Higo Tsuba?

[pcfarrar]

Anyone have any ideas what this tsuba is?

 

It is mounted on a Shodai Hizen Masahiro Katana that is in Higo mounts. The story goes that the sword was surrendered to a British Officer by a Japanese General at the end of WW2.

 

I wondered if the tsuba was also Higo?

[Jimmy R]

Please post pictures of the sword. I would really like to see it.

Jim

[pcfarrar]

I haven't managed to get any decent photos yet but it's a typical Masahiro with big billowing gunome choji with loads of nie sunagashi and kinsuji. Has the post 1650 shodai mei.

[John A Stuart]

The iron reminds me of Hirata school tsuba. John

Oh, I just wanted to add that although Hikozo was particularly noted for copper tsuba he did work in iron and it did have a primitive rustic forging that is quite attractive I think. He was another artist influenced by chado.

[docliss]

How about Kō-Shoami as an alternative attribution? The iron is badly corroded, and difficult to judge from the photograph, but the two broad kōgai hitsu would support such a suggestion. John L.

[Ford Hallam]

The tsuba appears to be constructed from 2 separate elements. The rim and the inner square. The tips of the square part seem to stick into the outer rim. This is a rather 'unorthodox' approach.

[Bob M.]

Hi,

I would suggest that this might be a ' made in the field ' tsuba - the hitsu-ana and nakago -ana look as if they were punched through . If you look at both hitsu-ana , the same punch reversed has been used and the shape of the nakago-ana lends itself ( by not being too pointed ) to being punched through hot metal. It would be an easy job to flatten the square after punching and then insert into a roughly made ring.

 

Regards

[Bob M.]

Should have added - Is the plug made from bullet lead ?

[pcfarrar]

Should have added - Is the plug made from bullet lead ?

 

No its shakudo, the shodai Masahiro blade is wonderful with little round eyes in the peaks of the choji. I'm surprised that someone would take such a good blade to the battlefield in WW2.

[Beater]

Anyone have any ideas what this tsuba is?

 

It is mounted on a Shodai Hizen Masahiro Katana that is in Higo mounts. The story goes that the sword was surrendered to a British Officer by a Japanese General at the end of WW2.

 

I wondered if the tsuba was also Higo?

Resurrecting an old post as I couldn't help noticing this sword, which I once owned. (Sold to Bill Tagg, Liverpool Militaria many moons ago). The story has been slightly distorted - it was sold by the family of the British officer at Shanklin Auctions on the Isle of Wight. Attempts were made via the auctioneers to contact the family to establish a name etc., but they wished to remain anonymous, only discovered he was a Brigadier and the sword came from a "high ranking" Japanese Officer.

 

The sword was entered into the (2008) London NTHK Shinsa and received a pink paper, which was the reason I decided to part company. I have however, heard it subsequently received papers, as did the tsuba? Persistence, it seems, pays off!

[nagamaki - Franco]

Good morning,

 

As uchiko Jim K. would say, measure (bounce) 3 times before cutting (removing) once in reference to a significant mei.

[Beater]

Good morning,

 

As uchiko Jim K. would say, measure (bounce) 3 times before cutting (removing) once in reference to a significant mei.

He must be a carpenter, like the others I've heard say that. Another equally famous orator said, "There are as many opinions as there are experts." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

[brannow]

Personally I would have submitted it to the nbthk.