Tsuba mei help requested.

Greetings all,

I am attempting to identify a tsuba that my brother acquired and am having a little trouble with the mei.What I believe it to be is Naomasa.However this mei does not match another mei I found on the web for this artist.

68mmx59mmx3mm.

Any info or help is greatly appreciated.

Alan

This might be the Aizu Shoami smith Naomasa, Noshinsai. I'll check the mei if possible later if no one else does. John

Mei looks like this one.

http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_a ... e&id=12078

That one of the MFA Boston seems to me to be Nara school work. John

Thanks for the help John.From what little I have read the Aizu Shoami is not held in high regard.Noted for mediocre work and much copying.

This tsuba looks like it was hurried towards the end with the brown coating.The only reference to a Naomasa was Nagai Naomasa who became a monk after retirement.

Interestingly enough;the tsuka and fittings that were mated to this tsuba were of higher quality (imho).They may actually be earlier shoami work?Any impressions/thoughts are encouraged!

Alan

I like these fittings. Not over embellished with gunome. perhaps, Mino-bori. John