This is the nicest Tsuba that I have ever listed here on TradeMe

It's also the nicest Tsuba that I have ever seen for sale here on TradeMe

The subject is "Autumnal Flowers" a very popular high-demand theme on Japanese Kodogu used by elite Goto School fittings makers

A product of the early-middle Shinshinto period (1770-1868)

While not signed, it is easily recognisable as a typical product of the Castle Town of Nagoya

Nagoya works were manufactured very much in the style of the ultra-high-end Goto school. The Goto schools manufactured Kodogu (Sword fittings) for the wealthiest ELITE of Samurai Society so were priced well-beyond the reach of any working-class Samurai Bushi (warrior)

The Nagoya City works were more affordable & were manufactured for "middle class" Samurai, wealthy Japanese merchants & businessmen, or even a very rare occasional wealthy foreign tourist (Very FEW & FAR Between before 1868)

Therefore MOST Tsuba manufactured in Nagoya were smaller Wakizashi-sized Tsuba

This being a KATANA SIZE Tsuba, that could only have been carried by a Samurai entitled to carry a full-size Katana sword (LESS than 5% of Japan's population were of Samurai class, half of them were women, who would not carry a long sword) So it is reasonable to expect that a Katana sized Tsuba, such as this is?, would be considerably rarer than the run-of-the-Mill Nagoya product

This Tsuba appears to be made of the expensive (& exclusively Japanese alloy) SHAKUDO that contained approx. 90% Copper, 4-5% Silver, & 4-7% Gold.

Many (cheaper) Nagoya Kodogu products were made of less valuable alloys (IE with NO Gold content) to remain "affordable" to the more working-class Samurai warriors, merchants & businessmen who could not carry a full-size Katana

The workmanship on this KATANA Tsuba is a cut well-above the more typical (cheaper) Nagoya Kodogu. This is a hand-made example, not one of the more frequently encountered "economy-type" cast Tsuba

AGE = Circa 1800

The box IS included with the Tsuba