Slightly unusual tsuba

[Bugyotsuji]

Has anyone seen one of these before?

[Marius]

There was one hanging on eBay for ages... Other than that, there was a brief thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=313&hilit=antler+tsuba+ebay

 

Nice find! Love the patina

[christianmalterre]

in mine opinion this "Tsuba" was part from an carrying-case like this here most probably...

Christian

[Bugyotsuji]

Ah, so you've seen one before. I hadn't, but I was happy to pick this one up for next to nothing at an antiques show yesterday. Always useful to have a variety of spare tsuba material for tanto koshirae mix'n match.

 

Christian, just as I pushed 'submit' your photos above appeared. Very nice example! Thanks.

[Lee Bray]

I have one in black.

 

Mine is water buffalo horn.

Don't think yours is buffalo but maybe ivory?

The 'spongy' looking centre is natural and I guess is the new growth area where the dead hair cells 'go' on a living horn/tusk, being that the outer wall and towards the tip is generally fairly solid.

 

Here's a cross section of an antler I have to show what I mean.

 

Mine is mounted on a small, Sue Koto shobu Bizen wakizashi, like a hamidashi tsuba.

I don't think the buffalo horn ones are so rare but not seen one in your material unless you count the carved bone tourist tanto you see often.

[Bugyotsuji]

Lee, I am pretty sure it is stag antler as you say. I have seen many Netsuke made of this material. Often the spongy inner core material is burned out, and the hole can be plugged. The tsuba maker has left a little of the antler outer skin, probably deliberately. (See illustration of edge)

 

See http://netsuke.websitetoolbox.com/post/ ... stcount=11

[b.hennick]

This is a deer antler tsuba. I have a similar on on an Ainu koshirae. Here is a link to those photos:

https://plus.google.com/photos/10704865 ... juXTq4PCcA

[Baka Gaijin]

Morning all,

 

Here's an Ainu Necklace currently on display at the National Museum in Tokyo: