Tiger Tsuba

[kissakai]

Hi
You probably saw this in the NMB for sale section a few days ago and it arrived today and looks wonderful
It was thought to be Mito late Edo or Early Nara
I wonder if anyone can pin it down to single attribution and date?

 

The first image was for your enjoyment and one of the very few I have 'enhanced'
This was the only way to see the fine detail

I am hoping the second image may help with the attribution
I shows flower punch marks around the sekigame and it's something I've not seen before

 

 

Grev UK

[Stephen]

Looks good Grev

[b.hennick]

I think that the flower punches were done at the time that the sekigane were added. I do not know if they are original...

[jason_mazzy]

might be as they seem to have impressed deeply into the iron also

[docliss]

Bump ...

 

Please somebody, help to resolve this query about a possible attribution.

 

John L.

[kissakai]

Thanks for the bump John

I'd very much welcome opinions but didn't like to push it as sometimes I ask too much from the NMB

 

 

Grev UK

[Marius]

The punches are possibly a "trademark" of the workshop that has done the fitting of the tsuba to a sword. I think this was discussed once. 

[Ford Hallam]

Pictures of the whole tsuba, front and back would help.   

 

As for the 'kiku' punch mark on the seki gane I very much doubt they can be regarded as any sort of trademark. Hana-tagane, (flower punches) of which the kiku pattern is probably the most commonly seen, were a part of any professinal metalworker's tool set from at least the early Edo period. I've seen it used in many different schools from early Higo pieces to late Mito works by Unno's Shomin, Moritoshi et al. where they appear to have been applied as a variant of 'kuchibeni'. It's just too simple a tool to make to regard it as distinctive. I use one myself, ocassionally

[Marius]

I stand corrected. Must have been Hallam Ryu 

[kissakai]

Additional images as requested - I hope they help
I suppose the punch was a curved ball

 

 

 

 

Size: 66 x 64 x 4.5mm

 

Grev UK

[ROKUJURO]

Grev,

while I like the design of your TSUBA, I have tried to magnify the stripes of the tiger without great success. Perhaps you can look at them with a magnifying glass and see if the golden stripes are painted on or inlaid. They could have also been applied by KINKESHI (amalgam) technique. This might be a hint to relate the TSUBA to a school.

You may compare the technique watching Ford's video 'In search of KATSUHIRa's tiger'. 

[kissakai]

Hi

As far as I can see they are not inlaid and are very slightly proud of the surface

I've watched Fords 'tiger' so many times I've worn of the stripes!

 

 

Grev

[Brian]

Mito or Nara, late Edo period. Not sure you are going to get further without shinsa. It's a nice tsuba. Fairly generic I would say, not anything from a major maker.

[Ford Hallam]

I'd agree with Brian, but lean a little to Nara with a decidedly Toshinaga school/style influence. The pose of the tiger isn't exactly classic but therin lies some of it's charm I think.

 

If the gold stripes are slightly raised this may not indicate they are applied gilding though. One consequence of patinating shibuichi can be the slight etching of the metal which would leave the gold slightly proud. The stripes do look to be inlaid wire to me.