Shakudo tsuba including daisho

[Iaido dude]

These are from among a small group of shakudo tsuba acquired while I was living in Singapore from 1998-2005. The remainder will be posted separately. I think I purchased them from eBay without any real knowledge about tsuba—not unlike my present state. They have just resurfaced from a forgotten old box at the back of a closet. I’d appreciate any help in identifying the materials, school, period, and current value. I intend eventually to offer these for sale to NMB members. My collecting focus is early sukashi tsuba especially the kanayama and owari schools. 

The plates are all iron.

 

Tsuba #1 (78.6, 72.7, 4.8)

The theme of this large tsuba is birds (geese above, plover below?) flying over waves with a beautiful deep dark brown patina (different exposures front/back), pleasing design, and skilled execution. The condition is excellent throughout. 

 

 

Tsuba #2 (72.7, 69.2, 4.7, 3.3 at mimi)

Similar theme as # 1 with crane over waves. Silver and gold colored mixed metal with very high relief crane with finely detailed feathers on shoulders of wings. 

[Iaido dude]

Tsuba #3 (71.6, 67, 4.4 with raised edge on rim)

Some kind of bird amidst reeds or cat tails ?). 

 

 

[Iaido dude]

Tsuba, #4, 5 (Daisho)

Katana (73.2, 68.6, 4.5, 4 at mimi)

Wakizashi (69, 62.8, 4.0, 3.2 at mimi)

Theme appears to be plum blossoms and reed (?). 

[Bugyotsuji]

Tsuba #3, usually these are quail and millet. Depiction of millet heads was considered to be a challenge for Kinko artisans.

[Spartancrest]

8 hours ago, Iaido dude said:

Tsuba, #4, 5 (Daisho)

 From a sale by Klefischauktionen     https://klefischaukt...sxgHNjqlMDWyo7m_CA2k   

[might take a while to find it here - 3,400 slide images ]  Images only no information.   A very close copy especially the tagane-ato - but little differences like the angle of the lower plum branch along with buds, small branches on the upper one.   

              

 

Ok lets add this one as well! https://www.worthpoi...-guard-ume-tsuba-for   looks like either a popular utsushi or production line by one of the schools.

 

And yet another-  https://www.ngv.vic....llection/work/54298/  this one has some attribution to Umetada. I don't know how much stock to put in that description. Anyone got an idea about the heavy Tagane-ato on most of these, is it a feature of a particular smith or school?  

 

 

One in soft metal - https://www.jauce.com/auction/c1049691269  or  https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/c1049691269

 

Edited February 26 by Spartancrest
More & more images

[ROKUJURO]

Steve,

you wrote "the plates are all iron" but which one is SHAKUDO (= not magnetic) ? The surfaces do not look typical for SHAKUDO. 

[1kinko]

Yup, can't be both.

[Iaido dude]

19 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Tsuba #3, usually these are quail and millet. Depiction of millet heads was considered to be a challenge for Kinko artisans.

Thanks very much. How interesting that rendering of millet heads was difficult.

[Iaido dude]

18 hours ago, Spartancrest said:

 From a sale by Klefischauktionen     https://klefischaukt...sxgHNjqlMDWyo7m_CA2k   

[might take a while to find it here - 3,400 slide images ]  Images only no information.   A very close copy especially the tagane-ato - but little differences like the angle of the lower plum branch along with buds, small branches on the upper one.   

              

 

Ok lets add this one as well! https://www.worthpoi...-guard-ume-tsuba-for   looks like either a popular utsushi or production line by one of the schools.

 

And yet another-  https://www.ngv.vic....llection/work/54298/  this one has some attribution to Umetada. I don't know how much stock to put in that description. Anyone got an idea about the heavy Tagane-ato on most of these, is it a feature of a particular smith or school?  

 

 

One in soft metal - https://www.jauce.com/auction/c1049691269  or  https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/c1049691269

 

Thanks so much for this valuable information.

