thutson

Thank you both, most appreciated. In future I will try to provide better pictures. Regards, Tom

Hello, I recently picked up this tsuba and I'd be very grateful for any help translating the signature.

Great selection, PM sent.

I would have to agree, looks to be a Nagoya-mono piece. Here is a link to a nice write up about them:

Interesting thread, Kiku is certianly a very popular theme for tsuba. Here is one of mine, a Ko-Kinko Yamagane Kiku-Gata tsuba with 28 petals, which dates to the mid Muromachi period. Tom

Beautiful workmanship, congrats on a lovely piece!

Dear Bob, Thank you for sharing so many wonderful pieces from your collection. It's been immensely enjoyable journey and I've learnt a lot. Best, Tom

I also have a tsuba with a hole in the seppa-dia, in case its useful, here's the thread. Best, Tom

Hello, The tsuba arrived yesterday, it has a good size and weight to it and I'm very happy with it in hand, please find a couple of pictures attached.

Lovely looking tsuba Peter, I have a tsuba along the same theme. The Takahashi No Mushimaro poem certainly seems to be the theme. I've read that the lonley cuckoo often calls in the dark of summer nights, the call is said to sound like someone calling "return home". I realise there is no moon on your tsuba but I have also read that the Japanese cuckoo is often shown flying across the face of the moon on a rainy night. This image signifies honor and advancement in status, and refers to the story of the samurai Yorimasa defeating the Nue. As Yorimasa was being awarded, a cuckoo flew overhead calling in the night.

Thanks Stephen, I'll post some pictures when I have it in hand.

Another tsuba signed Furukawa Genchin http://www.nihonto.us/LS017 FURUGAWA GENCHIN.htm

Amazing detective work @BIG Thanks @Ford Hallam for the dates, it's fascinating to think that Hokusai sketched his Manga from this tsuba. I wonder if any of his other sketches were also based on tsuba designs.

After following the auction I decided to pull the trigger and ended up winning the auction. It's such a charming tsuba with an unusual and fascinating theme, I'm excited to see it in hand and study it further.