tsuba26
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 pieces of tsuba in a junk box at antique shop, they were already broken pieces.
I thought they would be good examples of cast iron tsuba. Then I bought them.
Now I picked one of them up to show you the test of its brittleness. It was easily broken by me with plastic hammer like a chocolate.
 
 
Another example of cast iron tsuba.
One of the flower is broken off.
 
 
I think it is important to separate Iron tsubas 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 the tsuba of Akasaka school or so, but the seppadai and kozuka/kogai holes are smaller than normal size.
 
An episode regarding a cast iron tsuba, from the "News" page.
Oct. 28th 2004
I have found one good design iron tsuba at an antique dealer.
The design was that I was looking for so far. But it looked like cast iron by studying it in my hand.
It was a casting copy of a good Owari tsuba. Cast iron tsuba is far cheaper than steel tsuba, even if the design is so good. The difference of their prices is ten times or more in the market. I think cast iron tsuba is a toy and never could be a weapon.
 
I said to the dealer that I am sorry for this tsuba because of it is cast iron. He didn't agree with my words, because he was sure it was steel. Then we studied it carefully but we never agreed. There was no seam mark on the cut out surface. The seam mark caused by casting work has been removed by filing carefully.
 
He said, "I believe this tsuba is steel, so please break it. If it can not break easily, please buy it."
I didn't want to break it to two pieces, so I settled it on the vice and punched the small part of it. A small amount of metal was broken off easily. It never bent. Finally we got the solution. It is very cast iron tsuba. It was so brittle.

 
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.
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