Sukashi mon tsuba

[pcfarrar]

I recently picked up the tsuba below from a friend. It was originally mounted on a shin-gunto

 

The size is 7.8 x 8 x 0.4cm. The texture and quality of the steel is very nice. The tsuba also has a shakudo fukurin.

 

I wondered if anyone has any ideas on what school this could be? Also any thoughts on the significance of the design? I assume it is depicting a mon?

 

Thanks,

 

Peter

[Aloof Pegasus]

Hello Peter

 

Is the fukurin a later addition?

[pcfarrar]

Is the fukurin a later addition?

 

I'm not sure how you tell but I guess it likely is?

[Aloof Pegasus]

I suppose you've considered Tosho?

 

Is that a Chrysanthemum mon? Is it missing a shakudo insert in the kozuka ana to protect the back of the handle? If so then someone liked it.

 

Forgot to add I like the tsuba and the matsukawabishi mon is that nice elongated one. Looking forward to more informed opinion.

[pcfarrar]

I suppose you've considered Tosho?

 

That was my first thought, but I'm not certain how old this tsuba might be?

 

Is that a Chrysanthemum mon? Is it missing a shakudo insert in the kozuka ana to protect the back of the handle?

 

Yes I think its a Chrysanthemum mon. I also think you are right about the missing shakudo insert that explains the shape of the hitsu-ana.

[Stone]

Hi Peter,

" I know nothing" especially about fittings but it just dont look "right" to me,

maybe the pic but hitsu-ana dont seem to "line up"?

Best Regards,

Tony.

[pcfarrar]

This scan might show the tsuba in a bit more natural colours:

[Brian]

The iron looks ok to me, but the design is far too "busy" and I would guess that some of it was added at a later stage. Possibly the "snowflake" looking areas were added along with the mimi at a later date?

 

Brian

[pcfarrar]

Brian I think you could be right. I've checked the inside of the sukashi work and the matsukawabishi are far more rusted inside than the "snowflakes".

[cspage]

Just for the fun of it, I did a little photoshopping on this tsuba just to see what the original might have looked like. Definitely much more pleasing. The fukurin also seems a bit over the top for the wonderful simplicity of this tsuba, and a bit out of proportion. Aesthetically, the original was so much more appreciable. Could the alterations have been recent? The sekigane in the nakago ana looks pretty fresh, and while I'm very new at this, it doesn't seem to be the best craftmanship, either. Come to think of it, the open hitsu ana doesn't look proportionate to the plugged one and also seems to be a bit clunky in execution, IMHO. Maybe I'll take that out too and see how the result looks.

 

Colin

[Brian]

Nice photoshop job Colin!

You could have sold that "tsuba" to Peter :lol:

 

Brian

[pcfarrar]

Maybe its possible that some of the modifications were made when it was mounted up for WW2. It was on a shinto katana in regular shin-gunto mounts.

[raven2]

Nice photoshop job Colin!

You could have sold that "tsuba" to Peter :lol:

 

Brian

 

Geez, you could have sold it to me. :D In all seriousness, I have to agree that the snowflakes look like a later addition. Otherwise the piece is too "busy".

[Mike]

Hi,

It is even possible that the tsuba had been re-sized a little to fit the time fashion, and than the mimi was added.

Nice tsuba though.

Mike

[Brian]

Mike,

I think that even more than possible..I think that it is very likely. It definitely looks resized smaller.

 

Brian