Rotational fitting tsuba

Jesta · August 15

I came across this one: https://thelanesarmo.../shop.php?code=16704

The blurb says that it has been designed to be fitted in two orientations. Has anyone seen any other examples like this?

My first thought is that it would be hard to hide the alternative nakago ana whichever way you mounted it, unless the parts poking out from under the seppa were meant to look like a part of the design.

Brian · August 15

We've seen that before. I think it's nothing more than some owner deciding he wants it the other way and having a new ana cut.

Spartancrest · August 15

That guard appeared in a thread: see date June 25th 2022

Spartancrest · August 15

Not a 90 degree turn like Justyn's but there must be a few with a 180?

From the François Poncetton Collection sale of June 12th 1929

86. Tsuba in Iron, round, silver damascened: 106 mm x 106 mm. Horse lying down. Kano painting style. Workshops of damasceners in the province of Hizen. 17th century. From the Henri L. Joly sale, 1921, n° 45. Reproduced in Japanese Sword Guards, by M.F.P., pl. XXXIX n° 140.

Pierre Barboutau collection 1903 no. 981

ROKUJURO · August 15

I would not have called it "rotational". It is just double purpose or orientation. There are many TSUBA known to have been converted from TACHI to KATANA and vice versa.

Grey Doffin · August 15

The tsuba in the original post is questionable at best. There is no reason why tsuba would be significantly wider than tall - I can't recall ever seeing one - so there is no need for the 2nd nakago ana. Also, if the 2 nakago ana are sized to fit any sword with a close to usual size nakago - hard to know because the seller doesn't give the dimensions - in either orientation the seppa would cover parts of the sukashi. This again wasn't done. Most this one can hope for is that it is a real tsuba that has been crudely altered; otherwise it is some sort of fantasy piece.

Grey

PhoenixDude · August 15

image.png.b9ba65a10f19204674b366eeb9ced4c0.png

Jesta · August 16

It’s not a pretty piece by any means, not delicate… I also struggle to understand why it has a loop on top and bottom (in one orientation).

It might have been a tachi tsuba (or just possibly on a naginata) originally, so the wider guard would need to be rotated if it was fitted to a katana worn in the belt. But… it’s not so pretty that someone would feel that it was worth the time and effort. And… after you had rotated it the design would be marred by the ends of the spare nakago ana poking out asymmetrically.

Not something I would want, but there is no accounting for taste.

Spartancrest · August 16

Might be easier for people to visualise with an image.

Jake6500 · August 16

12 hours ago, PhoenixDude said:

I swear this is EXACTLY what I thought of when I read this thread and checked the link but didn't wanna be rude lol

Jesta · August 16

New hypothesis: This isn’t a tsuba at all. It is an early prototype of the shapes toy. The loops are to hold it while the child pushes shapes through the holes. It makes perfect sense now… :laughing: