Yama Kichi Bei Tsuba

[pcfarrar]

Anyone have any thoughts on this tsuba. It belongs to a friend who got it recently on a bizen wakizashi he purchased.

 

I wondered if this was a late edo piece or perhaps earlier?

 

It has nice tekkotsu on the rim.

 

 

7.5cm

0.3cm thickness

 

[Rich S]

Peter -

 

As you know Yamakichibei are among the most copied or

forged tsuba. I suspect that this is more likely the work

of one of the two generations of Norisuke, late Edo period.

He is known to have done LOTS of tsuba and signed

Yama....

 

Rich S

[Pete Klein]

I think your friend hit pay dirt. This very well may be a 'Sakura' Yama Kichi Bei. From Haynes, "this artist often used a hot stamp in the form of a cherry bloom, following his signature. Thus he is known as Sakura Yamakichibei. In the past he was said to be the "third" Yamakichibei, but he seems to have been a student of the school who was not directly related to the second Yamakichi, either as student or as a relative. There are no known copies of the work of this artist, but examples are rare.

Below is a scan from Wakayama II, pg. 296, which is extremely close to the one above, and you can see the interlocked circles motif around the mei. I would definitely send this for shinsa.

 

Mei: Owari in Settsu, Yamakichibei

(died ~1700).

[Rich S]

Pete may well be correct. I didn't notice the sakura

when I first looked at the tsuba. Definitely worth

more research. I don't recall Norisuke using the

sakura. At least I've never seen one.

 

Rich S

[Rich T]

It looks pretty good, I agree on sending it for shinsa. Just to be specific, that mei should be read Bishû Yamakichibei, not Owari. Bishû of course being the colloquial reading of Owari.

尾州 - Bishû

 

Good detective work Pete.

 

cheers

 

Rich

[Pete Klein]

Yes, I made an error in transcription. 'Owari in Settsu' is from Haynes (actually it reads, 'Owari in Settsu Province') as to 'Where' he was located. I should have deleted 'mei' as it is quite obvious to all that two kanji do not equal three words.

Sorry for any confusion.

[pcfarrar]

Thanks everyone for your help. I passed all of the information on to the owner of the tsuba.