Aldwin Posted September 10, 2008 Report Posted September 10, 2008 Hello everyone, I found this tsuba on an auction site, and I've been wondering if that is tekkotsu on the mimi (not quite sure on the surface)? Also, what could be the age, style, and school of this tsuba? There appears to be mei, but I'm not sure if its readable. Appreciate any replies. Thanks, Aldwin Quote
Bungo Posted September 10, 2008 Report Posted September 10, 2008 arhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I see a face !! Actually the surface shows the flowing grains of the iron. May be better pic of the mei ( could be a tosho )? The mimi could be the same thing, showing the layering and grain. Iron Bones ? Not too sure about that, hard to see in pics, easier to feel/see when tsuba is in hands. ( just my opinion ) Milt Quote
Steve Waszak Posted September 12, 2008 Report Posted September 12, 2008 Hi Aldwin, Interesting tsuba. Sorry, I can't quite make out the mei from the photos. And without examining the piece in hand, it's difficult to take a stab at identifying period, workshop, etc... However, from this vantage point, I would venture that this is an early-to-mid-19th-century Myochin guard. The iron appears to have been folded (I THINK I see some evidence of this in the sukashi walls), and the mokume treatment of the surfaces (including the mimi---I don't think what we see here is tekkotsu) would also point toward later Myochin. Interestingly, the guard also seems to have been given a yakite shitate finish. In fact, it may have been done post-signature, a la Yamakichibei, thus yielding this less-than-clearly-readable mei... Just a quasi-educated guess here... What are the dimensions of the tsuba, Aldwin? Cheers, Steve Quote
Ford Hallam Posted September 12, 2008 Report Posted September 12, 2008 Hmmm...I think this is a modern casting. What appear to be ( rather fluid ) folding lines is nothing more than the evidence of molten wax flowing into the mould that was taken from the original tsuba. The real give away is the fact that the inset bit of metal inside the kozuka hitsu is clearly part of the same metal as the rest of the guard, whereas it should be a bit of non-ferrous metal, copper or shakudo typically. I think there appears to be some evidence of the sekigane ( that was on the original ) at the top of the nakago ana too The patina looks a bit too slick too and the lack of clarity of the mei is a consequence of the poor mould imprint. Sorry...just my opinion. Quote
Aldwin Posted September 12, 2008 Author Report Posted September 12, 2008 Everyone, thanks. I really appreciate the replies. Dimensions are 7.6cm x 7.7cm Here's the link to the auction: http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r49416849 The real give away is the fact that the inset bit of metal inside the kozuka hitsu is clearly part of the same metal as the rest of the guard, whereas it should be a bit of non-ferrous metal, copper or shakudo typically. I think there appears to be some evidence of the sekigane ( that was on the original ) at the top of the nakago ana too Thank you Ford for your observation. That taught me to examine a tsuba more closely, even if they are just pictures. Quote
Steve Waszak Posted September 12, 2008 Report Posted September 12, 2008 Good eye, Ford! ;o) Yep, didn't see that when I first looked... Cheers, Steve Quote
Ford Hallam Posted September 13, 2008 Report Posted September 13, 2008 Glad to have helped, Chaps. It's not pleasant to be the bearer of bad news but I always feel that knowledge is our best defence in this game. The trouble with this sort of copy is that they are taken from mould of genuine articles and so, are at first glance, very convincing. There have been a few, similar cast items discussed on these pages and I suppose it's just a matter of us all building up, an almost sub-conscious, knowledge base and check list of the possible warning signs. regards, Ford Quote
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