Spartancrest

"In my understanding this is an assumption, not a fact." As is the "assumption " that they are for defence - - Stalemate - - again!

I have to chip in here - tsuba did not have to be unbreakable and a hell of a lot were far from it. Copper, Shakudo, Shibuichi, Ivory, Horn, Makie, wood, leather and even stone tsuba were all in use and for a great length of time. Couple this with those swords that did not even have tsuba and surely this should tell you it matters not what a tsuba is made from, because they are not a defensive part of the sword. The argument that cast tsuba would never be used by samurai because they would break under the blow of an opponents blade is a non-argument, else all those other materials would also be "rejects" of true samurai, which would certainly put a big dent in collectable guards! Facts not opinions please.

Piers, there is an "Extra Large" tsuba wall hanger here - https://www.jauce.com/auction/k1071260053 But I must say at a really inflated price, the one I bought was 1,000 yen [ https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1036014452 ] and another I have was all of 50 cents! Usually they sell for very little money because they are pure decoration and weigh a lot! This one sold last year it had some colour highlights. - https://www.jauce.com/auction/1002761518 - as I said not much money.

Thanks Geraint it is always helpful to have another example. The museum also includes koiguchi and fuchi on Kaiken and Hamidashi as "tsuba" even though there is no "guard" as such. Yet it also has one Hamidashi tsuba that it describes as a fuchi - If we are confused imagine what the general public would think!

Whilst looking through a museums collection this - "odd tsuka" turned up. The text stating "Tsuba with Flowers and Insects" "Three medallions depicting flowers and insects appearing along each side of the tsuka. On the kashira end, a butterfly is shown. The fuchi end has an unusual flared edge decorated with chrysanthemums. This is part of a mounted set." Though the word tsuba is used - does one exist on this handle? The mount is reminiscent of a Chinese sword to my eyes and even though the blade of the weapon is not shown I believe it to be of "ken" style, given the shape of the saya. This "tsuba" seems to be a flared out fuchi and is in no way discoid, so should it be clased as a tsuba?

You are right Mauro - I must have cut the top of that image off [comes with working too late in the night.] That single stroke is almost gone even with photo enhancement. Great spotting. The museum has several gaps in the signature on the ura side as well, but at least they have the English name translation as you say "Hashimoto Isshi" (1) Going back to the Varshavskycollection piece I wonder if the "missing" snake might have been on the other half of the daisho? (not shown) Speculation. I have lots more kanji to find and fix - but I am getting a little weary of it and might end up presenting just what the museum has in some cases. Won't be great work but I think I have run out of steam. Thanks yet again for the help.

Piers that is a very personal question! The "Wall hanger" is H. 28.5 cm x W. 25.5 cm and heavy cast iron - It was very cheap to buy but it was expensive to ship!

This years Tsubaology "Graduate" class - of one? PS. That is a life size tsuba by the way!

Thanks very much Steve - if it is confusing for you imagine how confused I am with no Kanji skills at all! Do we always assume these artists were great spellers? Certainly some needed more hand writing experience. I can only reproduce what the Museum has tried to translate - but some of their mistakes are pretty clear when seen side by side. A couple of question marks in the text can't really hurt, it leaves the door open for future study - I am in a bit of a rush now to get these books out before Christmas but it looks like New Year to me, eight hundred pages is a lot to check through. Thanks again for trying, NMB really has many talented members.

I think there is a full time job translating Japanese signatures here!

Bob I find this product good for keeping the snails off my Tosogu. Very nice guard by the way!

Cast iron wind chime sail - turned into a super size tsuba - I call him "Ringo" for obvious reasons. Oh no, not you again”!!

Great shot Curran, its hard to get good images that close. Rust must be like when the tide comes in?

Thank you all very much NMB at its best! - I have passed the new information along to the Walters Art Museum so hopefully their records will go on to help many more people in the future.

