Unusual Namban

[kissakai]

Hi

I have seen loads of Namban tsuba but this is only the second one I've seen in the last year (no ana)

Is it rare?

I'd like to see any others without kozika/kogai ana

It is copper

 

 

 

Grev

 

 

[TETSUGENDO]

Grev,

 

Over the years I have seen a great number of "NAMBAN" tsuba,  those sans ana constitute a comparatively small number. I would say they are, from my experience, extremely uncommon.

 

Cheers,

[kissakai]

Steve

"sans ana"?

[Curran]

As in "Without" ana.

Western notation.

[TETSUGENDO]

Grev,

 

Without ana.

p.s.- very ninja like,Curran.

 

-S

[kissakai]

Doh

Like sans serif

I remember that term

A much simpler term

[vajo]

Its namban styled. Not a namban.

Btw. Very nice tsuba.

[TETSUGENDO]

Grev,

 

Precisely, now you've got it........or in the case of the ana(s) or serifs you don't!

 

-S

[lonely panet]

looks like its been painted IMHO, the "colour applied", appears over the sekigane in the nakago-ana

[kissakai]

I may get it stripped and a repat but that's not cheap

I soaked it in paint striper (nitomors) but nothing removed

Although it may be paint I thought it to be gilt

Happy to hear any advice on my next step

[Brian]

Ana is a hole.
I put it to you this tsuba has a great many of them.
Kogai/kozuka ana? That's a different story.

[MauroP]

In NBTHK papers the description 無櫃孔 - mu-hitsu-ana is quite common referring to tsuba without kogai/kozuka holes.

Possibly all "true" namban tsuba had no bitsu-ana, bat many were later modified once in Japan.

[TETSUGENDO]

Grev,

 

Does the gilding appear to be orginal or has it been electroplated, I can't tell from the pic?   Is it gilt inside the nakago-ana?

[kissakai]

No gilt inside the nakago ana but if there was it has been filed out

Electroplating is a good call

mu-hitsu-ana is an even better description

There are some (for Chris) Namban styled tsuba where the hitsu ana are part of the design and other clearly cut through the original design

This is becoming more interesting than I first thought - Don't you just love the NMB

[vajo]

This is one of mine, i would call namban styled in copper.

 

[IanB]

All,  I have had a good few arguments with dear old John Lissenden of fond memory about these intriguing items. I believe that they came to the notice of the Japanese during the invasions of Korea, being brought home as trophies of war. Those that were of that type have the 'seppa dai' of long narrow or of an ornate shape, decorated with waves etc for the simple reason that Chinese swords don't have an habaki and hence would be visible when the word was drawn. Some of these have had hitsu ana put in by the Japanese, sometimes lined with a strip of iron, but obvious since it involved cutting away part of the original design. Being popular, perhaps with people wanting to suggest they had fought in Korea, there is a second type with a more Japanese shaped seppa dai that were made specifically for the Japanese market - possibly in Japan, but just as likely in the Chinese enclave in Nagasaki (or ordered there and made in China). Some of these have hitsu ana some don't. Finally there are those that are blatantly Japanese with normal seppa dai and hitsu ana, retaining only the tendril idea as decoration.

Ian Bottomley

[MauroP]

@vajo, I'd say more Hizen than Nanban.

Mauro

[kissakai]

I agree with Hizen - Nice tsuba

How fo I strip my tsuba if it has been electro plated?

[vajo]

Thanks Mauro and Grev. 

 

Grev maybe with hydrogen peroxide. I don't know how to remove platting, that is something for an archeologist. Some coin collectors do this with old copper coins.

[TETSUGENDO]

You could try "liver of sulfur", if the gold plating is thin enough it could tone down the appearance quite a bit.  Use in a well ventilated area and check progress periodically for adverse effects.  All electro-chemical stripping techiniques will damage the objects surface appreciably.

 

-S-