Tsuba identification

[buchtas]

Hi, 

I was browsing today on one of the auction sites and found this piece, the seller usually sells knives (lately Japanese kitchen knives) and wet stones, but recentl offered Japanese scroll with block print, a nice looking jingasa that is still up for auction and few tsuba, granted most of them are obvious casts, and very bad ones, but 2 or 3 look genuine, auction started from zero and i just said what the heck, plopped the number i would be willing to go for, I was byuing some collectible ammunition anyway, and won it, for about 40 dollars, maybye less (conversion is a bitch  )

And since my first tsuba are still in Japan with my sword, I was kinda feeling like getting something along the way so here it is. Seller states Edo and that it is original nothing else, seems like estate sale or something but anyway I humbly ask the knowledgable scholars here if thay would be so kind to help me with at least identifying what I got myself into or if I made a missstep. 

Photos here are from the auction site, I will have the piece in hand probably later next week.

 

 

To me it looks rough, but from what I had observed in the past year or so, i came across one or two tsuba that had similiar or nearidentical trees, that is why i decided to go for it, but that is just my amateur opinion so far, any input will be appreciated, thanks everyone.

 

M.P.

[Spartancrest]

The "crepe paper" background plate are fairly common, only a small percentage have added decoration - no proof but I think the decoration was added later in many cases. Probably to "dress up" an otherwise plain looking guard.

There is a name for the stippled plate but I can't remember it, most are sold as Yasurime-ji  or Amida-yasuri but this is not strictly correct. They come in all shapes as well but by far the most common are Maru or Mokko. There is no doubt yours is genuine.

[buchtas]

Thank you for the info, I am glad I was right about it being genuine 

[buchtas]

The seller updated his offerings and just for refference those are his offerings, all descriptions state original EDO Period, but most of them look, well like obvious fakes, at least to me, but someone might disagree so here they are

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To me, first and third one look like worth getting for me, just for the looks, but I would really like to avoid buying fakes.

[Spartancrest]

14 hours ago, buchtas said:

most of them look, well like obvious fakes, at least to me

The last three are fakes. The last one is the worst. The others look genuine to me, but only average quality. 3 and 4 same guard front and back? [not too bad]

For my taste I like number 5 with the Kawari [irregular] shape, added sekigane  and the filled hitsu. 

Like most things it depends what the asking prices are - but don't waste your money on the last three. 

[Spartancrest]

Getting back to the last image in your list, it would appear the same company that made that one has a variety of patterns. They tend to have the same nakago-ana shape which is pretty obviously not "right" 

I wish all fakes were so easy to spot! To be fair I think these things were made as paperweights and somehow got dumped into the "old tsuba" pile by people who don't know any better. They would be impossible to mount on a sword. 

[buchtas]

Thanks a lot, the fakes were fortunately obvious even to my amateur eye. but it is fascinating what can be learned about the fakes as well

anyway thanks again