Kaga Yoshiro Recent Acquisition

[zanilu]

I have recently acquired a new NBTHK papered Kaga Yoshiro tsuba:

 

 

This is, to me at least, an interesting piece on several aspects.

First, the meaning of the sukashi decoration. There is a suhama gata with something that looks like leaves or a plant of some kind. Maybe this is somewhat related to those composition representing island or shores.
For example from https://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/s/suhamagata.htm:

"Also suhama 州浜. A shape made up of three rings. Used in garden design and landscape paintings. An imitation of a sandy beach. Usually the shape is twisted or elongated to create an original variation."

 

 

If any of you has a different interpretation or, if I am spot on (that I really doubt), can you help to better describe the desing? 

Second, this is the first papered, Kaga Yoshiro tsuba with ji-sukashi outside of the brass inlayed roundels, that I have seen. If not for the two, rather small brass inlayed mons I would have been inclined to a Heianjo zogan attribution due to the lack of any egraved line shadowing the karakusa inlay, typical of kamon Yoshiro tsuba.
Also the sen zogan is not usually found on Yoshiro pieces.

Third, there is a lot of remaining lacquer on the surface of the tsuba:

 

 

Interestingly the lacquer is also filling the carving of the sen zogan seat where the brass inaly is missing:

 

 

 

Does this mean that the tsuba was lacquered more than once, and at least one time after the loss of a portion of the sen zogan? Could the multiple lacquer hypothesis explain the lack of the engraved line shadowing the karakusa inlay? Could it be completely filled with lacquer to the point that it is no longer visible? I would have discarded this last option if not for this particular reported hereafter where a small portion of the line is visible:

 

 

Maybe, as often the case, I am over analyzing things.

Your opinions is more than welcome.

Regards
Luca

 

P.S. The close ups are obtained with a cheap USB microscope, the enlargement factor is between 48x and 128x approximately. Nothing to do with the professional pictures taken by @rkg.

[GoldenDrachen]

38 minutes ago, zanilu said:

Second, this is the first papered, Kaga Yoshiro tsuba with ji-sukashi outside of the brass inlayed roundels, that I have seen. If not for the two, rather small brass inlayed mons I would have been inclined to a Heianjo zogan attribution due to the lack of any egraved line shadowing the karakusa inlay, typical of kamon Yoshiro tsuba.

Hi Luca

 

Please forgive me my ignorance. To me this information is something very important. Is this a personal observation or info like this could be found in the books? Which books?

I just would like to get more educated in similar nuances.

 

TIA

Vitaly 

[zanilu]

Just personal considerations Vitaly. 

Submitted to the NMB to have opinion from other collectors...

 

Regards 

Luca