What's The Motif?

[svarsh]

I am just wondering if anyone knows what's the motif of this tsuba? Advice regarding the school and time would be also very much appreciated.

Size: 75 x 74 x 6 mm. 

Thanks.

Sergei

[yogoro]

Nice tsuba , look like Kanayama/Owari school .

[ROKUJURO]

Sergei,

circles and horizontal bars are common design features in OWARI TSUBA. Yours seems to be quite large for this school. If you could get it papered, it would be a very valuable item.

[Curran]

I don't think that is "large", but yes it is a pretty Owari example.

[ROKUJURO]

Curran,

if it was indeed a KANAYAMA TSUBA it would probably be in the range of the larger ones, don't you think? I have the impression that many are only about 68 to 72 mm in diameter, and SHIBUI SWORDS/Elliott Long notes:.....Most Kanayama tsuba are relatively small but thick..... .

[svarsh]

I looked at the Kanayama examples at Sasano's 'silver book'. Out of 31 pieces, 13 (42%) are over 75 mm in diameter. One is even 82.2 mm. We may conclude that the size cannot be used as a reliable diagnostic symptom.

[ROKUJURO]

Sergei,

size is definitely not a KANTEI point in this case! But you have to consider that SASANO SENSEI's samples are a collection of exceptional and outstanding KANAYAMA TSUBA and not your standard ones which were smaller. For most collectors the bigger ones are probably more attractive. At least, this is what I was told.  

[Curran]

Agree that I don't think size as a primary kantei point for Kanayama.

Small but nice and expensive one: http://www.tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/f00111.html

 

I sold a favorite one (could be seen in Nihonto Koza) to a collector/friend this summer.

Still hurts to look at pictures of it, but it has been a tighten-the-belt year and I've had a few things talked off me.

That one was also on the smaller side, but very fine.

 

An opinion of 'what is Kanayama' sort of differs a bit depending upon book and year written.

[Ron STL]

Perhaps Ono? Ron STL