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AGE and SCHOOL of TSUBA


NihontoEurope

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John,

Perhaps....but enough for the new owner to seek out a professional (since I am assuming you would have to go out and find a metalworker) and then pay him to fill the ana? (Again...presuming this wouldn't have been a cheap or quick job back then)

Unlikely....but consider the (ludicrous?) idea that these were made with the ana already plugged, ready to be "popped out" as per the future owner's needs and koshirae specifications. ;) :crazy:

 

Brian

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Perhaps, Brian, not as 'ludicrous' as you suggest. One has seen a Namban tsuba with a single functional hitsu-ana, where the decorative undercutting included a solid rim for a second hitsu-ana, filled with a continuation of the openwork. If this second one was required, it could easily be created by the removal of its decorative filling.

 

John L.

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Henry, are the scans of the Mitsutada from an exhibition catalog? Also (to everyone), is there a specific reference on Kaneiye tsuba? (I've heard rumours of a "Kaneiye book"...)

 

My references are limited to the information in "Tsuba - An Aesthetic Study", a few photos in collection catalogs and what I've gleaned from this forum. Since I probably won't be handling a Kaneiye tsuba anytime soon, I'm interested in expanding my library in lieu of this. :P

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Dear everyone

 

The koshirae scans are from the Nezu Museum catalog.

http://www.nezu-muse.or.jp/en/exhibitions/index.html

 

The black and white pics are from the following book which can be bought at:

http://www.koshoyama.com/kinko.htm

24255 Kaneie Tsuba IKEDA 10,500 yen

 

The super colour pics are from this blog:

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/tsuba_001/m/201108

 

The write-up on Kaneie in "Tsuba: An aesthetic study" in my opinion is very good and well written and seems to remain pretty much unchallenged. (but I see Ford lurking :beer: )

 

As a note: For all of you tsuba collectors, if you really want to learn about iron tsuba, I would recommend a continuous study of Kaneie and Nobuie. If you can get a feel for the greatness of these two (4?), the understanding of all other iron tsuba will follow, in my opinion.

 

Concerning the hitsuana plugs. I think we need to ask if the hitsuana are original to the Kaneie tsuba or not. All Kaneie tsuba are uchigatana tsuba from late Murmocahi to Momoyama and at that time kozuka and kogai were part of the uchigatana koshirae.

 

I agree with John L. in that an unplugged mounted tsuba with no kogai / kozuka would not have been worn. If the holes serve no purpose, they would need to be plugged especially on top notch stuff owned by the high and mighty.

 

I think Brian raises an interesting theory that the plugs were made to be popped out if desired. What kind of kogai and kozuka would compliment a Kaneie? I think none so they remained plugged. What is interesting is that the material (shakudo) is used to fill the holes. This seems to be the most common material to plug Kaneie. However, in the Ikeda book there is a Kaneie plugged with lead I think. Pitch black shakudo does not blend with the colour of the tsuba steel, in pictures any way, and it will not gain a patina over time, unlike lead which at the time was quite a valuable metal I believe, before firearms took a firm grip in Japanese warfare.

 

I think the plugged holes were being highlighted with the shakudo and holes in tsuba were in vogue (cool) for the kind of people (Lords) who would get other people to fight for them. Just me thinking out loud as I think all this depends on if the hitsuana are original to the tsuba or not. :D

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To help, I thought I would post some gleanings on what I have learnt over the years or so from reading up on Kaneie texts. The main source is "Tsuba: An Aesthetic Study" and the information has been mostly paraphrased.

 

Kaneie

Work Dates

p.59 Late Muromachi to end of Momoyama

Kaneie I 1558 - 1592

Kaneie II 1573 - 1615

 

Work Style

p.57. His style closely resembles old Katchushi work with Heianjo zogan and Ko Shoami styles of inlay. His plate, forging and edge are pure Katchushi....

 

Lord

p.62. In 1592 Hideyoshi built a magnificent castle in Fukushimi. Which might explain why the first Kaneie worked there. [bTW 1592 above is mentioned as the date Kaneie I stopped working]

 

Influence

p.62 / 63. The two main schools of painting in Japan are the Kara-e (from China) and the Yamato-e (native Japanese). Sesshu and Unkoku belonged to the Kara-e school. The philosophy at this time was Confucianism. Buddhisim was weak. At this time we see a rise in Taoism and Christianity. The samurai was adherent to Zen and the Nichiren sect. There was a strong relationship between the dominat religion [HW note: which I deduce as being Confucianism and Taoism but are they religions?] and the Kara-e school of painting. This combined with the atmosphere of Fukushi formed the direction and style of the work of Kaneie, as it did for much of Momoyama art.

 

P56. Even though the the time he lived in was very troubled, he took inspiration from the religious atmosphere of his surroundings.....

We see none of the holocaust of his time in his work, only its strength and power.

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To follow a knowledgeable thread on Kaneie tsuba, can any of the members suggest a possible attribution for the attached mumei tsuba in the Kaneie style? Tsuba: An Aesthetic Study suggests that the better work of the Saga Kaneie school may be unsigned.

 

This tsuba is of a darkly patinated iron, with a tsushime ji and a sukinokashi mimi. It measures 8.3 – 7.7 – 0.3 cm, has beautifully proportioned ryō-hitsu, and nigurome sekigane in the nakago-hitsu. On the omote surface, the stern of a punt, rendered in high relief iron and with a gold T-pole, is moored amidst bamboo. There are low relief waves with gold drops of spray and, above, a silver moon shines over the twin peaks of a mountain range. The reverse is devoid of decoration apart from a continuation of the wave theme. The overall impression is one of peaceful tranquillity.

 

With thanks, John L.

post-64-14196811723264_thumb.jpg

post-64-1419681172405_thumb.jpg

post-64-14196811727036_thumb.jpg

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Thank you, Christian and Henry, for your input. In reply to Henry’s query, I am afraid that my photographs do not do justice to the tsuba’s patination, which is more like that seen in the edge-on view. But, sadly, I have to admit that it is a little dry. John L.

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