Suggestions please?

[Geraint]

Gentlemen,

 

I would appreciate your thoughts on this tsuba. It is part of the koshirae on a late shinshinto katana and although whoever made the koshirae went to some pains to integrate the tsuba by plugging the kogai hitsu with nekke gake gold to match the foiled habaki in other respects it seems to be an earlier piece. I have owned the sword for years but have yet to come across a similar tsuba. The plate is iron, 3mms thick at the seppa dai, 4mms where the lobes of the tsuba have been formed, two sukashi mon, one with a detail inlaid in a similar fashion to the rest of the tsuba in what appears to be silver. The decoration is a series of curved sloping lines and some dots with scattered circles. Some of the inlay is now missing. Size overall is 77mms wide by 81 mms tall.

 

Mounted as it is as a katana tsuba I can make little sense of the decoration, however in one image I have inverted it and I am wondering if this is a representation of falling rain on what was originally a tachi tsuba.

 

I am way out of my depth here, anyone care to add their thoughts?

[Geraint]

And before anyone says it, I am sorry, I unticked the signature box.

 

Geraint

[rkg]

What's on the other side?

 

rkg

(Richard George)

[Mark Green]

Yes, the other side may help some.

It looks like most of the inlay is missing. It is depicting some mons, Myoshi ? Not sure.

Maybe the circles are some other form of clan id.

Or maybe stars?

Show us the other side please.

Mark G

[Geraint]

Thanks for the thoughts so far, the reverse is very similar to the front and yes, some of the inlay is missing though the losses do not seem to be recent.

[Ford Hallam]

Hi Geraint

 

Long time no see baby Kyle is 19 in January

 

anyway, your tsuba strikes me as a late "revival" style piece. The gently undulating surface and the way the edge has apparently been so carefully and sensitively worked so as to suggest age to in line with Bakamatsu aesthetics as expressed to varying degrees by artists like Ichijo, Natasuo and Funada Ikkin et al.

 

The silver wire inlay is, I think, a further attempt to suggest age in the way the inlay is incomplete. What gives it away as being contrived is the way we can clearly see some areas where the wire is supposed to have disappeared but no empty groove remains yet in other areas this exactly what we see. I don't think we should try and read too much into the "design" of the silver, therefore, as I think the impression was merely meant to evoke antiquity... and perhaps a bit of mystery. In this it's at least partly successful methinks

 

As to the possibility it was originally intended for a tachi I'd of expected to some evidence of a much wider nakago-ana where the present ha-machi would be positioned.

 

Just my thought of it, for what it's worth.

 

And the very best wishes for a blessed Christmas to all the Wilton clan.

 

regards,

 

Ford

 

p.s. Do you still fancy a shakudo tsuba of grapes and vine leaves? :D

[Geraint]

Hi Ford,

 

Great to hear from you. Can't believe that Kyle is 19 though Miriam is a Mum herself now. Anyway, back to tsuba... Thanks for your wisdom, if it is a Bakumatsu piece that would account for me not having come across it's like all these years and would also fit well with the rest of the koshirae which would seem to date from the blade's production date; 1864 according to the papers. You might even remember the sword, strong koshzsori and o kissaki with a waisted tsuka.

 

Yes, I still look longingly at the Tomotsune tsuba from time to time, fancy you remembering that.

 

Always thrilled to see your work, you remind me of a poem which I will try to track down for you.

 

All the best.

[rkg]

Hi,

 

Thanks for posting the second image - that is the front of the piece.

 

I think ford is right about this being a fairly late piece that was made to look older.

 

Best,

 

rkg

(Richard George)

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

The ko-sukashi (small openwork) design is call either shippo or itomaki Japanese. The first term shippo means "seven treasures" in English. The second term which I have also seen used to describe this design means a spool used to hold string. I would agree with Ford as to the age of the tsuba likely late Edo Period trying to copy the styles of the Momoyama Period and the early part of the Edo Period. Overall I like the tsuba. Thanks for sharing.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Geraint]

Glad you like it, if I get a chance I will do my best to photograph the complete koshirae.

 

Geraint

[Geraint]

A long time ago I said I would add images of the koshirae, sorry for the delay. Fuchi, kashira and menuki are a set, shakudo nanako with armoured samurai in boats on water, gold foiled tachi habaki, gold foiled seppa and a single shakudo o-seppa. Simple ishime black roiro says and a rather nice wiasted tsuka. All on a shinshinto blade papered to Inshu Kanesaki.

 

Sorry about the photographs.

[runagmc]

This is a good example of excellent craftsmanship. I love the elegant shape of this tsuka, and the shakudo O'seppa ads a nice little extra contour. Such a nice aesthetic flow...