tsuba sizes in late Edo

[Yves]

This is because of a discussion that's going on for the size of the tsuba's needed for a katana. I would be inclined to think that most uchikatana's would require a tsuba of at least 3" (7,5 cm) but when looking for an ancient tsuba it seems that especially those of the Choshu and Bushu schools in late Edo (which is the style I like most) are around 7,0 cm. Was it the norm in that time to have smaller tsuba's or is this something that is related to the schools in question?

BTW: some seem to think that a too small tsuba is detracting from the beauty of the katana. Thanks. 

[OceanoNox]

I have looked at tsuba measurements in online collections (MET, etc.) and for Edo period, the average mimi thickness is 4.8mm, the average height is 76mm, and the average width is 73mm (this is the value for the top of the bell curve (distribution) for each measurement).

The overall size of tsuba decreased since Muromachi period, and tosho and kachushi tsuba are usually much bigger (85 to 98mm in diameter, but also thinner mimi in general).

 

N.B.: I took all the iron tsuba of Edo period together (labeled them as "sukashi").

[GRC]

Hi Yves,

Mid to late Edo smaller sizes around 7cm were for wakizashi, so the non-samurai merchant-class could wear them.

Highly decorative tsuba, like those from the Choshu and Bushu schools (and most late Edo schools for that matter), would definitely be making a lot of tsuba that size for those buyers. 

These tsuba were made by skilled caftsmen, but the themes and motifs were made to suit the wants and trends of the public. 

 

The mid to late Edo periods had a surge in the production of sword fittings, while there was decline in sword production (I forget the exact reference for the declining sword production, but there are many references about the increased production of fittings).

I think it is safe to say that the majority of sword fittings at that time were mostly "adornments" and trendy fashion pieces for non-samurai.

 

Even the ones that were larger and made to fit katana, were worn by samurai who were essentially bureaucrats, and hadn't seen a battle in 100s of years (ie. the descendants of the warrior class). So even those larger tsuba were "statement pieces" for wealthier individuals among the samurai-class who were going out and about in public. 

 

As OceanoNox (Arnaud) pointed out, tsuba sizes were often larger (8cm+) in the Muromachi period, then decreased in the Momoyama period (lots of 7cm works from the Owari group of schools/smiths), but then the wearing of the daisho (katana and wakizashi) became a law in the early Edo period. The sizes of the katana and wakizashi were also regulated by this law. Although the size of the fittings was not regulated, I'm sure the standardization of the daisho sword sizes would have brought the average size of the tsuba back up to 7.5cm in the Edo period (as Arnaud pointed out).

 

To muddy things a bit, there was a stylistic revival of many Momoyama styles in the late Edo period, where some larger sized utsushi (either homage pieces or outright copies) were made. So keep that in mind, when looking at a tsuba that is over 8cm... make sure you know what you're looking at. 

The Momoyama period was really the time when there was the most creativity and exploration of artistic design in tsuba.

Most mid and late Edo period tsuba are just rehashes of designs that came before, and the focus was more about detailed craftsmanship rather than abstraction and/or creativity. Even the painterly arts in Japan trended towards detailed realism as the Edo period progressed (there are books on that specific trend... can't recall titles at the moment).  

 

Sorry, I started off with the intention of providing a short answer, but then it snowballed...