Tsuba Information Sought

[hddennis]

Found an old tsuba today and wonder what you guys can tell me about it. It seemed to be a cast copy but two things puzzle me. It rings when struck like a forged tsuba and it it had tiny bits of gold in the center of the flowers and on one stalk. At first I thought it had a blued surface but when cleaned of all the dirt it seems to show remmants of black lacquer. Does it have any age and was it just a low grade tsuba or a tourist piece?

 

Thanks for any help,

Howard Dennis

[Spartancrest]

Yes it is a cast copy, a lot of cast examples have been highlighted with touches of gold - it is a way of suggesting they are older than they really are. Another like yours here: 

https://www.trocader...d-TSUBA-forest-items    Both examples have not been mounted. 

  

 

Another image here from some old source back in 2015: 

 

I would not count on any "sound" made by striking the guard, that is more myth than fact, imagine if you will how a sukashi guard would "ring"  - not at all, even if hand forged. Also you might realise bells are cast yet they certainly ring.

[hddennis]

Dale. Thank You for the help. Appreciate it.

 

Howard Dennis

[Spartancrest]

  Another from a Yahoo auction in the past.