Dragon in clouds tsuba

[cdrcm12]

I've had this tsuba for over 20 years and thought it worth a post to the group. Details below:

 

5.9 x 5.35 x 0.4cm,

tetsu,

nagamaru-gata,

maru-mimi,

fukabori? carving of clouds, with dragon through.

 

The nakago ana (2.6 x 0.8cm) has an unusual shape, shinogi zukuri one side and hira zukuri the other, possibly for a katakiriha zukuri tanto?

 

There a couple of very similar tsuba in the Henry Walters collection, at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, these are both in brass and not signed like this one, standard nakago ana.

 

Any ideas of school? Mino?

 

I'm assuming late Edo period?

 

 

 

 

[Ken-Hawaii]

No, not fukabori, where the bottom of the relief is deeply carved into the ground plate, but leaves the relief motif level with the mimi. Probably some form of takibori.

[cdrcm12]

Thanks Ken. Read a description of fukabori and thought maybe, but no images of examples. I'll look at takibori.