Antler Tsuba

[Guest dirk]

I bought these 2 tsuba of a pretty common theme. The second i bought in a box lot of very old tsubas. the later i thought to be junk but someone says it is old. could you tell me what you think?

 

Thanks

 

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[Curran]

I suppose the theme to be the annual sawing off of the deer's horns in Nara (is it Nara?). Nice festival/seasonal reference.

 

The first tsuba looks legit. I am not too sure about the second. Looks too crude.

[Nobody]

I do not know the answer. I only think several possibilities.

 

As Curran said, it might be the annual sawing off of the deer's horns. The event begun in 1671 to protect both people and deers in Nara (奈良).

 

I also think other possibility. Horns of a deer come off naturally in every spring. Watching the first tsuba, the cut sections of the horns look as if they came off naturally to me. And there are some insects on the tsuba, though at first I thought they were birds from their faces. What kind of insects they are? I thought they are bees or winged ants, maybe bees. Then fell out horns suggest spring, and the season word for bees is also spring. That makes sence, I think.

 

Then why are there horns and bees? I found an old proverb that a bee stings the horn of a deer. The meaning of the proverb is that being indifferent whatever have be done.

 

IMHO.