Kaneshige: Tsuba Plate Maker

[andreYes]

Some time ago I've bought a tsuba with mei 兼重 (Kaneshige). According to the hakogaki, it was considered to be made by one of the Hoan Kaneshige.

I've posted here photos of this tsuba (unfortunately this topic is not available now: it was made more than 5 years ago), and I was told that it's not Hoan for sure. A strange thing with this tsuba is that the nakago ana bears no traces of tagane and there is no other signs that it was ever been mounted.

 

 

Since that time I've noticed several tsuba with very resembling mei, always on ura side. Some tsuba were plain, some with inlay or carving. One with an additional (different) mei on the omote.

 

Recently, on the Elliott Long's website I've found two more "Kaneshige" tsuba with an interesting text from Robert Haynes  (number one and number two). According to Mr. Haynes, this Kaneshige (H 02548.A) is a plate maker who worked for several schools and artists.

By the way, here is another topic: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/12862-anything-odd-with-this-tsuba/, where Grev posted one more tsuba with this mei (I suppose), and Mauro wrote, that it could be an unfinished piece of a plate maker.

 

So, probably my tsuba is some kind of blank part, for some reason never been finished by the second tsubako?

 

Here are some examples of "Kaneshige" mei from different tsuba, and omote side of these tsuba:

 

One more small question. In the "Haynes Index..." There is no tsubako marked with the number H 02548.A, only H 02548.0. Maybe an additional list of tsubako made by  Mr. Haynes exists? Is it possible to get it somewhere?

[Pete Klein]

Andrey -- if you look closely around the nakago ana you will see an ovoid area which is not pitted as the rest of the plate is. This is called the 'seppa zuri' and indicates the effect on the plate from a seppa. The tsuba thusly has been mounted, as is, and most likely just once.

 

Pete

[andreYes]

Pete, thank you! The seppa zuri on this tsuba is not clearly visible, but I think, you are right.