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Show Us Your High Class Tosogu


Alex A

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This is Sano Naonubu who was very rare but pretty skilled. Not a grand master. This is telling the story of the mother scaring the shishi cubs off of the cliff and making them fall. The menuki are the falling shishi. You can see who the mother is because the cub is terrified of her. Only the strong survive.

 

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Steel tsuba. 8.9cm.  Uchikaeshi mimi.  Otafuku-mokkogata.  Owari Province.  Momoyama Period. 

 

Interesting tsuba:  though it has both NTHK papers and a shumei to Sadahiro (referring, I believe, to Owari Sadahiro, Keicho era, Momoyama Period), there is, on the left side of the seppa-dai on the omote, the remnant mei of the nidai Nobuiye.  It has been abraded significantly, to the point that, in most light and in most angles of light, it is gone.  But in the right light, at the right angle, the characteristics strokes forming the "Futoji-mei" Nobuiye (nidai) signature can be seen.  It is, unfortunately, extremely difficult to capture this "ghost mei" in photos. 

 

 

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OK -- here's a little something. I happen to really like Sanbaso theme so here are a pair of Sanbaso menuki:

 

I love the paper - Goto. Really? No kidding. Anyway, I really don't know which generation but not one of the first five, at least not to my eye.

Here's my generic Goto Sanbaso - mounted on an aikuchi tanto koshirae (about 3cm each) - the detail is really incredible!

 

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No guessers, so the makers on the Mitokoromono are in order, Ko-Goto, Ko-Mino and Waki Goto (I kind of think that is a bit conservative, I saw an almost identical Kogai made by Goto Renjo to this kozuka). This isn't papered but is in the Fittings Museum book if any of you have the book.

 

The birds are Yurakusai Sekibun and signed. Hard to photograph due to the colors, should be put on white to show properly but it's kind of dramatic like this. They have a very beautiful lustre.

 

The Kozuka is Ko-Mino. I did a trawl through the Juyo some time after I got it and there is a nearly identical one that is Juyo. It's nice to see because there is some complaining about the papering process but this shows some consistency at least in attribution. Fun to photograph kodogu because it's so much less work than swords.

 

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Fun to photograph kodogu because it's so much less work than swords.

 

 

 

Funny, after spending several days working on getting a particular piece/set of kodogu to look right/their best I sometimes say that about swords :-)

 

Best,

 

rkg

(Richard George)

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I don't really have any pieces that compare to these/are at this level, but how 'bout this - ezo kanagu (they're huge so I doubt they were menuki) not early-early, but not edo period umetada utushi either:

 

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Best,

 

rkg

(Richard George)

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Darcy,

In some ways, yours looks more refined than the published one. Maybe a bit later too?

There appears to be more attention to detail. Beautiful.

 

 

The Juyo one is Muromachi I think, they put end of Muromachi as the earliest and Momoyama as the latest on its date. They use 1576 for the border between the two. Mine is Momoyama so is coming along a bit later, working off the same design clearly. The Juyo one has matching menuki, mine has not. Sadly. 

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Agree with that Darcy's 'Momoyama' one is better condition than the Juyo one.

I tend to avoid mythological themes and creatures, but that is a Dhamn fine one.

 

To keep this thread going:

   Higo tsuba by Kohrin.

According to one Japanese source, there are only 25 to 30 supposedly in existence. 

I've seen 2 at the DTI, this dealer has 2 out of somewhere:  http://www.t-touken.com/archives/4856, and another list member owns one. Plus those in Ito-san's book or possession and the Higo Kinko Taikan, I have record of about 17 of the supposed 25 to 30.

 

He was known for inlay work.

All that gold is not applied, but inlaid.

The one belonging to another NMB member has multiple silver moons inlaid and shakudo trees along the ridges of a mountainside.

---->  Often they are unsigned, but have a distinctive rope mimi- usually done in shakudo.

---->  Design elements used by the artist:   silver moons, grasses that travel across the seppa dai of the tsuba, distinct shape, lack of humans in what is usually a contemplative scene.

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The kozuka belonging to Gordon above appears to be ex Wilson collection that was published in one of the KTK catalogues.  Glad to see it surface again.  If you have time Gordon, I would love to see the papers.

Lacquer seems to be poorly misrepresented in this thread so to rectify that here is something else from the Wilson collection:

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As soon as they are translated. I have been told they would be ready today :-)

 

Do you have a scan of the catalogue you mention?

 

The kozuka belonging to Gordon above appears to be ex Wilson collection that was published in one of the KTK catalogues. Glad to see it surface again. If you have time Gordon, I would love to see the papers.

Lacquer seems to be poorly misrepresented in this thread so to rectify that here is something else from the Wilson collection:

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The kozuka belonging to Gordon above appears to be ex Wilson collection that was published in one of the KTK catalogues.

 

I always liked that kozuka, and still remember when you bought it (with a little nudging from me ;-) ).

 

Lacquer seems to be poorly misrepresented in this thread so to rectify that here is something else from the Wilson collection:

 

The day will come when I finally break your resistance / refusal to sell this koshirae to me. Consider this a threat. :laughing:

 

Btw: "The Wilson Collection" - I really like the nice, almost royal ring it has to it! :thumbsup:

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