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Subject:tsuba
Posted By: Glen Sun, Apr 15, 2018 IP: 2600:1700:e090:79a0:
Hello:
I would appreciate any information that anyone might be able to share about this tsuba. It comes from a private collection that entered a Massachusetts museum in 1928 and was deaccessioned last year.
The inserts are bamboo. One side of each is iridescent, more copper colored than gold, and seems to have been lacquered, though the surface has now crackled. The dimensions are 8 x 7.5 cms. The nakago-ana is 1 cm at its widest. There is a raised rim that is a bit taller in the parts near the four corners of the raised diamond. There are no markings.
I have assumed that it is late 18th to mid-19th century. Does that seem right? Were bamboo inserts like these in the cut outs common? I haven't been able to find any similar examples. Could they have been added when the tsuba was new or are they more likely to have been added later?
Thanks!
Glen
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