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Yoshiro Tsuba with copper plaque inlays, pinned (riveted) to iron tsuba plate


roger dundas

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Simply described as "Yoshiro Tsuba....Edo Period".

The attachment of the two copper inserts using rivets rather than being soldered in place interested me. I once read somewhere that it wasn't until the Dutch arrived in Japan in around 1600 and later that the Japanese learned how to solder metal to metal. Prior to that it was by riveting and or fukurin.   Hence early san mei constructed tsuba were riveted. A good friend of mine (and yours) has a lovely example using this construction.

Tsuba measures 71 x 67.5 x 5 mm and includes inlaid copper vines (?) and leafs. The precision of the inset of the two copper inlays/plates  into the excavated iron base plate is very accurate. There is a little surface damage between the hitsu ana and the kogai (?) ana but mostly it is in fairly good shape.

If any one would like to comment then I would as always be grateful.

Yoshiro 1.JPG

Yoshiro 2.JPG

Yoshiro 3.JPG

Yoshiro 4.JPG

Yoshiro 5.JPG

Yoshiro 6.JPG

Yoshiro 7.JPG

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Thanks Piers for your interest which is always welcome.

Yes, as well as I can tell that is how it looks- the two copper circular inserts sit on a thinned out circular iron layer(thinned out from the plates original thickness).

That is how it seems to me and my wife as well. Unfortunately my eyesight is a long way from what it once was. I must say that the kogai and kozuka ana seem to show an evenly 3 layered construction- copper each side of iron I am surmising but in the hitsu ana, one side of the opening looks to be in order but looking at the other wall there is a gap between one of the copper plates and the iron. If it was all iron (which it is not) then you would think a welding together of the metal had failed- a cold shut I think it is called ?

We tried to get a pic of this- maybe we should try again ?

Roger j

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Dear Roger.

 

As I am sure you know some tachi tsuba have pins that align o seppa and this one comes to mind, http://www.shibuiswords.com/KDirontachi.html

 

It looks from the images as though the hitsu have cushions inlaid but these don't seem to relate to the iron core.  One might expect such a cushion to be fitted specifically to avoid the kogi and kozuka rubbing against the iron.  I am wondering therefore if the brass faces were fitted to another tsuba and have been refitted to this one.    

 

All the best.

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Thank you Geraint for your post and clarification. You are quite correct- what I saw as some sort of surface damage between the hitsu and kogai (and kodzuka) ana is indeed where cushions have been inserted ( and the punch marks I saw instead as damage ). Probably brass cushions but now discoloured to a copper hue ? Yes it looks like brass cushions. The cushions certainly appear to go right through, covering the iron core.

 

As to some tachi tsuba having seppa attached and aligned using pins, I had no knowledge of this so thanks for pointing it out. Does it mean that this is a tachi tsuba ? Probably impossible to tell ?

Again I want to thank you, Piers and Geraint for responding and for your information.

Roger j

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