Radiant sun and a sea cucumber Tsuba?

[Kantaro]

Hello,

 

I am looking to find some more info on this Tsuba (7cm/103grams):

Looks to have been mounted, maybe more than once.

I do not think it is a fake.

 

1. I see a radiant sun and a sea cucumber, maybe you see something else?

2 .Edo or older?

3. Can we link it to a school or not?

 

Kind regards.

 

Paris.

[Geraint]

Dear Paris.

 

Just to get you started these are usually called Amida yasurime, no idea what the sukashi element is.

 

All the best.

[Jesta]

 

The design, as Geraint has noted, is probably the rays of the Amida Buddha’s halo.

 

Given the religious theme, I would suggest that the negative space could be representing incense smoke. 

 

Here’s one of mine with similar rays:

[Kantaro]

Would you consider my Tsuba as Katchushi (甲冑師) and how old would you estimate it?

 

[OceanoNox]

From my understanding, kacchushi tsuba are usually thin, round, and large, with a worked mimi (like uchikaeshi mimi) that is thicker than the ji. Sukashi is usually a bit more elaborate than what is seen on the so-called tosho tsuba. I cannot judge the thickness here, but from the nakago ana, it is a bit small.

[Spartancrest]

https://tsubaka.ru/7_en.htm   one extreme to another  https://www.ebay.com/itm/326302731381

Onin Muromachi - to - Papered to Meiji period.

Grey Doffin had one listed as Tosho - https://japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/tsuba-kodogu/t250-tosho-tsuba-with-amida-yasuri/  a little more complex sukashi.

 

I think it is a mid Edo piece possibly in a "revivalist" pattern - You will notice the rays extend right through the seppa-dai not like Justins piece that has the seppa-dai un-carved which I think makes his late Edo? Very hard to date a style that persisted for 400 years. 

[FlorianB]

Tosho-style.

Sorry to say, I recognize a lack of precision in execution (the shape of nakago ana for instance) for giving the impression of an older piece.

[Kantaro]

6 hours ago, OceanoNox said:

From my understanding, kacchushi tsuba are usually thin, round, and large, with a worked mimi (like uchikaeshi mimi) that is thicker than the ji. Sukashi is usually a bit more elaborate than what is seen on the so-called tosho tsuba. I cannot judge the thickness here, but from the nakago ana, it is a bit small.

 

Indeed Arnaud, it is quite a thin Tsuba (2,8 mm).

Nakago Ana is 3 cm.

But 7 cm is not a large Tsuba...

 

(I made a picture of it next to a Kunihiro Tsuba who is 5,8 mm thick.)