Ohno Christian/Buddhist Tsuba (for whopping $112 on Jauce)

[Iaido dude]

My latest acquisition has arrived and it's a beauty. I think this Ohno tsuba may be a so-called hidden Christian tsuba because one with an identical composition is in the small tsuba collection of a Japanese museum dedicated to documenting the early history of Christianity in Japan. It was featured in a newspaper article in the Asahi Shimbun on "Hidden Christian Tsuba" (see the tsuba on right lower corner). My write up on the speculation that this tsuba contains Christian iconography hidden within Buddhist iconography and a few pics follow. I had the good fortune of being the only bidder willing to spend $112 for a truly wonderful Ohno in amazing condition and imbued with meaning.

 

 

 

Height 71.2 mm, width 69.5 mm, thickness 7-7.6 mm at mimi (6.6-6.8 at seppa-dai), weight 116 gm.

 

Compare with my Ohno kuruma tsuba (Momoyama Period).

 

 

 

 

[Iaido dude]

[Iaido dude]

This papered Ohno sold previously on nihonto.com (it doesn't seem to be on the site anymore).

 

[Curran]

Hi Steve,

 

See the NBTHK papers here for the kanji for Ono.

https://www.bonhams.com/auction/21861/lot/112/an-ono-tsuba-late-muromachi-period-16th-century/

 

Ono tsuba:  (1) because less is written in English about them

and              (2) for a while the NBTHK used the attribution  for Owari tsuba where they were not sure-

====    They do not get the respect they deserve.

 

Sometimes they are nicer than the best Kanayama.

I own the one from Bonhams link above, and also this other Tokugawa mon monster.  17 large tekkotsu and it weighs in around 165 grams.

 

[Iaido dude]

Beautiful, Curran. I’ve long admired this Ono composition. I think there are quite a few that have been misattributed to other Owari schools. They are among the most monstrous iron sukashi tsuba I have been able to appreciate in hand. 

[Steves87]

While it is an otherwise good looking guard and design, have you checked that the sekigane are copper or lead?

[Bugyotsuji]

They look like copper from here...

[MauroP]

Hi Steve, would you mind to post another pic of your tsuba under natural light and clear background? The color of sekigane looks quite suspicious in your previous image...

[Iaido dude]

Thanks, gentlemen. I looked more closely at the “sekigane,” which are clearly just a part of this cast fake or modern reproduction. The joke’s on me. The pics on Jauce should have given it away. My eyes were clouded by my focus on the form at the expense of other details and features. First time for everything! Maybe the real deal is still out there somewhere…

 

This one will go on the new katana I am making from scratch starting with just a blade and habaki. Right size and right fit. 

[Iaido dude]

The”sekigane” don’t extend to the ura. 

 

[Winchester]

Don't feel too bad, Steve.

 

At the Chicago show, I saw some of the fakes coming out of Japan.

 

I believe many collectors would not detect the fake, unless given forewarning. They are getting fairly convincing. The tagane ato, color/ almost bright /shiny in person, were of the few giveaways when examining in person.

 

Good reminder for all of us to view with a critical eye and take our time. (Hypothetical: Your example was lower cost, but what if it was market value and mixed in with genuine pieces?) 

[Iaido dude]

The consolation for me is that high quality modern reproductions from Tozando or other Japanese iaito manufacturers are $90-110. This one is also the right theme (bamboo) to match the other modern sterling silver fittings that will go on the katana. 

[Okan]

@Iaido dude I remember seeing exact same design as "Den Yagyu". I'll share when I find it. 

[Iaido dude]

I also thought of Yagyu. The style of the bamboo joints reminds me of Yagyu, but not the bracken sprouts. 

[Hokke]

1 hour ago, Winchester said:

At the Chicago show, I saw some of the fakes coming out of Japan.

 

I believe many collectors would not detect the fake, unless given forewarning. They are getting fairly convincing. The tagane ato, color/ almost bright /shiny in person, were of the few giveaways when examining in person.

 

Good reminder for all of us to view with a critical eye and take our time. (Hypothetical: Your example was lower cost, but what if it was market value and mixed in with genuine pieces?) 

This is disheartening, but a needed warning, particularly to those just starting in this field of study. My question is this, how do you react when you encounter a Japanese replica being offered as authentic. Seems to me there are a couple options, but each has its own consequences.

Let’s assume the seller is unaware their item(s) is a forgery. Not only is it bad for them because they were duped, but if other customers are around to hear the conversation, they may choose to stay away from everything the seller is offering.

So, the other option is you inform the seller privately. But what if they are knowingly selling these fakes. This is impossible to know unless they already have a reputation which is unlikely, otherwise I would hope they would be denied the ability to participate in the show. They will act as if they are surprised and shocked, but when you leave they continue to pedal their wares to unsuspecting customers. So unless you become a sales cop and monitor the table it’s possible that forgeries will be sold at a legitimate show. This is not feasible so the problem remains.

At the end of the day I understand caveat emptor rules the day. It’s the responsibility of each of us to be as informed if we want to make safe purchases. But I also know this field of study is a relatively small group and if enough fraud permeates it’s way in, fewer and fewer people will be interested, which isn’t good for anyone. 

 

 

[Okan]

Here you go:

 

 

 

[Steve Waszak]

Hi Stephen,

 

Sorry to see that this tsuba is cast.  This threat is always out there now.  I suppose this fact brings the silver lining that it encourages us to be constantly vigilant, not only for signs of a piece being cast, but also for other signs that the item isn't quite what it may seem to be.  I did like your write-up, anyway!    

 

As for the design being tied to Yagyu and Ohno guards, it is understood that the Ohno tsubako did make some tsuba for the Yagyu (most, if not all Yagyu tsuba were actually made by Owari smiths of the time, such as Fukui, Toda, and Sakura Yamakichibei.  Among these, though, too, were Ohno smiths).  So, it doesn't surprise me that we would see some overlap in designs between guards designated as Yagyu, and those attributed to Ohno.  

