Tsuba signature in sosho

[dir]

I would appreciate some help in deciphering a tsuba signature that I believe is in sosho. I think the last character on the right is JU which probably implies that the two characters above are either a town or province. But apart from that.... I have looked through Sesko's signatures book - though few are in sosho - and also the variant characters shown in Self and Hirose's book on signatures. But no luck.

 

And suggested readings would be welcome!

 

Thanks and regards

 

David

[dir]

For those interested - I asked Robert Hayes/Elliott Long what they made of the signature. The reply was that it was Eiju - no. H 00436 in the Haynes Index. His family name was Takase and he was from Mito in Hitachi Province, later Edo. Apparently he was a low grade retainer of the Matsudaira Daimyo of Mito and a student of the first Taizan Motozane. His art names were Furyuken and Izaemon and he was active c 1775-1800. He signed tsuba at age 61 and 64.

 

I have tried to look up the shosho/variant characters for Eiju, Mito, Takase, his art names etc - but have not been very successful!

 

Tsuba on the web by this chap do not seem to show evidence of the fine perforations at bottom of my tsuba and the styles seem very different!

 

Regards

 

David

 

 

[SteveM]

I'm having a difficult time seeing this as Eiju. 

I can see the top right one as possibly 寿, but more likely to be 清 or possibly 青.

The first one on the left might be 松 (matsu). The second one has the look of 生 (various readings) but I have no great confidence in either of those readings, and the two together do not work very well. 

 

This thread may also interest you

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/4844-please-help-with-any-detail-on-this-lovely-tsuba/

 

Edit: I also attach a link to a signed Takase Eiju tsuba - which is very far removed from the style of what you have. 

 

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/11600/tsuba-with-design-of-military-accoutrements?ctx=2d900585-fefe-47af-a0ae-3e89b93622f9&idx=3