which tsuba should i get?

[stevel48]

I want to get e new tsuba to match my new menuki viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6396

 

 

I'm going for a samurai theme or an armor theme. I am on the hunt for new fuchi and kashira as well. I have found some to go with either tsuba.

#1

 

 

 

 

#2

[sanjuro]

If its an opinion based on theme you are asking for, here goes......

 

Tsuba 1. Is fussy and cluttered. I dont really know who the maker is but the whole thing is just a bit too late edo period and 'touristy' to be called tasteful.

 

Tsuba 2. Is everything that tsuba #1 isnt. Its tasteful and the subject is well rendered. Theres a lot to be said for tasteful understatement.

 

I vote tsuba #2!

 

Now I'll shut my big mouth and keep quiet, and watch to see what everyone else thinks.......

[Brian Hancock]

Tsuba #2 "Less is more"

 

Cheers,

 

Brian.

[Stephen]

Id vote #3 none of the above, the nuks are better than both...all you have is time.

[Ford Hallam]

I'm with Stephen,

 

neither of these is very good at all :? ...I'd pass.

 

regards,

 

ford

[stevel48]

I'm more of a fan of #2 myself. For those that said neither, what do you think I should be looking for?

[Jean]

A good artistic one ....

[Marius]

I'm going for a samurai theme or an armor theme. I am on the hunt for new fuchi and kashira as well. I have found some to go with either tsuba.

 

Well, I agree with those colleagues here, who do not seem to be impressed with either tsuba. Forgive me my bluntness, but they show inferior workmanship and they simply look dull and boring. Your lovely menuki do not deserve any of these tsuba. I think in your search for something matching the menuki you might end up with something rather awkward. I have gone through this - it has started with a rather bad Goto shishi and peony tsuba - I have managed to add the same motif in menuki, fuchigashira and kozuka - all shakudo in nanako-ji and kin-zogan. The result was just awful! I shall never try to do this again. I am still asahamed of this "set".

 

My advice: Don't try to find a direct match - it wil always be only "close", but never the real McCoy (as to be found in genuine sets of koshirae). Go for an honest steel (that's my personal preference, don't shoot!) tsuba with any of the usual warrior symbols - be it grass and stirrups, cherry blossom, broken fans, or just about anything else that might symbolise a samurai. It doesn't have to be armor or weapons.

[rkg]

Hi,

 

Short answer: I'd pass on both and keep looking.

 

Just out of curiosity, are you trying to match these to build a koshirae? If so, is it to be a "wall hanger", for iai, or...?

 

I agree with mariuszk on this - Its harder than you'd think to put together a set of fittings that looks "right" - usually the

owner put together a set of fittings that had meaning to him and probably those who looked at it - be it to make some

philosophical statement, say something about themselves, make a fashion statment, a joke/pun (actually surprisingly

common), psych out a potential opponent, or whatever, in addition to being usable. Its hard to find the right stuff to

make up an en suite set. If you look at the number of times fittings were apparently re-used, I suspect that as often as

not people were mixing and matching or having new bits made up as necessary to make the koshirae get the theme

across or follow whatever was fashionable that week as well as work artistically and as a weapon for the owner.

 

There's hordes of source material - you can look to Japanese legends, Buddhist teachings, period Japanese culture,

various Chinese themes/philosophy, and a whole raft of word plays/Kanji meanings based on the various words/concepts

a phrase can represent.

 

The bad part if you're building up a koshirae is that unless you're doing something with an unwrapped handle or are

having a goofy wrap of some kind done the menuki are pretty much invisible.

 

If you REALLY want them to match, you could have pieces made to go with them - I saw an example of this at

Ford's display at the KTK/NBSK show in Tokyo - he made up a tsuba to complete a daisho where the owner had one

of the tsuba and pictures of the other from an old auction catalog - Excellent work...

 

I'm not sure what to recommend for iai.

 

Good Luck,

 

rkg

(Richard George)

[Stephen]

how about something like this?

 

http://www.swordsofjapan.com/Tsuba5.htm

 

or this?

 

http://yakiba.com/tsuba_hanya.htm

 

id keep looking

[stevel48]

Well right now I'm trying to correct the jumbled mess that is my koshirae. It had no menuki, mismatched fuchi and kashira and a cloud themed tsuba missing its gold inlay and a saya in need of help. Those menuki I bought were a had to have the moment i saw them. I'l be rewrapping the tsuka and relacquering the saya,

 

cWhat about this and this?..Thanks for the links Stephen.

 

 

http://www.swordsofjapan.com/Sanmei.htm

 

http://www.antiqueswords.com/jfk1.htm

[stevel48]

how about something like this?

 

http://www.swordsofjapan.com/Tsuba5.htm

 

or this?

 

http://yakiba.com/tsuba_hanya.htm

 

id keep looking

 

 

I do like this one

http://www.swordsofjapan.com/Tsuba5.htm

[stevel48]

If you REALLY want them to match, you could have pieces made to go with them - (Richard George)

 

 

I would love to have fuchi kashira set made to match my current tsuba if anyone knows of an artist?

 

Thanks.

[Jean]

The easiest one of the day : Ford Hallam.... :D :D

[Marius]

I was thinking about samurai symbols - what about a gunpai (commander's iron fan)?

 

Here is one late Edo katchushi tsuba, I used to own... A similar katchushi tsuba should be easy to find...

[Mark]

i have a set of menuki that match the tsuba #2.... but if you passed on that tsuba i guess that does not matter

[stevel48]

i have a set of menuki that match the tsuba #2.... but if you passed on that tsuba i guess that does not matter

 

i'll take a look. send a photo to steveL48@hotmail.com