Jesta

It looks cast to me. Probably from an impression in a sand mould. No seams doesn’t mean that it wasn’t cast. The front bears the look of something cast in an open mould (see here for an example: https://youtu.be/_HFeWb_bAJU). The back would be smooth because it was sanded down and polished.

I think that one of the ways to tell would be to see if the nanako line up or if they are alternating (if you see what I mean): OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO or OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO The large punch would have them all in lines, whereas a single punch (in Ford’s video) would have them alternating. You can see that in Andi’s example they are alternating on the kogai, so maybe it would be related to the quality of the work. I can imagine that Goto would insist on the very highest quality craftsmanship…

Recently there was a comment that the shape of the nanako on one of my tsuba was square. I am wondering what shapes there could be for nanako. As best as I can tell, the bumps are always round (hence the name), but the punch could have a square or round exterior, changing the shape of the surround to the nanako. I have put close-ups of two of my tsuba below. Are either/both of them round or square? How would one determine that this the case (they both look round to me)? (edit: I blew up the first one more - see new pic) and it does look more square when you get very close… Can anyone give examples of the different nanako shapes?

Just arrived… some very stylised wild geese (does anyone else think of the movie when they hear those words?).

I love the water and waves on these. Japanese waves are something of an obsession of mine.

I have a very similar theme, although your eagle and mine are hunting different prey

Thanks for highlighting this. I think that it might be a trick of the light, but I am not sure. I had not really compared the shape to others before, but now I will give it some thought. I am sure that there are others on the board who might be able to comment in more detail.

Turtles all the way down...

Thanks. Very interesting. This one, like mine, seems to be slightly asymmetrical. The seppa dai is not quite centred around the nakago ana (particularly obvious on the reverse in mine, but also a bit off in this one… I wonder if it was poor workmanship or something else.

As always… your incredibly extensive memory for where to find these things also blows my mind… I can see why nanban tsuba might have similarities with pocket watch designs - they are often intricate and very pretty. What I don’t get is why a gear… Why not a clock face? I can see why one or two people might have liked the design, but there are sooooo many… If it doesn’t have a religious connotation, or some good luck charm type thing, then I struggle to understand it. It might be a cultural thing, where it was just a fad, but I haven’t seen it explained in that way…

Don't want to take this too far off-topic, but I was fascinated by the discussion of the tokei tsuba. I am agnostic about whether they are religious symbols, but I am still somewhat gobsmacked by how common they are, and why anyone would produce a tsuba with a clock gear on it. It just seems such a random design item…

This seems to be closer to the ones discussed here:

I was looking through the archives and read the thread on tokei tsuba. Do you think that they are Christian (Jesuit) or more likely to be Buddhist symbols? Or are they really just clock gears?

I would say absolutely… Fascinating to see overtly Christian iconography on a tsuba.

Thanks. I have seen wheels, halos, and possible Jesuit influences (tokei tsuba), but wondering how much this was a thing, and whether it was for design aesthetics or as some form of protective charm… On a side note: The comparison was strictly limited to people who wear armour and use swords… Christian symbols were often incorporated into these items, so I am interested in whether this was similar in Japan. FWIW: As far as I can tell the whole chivalric idea is pretty much bullshit retrospectively applied, in much the same way that Bushido was…

I recently picked this one up. It appears to be a stylised representation of the halo of the Amida Buddha. I am curious about the theme… Was this a common theme? Was it like the European knights having Christian imagery worked into their swords and armour as protective symbols? Given the wide variety of imagery from nature, legend, folklore, history etc on tsuba were there areas that specialised in religious themes? (This is connected to the current discussion started by iado dude on another thread)

I think that this might have similarities to ancient Greek and Roman sculptors who carved pieces fully in the round, even though the back would never be seen. It is to make the piece finished, and because the artist would know, even if the average viewer would not. The flowing lines flow under the seppa and out again, making it seem like the seppa is part of the art… My best intuition is that it is an artistic choice, a way of playing with the form, and being complete.

New hypothesis: This isn’t a tsuba at all. It is an early prototype of the shapes toy. The loops are to hold it while the child pushes shapes through the holes. It makes perfect sense now…

It’s not a pretty piece by any means, not delicate… I also struggle to understand why it has a loop on top and bottom (in one orientation). It might have been a tachi tsuba (or just possibly on a naginata) originally, so the wider guard would need to be rotated if it was fitted to a katana worn in the belt. But… it’s not so pretty that someone would feel that it was worth the time and effort. And… after you had rotated it the design would be marred by the ends of the spare nakago ana poking out asymmetrically. Not something I would want, but there is no accounting for taste.

I came across this one: https://thelanesarmo.../shop.php?code=16704 The blurb says that it has been designed to be fitted in two orientations. Has anyone seen any other examples like this? My first thought is that it would be hard to hide the alternative nakago ana whichever way you mounted it, unless the parts poking out from under the seppa were meant to look like a part of the design.

Thanks, appreciate the comparison. Always good to hear from others…

That was my thought… If it is for a wakizashi, then it might be a bit smaller than normal.

Yes, with NBTHK papers… Thanks for the example. It’s beautiful.

I have recently become quietly in love with nanako… This one is my latest, and I am still amazed by the quality of the workmanship that went into creating it. The tsuba is tiny, just 6.32 x 5.67cm (it fits comfortably inside the palm of my hand), shakudo decorated with flowers on a nanako ground, while the rim is made to look like plaited material (I think). The signature is Kono Yoshikuni. I was surprised by how small it was, and how delicate. My current hypothesis is that it was made for a child, or on a larger tanto. Any other similar examples or information would be appreciated.

Thanks, Dale. I hadn’t associated the cuts in the OP’s tsuba with this technique. I see what you mean now. I was working under the false impression that they had been hammered through, possibly because the corrosion had made the tops of the cut wider. Some of those very fine lines must have taken a serious amount of time and precision to get right. I remain hugely impressed with the effort put into creating tsuba.