SwordGuyJoe Posted May 6, 2010 Report Posted May 6, 2010 All, I was wondering if anyone may be able to help me with information about the attached tsuba? I am looking for age and school if possible. I don't think this to be a mastpiece by any means, but I am just looking for information or guidance. It seems to resemble the "Myochin Tsuba" at Gaigin's Japanese Art Swords (http://www3.telus.net/sword/sword/index ... sbsale.htm), although when searching the internet, I was unable to find another Myochin example similar to mine. Thank you in advance and I appreciate your help. Quote
cspage Posted May 6, 2010 Report Posted May 6, 2010 Joe, you might find the description of Ono tsuba interesting on Jim Gilbert's site: http://home.earthlink.net/~jggilbert/ono.htm Colin Quote
SwordGuyJoe Posted May 9, 2010 Author Report Posted May 9, 2010 Colin, Thank you very much! That was a very insightful article and sounds very much like my tsuba. I like it as it closely 'matches' the f/k set that is on my sword (viewtopic.php?f=15&t=7248). I am not trying to sell, but like to be as accurate as possible when I catalogue my pieces. I was just running into brick walls when looking for a matching school. Thanks again! Quote
cspage Posted May 9, 2010 Report Posted May 9, 2010 Joe, the reason I pointed you to that site is that I just purchased a tsuba from Grey Doffins offer in the For Sale area of this site that was listed as an Ono tsuba and I imediately started searching for the characteristics of this school. I especially like the description offered by Jim's friend..."massive "like the foundation stones of a Japanese castle." What a wonderful description, and so very appropriate. Colin Quote
SwordGuyJoe Posted June 3, 2010 Author Report Posted June 3, 2010 Mine seems a bit thicker and without as much embelishments/detail, but there certainly is some resemblance. Any thoughts about the relationship between this example and mine? Thanks! http://cgi.ebay.com/2701-J-P-sword-Edo- ... 0542621566 Quote
cspage Posted June 3, 2010 Report Posted June 3, 2010 Joe, first of all, I need to apologize to the good Dr. Stein as the article describing Ono tsuba is not Jim Gilbert's site, but Richard Stein's site. The article was written by Jim Gilbert. With that said, and keeping in mind I am still very much a learner, not a seasoned tsuba guy, my thoughts are that the ebay tsuba to which you are looking for comparison should be viewed with high suspicion and one should shy away from it. If you are looking for authentic examples of Ono or similar work (perhaps Yagu), stick to websites listed in the links dropdown at the top of this page, other learned resources and away from ebay. From my point of view, that ebay tsuba is a nasty piece of work, surface-wise, design wise, patina, etc (well...maybe not nasty, but there's just something that rubs me the wrong way. It seems way over the top in busyness). And it lacks the simplicity and quiet heavy strength of character of Ono/Yagu type work (something your tsuba does contain to a certain degree). Just IMHO. Perhaps someone else feels differently; I'd be interested if they'd weigh in. Colin PS. You may notice that tsubas are usually displayed with the nakago ana's muni side down, as one would view them as they are worn at the waist. Just something to remember. I posted some tsuba pics with the tsuba upside down myself some time ago and heard about right away. Quote
Curran Posted June 3, 2010 Report Posted June 3, 2010 It is a vast oversimplification, but Ono tend to be of simpler design and sandy of texture. Also, some designs are considered Ono- though I am not sure why other than habit. Someone from Europe recently had an "Ono" design for sale. That particular design always seems to be called Ono. Attached is an image of an Ono I own and another that I wish I had purchased when I had the chance. Temple Bell one is mine. Ono often fall between Yagyu and Kanayama attributes for a variety of reasons. Most tend to be thicker than average, but some are not. Quote
SwordGuyJoe Posted June 4, 2010 Author Report Posted June 4, 2010 Thanks Guys. I wouldn't (ever) buy (anything) from eBay. There does come a time when you are sitting in your hotel room in Amarillo, Texas and you have flipped through the commercial links and then switch over to eBay. Just browsing and you just never know what you'll find - other than typically low end stuff. The design caught my eye and I figured I'd ping the experts to see what you guys thought. ...tsubas are usually displayed with the nakago ana's muni side down... Ever since I have posted this, I have noticed that. Whoops. Quote
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