New Tsuba for Perusal

[TAIOSON]

Moving on to the next tsuba I submit this one for your interest and help.

 

This one also has sukashi that is somewhat of an enigma in that it too is not readily definable. The gold zogan is straight forward (tendrils and flower blossoms) but what is unique about it is the fact that the zogan is placed over a crosshatched pattern in the iron. This crosshatching appears only under the zogan. There are bones in the mimi and it looks to be a single piece forging.

 

My guess for the upper left sukashi woulb be a rice paper screen. The lower right could also be a screen but looks like it wants to be something else.

 

Looking for ideas and comments. It is associated with the blade marked with Umetada Munehisa mei which I'm still working on.

 

Thanks all.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello,

 

for what its worth, yes, very little, gardening experience suggests a bamboo lattice work, a garden trellis. Which might make sense of the flowering vine "growing" out of the corners. One attraction to tososgu is the close attention to the simple things in life they strongly suggest the samurai were always keenly in tuned with and appreciated.

 

Franco

[Bungo]

" The gold zogan is straight forward (tendrils and flower blossoms) but what is unique about it is the fact that the zogan is placed over a crosshatched pattern in the iron. This crosshatching appears only under the zogan "

 

nothing unusual, typical gold nunome technique.

By the way, a devil of a tsuba..........I see 666 allover the thing !!

 

milt the ronin

[Pete Klein]

The sukashi is called 'Tea House Window'. The rather heart shaped one is in the form of a serving platter used in tea ceremony and for other uses in entertaining.

[Bungo]

another example of what Pete is referring to..................

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-JP-sword-Te ... dZViewItem

 

milt the ronin

[TAIOSON]

Thank you Franco, Milt and Pete. I knew the forum members would know the answers.

 

Franco, your observation concerning the simple things in life is probably what characterizes the oriental mentality in that the simple, small things were (is) felt just as strongly as the rough, and some times brutal opposites. Only the Japanese can make simple extreme beauty out of total chaos.

 

"666" Milt? Have you been sipping the sacrificial sake again?

 

Pardon me now whilst I go off and research the nunome technique, which by the way is part of what makes this whole thing so interesting; it's an impetus for further learning.

[Bungo]

"666" Milt? Have you been sipping the sacrificial sake again?

 

.

 

it is there if you look for it.............

 

here's an example of nunome technique.

http://www.esnips.com/web/tsuba?docsPage=3#files

klick on kamon8.jpg, original size and you'll see the cross hedges .

In this example, ALL nunome are gone.

 

milt the ronin

[TAIOSON]

I can see the "666" in the tendrils. Thanks for the reference sites Milt.

 

Can anyone place this tsuba as to school and/or date? I'm trying to figure out if it could be related to the same period as the blade which appears to be from the Umetada school.

 

Thanks all.