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Happy Year of the Rabbit - rabbit theme tsuba


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Posted

Those rabbits are prolific little guys! In answer to the question there is no added rim. The rim is integral and made of iron of the plate folded over in an irregular fashion. It is a nice feature part of the overal appeal of the piece. I realy enjoy mokume tsuba and have a number.

Posted

Wow Barry, From the pics, I would have said the rim was seperate.

That is very sweet!

Mariuszk, Akasaka, nice. I'm making a copy of that right now, with the mortar being a skull.

Kind of a Python, year of the bunny/moon.

 

Mark G

  • 7 years later...
Posted

Copper mounted tanto project sounds like the natural progression.  Sooner you start, sooner you finish!  As far as the tsuba, take a closer look, I'm sure you will give them a pass.

 

-StevenK

Posted

Hi Guys,

My tsuba collection seems to be a bit sparse on the rabbit front, but here are a for your delectation.

The first one shows an area of open grassland.  Unfortunately the rabbit been scared off, but he has left a small pile of droppings in the lower left hand corner.

The second tsuba shows a monk about to butcher a rabbit in order to make a rabbit stew for his fellow acolytes.  There is a bowl of boiling water in the background with what appears to be a cabbage leaf, so the cooking is evidently well underway.

But seriously,  I have posted this tsuba before (2013).  It depicts the zen monk Tanka (d. 834) burning a carving of Buddha at the Yeren temple.  It is signed/inscribed  Funakoshi Shunmin, with kao (an alternative name for Ikedo Minkoku, 1828 -1916).

Serious question.  The face and arms of Tanka are silver and were bright, due to overcleaning, when I bought it.  These have now tarnished to black.  However the edge of the axe is still bright.  I thought that it was silver, but as it has not tarnished, has anyone got an idea what silver alloy might have been used?

That’s all folks, John

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  • Like 2
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I saw in a spanish private collection this tsuba signed by Satō Yoshihisa - Chinkyū, of the late XVII century and early XVIII.... but... could be gimei? I don't know certanly.

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  • Like 2
Posted

James, you are a lucky man!!!

I would love to see a picture or two of this one if at all possible. It's stunning.

 

 

Not sure I can provide any better photos than Mike did on his site. 

  • Like 1
Posted

Rainy day in St. Louis, a good day to post a couple more rabbit tsuba. The one with the rabbit looking up at the moon is signed: Kii ju Masayoshi, and mokume grained plate. The other is by shinshinto swordsmith Jirotaro Naokatsu. It is an unusual design rarely seen on his tsuba. It has a long-eared rabbit set into the motif. Ron STL

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  • Like 2

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