Unsigned tsuba and single menuki for sale

[bigjohnshea]

Hello all,

 

Up for sale is an unsigned antique tsuba and menuki. These were purchased as part of a restoration project that I have decided not to pursue. I don't collect fittings, and don't know a lot about them, so I've decided to sell them relatively cheap.

 

 

The tsuba is a lovely brass design of swirling waters or wind. It is only half restored though and if you decide to use it, it will need to be cleaned up a bit.

Price: $150. It was purchased here on NMB for 150Euro. Happy to let it go to for a good price.

(Edit: Forgot to add that this is a katana sized tsuba)

 

The menuki is a nice depiction of a boat with a single oar, situated in front of a small swirl of water. It has some gold inlay decorating the canopy of the boat.

Price: $30. It was purchased on Ebay from a reliable Japanese merchant who sells primarily antigue sword fittings. It was $40.

 

 

Preferred payment method is Paypal.

I'll be happy to pay shipping within the US.

If you are international please contact me for shipping quote at Bigjohnshea@yahoo.com. Please include your shipping destination.

 

Cheers,

John

[Stephen]

sent pm for nuk

[bigjohnshea]

Menuke sold.

 

Tsuba now $125. Somebody buy it for god's sake.

 

Cheers,

[bigjohnshea]

Tsuba now 100$

Will keep it if I can't get that for it.

 

Cheers,

[Marius]

C'mon gus, that is cheap as dirt!

 

John, what is the color on this tsuba, does it have some patina or is it striped of patination (that's how the first pic looks like)? In the latter case, the patina will come back, just that some time may be needed.

 

I any case, an interesting tsuba with a woodgrain burl produced using two metals or alloys. Is it copper and silver or something else?

[Brian]

The reason for the hesitation by most I assume is the pit marks. They look deep, and like the layers did not bond well or there was significant rust that eroded away the iron layer (if it is iron)

Maybe the pics look worse than it is, but pit marks can't be restored like patina can. If they weren't there, this would be an expensive tsuba.

As it is, it is a good deal on an uncommon style, but I can see why people would hesitate. You can polish a sword to remove pitting...not so much a tsuba.

Brian

[Kevin Adams]

The pitting looks reminiscent of sahari inlay, although I'm certain it isn't...

 

Interesting piece! If I had the cash to spare, I'd pick it up as a restoration project - just to see what colours the alloys would yield.

[docliss]

PM sent ....

 

John L.

[Marius]

Kevin,

 

I had the same impression - Sahari. An interesting tsuba, that is for sure :-)

[bigjohnshea]

Tsuba sold.

 

Many thanks to the board for their comments. Will respond later tonight more.

[bigjohnshea]

I think the tsuba on the one side is stripped of patination and what we see is the genuine clean copper color. I don't know what the silverish material is in between the copper. I picked it for the restoration I was planning because of the copper color, and the the swirling form of the pattern. The Habaki of the sword it was intended for is copper as well, and one of the "menuki" I had acquired for it (actually a fossilized Mako shark's tooth) had a similar copper-like patina to it so they would have worked well together. The swirling pattern of the tsuba looked to me like tumultous waters, or waters disturbed by movement of fish.

 

As a bit of backstory: The sword this was intended for was from Kaga, which is a fishing town, and the theme of these fittings was going to be a legend from the coast of Kaga. The legend is that there is a shark in the waters nearby that is the embodiment of a female diety. The fishermen were afraid of this shark and when they rowed past this region of the coast they would bang on the side of their boat to scare away the shark. Hence the other menuki opposite to the shark's tooth was a fishing boat with an oar hanging off the side of it. The tsuka was to be wrapped in shark's skin as well, which is not at all an unusual wrapping I believe.

 

I would have completed this restoration had it not been for a recent change in my school schedule. Over the course of a few weeks I found myself suddenly needing the money due to this issue, and I already had made a lay-away deal with another seller here on NMB to buy a sword. Because of this change in my school schedule I couldn't complete both these expenses, but I didn't want to default on my obligations for the lay-away deal, so I had to sacrifice this restoration.

 

I might keep the sharks tooth, and maybe find another Kaga sword someday, maybe try to reinvent this restoration in another form, but for now I'm stepping away from trying to restore swords. It's much too slow a process, and I think I'm too impatient for it also. Additionally, unless you are restoring something truly worthwhile (which I believe that sword would be) you stand little chance of breaking even if you have to sell it later.

 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Cheers,

John

[TosoguCz]

The silver areas with pits are silver solder.

[ROKUJURO]

I think this was a MOKUME-GANE TSUBA, made with copper and silver. The whirls design was not made fully intentionally as we see it in inlay, it can be part of the making process.

 

The pitting holes are probably not only caused by corrosion but by unsufficient bonding of the metals in the first place. To an extent they may have formed later by artificial patination.

 

Usually there is no solder being used in the making of MOKUME-GANE.

[Lee Bray]

I'm with Roman on the make up of this tsuba.

It looks like copper and brass wire laid out in various patterns on a brass base then the voids are silver soldered up then it's all ground back till flat. Then the various ana cut out and finished off.

[Kevin Adams]

Would be interesting to see an angle shot showing the inside of the hitsu-ana, it could provide more information...