A Modern Kachûshi Tsuba
By Jim Kurrasch
from the May 1999 Nanka Token Kai Newsletter
This is a modern example of kachûshi tsûba made by Yoshindo Yoshihara. There are sukashi of sakura – cherry blossoms with a gourd. The signature was made using a gold Kaô on the seppa dai. It is 3 7/8ths. inches – 9.8 cm. across with a mimi – rim of 1/8 inch – 0.2 cm. thick. The web is 0.059 inches – 1.4 mm.
Without a doubt the most interesting part of this tsûba is the mimi. These are known to be hollow on kachûshi tsûba. However just how this is done tends to unknown. I own a early Edo katchûshi tsûba that I have tried to clean the mimi enough to see. However once I knew I checked it out and everything matched.
Various books show one method or another. Yoshindo said that this is due to the writers never having made them. So their knowledge is very limited. However he assured me that this was made in the correct way.
How this mimi is formed is something like the top of a question mark = ?. The edge is pounded out to one side. Then up and finally around until it touches the opposite side.
