first tsuba help

[Kent]

I bought my first Tsuba and am looking for someone knowledgeable to give me an idea of its authenticity. This was bought off of an expat collector in Japan who has a business sourcing and refitting Japanese swords. There was no information on it he was able to provide and it does not have a signature. I do not know the material, although the places where the patina has worn away shows a copper color. I know nothing about tsubas and it felt like a bit of an impulse buy. Really, I would be happy with the purchase just knowing if it is authentic, and if a craftsmen some long time ago put their labor into it. Thank you for your help

[Geraint]

Dear Kent.

 

Welcome to NMB!  My first reaction to your tsuba was that it waas a modern reproduction and, sad to say I then found this, https://auctionet.com/en/4546742-a-metal-tsuba-mokko-street-unsigned-second-half-of-the-20th-century

 

Auction houses are oftennot the most accurate with their descriptions of tsuba but I fear that in this case they are broadly correct.  Please do wait for others to chime in on this one and don't rely on my assessment but if this is a reproduction then it raises questions about the expertise of your source.

 

Please don't let this put you off persuing this fascinating field of art.  To help you get your eye in do have a browse through the third thread in this section, 'A series of fittings'.

 

All the best.

[Brian]

I agree, unfortunately this has a very "made yesterday" feel to it, especially those surgically precision punched marks around the nakago ana. If it's non magnetic, I would guess a modern cast display piece. You always want at least some signs of use on something like this, but it looks like it was made yesterday and it lacks fine detail.

[Jake6500]

Not that my input matters so much given that it comes after Geraint and Brian here, but it is definitely a modern reproduction. the punch marks around the nakago (hole in the middle) are too perfectly circular and you can see how the carving and the seppa sort of blend into one another in the lower left which I think might be an error in casting...

 

The general lack of detail in the carving of the people also suggests a quick reproduction as opposed to a hand carved/forged piece.

 

I strongly encourage you to use this forum as a place of learning. The more examples you look at on here, the better your eye for quality and authenticity will develop.

Edited 13 hours ago by Jake6500

[Spartancrest]

There is another one over on Etsy  [actually two in a lot of 9 fakes ]- soft metal without the tagane-ato https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/4341039673/used-Japanese-sword-tsuba-set-9

 

 

There are worse looking fakes - I do hope you didn't pay much and as some of the other members have said - just use it as a learning experience. [most of us have bought things we later regretted ]

The design is based on a scene from the "Tale of Genji" A love story set in the Heian period around 11th century.

Edited 11 hours ago by Spartancrest

[ROKUJURO]

I have such a TSUBA, made in the same mold. I bought it in 1977 for YEN 500 as souvenir in a hardware shop in KYOTO who were selling knives, scissors, decoration swords, and such.