Restoration of a rusty Washida Tsuba

[zanilu]

Greetings to All,

 

Recently, I acquired a rather rusty tsuba as part of a deal for a Washida tsuba with another collector. This piece was thrown into the arrangement by the seller to meet the requested price range. Despite its condition, it showed some promise. The tsuba is signed Kyozan Mitsunaka + (Kao) ({嚮山 光中(花押)}) in kin-zogan. Based on the pictures, it appeared to feature brass hira-zogan of peonies and arabesques. Despite the rust, none of the inlays seemed to be missing - testament to the craftsmanship. The subject and execution also align well with works by Washida Mitsunaka or the Washida school. Seeing its potential, I decided to accept the deal, and both tsuba landed on my desk.

 

 

 

 

Believing the piece was worth restoring, I sent it to Manuel  @C0D for restoration, and I wasn't disappointed. Manuel did an outstanding job removing the rust and re-patinating the brass. If Manuel would like to elaborate on the restoration process, I would welcome it.

 

The gamble paid off, as the final result is quite pleasing. As you can see, the tsuba has been brought back to life:

 

 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 

Regards,
Luca

 

P.S. I have to thank Manuel for allowing me to use the pictures he made.

[Jesta]

That is beautiful. Really a worthwhile restoration. Congratulations to you for seeing its potential and to Manuel for the outstanding work. 

[Matsunoki]

That is seriously impressive work. Congrats. 

[C0D]

Thank you for entrusting me with this restoration, at first it looked quite serious but after removing the oxidation I found that the original patina underneath was pretty much untouched by corrosion, also the zogan was rock solid in position, a testament to the quality of the work from this tsubashi.

So I just had to make a new patina on the brass and stabilize the iron patina.

It was a pleasure bringing back to life this excellent work.

[zanilu]

Superb job, Manuel. This piece has come back to life straight from the junk box.

 

Washida Mitsunaka has produced several tsuba of this kind like 

 

https://www.metmuseu...lection/search/23060

 

 

 

[Scogg]

Really stunning pieces, thank you for sharing! 

I love these before and after threads. They really shows the potential beauty hiding in the rough. 

I'd be proud to have such a tsuba!
Cheers,
-Sam

[zanilu]

Also similar to mine:

 

 

Tsuba with design of peonies and arabesques
Washida Mitsunaka (Japanese, 1830–1889)
School: Shonai School (Japanese)JapaneseEdo period1847
Medium/Technique
Main material: iron; other metals: silver; shakudo plugs; decorative technique: hirazogan
Dimensions
Overall: 8.4 x 8.1 x 0.3 cm (3 5/16 x 3 3/16 x 1/8 in.)
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number
11.12197
Signed
Shonai no ju Washida Mitsunaka, with a kao; Koka yon hinoto-hitsuji natsu juhassai saku
庄内住鷲田光中（花押）弘化四丁未夏十八歳作
Provenance
By 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 - d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911)

NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.

 

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/11916

 

 

 

[Jussi Ekholm]

Thank you for posting this Luca, what a wonderful result. I think it shows your good eye in noticing this being worth of restoration and Manuel doing amazing work with this.

[Gakusee]

On 12/31/2024 at 11:31 AM, C0D said:

Thank you for entrusting me with this restoration, at first it looked quite serious but after removing the oxidation I found that the original patina underneath was pretty much untouched by corrosion, also the zogan was rock solid in position, a testament to the quality of the work from this tsubashi.

So I just had to make a new patina on the brass and stabilize the iron patina.

It was a pleasure bringing back to life this excellent work.

Well done Manuel, very skillful restoration