Tsuba info needed

[kawika]

Found this tsuba for sale 50'000 yen. About 340.00 USD. Im just wondering about the signature and date of when it might of been made, any help is appreciated 👍 

Dave

[ROKUJURO]

Hi David,

SHIGEHIRO, probably late 18th or early 19th century in my opinion. Province is DEWA.

[Bugyotsuji]

Why is the price in yen Dave, if you are in Hawaii? 

[Shugyosha]

To add a little to Jean's post:

Dewa Akita ju

Shoami Shigehiro

 

https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2005/Japanese-and-korean-works-of-art-l05860/lot.788.html

 

I don't know whether the one you're looking at is genuine but if you do some googling on that signature you should find authenticated examples to compare it to if yours isn't papered.

[Jesta]

The signature looks way too clean and clear for the wear on the rest of the tsuba. The Sothebys one is a good example, there the signature is not raised and clear. 

[kawika]

2 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Why is the price in yen Dave, if you are in Hawaii? 

I'm in Japan for a little bit, my wife is here and we are going to celebrate our son's first birthday.

[kawika]

1 hour ago, Jesta said:

The signature looks way too clean and clear for the wear on the rest of the tsuba. The Sothebys one is a good example, there the signature is not raised and clear. 

 I completely agree, this signature doesn't match the age of the tsuba. Plus now I realize that it's not exactly jumping out at me, meaning I don't think I was looking at it with the right mindset.

Thanks everyone 

[Bazza]

Hmmm, I wonder (friends will be shaking their heads)...  is the tsuba proper meant to look old and battered to suit some Japanese ethos???  I find it hard to believe an extensive mei would be put on a battered nonentity to claim a scalp, as it were.  Whatever, I find it charming for reasons I'm having difficulty elucidating (head shaking all round)...  If its just had a hard life surely its no surprise a well-cut mei survives intact?  Is there such a thing as atomei for a tsuba??

 

BaZZa.

[Robert S]

17 hours ago, Bazza said:

Hmmm, I wonder (friends will be shaking their heads)...  is the tsuba proper meant to look old and battered to suit some Japanese ethos???  I find it hard to believe an extensive mei would be put on a battered nonentity to claim a scalp, as it were.  Whatever, I find it charming for reasons I'm having difficulty elucidating (head shaking all round)...  If its just had a hard life surely its no surprise a well-cut mei survives intact?  Is there such a thing as atomei for a tsuba??

 

BaZZa.

The "battered look" is a specific aesthetic - one I'm pretty fond of, a form of wabi/sabi.  That being said, this example also looks somewhat actually worn.