Kinko Tsuba

[christianmalterre]

Dear Gentlemen,

 

could need yours help- better explained, the help of Kinko collectors here....

attached pictures of a mei i sorrowly can not read.

who can help me in telling me the mei ?

 

when you do have it...could you please equally compare it with others (published in books) exemplaires of this artist ?

so to evaluate if the mei seems legit?

just hypothetical.

 

i do not collect me Kinko- so i equally do not have any reference books in this field.

 

thank you in advance!

 

Christian

 

[Thierry BERNARD]

Tetsugendō seishi (鉄元堂正示) ????

 

Tetsugendō shouraku (鉄元堂正楽)

[vajo]

I was total false...

 

Thierry you have it :-)

[christianmalterre]

Thank you Thierry ! this is very kind from you!

 

so does it seem legit?

the mei......the stilism?

 

attached a whole picture of this piece....

(i know! many do like such....as i but said- not mine time, not mine taste- so i definitely am depending on you guys from the "Kinko-Front")

 

Christian

 

 

[Greg F]

Very nice Tsuba Christian!!!

 

Greg

[Brian]

I don't think this is "Tetsugendo-good"
And are you sure it's kinko?

[christianmalterre]

here are some better pictures...

[Brian]

Isn't the base metal iron Christian?

[christianmalterre]

Yepp! Iron/Steel...there is some folding lines in the mimi.

this is but obviously visible... ?

[Brian]

But then this would not be considered Kinko? I assume that would come from the base metal being one of the other alloys.
Or am I incorrect? Ford?

[christianmalterre]

Ah! i see what puzzels you.

You are right of course Brian!

In "classical" sense- this is not a kinko tsuba.

it is a Tsuba which has to be grouped to the tetsu Tsuba.

 

but well, this is somehow obsolet due the massive aplication of "Kinkoism" for me.

least for me, a pure tetsu Sukashi Tsuba collector only.

 

do group it like you prefer....in "classical-schoolars" language, this is a tetsu Tsuba but.

 

Christian

[Brian]

Ah, I see!
My point was in reply to your comment: "i do not collect me Kinko- so i equally do not have any reference books in this field." but in fact a tsuba like this would not be found in the Kinko books, but in some of the other books on iron tsuba.
Just a small correction

[christianmalterre]

Laugh! mea culpa for throwing a certain confusion here!

You have to know that i only collect me early Sukashi Tsuba....

so these latter Edo period Tsuba are not in my personal interest and due such, i equally do not have this kind of literature-least i do not hold it.

Sorry again for confusion!

 

Christian

 

[vajo]

This tsuba fully hits my tastes 

[Guido]

In Japan, artists who produced sword fittings are traditionally divided into two categories: those who worked in iron (tankō  鐔工), and those who worked in soft metal (kinkō  金工). However, there is quite some overlapping, and artists who originally came from kinkō lines, or who put their focus on soft metal inlays and decorations on iron plates, are usually considered kinkō as well. Among those are Gotō Ichijō, the Tanaka school, Tsuchiya Yasuchika, the Hamano school, Kanō Natsuo, (all off of the back of my head) and, yes, sometimes even the Tetsugendō school.

 

And it was so high on my Christmas wish list to finally get some iron-clad rules regarding Japanese swords & fittings, but alas, Santa didn’t hear me …  

[Brian]

Guido, agreed. However this wasn't a generalization...but more about this particular tsuba. Would you call it kinko?
No..it isn't imperative that it is labelled, but let's at least see what the consensus is when describing it. I maintain it is gimei anyways..not quite up to the usual Tetsugendo quality. But I'm no tsuba expert, so looking for other opinions.
 

[vajo]

Is the mei gimei? Is there a reference tsuba?

[Brian]

Check typical Tetsugendo work, then make a decision..
https://www.scholarsresource.com/browse/artist/2142569284

[vajo]

Thanks Brian. The Tsuba is not a Tetsugendo work. The mei looks complete different on a Tetsugendo Tsuba. I'm not sure now to read Tetsugendo on that Tsuba.

 

Its a iron Tsuba with Kinko elements. The design and motiv remember me on some Soten work.

 

Is the motiv Samurai Watanabe no Tsuna is fighting with the demon Ibaraki at the rashomon gate?

 

 

"Edo period
about 1680 (Enpô)
Artist Hishikawa Moronobu (Japanese, died 1694)" Museum of Fine Arts Boston