 

So, Uemon, silver-brass-Shakudo inlay was used for the iron plates. Ume is also plum in Chinese. I love sour plum preserved as dried fruit with seed or wet over shaved ice (my favorite, but can only get this in my native Taiwan.

 

The Worthpoint piece is for Wakizashi.

 

Attribution below from National Gallery colleciton:

Plum branch and blossom, copper, silver, gold inlay. Att. Maneaki Umetada, Kyoto, Yamashiro.

[Iaido dude]

11 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

Steve,

you wrote "the plates are all iron" but which one is SHAKUDO (= not magnetic) ? The surfaces do not look typical for SHAKUDO. 

You've unmasked my complete ignorance. They are indeed magnetic. So, Shakudo inlays of varying alloys of copper, silver, gold on an iron plate? I need to read up a bit.

[Bugyotsuji]

For reference here is a signed iron Umetada with dragon and umé flowering branch.

 

 

 

 

[Spartancrest]

On 2/26/2024 at 3:26 PM, Iaido dude said:

Tsuba, #4, 5 (Daisho)

I found a "baby one"     https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/176259392777

 

[Steves87]

I love Ume guards. I do notice that the designs between guards are often closely replicated. Here are a few that I have, which are basically the same design. The shakudo branch versions are very close. Only the smaller branches are reversed (and in different locations)

Edited February 27 by Steves87
Spelling

[Spartancrest]

One from the Gary Montgomery collection :- Attributed to Ko-Nara school.

[page 91 "The Art of the Tsuba - The Montgomery Collection" by M. Jeffrey Harshman]

[Iaido dude]

14 hours ago, Steves87 said:

I love Ume guards. I do notice that the designs between guards are often closely replicated. Here are a few that I have, which are basically the same design. The shakudo branch versions are very close. Only the smaller branches are reversed (and in different locations)

So, do you think my daisho are Umetada?

[Iaido dude]

3 hours ago, Spartancrest said:

One from the Gary Montgomery collection :- Attributed to Ko-Nara school.

[page 91 "The Art of the Tsuba - The Montgomery Collection" by M. Jeffrey Harshman]

I do remember seeing an old post commenting on Tagane-ato patterns as possible signatures of specific schools. I just don’t know what these patterns can tell us. I do note that the patterns are not identical for each example of the very similar design of two plum branches. 

[Steves87]

3 hours ago, Iaido dude said:

So, do you think my daisho are Umetada?

I would not have said that, no.

I think that is also what Dale is hinting at too, that the description of that example is quite likely incorrect. I'd put more stock into the Montgomery collection description.

[Spartancrest]

A description and a few examples of Ko-Nara work here :- https://www.Japanese...x.com/tsuba/nara.htm

[Spartancrest]

Another example of the plum tree design [hidden away in the Southern hemisphere ]  https://www.auckland...lection/object/15438

(Could I suggest it is in great need of a good clean and proper care!)

 

[Iaido dude]

I would hate to be the one to go at that rust. I recently tried to use a piece of bone for this purpose and felt that it affected the iron surface more than intended, leaving some of the bone embedded as very fine residue and changing the texture. Perhaps antler is softer than bone.  

[Iaido dude]

So is this Shakudo? Non magnetic. Hammered effect on back. 

Theme appears to be boat and oar under moon and stars. 

 

I have posted the other iron plates for sale. I’m just throwing up a price and will see how it goes. I’ll post this one as well. 

 

[Spartancrest]

4 hours ago, Iaido dude said:

So is this Shakudo?

I don't think the base plate for that tsuba is Shakudo, but some of the inlay is very likely, the hull of the boat and many of the reeds are the blue/black colour of Shakudo. Have a look at this link for the many types of alloyed metals used by the Japanese.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irogane 

The plate is most likely Yamagane or Suaka but the patina can often disguise the actual metal underneath.

 

[Iaido dude]

It turns out to be a brass plate with mixed alloy colored inlay/overlay. 

 

I get it now. Thanks. 

 

I listed all of these tsuba for sale now on NMB.