Help With Primitive Tsuba

[johnnyi]

Hello

 

This was a last minute impulse buy (trade cow for this or go for the magic beans) It is not in hand yet, so all I know is that its crude and size is roughly "2 3/4" dia."  don't know thickness yet.

 

It appears that the kogai hitsu-ana was a later addition, maybe even plugged at the same time? The other hitsu-ana conforms to the carving on the web, and probably lined with brass later?.

 

 

My questions are these:

 

When the Nakago-ana is chiselled around its entire perimeter is that any indicator of age?

Is there anything about the shape of this nakago-ana which might point to age?

 

Thanks for your help and patience. Kind regards,  John Irwin  

[christianmalterre]

well, (??)

 

as nobody does seem to dare a comment ?...i´ll jump in and do get the first 120 mm HE in back for my comment.... (well? most probably...as usual...)

 

John,

 

you can not transform lead into Gold!

 

this is a (very) marginal quality Tsuba! and it is in bad shape equally!

(you but already did second mine comment in writing yoursself you did buy it in a last minute impulse...so far...)

 

the typical internet sales platform reknowned to offer garbage...not?....least it looks like one of these plenty other Guards offered there...)

 

Sorry!

 

this is, in all aspects....not a Tsuba worth to ben considdered any longer as worth to preserve...

 

do use it as a dummy-piece!

 

to but give you a answer least on your´s questions-

 

"When the Nakago-ana is chiselled around its entire perimeter is that any indicator of age?"

and

"Is there anything about the shape of this nakago-ana which might point to age?"

 

my answer is No! - sorry!

 

Christian

[seattle1]

Hello:

 I could be wrong but I believe this tsuba is a iron "interpretation" of what was once an eagerly collected type of tsuba  by Westerners, those being a woven brass tsuba looking something like a pad to set a ceramic of some sort on at a table or on a shelf, perhaps for ceremonial purposes. They were usually called Shingen tsuba but they have no relation at all to Takeda Shingen. A version of them is illustrated in Torigoye. Tsuba Kanshoki, Revised, p. 387, though he advises viewers not to collect such pieces. They do pop up in auctions and at shows from time to time, often with stiff prices asked. If I am correct as to what yours attempts to represent, and I might be very wrong, I have never seen an iron example. It does not look old and chisel marks are not necessarily indicative of age on any tsuba. Whatever it is, it is an interesting curiosity.

 Arnold F.

[johnnyi]

Christian,

 

Your's were the words that have been bumping around in my head since I "pulled the trigger", but as usual you said them far more eloquently than I ever could

 

Thank you for stepping forward with your honest appraisal, and an extra thanks to those who did not step forward.   

                                            Regards, John

 

 

p.s. just saw your post Arnold. Thank you

[christianmalterre]

glad you realised it !

​

twoo ! for you from me here !

 

i do know you doing it better- do keep on in heading you this direction!

 

(jbw...how is the progress in the Hizen-Tsuba???)

 

my mail did not change....

 

heartly! and a big LOL  + ​some

 

Christian

[rkg]

The first thing I thought of was that it was an interpretation of a style of shingen tsuba which looks like a basket:

 

https://www.facebook.com/266005023454853/photos/a.1022439727811375.1073741865.266005023454853/1022439864478028/?type=3&theater

 

On your piece, Christian's right - there are lots better cheep and cheerful tsuba out there...

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

[johnnyi]

Ha, yes, that's it in your post Richard.     Thank you all of you! 

 

John