What to think of this tsuba?

[Mantis dude]

HI all,

 

Picked up sword recently and it has this tsuba attached. Any guesses to age or school? It may be tosho or something similiar with very nice smooth brass (?) inlaid rabbitt. You can see at least 2 long folding seams on sides. It is 7cm wide and is 8.4cm high. I think this might be decent tsuba, any input? Thanks.

[John A Stuart]

Hi Ken, The tsuba has nice subdued work of good quality. The steel looks like it was intended to have this primitive look. The work and the tsuba bring to mind Tsuchiya 18th cent. and again Tosho is a possibility. John

Oh, by the way my daughter watches a lot of Japanese anime and says the rabbit looks happy. Is the F/K Mino Kinko? J

[Mantis dude]

The happier I get with tsuba the happier the rabbit gets and yes I would say mino kinko on the F/K. Gold work is different than normal. Sword has nice attributes too. koto work hopefully. Thanks for the inputt.

[Bungo]

probably Onin, Heianjo type of tsuba............

 

I see something similar to this.......

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0040256802

 

milt THE ronin

[Mantis dude]

Milt,

 

That was another thought for sure. Yours is what I believe a classic Onin piece. One of the Onin differences is the strange nakaga-ana, although it was done by stamped. just something to look at. I think you did well on that one! Thanks for the input.