Shingen tsuba signed "Ieharu", it seems that there is also a first part of signature on the right side of seppa dai however I can't read it. There was a Ieharu from Saotome School, however the signature on tsuba is so faint that it seems impossible to use it for comparison.
According to some stories this type of tsuba became popular because of famous Muromachi period daimyo Takeda Shingen. It is said that before battles he braided the wire on iron tsuba himself.
Most Shingen style tsuba are iron plates with inlaid brass and copper wire, however this type does not really correspond with the stories. Here is a rare example of iron tsuba with braided brass and copper wire. Insides are filled and painted with black urushi.
Based on visible iron elements I would say that it was made in 17th or 18th century.
Size: 64 mm x 56 mm
