help with tsuba

[beedeepotter]

i am having difficulty finding the translation of this tsuba. Can anyone help me please? This is the intro to my sword education so please have patience with me. Would someone tell me if the signature faces out at the blade side or in towards the person holding the sword?

 

Thanks,

Brian P

[Geraint]

Hi Brian.

 

The signature appears to be Kunihiro, I seem to remember another one with the same signature recently on the board so have a look around. Usually the face with the signature is towards the hilt, (tsuka) and the kogai hitsu, is to the left as in your image. Your other thread asking about menuki, may I suggest that before you do anything you post some pictures here. It would be a shame in my opinion to strip off the ito from your sword just to clean up the menuki unless it was really necessary. I have a sword with damaged ito and nice menuki which I have resisted the urge to tamper with. Your sword might be better served by leaving it as is but many knowledgeable friends here can advise you on that once they see images.

 

All the best.

[cabowen]

Is this from a current sword on ebay?

[beedeepotter]

Geraint, thanks for the tsuba help and my mom lives in Cornwall in the summer and her Cornish husband lives here in the winter. Chris, I bought this sword yesterday from an antique dealer. I know the guy very well so I know he told me the truth when he said he bought it for $1200. I paid less than half of that for it but no, it has nothing to do with Ebay at all.

 

Brian P

[Geraint]

Ah well, if you ever make it over here come and have a chat, with a Cornish father we are practically related.