Yagyu Design Tsuba With Kashira

[JohnTo]

When I bought this tsuba it had a copper crayfish kashira riveted to the seppa dai (see pic).  Luckily it was only lightly attached and not hard soldered on and I was able to easily remove it.  Possibly it was used as a paper weight and the kashira was used to pick it up.  The tsuba itself was in good condition apart from some red surface rust (I understand it had been stored for 30 years in a loft or basement0, which I removed with WD-40, cotton buds and wooden cocktail sticks.

The iron has a matt black patina and appears covered with speckles, see pic of rim, indicating that the iron was forged from a mixture of irons and not fully homogenized to a lifeless plate.  The tsuba is what I call ‘2-D sukashi’, in that the plate is flat and the design cut vertically through the iron with no attempt to round the edges or sink the body below the rim.  The design appears to be a tomoe (comma) with a long tapering tail, which forms the rim.  Waves are shown rising out of the rim, possibly crashing against the body of the tomoe (duplicating as a boulder?).  Overall, the design seems to shout Yagyu, but waves in Yagyu designs are generally rounded at the edges giving a softer 3-D look and I understand that layering of the iron can also be seen (I can’t see any here).  I would therefore think that this is a copy of a Yagyu design.  I read that Ono and others copied Yagyu designs, but the examples that I have seen illustrated also have some 3-D characteristics.  I have also noticed in some illustrations of Yagyu tsuba the presence of a small open circle in the design, which this tsuba has in the top left corner between the wave and the rim.  Any idea of the significance of these?

The presence of two small (1 mm diameter) holes at each end of the seppa dai have, no doubt, reduced the value of this tsuba (not that I intend to sell it).  But by how much when one considers the heaving bashing with hammer and chisel around the nagako ana that it received in antiquity?

So there we have it, a sukashi tsuba with what I think is a Yagyu look.  Comments and opinions would be welcome.

Height: 7.8 cm, Width: 7.7 cm, Thickness (rim):  0.45 cm

Thanks

John

(just a guy making observations, asking questions, trying to learn)

[christianmalterre]

definitely- NO Yagyu!

[vajo]

The Kashira is nice. If fear a little about the tsuba. Look in the inner site of the mimi.

[DRDave]

I've seen similar Kashira, but don't recall seeing one with the features incised as deeply as yours.  Nice one.

[JohnTo]

I really hadn’t given much thought to the kashira as, without the fuchi, it’s a bit like having just one sock; OK if you are a one legged man, but otherwise… I guess I will have to start searching Ebay.

Christian, I’m not sure I understand what you mean by ‘definitely- NO Yagyu!’.  If you read the original posting carefully you will note that I did say that I did not believe that it was Yagyu work; just based upon a Yagyu design.  Sasano wrtites that Inaba Tsuryu published an illustrated album of 110 Yagyu designs and that Imaizumi Gennai compiled an album of 163 Yagyu designs.  Unfortunately, I do not have reference to these works, but perhaps you did and failed to find this particular design?

Yagyu designs were apparently used by tsubako from other schools including the Ono, Owari and Bushu, right up to the haitto-rei, according to my sources.  That does not mean they were copied skilfully or with all the characteristics associated with Yagyu work.  I still propose that this tsuba was based upon a Yagyu design and to support my supposition I attach a couple of pics of Yagyu tsuba that I found on this site, together with a NTHK certificated Ono tsuba that Grey Doffin had for sale.  The Ono tsuba was stated as being based on a Yagyu design and is effectively 2-D like mine, i.e. flat and not sculpted.  Both the Yagyu tsuba have waves and the mysterious circular hole in the design, like mine, which I still would like to know what they represent.  I rest my case for the defence.

As a relative newby to tsuba collecting I like to glean as much info as I can for each new addition to my collection and appreciate constructive criticism to my observations.

Best regards, John

(just a guy making observations, asking questions, trying to learn)

[lotus]

Noticed this one on yahoo Japan that reminded me of yours (to a degree)