Rather Ornate Openwork Tsuba

[sugopomedoro]

Good evening everyone, I made an impulse purchase because I’ve never seen one of these or anything much like it before. I believe it is early Edo period, it is mumei but I just found it so interesting I could not say no. I wonder if anybody knows anything about such a piece as this and could enlighten me further.

 

From my own work, it is a drawstring purse, Design, suggesting wealth and money, so perhaps it would made for somebody who was rich and important, just guessing

 

any information would be gratefully received

[ROKUJURO]

Ronen,

I think it may be a late TSUBA, but then very late 19th. It is damaged - the face of the wise man/Chinese was lost. It was probably made for a TANTO with HIRA ZUKURI SUGATA or a short WAKIZASHI. Execution is a bit crude, so probably made for export.

Motif is as you say, the person might be a NETSUKE to carry the purse in the OBI.

[Spartancrest]

Great shame that the face has taken some damage. I would agree with Jean, I think it is late Edo or even Meiji. The work looks a little 'rushed' the outline of the seppa-dai is a little off but I love Kawari shape guards like this.

There are similar pieces [not identical] all using the same design but each hand made, like these Jittoku and scroll. They were popular and many were made for export - you also find poor cast examples. [not yours] 

I have seen this design before but it may have been this actual piece [I will keep my eye out ]

[sugopomedoro]

Thank you both for your comments, so long as it is not cast and is a genuine piece from the Edo. I’m pleased with it. I was a little bit worried that it might be fake because it doesn’t have the indents where the blade passes through.

[Kurikata]

As Jean explained - Very common tsuba....

[kissakai]

The 'indents' are if a tsuba was put on another sword so it stayed on the original sword

Sometimes these 'indents' were added just for effect

 

[ROKUJURO]

4 hours ago, sugopomedoro said:

....so long as it is not cast and is a genuine piece from the Edo, I’m pleased with it.......

Ronen,

all brass TSUBA are cast in a first step and then finished by hand. Yours was probably made after EDO era. 

[vajo]

Not burning own stuff in ignorant discussions.

They are all different. No one is identical. 

 

[Infinite_Wisdumb]

I cant see how this design would be practical for mounting.  Are these not just pieces for western tourists?

[vajo]

3 hours ago, Infinite_Wisdumb said:

I cant see how this design would be practical for mounting.  Are these not just pieces for western tourists?

What makes you think they are not practical for mounting? 

 

 

Thats the same like people say Tsuba with motif in the seppa dai are not practical for mounting. But it was.

 

 

[Infinite_Wisdumb]

@vajo I am postulating that the area from 1200-400 on the tsuba that is the topic of this post would not provide the protection that it is intended for and rather, would be destroyed by contact.  Open to education

[Matsunoki]

I think this type Tanto/wakizashi were made in very large numbers in second half of 19thC and therefore there is very little chance of them ever encountering combat thus the inherent strength was not that important. More likely mounted on merchants or later still on tourist swords…..but they were mounted.

[Tensho]

I'm pretty sure by this time the "fancy" Tsuba were more "decoration" and showing off than protection. 

 

I've read articles that most wealthier samurai had more than one set of fittings they could swap out depending on the occasion. I'd imagine this went for merchants as well. Makes sense when you think about it. 

[Spartancrest]

6 hours ago, vajo said:

What makes you think they are not practical for mounting? 

I have to agree with Chris - they are perfectly fit for purpose - I think people get confused as to what that purpose was.

Tanto guards don't have to be defensively protective, I can't see you lasting very long against a sword attack armed only with a tanto. Tanto size guards stop your hand sliding up the handle and onto the blade that is all they were meant for, so saying they were not fit for purpose suggests people don't really know what the purpose was. We come back to the idea then that Hamidashi or even Kwaiken size guards built in thick iron would defend your hand from an attack - that is just a joke.

[ROKUJURO]

1 hour ago, Spartancrest said:

.....Tanto size guards stop your hand sliding up the handle and onto the blade that is all they were meant for,....

Dale,

what about AIKUCHI then?

[Spartancrest]

 

4 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

what about AIKUCHI then?

They are for people who don't like tsuba and don't mind getting their hands cut 

Same goes for guard-less Katana or koshigatana - they are for people who don't mind not having fingers.

 

It isn't about the style of weapon its about the style of tsuba and its purpose.