Tsuba of Cast Iron

66mm x 69mm x 6mm
This tsuba has a good face, but it is a casting copy from a good Owari tsuba. Be careful, cast iron is very brittle. Never put on the blade. It is only for display.
 
 
Please study the cut out surface carefully. A trace of the seam by casting work is left.
 
One more example of cast iron tsuba.

When I found these two tsubas in a junk box at antique shop, they were already broken pieces. Then, I thought they could be good examples of cast iron tsuba, and bought them.
Now I picked up one of them to show you the test of its brittleness. It was easily broken like a chocolate with plastic hammer.
 
 
Another example of cast iron tsuba. One of the flower is broken off.
 
 
I think it is important to separate Iron tsuba into two kinds that Steel tsuba and Cast Iron tsuba.
 
Tsuba of Cast Iron

68mm x 62mm x 5.6mm
Sometimes cast iron tsuba seems a little small somehow. It may come from the shrinking of casting work. This piece may be a copy from a tsuba of Akasaka school or so, but the seppadai and kozuka/kogai holes are smaller than normal size.

When the seam mark was filed off, it is a little difficult to figure out the trick of cast iron tsuba.
By careful study, you may find that the rust condition is a little strange to steel and the cut out surface seems a little dull.

(=> Episodes by Kokaji, cast iron tsuba)

They look made in 18th century or 19th century. We have never seen cast iron tsuba from the Koto period (16th century or older) 

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