[Iaido dude]

 

It really is a splitting image of what Okun posted. Still a bit strange to see effort go towards producing a fake of a relatively unknown Yagyu/Ohno unless it is in fact the link to Christianity that has a market. The post where I found the article was by a sword enthusiast who described replicas of this tsuba based on an identical example from a seller in Europe. So, there is likely at least a small following of such enthusiasts. I count myself among them! 

 

The Jauce auction details about the museum and article that featured this tsuba had me sucked into a narrative that overrode any suspicion I may have had for a fake. It came in a custom fitted box! I simply dropped my guard. So the sad truth is that fakes are out there all too often. Maybe it was even originally sold as a replica that was resold down the line with the belief that the tsuba was genuine. The cast tsuba was reproduced down to minute details of the sekigane. However, there is no sekigane on the ura (left out) and there are no chisel marks inside the walls of the sukashi. I just finished filing down the nakago-ana to fit my blade. It’s just steel throughout. No genuine sekigane. 

[Curran]

Honestly-

From the photos, it fooled me too.

 

[Iaido dude]

Here's a great demonstration of a genuine Akasaka tsuba (later generation copy of well-known work by 2nd hereditary master) and modern replicas for an iaito of a bamboo theme. The first two are advertised honestly. Is the third one genuine or replica? The seller seems to imply it is a genuine "period" tsuba. All three are currently offered on Jauce.

 

https://www.jauce.com/auction/l1183545952

 

https://www.jauce.com/auction/o1183581334

 

https://www.jauce.com/auction/q1177510480

[FlorianB]

11 hours ago, Iaido dude said:

Is the third one genuine or replica?

The surface tells it own tale.

[Spartancrest]

  Image from Curren's comment in this old thread -  https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/32234-opinions-on-tsuba/

 

I believe any guard design found in published works is wide open to be copied for modern forgeries. They even fake brand new designs!

 

[Tim Evans]

Comment on the hidden cross thing. I have seen a number of articles claiming basically any tsuba with a quadrilateral symmetrical design is a hidden cross. I disagree for a number of reasons:

• Quadrilateral symmetrical design tsuba predate Christianity in Japan
• The Roman Catholic missionaries used a Latin cross. The even-arm cross was used by the Greek orthodox church, and were not present in Japan
• Christianity was practiced openly in the Oda and Toyotomi regimes, no need to hide it. 
• Hidden cross tsuba that I have seen that look legit have a Latin cross inlaid in the seppadai area, so it can't be seen when mounted. These probably date during the Tokugawa Shogunate
• If a cross form tsuba represents anything, it is more likely the character Ju (+),or, how the Japanese write the number 10 
• The Ju-mon was used by the Shimazu and related clans in Satsuma. They were overtly anti-Catholic 

[Iaido dude]

I actually agree with you, Tim. I wouldn’t have invoked Christianity as associated with this tsuba if not for the attribution in the article. it isn’t clear how they base their attribution other than by form. I’ve also seen many such attributions that don’t even make convincing pictorial sense. Steve Waszak also pointed out to me that in all likelihood it represents a mon. I just wanted to see how far my imagination might take me even if not historically correct. 

[Curran]

On 5/5/2025 at 5:21 AM, Spartancrest said:

  Image from Curren's comment in this old thread -  https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/32234-opinions-on-tsuba/

 

I believe any guard design found in published works is wide open to be copied for modern forgeries. They even fake brand new designs!

 

 

That was a 3rd or early 4th gen Akasaka.

Great tsuba where I thought the NBTHK papers were daft.

   -Irony is the current value of some Akasaka has fallen while Ono are getting more respect. Maybe its papers were ahead of its time. Like attending Stanford U. back in the day?

[Soshin]

On 5/2/2025 at 8:25 PM, Iaido dude said:

Height 71.2 mm, width 69.5 mm, thickness 7-7.6 mm at mimi (6.6-6.8 at seppa-dai), weight 116 gm.

 

 

This is clearly fake, the reverse side confirms this as the sekigane are not real and functional on the tsuba and part of the cast reproduction. I am happy you didn't spend much money on Jauce. Yahoo!Japan is as bad as eBay now. I avoid both websites. It is a paper weight or a reference example at best of what to avoid and I would not recommend mounting it on any sword or whatever. On my martial arts training sword, I needed to replace a similarly made tsuba that was a cast reproduction with a functional tsuba.    

[Iaido dude]

I also mount genuine tsuba on my practice swords (Ono kuruma I showed is on my iaito) when the tsuba holds a meaning for me that can inspire and inform my practice, as I believe they also served this symbolic function for the samurai warrior class. However, the “fake” tsuba is well-replicated and has the weight (116 gm) expected of steel rather than alloy, which gives the balance I desire. I don’t think it was made to be a paper weight. More importantly, it does have multiple meanings for me that can serve the function of pairing with my well-made razor sharp folded blade with double bohi for cutting practice that was made in China and cost only $125:

 

1) The sword is only an instrument; even the dullest and most unimpressive and plain can cut true, but only  commensurate with the swordsman’s skill;

 

2) The spiritual aspect of swordsmanship emphasizes “cutting” through the illusions of the false/fake ego;

 

3) The bamboo theme for all of the sword fittings symbolizes resilience (ability to spring back) in the face of adversity, which is especially emphasized in Yagyu Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship and expressed in the composition of some of the Yagyu tsuba;

 

I’m carving the saya, tsuka, and buffalo horn koiguchi and karugata in the traditional way with a specially made saya chisel. My progress will be documented in a separate post. The completed sword will have a very personal meaning for me.