1925 Japanese Mitsubishi Kobe Shipyard Imperial Navy Submarine Commemorative Tsuba

Description

11/5/26 - For sale is a 1925-dated Japanese commemorative tsuba from the Mitsubishi Kobe Shipyard, made for the shipyard's Imperial Japanese Navy submarine building. It comes with a handwritten note identifying it as Mitsubishi Kobe, dated Taisho 14 (1925), for Imperial Navy submarine construction. During the 1920s the Mitsubishi yard at Kobe became one of the Imperial Japanese Navy's principal submarine builders, and commemorative pieces like this were presented to officials and guests to mark launchings and milestones. Cast in brass in the form of a sword guard, the front is pierced and decorated with chrysanthemums, plum blossoms and other flowers, with a gilt finish on the raised details and an inset silver-toned panel, and the inscription around the central opening includes a plum blossom crest. The reverse carries the Mitsubishi three-diamond logo with an inscription naming the Kobe Mitsubishi Shipyard and the date. The brass shows an aged patina with some verdigris and spotting, mostly on the reverse.