Kiko

I suspect a dubious mix-up due to a similar name (and year of birth): https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/robert-haynes-obituary?id=53979521

I did some digging yesterday but haven't managed to find a similar mei or seal so far. Furthermore—assuming my proposed reading is correct (though, admittedly, it doesn't seem to be generating wild enthusiasm, aside from Dan's support)—Wakayama and Haynes don't list any tsubakoshi with this exact kanji.

Hello Balin, welcome to the forum! I would lean towards Sadashige 完重 for the kin-zōgan mei, a signature in nunome zōgan (gold or silver applied over a cross-hatched grid), which seems to be confirmed by the seal-script characters. P.S.: I highly recommend rotating your images before posting; it makes viewing easier by presenting the tsuba and signature in their proper orientation for use. Also, it is generally advised to take photos against a dark background to make the metal details stand out—though I myself have a bad habit of using white backgrounds...

Thanks a lot for that idea, Geraint! I gladly add it to the list of hypotheses to which I have now decided to automatically add that of the mischievous craftsman, just in case you know

Thanks for the reply and the correction, Florian! I have to admit I was mistaken here; my mental image of Akasaka was very "Sasano-oriented," but a quick check of the Tsuba Shuusei confirms you are absolutely right: out of 111 illustrated guards, five do indeed feature a kan-mimi comparable to the one on my piece. That’ll teach me for being too lazy to pull out the grimoires!

Thank you again Hector !

I have come across your conversation a bit late, gentlemen; while it is obviously impossible to cover the subject exhaustively in just two pages, I am surprised that the inro, that box which often held "medicines", has not yet been mentioned, nor the apotropaic or propitiatory aspects of many of the netsuke attached to them. I take the liberty of mentioning this because it seems to me that, when trying to distinguish certain "authentic" netsuke, it is worth considering what significance or practical utility the subject matter might have held for the wearer. That said and just to offer an unsolicited opinion, I humbly admit that, as a "very young" collector, I sometimes have a soft spot for contemporary "display-case" pieces that border on okimono... ...yet whose beauty moves me just as much as an antique piece with its history and patina—qualities that admittedly appeal to our tastes as amateur ethnologists. I am thinking in particular, though not exclusively, of artists like Bishu, whose balancing-act artistry delights both my eye and my hand. In this regard, I cannot recommend highly enough to forum members interested in miniature sculpture and who happen to be passing through Kyoto (this also applies to those conveniently in Osaka for the Katana Za—we saw you there) that you take the time to visit the Seishu Netsuke Art Museum. It showcases absolutely fabulous modern works in a beautiful, intimate setting. In my experience, you won't be bothered by the crowds that might have somewhat spoiled your stroll through Gion. Finally, I also tend to think that—just as with blades and guards—it would be both unfair and counterproductive to disparage the work of artisans who keep a tradition and a craft alive, and whose creations will undoubtedly become prized antiques for those who come after us. But that last remark was perhaps unnecessary in a place where the work of someone like Ford Hallam is, quite rightly, appreciated at its true worth!

Thanks for all that information, Hector; the photos of that guard are indeed eye-opening, and I can see why it might raise a few concerns! I couldn't find the NMB thread you're referring to, could you please provide a link so I can share in the general outcry?

Based on what Wakayama says and in the absence of other pieces by the same maker for comparison, while acknowledging that the tsuba appears to be from a very late period, I would lean towards thinking this is a different Hideshige. However, precisely because I haven't been able to find any further information, I am turning to the NMB in the hope that some light might be shed on the matter!

Gentlemen, I have another iron tsuba to show you, signed Hideshige saku (秀重作), featuring a very pronounced uchikaeshi-mimi. Dimensions: 6.6 (average rim thickness) x 87 x 70.6 mm / 215g. The seller claimed to see a series of Mount Fuji silhouettes in the corners and appears to have based his attribution to the Shōami school on information from Wakayama’s Tōsō Kinkō Jiten (p. 245)—also found partially in Haynes (Vol. 1, p. 253)—which reads as follows: Shōami School. Signs "Yoshū jū Shōami Hideshige" — 予州住正阿弥秀重. An iron tsuba with a hammered surface and small openwork designs is known to exist. Resided in Matsuyama, Iyo Province. Mid-Edo period. I must say, upon reading that, I found the dealer's attribution rather bold! However, this heavy piece is quite well-made and, it seems to me, not exactly the sort of model that is frequently copied. But given its condition, the lack of tagane-ato, and—despite a faint but visible trace of wear from seppa—I wonder if it might be a very late or even contemporary piece. To summarize my questions, I would put it this way: 1. Do the construction, iron, and patina of this tsuba seem consistent with an Edo-period work, or do they suggest a Bakumatsu, Meiji, or more recent piece? 2. Do the marks beneath the seppa appear genuinely old to you? 3. Does this tsubakoshi name ring a bell?

Thanks a lot for the invitation, Jean! I hadn't planned on visiting Rhineland-Palatinate next, but if I were to go to Germany, I’d certainly keep it in mind!

Good guess, Jean, since my grooves are indeed a good millimeter wide. That said—call me a Doubting Thomas—I’m going to need a session of experimental archaeology to be fully convinced Especially since the grooves right in front of me give much more the impression that material was removed rather than the metal being pressed in. But I could be wrong about that last point.

Thanks for clarifying your thoughts, Florian! So, to revisit what I said earlier—but trying to be more precise this time—the rim of my tsuba has an "O" shaped cross-section (kan-mimi), whereas your example—like most Akasaka guards I’ve seen—has a rim with a "D" shaped cross-section (maru-mimi). But perhaps I misunderstood your message; is maru-mimi what you call "full-rounded"? That said, the grooves visible on your example certainly do resemble the ones I was wondering about, and I could see how they might serve the same purpose there as tagane-ato. However, I remain a bit skeptical about the idea that the iron in my piece was ductile enough for a single groove in that location to actually tighten the nakago-ana.

Thanks Jean—I don't know who John is, but I really love the dynamic feel of his tsuba! I'll see what I can find from the Sado region. Grev, I actually saw your tsuba in another thread, and I have to admit that its airy quality—with that floating seppadai—is also very appealing to me.

Thanks, Sam! I have to say, my initial reaction is that the fact my piece has a kan-mimi rather than the maru-mimi seen on yours, makes me skeptical about an Akasaka attribution. Am I the only one bothered by this detail? As for the grooves, I don't think they should be equated with tagane-ato; they seem far too distant from the nakago-ana—not to mention the fact that there is only one per side. But again, I defer to all your expertise to help further my understanding!