Tsuba Information Sought

[hddennis]

My latest sword is a 16 inch wakizashi with handachi mounts and it came with a heavy iron  Mokko  tsuba. I'd like to know what the engraved theme represents , if possible. The tsuba weighs 6.5 oz. and is 66.5 mm wide by 70.5 tall. Is this the only style tsuba that would have been used or would a round tsuba have been used as well?

 

Thanks in advance for any help,

Howard Dennis

[ROKUJURO]

Howard,

this one looke like the correct TSUBA style for a HANDACHI.

The design is of fern sprouts and of course the INOME.

[hddennis]

Thanks for your response Rokujuro.

Is there any signifigance to the fern sprouts theme?

[Spartancrest]

Howard,

FERN LEAVES (Urajiro or Moromoki), are symbolic of exuberant posterity [all future generations of people.]; they are used in the New Year's Eve ceremony.

[Taken from:  Legend in Japanese art; a description of historical episodes, legendary characters, folk-lore myths, religious symbolism by Joly, Henri L  1908]

This link should be in all collectors files, some handy information: https://archive.org/details/legendinjapanese00jolyuoft/mode/2up

[rematron]

Not sprouts but this is from Henri L. Joly:

 

[rematron]

LOL. @Spartancrest beat me to it!

[hddennis]

Well Thank you all for the help. I tried Google but it didn't turn up anything. Thanks to your link I'll be able to help myself next time.

 

Appreciate the help,

Howard

[Spartancrest]

 

Jeremy

Who said "Great minds think alike, and so do yours and mine" 

 

Whoever did, the message has been misquoted more times than you can poke a proverb! 

 

[rematron]

16 minutes ago, Spartancrest said:

 

Jeremy

Who said "Great minds think alike, and so do yours and mine" 

 

Whoever did, the message has been misquoted more times than you can poke a proverb! 

 

[ROKUJURO]

I know bracken shoots (or fern sprouts) as WARABI. They are an old symbol, also in connection with blades (I think KOFUN JIDAI), and are considered a symbol of spring.