Steve Waszak Posted August 15 Report Posted August 15 The dominant feature of this tsuba is its weight. I do not have a scale handy, but it is among the heaviest tsuba I have ever held. I believe this is owing to its base material, which judging by this weight and the color, is a reasonably high-grade shakudo. A fukurin of silver(?), done in a roped design, and featuring fine, hairline embellishment, offers a wonderful contrast to the shakudo plate. The motif is kebori waves with scattered indaid family crests. I cannot determine with certainty the metal used to form the crests, but it would seem to be copper. The very deep tagane around the nakago-ana is reminiscent of the tagane seen on the sword guards of Hirata Hikozo. Is this guard Higo, then? It isn't really my area of focus and research. Those with more experience in the area of Higo tsuba may have a better read on this piece than I do. Once again, I must emphasize the rather stunning weight of this piece. At 7.8cm x 6mm, the sheer amount of metal here is impressive. This guard is far from my own personal area of focus (Owari Province tsubako), but I find it very appealing. $675.00, plus shipping. 1 Quote
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