Mario B

Thanks for the replies. I didn't know who the figure was and what the hitsu-ana were. I thought perhaps the empty hole had lost it's filling Perhaps not in the best condition but most old tsuba's are unaffordable for me, so I'm quite happy I got one I like for 70 euro. I did some research on restoration and I was able to remove the thick rust in the photo's with vinegar, a toothpick and cotton swab. Then I gave it a coat of Renaissance Wax. The filled in hitsu-ana did become a shiny bright copper color from the vinegar and I was kind of disappointed because I lost the patina. But to my surprise it went back to it's original dark color in about 8 days ! Here's the backside photo.

Hello, I got this tsuba from an online auction and it was shipped to me from Japan. It just said "Edo period" and the description stated "monkey with flowers and mountains"... and the fact that it was damaged with rust. Pretty sure something went wrong with the translation there (monkey - monk) It didn't cost very much but shipping and import doubled the price. Some information would be greatly appreciated. Was it cast or carved? Time period? Fake?