Help on tsuba?

[SwordGuyJoe]

Good day all,

I was wondering if someone could help me on the school and approximate age of this tsuba? Also, it has a mei, but I can't make it out. Can anyone provide assistance? Thank you so much in advance.

 

 

[Mark]

Certainly hard to read. I maybe wrong but it looks like a later cast copy of a ChoShu tsuba, i guess BuShu would be the other option.

[Ed Harbulak]

Hi Joe, I have to disagree with Mark. while the mei is not clear, I'm quite sure it says "Echizen Ju Kinai Saku" and the subject is typical of the school. While I'm far from being knowledgeable about tsuba, I happen to own one that's very similar, which is what leads me to believe yours is from the same school and the mei is as I've indicated. There were several generations, and I don't know which one made yours, or mine for that matter.

Ed Harbulak

[SwordGuyJoe]

I maybe wrong but it looks like a later cast copy of a ChoShu tsuba

 

This is my fault since I didn't give a good side shot, but I only have these photos at my disposal and I am pretty darn sure it isn't a cast tsuba.

[Mark]

ok.... i am probably wrong about being cast, maybe it is just the pictures... I think Ed is right, looks like i can make out Echizen and Kinai is certainly another posibbility

[Ford Hallam]

I think it's quite nicely tidied up but I tend to agree with Mark in thinking this is a cast copy.

 

fwiw,

 

Regards,

 

Ford

[ottou812]

To me it looks like a cast copy of a Echizen tsuba.

 

http://www.users.on.net/~coxm/9.%20tsuba%20iii.html

[Marc BROQUIN]

Hello all,

 

I was looking at the old posts and fell upon yours.

 

I don't know if I am right but it looks as a good and authentic Kinai tsuba because the appearance of the kanjis seems authentic (which is not the case in chinese cast copies).

 

The general design is typical of Kinai but I have the feeling that someboby has tried to re-patinate it with fire and oil as some people did for guns in the past.

 

This sometomes gives this type of patina after alteration.

 

Any comment welcome.

Friendly.

Marc

[sanjuro]

Casting flash in the curl within the leaf on image 0835, plus granular intersections on acutely angled ribs on the leaf looks very much like cast copy. Nicely cleaned up, but cast. The ground and low areas also are too granular to have been hand cut into a base plate. IMHO

[Marc BROQUIN]

Hello Keith,

Yes you certainly are right. I didn't remarked these details previously.

Best

Marc

[SwordGuyJoe]

All,

Thank you for the help and insight. Either way, I didn't buy the tsuba, but it came with a sword that past through my collection. I would like to learn more about tsuba, so I know what is accompanying my swords, but I'm definitely not ready to be buying tsuba! Thanks again, it is greatly appreciated.