Cut down tsuba

[Spartancrest]

This subject has been dealt with before, however this guard caught my eye this evening  https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1106339737  or  https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/v1106339737

  

 

At first glance it looks OK but then you realize it should look like this - a much more common shape for this type of guard.

 

You will notice there is no banded inlay on the outside of the first guard and basically the "corner edges" have been cut away to give a more rounded look. Do the members think this guard is now ruined - - or is it still worthy of study and conservation for it's "life story"? 

I can't help noticing the guard is not shown edge on in the auction images so there is a little deception, in my opinion, going on.

The other thread dealing with cut down guards is here - https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/40021-unusual-tanto-tsuba/

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

Dale,

in my opinion, the alterations are part of the TSUBA's story in case they were made early in its life by an expert's hand and not recently.

[Spartancrest]

21 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

part of the TSUBA's story

I think so as well Jean, in its own way it is like having hitsu put into a tachi tsuba or a fukurin added later - it tells us a story of use and changing styles.

By chance I stumbled on this Yoshiro/Heianjo?  So it looks like the first guard was trying to look like this one.

[rkg]

Dale,

That modification is not ideal, but it is what it is. The Japanese seemed to be pretty pragmatic about modifying kodogu to suit whatever their current need happened to be.  Changing the shape like that is more extreme than say punching kozuka/kogai ana into pieces that didn't originally have them, but pieces with added hitsu are generally still considered to have value (though not as much as an equivalent piece that didn't have added hitsu).  Sometimes buying modified pieces are the only way somebody on a budget can own an example w/o it being a complete wreck.

 

  I've had a couple of Ounin tsuba that were modified - one was reduced in diameter (which I won't post an image of out of deference to the new owner), and this one was made into a mokko shape:

 

 

and here's an old heianjou where the owner modified the shape by adding an oval fukurin mimi in addition to the diameter probably having been reduced some (as well as having the more typical modification of an added kozuka hitsu):

 

 

And I was just going to get back to work on editing a description of a Juyo kogai naoshi, so clearly the powers that be believe some modified pieces do have historic value...

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

[Spartancrest]

Cut down Kaneie - why would you do that?   https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1159117366

 

This "Tanto" tsuba caught my attention with the small carved decoration on the lower edge and a partial signature that even a mei dyslexic like myself could recognise. The top right of the signature has been erased like 80% of the original guard, for reasons unknown. I know a lot of Kaneie were faked but never seen one this cut up!

[ROKUJURO]

An AKASAKA or OWARI TSUBA (?) with an added brass FUKURIN. Unusual, but the former owner might have had good reasons for it. Not cut down, so no devaluation, I hope!

[Spartancrest]

6 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

so no devaluation, I hope!

I think it might actually add a little to the value, someone treasured it enough for the "up-grade" 

[rkg]

And here's a kamakura tsuba I just came across that is apparently cut down:

https://page.auction.../auction/e1156532313

 

And here is an image I snarfed from the auction, saved for posterity.  I don't own the image (or piece) and I am presenting it for educational purposes only...

 

 

And actually, if you look at the bottom of the piece you can see a little "keyway" on the bottom in the edge of the mimi that is usually an indicator that there was a fukurin on the piece at some point.

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)