Tsuba with Metal Analysis

[RobertM]

Hi all, purchased a new tsuba. I'm told its signed Choshu Ju Masafusa. Does anyone have any details on this guy. Also, luck has it i have access to a nifty machine that can identify the metals makeup. Tried it out on the remaining gold flecks, see attached pic. The tsuba itself unsurprisingly came up as iron with trace amounts of of other metals.

 

http://s1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc510/retrortm/

 

thanks

[John A Stuart]

So, spectrochemical analysis. Very nifty. Just for clarification for everyone, this is no household device. Basically it is a destructive test (although the amounts are minute) by sparking a sample in argon and getting a spectrograph which a computer interprets. Robert, you must have a kind boss or you are the boss. It would be really cool if you could analyse the various tousogu alloys, ie. the brasses and bronzes in some of the ko-irogane tsuba and fittings. John

[RobertM]

Yes very cool. I'm not sure if its destructive at a atomic level, but no material is removed in order to carry out the test.

[John A Stuart]

Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong type. I was expecting an emission spectrometer, usually loss is just over 10 µg. I may be behind the times. John

 

BTW, I find no info on a Masafusa from Choshu. J

[Ed]

I looked through a couple of books, but couldn't find your guy listed. Don't feel bad i have one like it signed choshu hagi ju masanori, can't find him either.

 

http://yakiba.com/TsubaJ6_Leaves_Bushu.htm

 

Don't pay the link above any mind just realized i wrote bushu instead of choshu

[docliss]

Dear Robert, is not the mei on your tsuba CHOSHU (NO)JU MASAKATA? This may be H04070.0, given a date of 1851 by Haynes. John L.

[John A Stuart]

Right, I should have checked it myself. That changes things for the good, not another unknown. Great eye, John. John

[Veli]

Robert,

 

Nice data! Did you use Auger electron spectroscopy or what? X-ray fluorescence analysis is the one I have sometimes thought of using (absolutely nondestructive, too), but the spectral peaks in your graph do not look like X-ray spectrum?

 

John, I have seen some optical emission analysers with arc excitation, and they seemed to do damage compared to unsuccessful spot welding...

 

I have always wondered whether metal analysis would be worthwhile. I think it would be, if there was a database of comparable analysis from a large number of known samples...

 

BR, Veli

[RobertM]

Thanks for the info guys. John, would that date listed be the date of death, activity ect (sorry for the stupid question, i don't have the haynes books yet) I've added a close up of the mei just for clarification.

Regarding the analysis, I'm going to have to ask what the machine called. I might also try it out on some silver tanto Fuchi and Kashira from the mid 1800s. I was just interested to see the purity of the silver.

 

http://s1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc510/retrortm/

 

Rob M

[docliss]

Dear Rob, the date of 1851 that Haynes gives refers to the artist’s working date. That the author has been so exact with this, rather than stating ‘the 1850s’, suggests that there may be an extant tsuba by this artist with that date upon it. John L.

[RobertM]

Thanks John, quick search of the net brings up another tsuba by this guy (I hope no one minds the external link)

 

http://www.nihontocraft.com/Choshu_Tsuba.html