Gunome

Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't thought to Aizu Shoami school because the workmanship is not so close of they usual works, but why not ?! Shoami styles are so large ! I will try to see if I found something similar or close in that school. Thanks again

Many thanks Mauro, these informations are very interesting ! I wasn't aware of this ceremony. I wondered why there is a fish head, but make sense now with your explanation ! Regarding the school, what about Mito ?! Thanks

Hello, I have no idea what school this tsuba could be. The patern show an Oni and holly leaves. Do you know if it is related to legend or a particular theme ? If you have an opinion, I would love to hear it

Thanks for the information !

A pure beauty !

Hello John, Thanks for sharing these observations and for this article I would like to share severals assumptions with you: - I think these tsuba are latter production (bakumatsu) and not so older (17/18th Century) as you suggest. - The quality is very different from ones to another. I may suggest there was several workshops, all in the same area, all reproducing the same model, but not with the same talent/quality. - I don't know if Japanese use the mercury gold technic. Gold gilding could be gold lacquer ? - regarding the punch mark on the nakago ana, I am not convinced by the quality control mark assumption. I think these punch marks could support the tourist theory, and were done to make tsuba more real and older, as if it had been mounted on a sword. However it is quite common to see these tsuba mounted on some koshirae. So could be also to fit to a blade in remote cases. Regards

Here is mine

Hello, I have a saya with snow flakes stamped. Yours is with kiri. Maybe a mon, maybe just decorative purpose

Mito ?

Nice mimi and nice tsuba !

My first thought was Goto. Seems the mimi is in gold nanako, isn't it ?

Hello, It is a sansaku yari. Probably late Edo. The mei is "Mito Ju Nori" something. Maybe Noriyuki ?!

Hello, It is signed Nobuyoshi 信吉

Hello, I think too. It looks like a cast tsuba. I also see the cast line on the mimi

Very nice Chris !