Namban Tsuba
DM030
An amusing little Namban tsuba, whose imagery looks Thai, not Japanese. A very heavy plate, with some gold accents, and shakudo sekigane. 7.24 cm x 6 cm x 5.3 mm. In reality, this tsuba is quite black, but the details are obscured when shot that way.
According to James McElhinney, who has made an extensive study of Namban, many were imports from SE Asia and India. He also feels that in addition to these being used as gifts, that doctors were a major audience for Namban works, as it associated them with the sophistication of Western medicine. $600