The Japanese also make true trivets, this one with several elements including a tsuba , bridle and stirrup. https://m.facebook.com/NambuIronwareOitomi/photos/basw.AbpwlJTHSdywk70AxN501IvEAHe3J3F9epuOs4Ac3tZaERC-XaixrB_HJDCdulhnL9BAk39KeqaXfVKtUW1kU2VPLpx7eW_g4UNCvlF_zZAn6qtVmKimW-Q2Gf3SOyAL8r-jK9TCu5QxQ30wTfIplEXB.165471436131953.183949027476902.184646630791241.502231861910583.135406702377779.1644913685844439/135406702377779/?type=1&opaqueCursor=AbqAn7b1dBuzO0m3fKUMw7wCZEAQv8fIKGFLsJttoV4Z2XI30jSDMRutgcOKfv-sxVQo5LFFOoMLw9GzcZA2CqiIvhh5S5cIT7je5cXkf6uQmIJIgcmfQVfiaiyQYvfCVjoHhtZI8iHUi5qxeuo6hlQpN85ZRI1gl6cH_fhlXuAQfSA70JjTfAW5bWZfJRgXJ4ZNMPAZ2B3MB0qQyPBFOID-KPizn9ITmz1RBd2bs9jJgPXxMXNlq9p0HUYm3XPRsGmj0R0uhIrtfUvmJ8xv5vX_4eFSednDaj5Sq7u3Zpw50SWeMdNUrHi_Ju8a2U6YjXk9qhwGPN4OvNXJ3FxU2QnZZKm4v5wzUyuwMHBTwggPDx56yVVMyicikjgSvVEhC59BlI5AMBHZOS3gdX8FGc3pZTdi8ocoEwg0-Cp7tm-oYEUS8v1kymWFF_KlTfa_GRPqiRoMXcQTp0bAq5U4eGeiM3XslqZ3dVQawjZHYxkXlAVQpgrUQdcONEX6KQQ5Ectln4VvvPtgoVyj-2Pykttsk9s-hor9LZr2vQiyd6Eb6SI9KVFF3v4pUC1cFdPvorkQSTTwe8x49lj54CTcFaQAi-jQrCS0d6u1VeSXevoNEwnZoUKcYGKAVnVxmKp3g3Hg0CMDkM5h7YxZobSZqKuCrcZLQi2p0xRgjZPklnX5l3rbpF__1QOmEhN50C_g2DXjjqdE1lD0mKen78ca-t_xxvSmEzeipVqPkrFe4DITUE6lUIkaxzGlf5NDAaFilx5qRbc6qPOA-oDrM9_11vq8O4r8biuOLDJ2iISor872COu1JdBYs770eNSB9-FPDxGLpfyouM5tYhNTu5NPgqMJ2iqtTCg_hh2X-0gM5d_SASCt2fve7H8GsL4pe0cjqKkf1Zp7ZB3Q7IN1w0ovFdRVf0xsg3RDPEe9-GxLG6_-JcRrkR4kXJImR96QA8X4h1D31NxiJ5xrrwomkdxzfS_0zR2rLCDpbPwA05TfoqMC3xWhr2X8vTAy1BPj194Oiolwa3jnm7sqjCNA8LzebNKhEeh6YJ1VqSsHay15z8b9qYjqyy3eGJKOSeo8T9Jendd_5ZIeBEksUxV_6v7kUmtjGqHwuGmb9J40R1_ELfxyIg Sorry for the excessive link size it won't open otherwise. https://aucview.aucfan.com/yahoo/w1050681298/ Also for the heavy drinker you can still get a tsuba bottle opener - in an age of screw caps! They are rough and ready but the old skills are still used.

The museum has done it again - this one is incomplete I think it is a date? Missing three characters. Any Idea's? Mauro's last post helped fill the bottom kanji with this one also - Once again thanks Mauro.

Jean, taken from Marcus Sesko's book - "Handbook" of Sword Fittings related Terms. The photo is the best I could do. Good one Mauro!

Fantastic Mauro! I will have the Walters Museum make a correction [one of many] and they need a spell checker as well! Thanks very much.

I am struggling to see any similarity with the last character in this image, is it once again a sort of short-hand version or does it represent the wrong kanji? 芳園刻; [Transliteration] Hôen kizamu; [Translation] Engraved by Hôen. Thanks in advance.

Dan has used the word "fun" four times - I think he means it as just that! Still no one has come up with a word specifically for studying just "Tsuba" - not the all inclusive "Tosogu". This could also be extended to the exclusive study of Fuchi, Kashira, Kogai and every other minutiae of the Japanese sword. Is it the Wests fault the Japanese terms are so broad? Like as has been said, they have had over a thousand years to come up with the terminology - where is it? This really is fun!

Ph.D. in Kawari-gata?

I have one problem with this - "However, you can’t use another language to form a new word". Then we can't use Latin or Greek - they are other languages, are they not? Someone will need to go back and work out the "rules" again because as with most of English, the rules don't make sense! Some words are a blend of both Greek and Latin! Try some Anglo-Saxon or Celtic? Trouble is they did not have "removable sword guards" - or as we like to call them "tsuba" So any 'ology' would have to have the word "tsuba" or else it is a study of fixed guards. - It gets technical doesn't it.

The last example I showed is almost identical to one posted back in February 10 There are minor differences between the two, so minor I am convinced both are cast - for example the hitsu outlines are thicker in one than the other but other details are the same.

One last try with a lighter background - you start to lose detail at some point. Ian I would go with Fords image, less damage and fewer creases - but hey I might get half sued.

I can attest to the incorrect interpretation of "tsuba" by the Japanese - I got some very strange looks from a few antique shop owners in Japan a few years back- I knew the word had several meanings including "brim" as in brim of a hat and as mentioned "Spit" or "Saliva" but I can always blame my Aussie accent for the "mistake" - "Have you any spit for sale?" would tend to raise a few eyebrows even here!