Curious about this carp themed tsuba..

[Munetsugu]

I am curious to get any information or details about a tsuba in my possession, I've searched high and low and cannot find anything on the mei, the mei looks slightly odd.. But when you have it in hand the tsuba feels ok🤔 it's a kinko tsuba with a well used theme.. 

 

Interested to see people's opinions on it. Due to the strange mei and certain aspects I've been racking my brain as to if it's genuine, a modern copy or what.. 

 

Thanks in advance! 

[b.hennick]

Cast?

 

[Grey Doffin]

Brahmin.

[Munetsugu]

1 hour ago, b.hennick said:

Caste?

 

Possibly.. This is what I'm trying to figure out😆 I believe it's either shakudo or shibuichi, it's like a plating on what appears to be a brass/copper main plate which I can spot in a tiny scratched area. 

46 minutes ago, Grey Doffin said:

Brahmin.

@Grey Doffin would you care to kindly elaborate on that please? 😆

[Tanto54]

Dear Chuck, sorry your tsuba is a modern fake - a cast tsuba.  You can tell this by how the mei has a pressed in (instead of carved) look and the way the other details have been smoothed over in the finishing process (along with molding lines in the sukashi and casting investment remaining in the crevices).   I think that Grey is making a joke about Barry's accidental misspelling of cast as "caste".

[b.hennick]

I wish that I could blame autocorrect. I agree with George's comments. The signature does not show the use of a tool - no tool marks. It looks cast. The lines/edges are all rounded. I thought that I could see some casting lines in the hitsu ana.

[Grey Doffin]

I also agree that this is cast and I just couldn't resist when Barry wrote caste (which someone has since corrected)..

Grey

[b.hennick]

I like to clean up the mess that I make.

 

[Spartancrest]

https://fudo-myoo.com/en/tsuba/23-tsuba-with-kinko-琴高-and-his-giant-carp.html

Look familiar?