Antonis

Thank you for your corrections and pictures! I have just flipped the blade correctly. Looking at the blade I can see the "Y" stamped part as a rocky wall, the silver inlay as roof tiles and the "water" pattern as clouds behind the wall. I remember seeing that pattern paired with clouds on a woman's kimono in a painting and found out the pattern is called Tate-waku (rising steam). So this style of sword fittings was created by low-ranking samurai in the Sendai domain as a means to make a living, but because these would be sent to be sold in the Ogaki domain they are known as Ogaki Koshirae/kozuka? Sorry for rephrasing, I just want to make sure I understood the information correctly😅 Also would dating this as late Edo period mean from 1800-1867 or would it it be a smaller time frame? thanks again for all of your help, this was been very enlightening!

Thank you for your response! do you know the name of the common design used or at least what the depiction is? I don't really see the castle wall and river option as I am familiar with that motif/depictions in other Japanese arts.

Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about this Kozuka, like an approximate date and what is actually depicted on it. The only thing I can make out is a bamboo rod in the centre. I'm not sure if the rest is meant to show something specific or if it's just 2 different patterns divided by the bamboo. I am still a novice in this field but I can tell the craftsmanship isn't the best compared to other pieces but it still looks authentic to me. From what I can tell, both the blade and the handle seem to have been unfortunately polished and the blade's tang is wrapped in old paper (nothing under the paper). The blade is magnetic and the handle is a bit magnetic but I'm not sure if it's because of the tang inside. The handle looks like bronze and the bamboo rod is silver in colour with black parts (the black looks like oxidised silver but I can't tell if it's that or just oxidised bronze). I would appreciate any help and more experienced opinions.

Thanks again everyone, your comments were very helpful! I did edit my post after the test. Apologies if it caused confusion. all the best,

Thank you for your feedback! that's sad but at least my question is solved. Are magnets supposed to be attracted to Kozuka? I thought that Kozuka were usually made of copper alloys that aren't magnetic.

I just tested it out. The magnet does not stick on the Kozuka but does on the blade. So it is not made of iron but rather a copper alloy.

Thank you all for the information you shared with me! With everything that has been shared on this topic, I believe my kozuka is most likely a Meiji-period souvenir... I have another kozuka with its blade still in which I feel a lot more confident in being authentic. I would appreciate it if anyone could help with identifying it as an original or an other Meiji reproduction. Thanks again, Antonis

Here's a close-up of the inscription:

hello everyone, I was hoping I could get some help in identifying how old this kozuka is and help translating the signature/text present on its blade. I'm also interested in finding out whether the depiction on it has a deeper cultural significance or if they relate to a certain Japanese myth or story. The kozuka in question still has its blade which is chiselled with what I believe is a signature. The kozuka itself is made of a copper alloy with gold gilding at parts that have sadly worn off a bit. The depiction in it is that of a bald man holding a Tobacco pouch and smoking a pipe. Behind him, a broom can be seen. The man is looking up at a stone lantern on which a snail is on its top. Behind, a branch can be seen. -19.7x1.4x0.4cm (including blade) Thanks in advance, Antonis

Thank you all for your responses! I shall read them now!

Hello everyone, I just found an almost identical Kazuka to one from my collection, on sale on eBay. The only difference between them is that mine is in far worse condition and has lost all its gilding although some hints remain. I thought that sword fittings were unique works made only once. was I wrong to believe this? Does this mean that both kazuka on sale and the one in my collection are fakes? I would be grateful if anyone could help me out and share their knowledge on the matter, all the best Antonis. The measurement of my kazuka are: 9.5x1.4x0.4 cm link to the kazuka on sale: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295440264438?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20220705100511%26meid%3Da452f35235e549e182cc6d14686a6028%26pid%3D101524%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26itm%3D295440264438%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057%26algv%3DRecentlyViewedItemsV2&_trksid=p2380057.c101524.m146925&_trkparms=pageci%3A0b3c4bec-8ae8-11ed-9cc8-ca82da2975da|parentrq%3A747aaace1850a1b42751b7f3fffb0b8b|iid%3A1

Thank you!! I had no idea about this story. I am very sorry for my late response. Yes the poor craftsmanship of my piece was something that bothered me and made me question its authenticity... If this was a student's work then it was most likely never part of a sword correct? Also, I was also curious if you knew wether the dates I was given about this tsuba are accurate or not. thanks again, Antonis

Here is the back

Hey, I need help dating this tsuba. I showed it to some people and they told me its most probably very late Edo period 1830/70. I wanted to get some more opinions so I could more accurately catalogs my piece. I was also interned in knowing if the depictions on the item where referring to a specific story or motif. thanks in advance, Antonis.

Thank you both for your feed back! I was honestly expecting that the fittings would be fake but I hoped that at least something on it was at least Meiji. at least now I know that they are modern. I will be posting a tsuba to get some opinions on it soon so hope you can check that out as well. best wishes, Antonis