Help with Tsuba identification

[growlingbear]

Hello everyone,

 

Having had some fantastic help over on the translation forum, perhaps someone can help shed any light on this tsuba (pics attached). There is also a picture of the habaki which appears to be made of copper. Any information gratefully received!

 

Thanks,

 

James

[Soshin]

Hi James,

 

I would say the tsuba is likely a average work of the Aizu Shoami School in very poor condition. I would date the work to the later part of the Edo Period (early 1800s). Let me know if greater detail in my attribution is necessary.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[growlingbear]

Hi David,

 

Thanks very much for the information. Do you have any further information about the Aizu Shoami School, or could you point me to anywhere I could find out more? The blade it was found on is signed "Bitchu Kuni Mizuta ju Kunishige" which I think means it is from around 1670. I guess this means the tsuba is later - do you often find later fittings on blades? I'm new to all of this so anything is appreciated!

 

Thanks very much!

[Soshin]

Do you have any further information about the Aizu Shoami School, or could you point me to anywhere I could find out more?

Hi James,

 

I would check around the links at the top of the page for free resources of information. Alternative you could search the Tosogu forum using the term "Aizu Shoami". It is a fairly common and prolific school during the middle to late Edo Period. You can also search the web using Google for "Aizu Shoami Tsuba" or if you like working with the Japanese search Google Japan for "会津正阿弥鍔". This I found very effective in my research.

The blade it was found on is signed "Bitchu Kuni Mizuta ju Kunishige" which I think means it is from around 1670. I guess this means the tsuba is later - do you often find later fittings on blades?

Yes this happens very often even during pre-modern Japan. It happens even more often in modern Japan with blades being put into new full koshirea for sale. Hope you find my information helpful.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles