a shakudo dragon inlaid in meticulous high relief detail confronting a spirited copper tiger. The iron is so dark that at first glance you do not realise the dragon is inlaid.

It has lengthy Mei on both sides that was very helpfully translated by the knowledgeable interim owner (ie not me).

It reads -

“Bunsai 11 (1828) Umetada Sanshoshi (art name) Norishige saku kore”

”Okusen Takatsu no sho Unsen” ….resident of Takatsu village in Unsen

H7.4cm W 6.8 cm

 

Also include a couple of notes that came with it giving a few more details

……difficult piece to get good images of for some reason

Thanks for looking. All the best. Colin

 

 

 

[Matsunoki]

Maybe better images?

[Spartancrest]

Colin you have me intrigued, where does the spike on the Dragon's head go on the ura side? Is it just the angle of the photo ?

 

  Nice piece for sure!

[Matsunoki]

5 hours ago, Spartancrest said:

Colin you have me intrigued, where does the spike on the Dragon's head go on the ura side? Is it just the angle of the photo ?

Hi Dale, put your specs on🙂🙂

The other horn is actually on the omote, not the ura - exactly where you’d expect it to be but just partially hidden by the dragons hunched up neck. If it’s any consolation I missed it at first!

Best. Colin.

[Brian]

No Colin, he literally means it seems to protrude out the side of the tsuba, but cannot be seen from the other side..where did it go?
It's just the angle obviously though, it probably doesn't protrude as much as it seems.

[Matsunoki]

25 minutes ago, Brian said:

No Colin, he literally means it seems to protrude out the side of the tsuba, but cannot be seen from the other side..where did it go?
It's just the angle obviously though, it probably doesn't protrude as much as it seems.

Doh……..sorry Dale…..leave the specs in their case.

Now I’ll come clean…..It’s actually a magic tsuba….you know….turn it over and a bit disappears. Haven’t we all got one of these?

..and it’s a really thick plate.

[Spartancrest]

1 hour ago, Matsunoki said:

It’s actually a magic tsuba

No worries, it does seem to stick out in that image, is it a danger to the thumb on drawing the sword do you think? 

 

Is it a device to draw blood like when all the warriors touch their blades with their thumbs and stamp a thumb print of blood on a document they sign in that awful Keanu Reeves version of the 47 Ronin? 

 

 

[Matsunoki]

41 minutes ago, Spartancrest said:

it does seem to stick out in that image

When viewed “square on” it does actually protrude about 2mm but is very rounded. Just an eccentric feature I guess but this would have been quite an expensive tsuba. It’s far nicer “in hand” (like many of them are) …..wonder if it was for a “non-samurai”…..merchant?…..although I think a merchant would not have gone for an iron plate….not flashy enough.

Who knows?

[Shirogitsune]

It’s a superb piece.  I particularly like the way in which it combines traditional Bushi and Kinko aesthetics. In a world full of dragon tsuba this one really stands out!