bond_fan Posted March 29 Report Posted March 29 Hi All! I got this Tsuba in a trade with Goran Glucina about 10 years ago at the San Francisco Token Kai, and I was thinking about selling it then. I've since decided to keep it. A year or two after getting this Tsuba I was looking through books on Tsuba at another San Francisco Token Kai, and found what I believe was the same Tsuba pictured in a book, but because I was thinking about selling the Tsuba I decided not to buy the book. I think the book was over $100.00 USD. At the same show I saw a copy of my Tsuba, but it wasn't as well carved as mine. I should have taken photos of both the book and copy of my Tsuba! Anyway, I've bought almost a dozen Tsuba books in the hopes of find my Tsuba pictured in one of them to no avail, so it was suggested I post a picture of the Tsuba, and ask members if they could please check their books to see if my Tsuba is pictured in it? As a guide my Tsuba is NOT in the following books, TSUBA-TAIKAN Japanese Sword Guards Sword 1935, Tsuba Kanshoki by Torigoe Ichitaro 1975, Japanese Sword Guard Cultural History of Tsuba Book 1969 Jiichiro Hattori, Early Japanese Sword Guards Sukashi Tsuba by Sasano, Japanese Sword Guards Masterpieces from the Sasano Collection, Tsuba Kanshoki by Torigoye, 1975, Tsubas in Southern California Hardcover, Hawley, 1973, Nihon to Koza Vol. VI Kodogu Part 1 by Harry Afu and Tsuba by Kokubo Kenichi and Monichiro Kamiya 1963. Your help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!! PS. I showed my Tsuba to Robert Haynes, and he told me he thinks it's from the Northern Shoami school. 2 Quote
Spartancrest Posted March 29 Report Posted March 29 Not sure of book but this is an utsushi from Mauro's post https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/42631-tsuba-identification-help/#comment-437050 4 Quote
bond_fan Posted March 30 Author Report Posted March 30 (edited) On 3/28/2026 at 9:10 PM, Spartancrest said: Not sure of book but this is an utsushi from Mauro's post https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/42631-tsuba-identification-help/#comment-437050 Hey Dale! Thanks for your swift reply and information! Mauro's Tsuba looks like a copy of my Tsuba, but his looks like it's made of iron, and mine is some type of alloy. I was told what it was before, but I forgot, but maybe Yamagane or Copper Alloy. That would be an incredible coincidence if his Tsuba was the one I saw at the SF Token Kai about five years ago and some how at ended up with Mauro after it was for sale at the show I saw it at! I wish I had taken a photo of the book I saw the Tsuba that looks like Mauro's and mine, to see if either of them was the Tsuba in the book or not! Interesting that this Tsuba design was replicated, and I wonder which came first, mine or his, and if it was from the same maker or if one was a copy of the other from two different Tsuba makers at two different periods? Edited March 30 by bond_fan Spelling Corrections. 2 Quote
Spartancrest Posted March 30 Report Posted March 30 Hi Tim - I went through my books - - all 98 - - and found another utsushi in Greville Cookes book - "The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery - Tsuba collection V2" You might like to ask Kissaki for a better image. I don't suppose it was in that book where you first saw it? You might notice the bird has lost some of its tail in this example. 2 Quote
bond_fan Posted March 31 Author Report Posted March 31 (edited) 15 hours ago, Spartancrest said: Hi Tim - I went through my books - - all 98 - - and found another utsushi in Greville Cookes book - "The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery - Tsuba collection V2" You might like to ask Kissaki for a better image. I don't suppose it was in that book where you first saw it? You might notice the bird has lost some of its tail in this example. Wow Dale, you're amazing!!! Thanks for looking in all those book for me and finding this image! No, the image you sent me isn't the one I saw in the book, because I remember the Tsuba being complete without any loss on the bird and the Tsuba photo being a black and white picture. In your opinion is the Tsuba in your book appear to be iron with loss of Gold Leaf? Interesting how in your book the Tsuba is listed as being Bizen school, but Robert Haynes and Mauro said they believe this Tsuba to be Shoami... Also, interesting is we have found at least three if not four Tsuba bearing the exact same design! Edited March 31 by bond_fan Added text. Quote
Spartancrest Posted March 31 Report Posted March 31 47 minutes ago, bond_fan said: Also, interesting is we have found at least three if not four Tsuba bearing the exact same design! Well no surprise there - I have compiled my own book with dozens [at least 62] of tsuba designs replicated over and over [and not all cast copies] One particular pattern of the rain dragon has now reached 162 individual examples. 1 hour ago, bond_fan said: Is the Tsuba in your book appear to be iron with loss of Gold Leaf? A question better asked of Grev Cooke as he did the book - but yes I would say it was iron. A great number of guards were copied between schools so once again it is very possible for a design to be attributed to more than one school. 5 Quote
sabiji Posted March 31 Report Posted March 31 11 hours ago, bond_fan said: Interessant, dass in Ihrem Buch die Tsuba der Bizen-Schule zugeordnet wird, Robert Haynes und Mauro aber der Meinung sind, dass diese Tsuba ihrer Ansicht nach von Shoami stammt... Bizen Shoami. The Shoami school has many branches. 2 Quote
bond_fan Posted March 31 Author Report Posted March 31 12 hours ago, sabiji said: Bizen Shoami. The Shoami school has many branches. Good to know! Quote
bond_fan Posted March 31 Author Report Posted March 31 15 hours ago, kissakai said: This the one Dale mentioned Hey Grev, Thanks for the color photo! Did it look like the whole Tsuba was covered in Gold or just certain areas? It would be interesting to see if all the Samurai from one army all had the same Tsubas when they went to battle, since many styles were replicated... Quote
kissakai Posted April 1 Report Posted April 1 This is from the Birmingham Museum which I photographed quite a few years ago so I can't really comment 1 Quote
bond_fan Posted April 2 Author Report Posted April 2 18 hours ago, kissakai said: This is from the Birmingham Museum which I photographed quite a few years ago so I can't really comment Thanks for the explanation! Quote
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