Nazar Posted May 8 Report Posted May 8 (edited) Not long ago, a number of tsuba popped up on the local internet auction. Time to time I like to go through topics here or in the corresponding sales section, but I couldn't say that I am a tsuba man. Yet one particular tsuba from that batch caught my eye by its simple elegance. So I bid on it and won. It arrived, but for some time I had no time to take photos. Tsuba seems to be slightly damaged in one place, yet I like it like it is. So I decided to share it here. Also, if someone could tell me more about it it would be great. The diameter of this tsuba is 65mm. Edited May 8 by Nazar 6 Quote
Nazar Posted May 8 Author Report Posted May 8 And sure, I designed a simple 3D printed stand. The general idea was to make thing that holds the tsuba firmly but not draw attention away from the object. 6 2 Quote
MauroP Posted May 8 Report Posted May 8 Nice tsuba. The kawari-ishime-ji gives it an unusual look; otherwise, it’s quite an obvious Heianjō-zōgan piece. 2 1 Quote
Spartancrest Posted May 9 Report Posted May 9 Good taste - one I would go for as well. - - what Mauro said! not a gazillion miles from this? 4 2 Quote
Nazar Posted May 9 Author Report Posted May 9 19 hours ago, MauroP said: Nice tsuba. The kawari-ishime-ji gives it an unusual look; otherwise, it’s quite an obvious Heianjō-zōgan piece. Thank you, Mauro! Much appreciated! 17 hours ago, Spartancrest said: Good taste - one I would go for as well. - - what Mauro said! not a gazillion miles from this? Thank you, Dale! Interesting, that photo even has a background that looks very similar to mine. I have to confess, I used "The Craft of the Japanese Sword" for the background of my photos. I am gradually finishing reading this book and its cover has such a nice texture and neutral grey colour, that I couldn't think of anything better when it came to tsuba photo shooting. Yet, I found tsube that even closer to mine right on this board: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/20627-tsuba-menuki-and-kozuka-sale/ 2 Quote
ROKUJURO Posted May 9 Report Posted May 9 58 minutes ago, Nazar said: .....a nice texture and neutral grey colour, that I couldn't think of anything better..... Nazar, for photos with good contrast, the darker the better! 1 Quote
Nazar Posted May 10 Author Report Posted May 10 Thank you, Jean! First time I heard about Richard Georgeis was (alas) when the news about his passing away was posted on this board in December 2025. I went through examples of his great works and through his article that Sam aka Scogg posted then: https://www.rkgphotos.com/articles/ktk_photo_document_2019.pdf One day I would like to try such an approach to nihonto relayted photography. In this case I did my best with what I had at hand and natural light. However, I'll try to find time and shoot some more photos with a darker background. Quote
Nazar Posted June 19 Author Report Posted June 19 Just stumbled upon this tsuba. Looks like it could have been crafted by the same hand that made my tsuba. https://www.catawiki.com/sv/l/103103340-vackert-tsuba-med-motiv-av-fallande-lov-och-blommor-Japan-mellersta-edoperioden 1 Quote
Dan tsuba Posted June 19 Report Posted June 19 Hey Nazar, Looks good and the price is also good. My opinion! 1 1 Quote
Spartancrest Posted June 19 Report Posted June 19 2 hours ago, Nazar said: by the same hand . . ? You can check the size of the circular punch marks making up the background, at the time the guard would have been made the punch would have been hand made [possibly by the same smith as the tsuba itself] if the punch marks are identical size it would not be surprising that both guards were made by the same tools and at least possible the same person - of course the tools could be handed down from one smith to another. Getting back to your first guard I just noticed it has a "Fukure" - a blister in the metal surface where the folding of the metal has failed to adhere and peeled up. Not uncommon. A "fukure" guarantees the guard is not cast. 2 1 Quote
Nazar Posted June 20 Author Report Posted June 20 9 hours ago, Dan tsuba said: Hey Nazar, Looks good and the price is also good. My opinion! Thank you, Dan. Alas, the tsuba on catawiki was sold long before I found it. Actually, I found it searching for info on another tsuba I was about to purchase locally. 9 hours ago, Spartancrest said: You can check the size of the circular punch marks making up the background, at the time the guard would have been made the punch would have been hand made [possibly by the same smith as the tsuba itself] if the punch marks are identical size it would not be surprising that both guards were made by the same tools and at least possible the same person - of course the tools could be handed down from one smith to another. Getting back to your first guard I just noticed it has a "Fukure" - a blister in the metal surface where the folding of the metal has failed to adhere and peeled up. Not uncommon. A "fukure" guarantees the guard is not cast. Thank you, Dale! Many thanks for information on fukure! Since I have only pictures of that tsuba from catawiki, I could only compare images. I more or less adjusted scales, and here are two tsuba side by side. From what I could see the punch that was used for the background indeed to be the same for both tsuba. Also, the leaves seem to be crafted very similarly, and so do the vines that run between them (up to the small notches perpendicular to the vaine lines). All in all, it's a pity I missed that Tsuba on Catawiki. It would be cool to have both in my collection. Maybe one day it will surface somewhere again... 1 Quote
GreyVR Posted June 21 Report Posted June 21 (edited) On 5/8/2026 at 3:20 PM, Nazar said: And sure, I designed a simple 3D printed stand. The general idea was to make thing that holds the tsuba firmly but not draw attention away from the object. Did you post the STL anywhere? That's a very nice design and I'm making do with mini-plate holders.... Edited June 21 by GreyVR Quote
Nazar Posted June 21 Author Report Posted June 21 4 hours ago, GreyVR said: Did you post the STL anywhere? That's a very nice design and I'm making do with mini-plate holders.... Sure, here it is. Also, if any modification is necessary (like make it fit thicker tsuba), let me know and I'll do it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17pUYB2YR4pjaL58hVuiLtlZvGnh48YXb/view?usp=sharing Had to upload it on Google Drive as its size exceeds NMB upload limit. 1 Quote
GreyVR Posted June 21 Report Posted June 21 6 minutes ago, Nazar said: Sure, here it is. Also, if any modification is necessary (like make it fit thicker tsuba), let me know and I'll do it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17pUYB2YR4pjaL58hVuiLtlZvGnh48YXb/view?usp=sharing Had to upload it on Google Drive as its size exceeds NMB upload limit. Thank you! I'm still a very poor printer though, but I need (badly) to get back on that horse ,and this should encourage me to do so. 1 Quote
Nazar Posted June 21 Author Report Posted June 21 I could only advise not to be in a hurry and spend some time figuring out the best configuration for printer/filament. Another advice is to print slower but with better quality. P.S. I just checked, the stand works OK for 80mm tsuba. Quote
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