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Mokume Tsuba Pair Arrived In Blizzard

Vermithrax16

By Vermithrax16
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Vermithrax16 Grand Master

Vermithrax16

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Well, if you are in the Northeast corridor, you know it's been a tough winter already. Today a blizzard here in Massachusetts (12 inches snow) and now high winds and soon to be -25 degrees. Great.

 

Luckily, the USPS still gets it done and I was cheered up today when two new tsuba showed up. 

 

I have become very interested in mokume style tsuba. Their pattern folding work reminds me of masame hada. I find them very pleasing to study and enjoy.

 

I bought these two a bit ago and very glad I did.

 

First one is a signed Masahide tsuba. Dimensions are 7.5cm X 7.7cm. Great swirls and flowing bends, I really like it:

post-4009-0-76131900-1515108112_thumb.jpg

 

Second is a vary large unsigned (any ideas?) mokume tsuba and the movement of the mokume is excellent in my limited opinion (cleary I am biased anyway). Even the rim shows layering. Dimensions are 9.0cm X 9.0cm.:

post-4009-0-48472200-1515108347_thumb.jpg

post-4009-0-05421700-1515108364_thumb.jpg

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Vermithrax16 Grand Master

Vermithrax16

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actually, I'd vote for the round Masahide, but given your interests in hada, I assume that you showed us the masame on the edge of the other guard.

Peter

 

Yes, the edge is layered on the larger one, I think the edge of the rounded one has been polished/smoothed over.

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Peter Bleed Veteran

Peter Bleed

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Forgive me if I geek out, but I think that the edge you showed us may help use understand why mokame is often/occasionally mixed with itame in koto swords. It seems - and I can't claim deep expertise - that in Yamato blades, even including Hosho stuff that rather long masame sections end in swirls of itame and/or mokume. Your tsuba makes me think that those features reflect the ends of billets,... mebbe

Peter

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Vermithrax16 Grand Master

Vermithrax16

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Forgive me if I geek out, but I think that the edge you showed us may help use understand why mokame is often/occasionally mixed with itame in koto swords. It seems - and I can't claim deep expertise - that in Yamato blades, even including Hosho stuff that rather long masame sections end in swirls of itame and/or mokume. Your tsuba makes me think that those features reflect the ends of billets,... mebbe

Peter

I am no expert either, but that sounds reasonable from a finish/flow way of thinking of it. Maybe the more knowledgeable tsuba folks will weigh in.

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Jussi Ekholm Veteran

Jussi Ekholm

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I'd think that the purpose of udenuki would be keeping the sword within reach even if you lose the grip for example on horseback. I've only read the not drawing referencing to Satsuma, but might be more spread out as there was not any wars during the Edo period so udenuki were pretty much useless during peace time.

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Bazza Grand Master

Bazza

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Like Jeremiah I am fond of mokume style tsuba.  My friend has given permission for me to show his tsuba, an ebay buy of some 4 years ago.  Below I show (1) face with the mei; (2) closeup of mei; (3) reverse; and (4) view of edge.  Mei reads (RHS) MYOUCHIN MINBU  (LHS) KI (no) MUNESADA SAKU:

 

post-671-0-74601500-1515327059_thumb.jpg

 

post-671-0-47781100-1515327139_thumb.jpg

 

post-671-0-75327000-1515327191_thumb.jpg

 

post-671-0-97094900-1515327218_thumb.jpg

 

===========================================================================

 

There is also a very nice iron tsuba on Wikipedia as part of a co-operative venture with the Walter Museum:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamano_Noriyuki_-_Tsuba_with_a_Chinese_Immortal_-_Walters_51267_-_Mark_A.jpg

 

The front of the tsuba depicts the face of a Chinese immortal at the lower right, while the back is plain (save for a KAO) clearly showing a mokume structure to the tsuba.  The description notes that the body was probably made by Munesada and the decoration added by Hamano Noriyuki.  Here is the Wikipedia photo, the mei being the same as that illustrated above:

 

post-671-0-51477300-1515328003_thumb.jpg

 

Best regards,

BaZZa.

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  • 1 year later...
rkg Mentor

rkg

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Robert,

 

After consulting with several people, I think its a ghost (yurei) theme.  Its not what I normally collect, but it was so sculptural....

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

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