Crenlated Tsuba

[kissakai]

Tsuba info

These are my own tsuba although there is one in the Museum collection

 

This is the museum example, stated as the Myochin school

Size = 78 x 74 x 3.1mm and dated 1700

 

 

 

 

My first purchase of this type

School = Tosho - Mei Kishu ju Sadanaga

Size = 78 x 76 x 4mm and dated 1700

I think this is a good tsuba

 

 

 

 

 

My second purchase

School unknown - Size = 75 x 75 x 3.2mm (katana) and dated 1850

I do not know what to think about the following two tsuba although inferior to the preceding two tsuba

 

 

 

My third purchase

School unknown - Size = 72 x 72 x 3.0mm (Wakizashi) and dated 1850

 

 

 

Although described as crenulated I think of these as like a lotus leaf

I bought these because I thought them unusual and maybe Myochin but mainly because I have worked in metal most of my life and can understand how difficult it would be for me to create this crenulated shape

 

I would welcome any comments, good or bad. Also any comparisons between these tsuba

 

PS - Great link to the Church Tsuba - Thanks

 

 

Grev UK

[ROKUJURO]

Grev,

 

thank you for showing these TSUBA!

 

It surprised me a bit to read that you attributed them to TOSHO. Until now I have different informations for these, e.g. thin flat plate, no signature, no HITSU-ANA (KO-TOSHO), no raised rim, but mostly with SUKASHI. Of course I know that many later TSUBA were made based on TOSHO designs, even up to late EDO period. I would have seen these TSUBA closer to TEMBO or so.

 

By the way, it is quite easy to produce these undulating rims. You just need a two-point support underneath and one precise stroke for every 'wave'.

[b.hennick]

Here are two photos of my similar tsuba:

[Brian]

Grev,

I think your first one is particularly nice, especially with the evidence of folding/layering. Nicer than the other ones. I also wouldn't have called it tosho.

 

Brian

[kissakai]

Thanks for your replies

According to Haynes my 1st tsuba is Hoan school

It was bought from Japan via EBay just over a year ago and didn't cost very much

I lost the original description when my computer died although It was described as Tosho but at that time I'd only been collecting for a few months so although hard to believe I knew less then than I do now!

 

Perhaps I should go back through them all and re-evaluate.

I now have 125 in my collection and possibly only about ten with slight merit

Apart from a couple of rash/hasty buys I'm sure I've bought for good prices

These have given me an idea of tsuba types etc.

In the future I may sell most of them to buy a couple of good examples

 

 

Grev UK

[dir]

I have a similar example - unsiqned - and said to date from the first half of the 18th century. It has fine amida-yasuri-me on each side and nekogati on the hitsu fillings. Size is 7.8cm and 3mm thick.

 

David

[Livio 3rd]

Having stumbled upon this thread, I am including for study two crenulated tsuba and one with similar repousse work:

The first I think Ko-Nara or a faithful Mito emulation (acquired in trade at this February's Tampa show)

 

The second a thin plated, simply decorated Heianjo tsuba with raised rim (acquired in the same Tampa trade.)

 

The third, similar alternating/opposing protuberances but more precisely and closely executed repousse work - perhaps the work of a mid Edo, later generation katchu turned tsuba maker. (acquired at this spring's Chicago show.)

 

In the last example, the decoration appears certainly to be original to the tsuba. But I have wondered about the other two. To what extent are crenulated tsuba originally so? Was it ever fashionable, at times in history, to add this feature to an old tsuba?