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SalaMarcos

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Everything posted by SalaMarcos

  1. Well, if the tsuba can cover a "loose" cut, then its practical, other considerations is if it's comfortable to hold it in a sword or if can fitt well in any koshirae. I know I'm very weird, both here and in Japan, and such legends like Torigoye will hate me if was alive...but I think tsuba from Edo period (or even Momoyama) could consider a work of art independent from the nihontō, and could appreciate and delight like a painting. Also I must admit that I'm a kinkō lover, and an Edo period lover, as I'm also a Barroque lover regarding Western art.
  2. Dear friends, I hope you'll find interesting the following article I published last year and translated just yesterday. https://www.academia.edu/45515176/Study_on_the_monetary_value_of_Japanese_swords_and_their_fittings_during_the_Edo_period_1603_1868_
  3. Thank you Peter, I'm glad you like it. As you said, the difference between craft and art is a complicated question. For me, when you just copy without leaving any "fingerprint" you're a craftsman, then, when you think about composition, theme, chromatics...to create something new, not necessarily revolutionary, but with your own taste, then you become an artist.
  4. Dear friends, I hope you'll find interesting the following article I published last year and translated just yesterday. https://www.academia.edu/45515176/Study_on_the_monetary_value_of_Japanese_swords_and_their_fittings_during_the_Edo_period_1603_1868_
  5. Maybe Hirata or Shibata school. By the way, I really LOVE this set.
  6. Yes, since Nara jidai, it's called keshikomi zōgan, imported from China that was even centuries older.
  7. Thank you very much John for your post!! I will search more about Suzuki San Nagoya shop. I saw some of the tsuba you described in museums and Spanish collections and I listed as poor quality tsuba or shiiremono but I though it was from Yokohama docks and no idea about the shiiremono workshop in Nagoya. Later I will search and post the examples I saw. Again, thanks for the post.
  8. Dear John, thank you for all the information your collected over the years, and thank you again for showing us this beautiful tsuba. It was my plan travel to Japan in October, but due coronavirus it was cancelled. Maybe I will travel between February and April, and it's my plan visit again Ōkawa san, so I can ask him about this tsuba.
  9. Ikedo Minkoku was a great tsubakō, kinkō and ginkō formed in the Fine Arts University of Tōkyō where was taught by Unnō Shōmin, but after that he continued his formation with him at his atelier. The problem for Minkoku was the time where he lived, where tsuba orders were very few so, as many other artists, including Shōmin, he worked on incense pots, silver jars, tabakoire kagamibuta and so on. As Mr. Ōkawa told me, things were not easy as well for Minkoku student and Ōkawa san sensei, Ametani Yūmin, who mainly made rings, collars and obitori. Even Ōkawa san told me that, if you're not hired by a institution like Tōken Hakubutsukan or Bizen Hakubutsukan, is imposible to live as a tsubakō, so he also made jewelry till 50 years old. Congratulations about your tsuba. I think I saw time ago, in some auction a kagamibuta made by Minkoku and, regarding the piece, the price was so high, maybe because there is few works made and signed by him, do you're lucky.
  10. Happy New year of the ox! Maybe you've some tsuba or tōsōgu with an ox, I started this post showing this one made by the tsubakō/kinkō Ōkawa Chikō. Mr. Ōkawa was student of Ametani Yūmin, who was student of Ikedo Minkoku, who was student of Unnō Shōmin (in my opinion, the best tsubakō/kinkō of Meiji jidai). Mr. Ōkawa also studied under Itō Masayasu, 17th generation of Edo Itō school, from whom received the 18th generation under the name of Itō Masanori. Because this tsuba is not in the specific Edo Itō style, Mr. Ōkawa signed with his gō Tōhōsai Masami, as well signed Kanō Yoshinobu in honour of the painter who made the design. The tsuba is also based in one made by Yoshioka Inabanosuke in late Edo period. Take look of the detailed work of kebori for the ox hair, it remind me Durer rabbits. Now 12 years ago, this tsuba was selected by the Tōken Hakubutsukan contest, as well exhibited there. Mr. Ōkawa Chikō made tsuba for each animal of the year, and most of it was also selected by the Tōken Hakubutsukan. At his 75 years old he still works at his small atelier in Saitama, and presents tsuba each year in the contest.
  11. There are few points that start my alerts... First, the papers doesn't match with the tsuba, second, doesn't seem Heianjō work, third, there is many Christian tsuba, but never saw one so explicit like this. Even the confessed Christians tried to hide his condition, even before the banishment, I was at the kakure kirishitan Shimabara castle museum and never saw something like this. When they try to represent the Virgin Mary they did it with the image of Kanon. But the maybe the most important thing. At least in Spain, since some years, some people are buying old tsuba sometimes mei, sometimes mumei, without decoration, or with less decoration. Edo tsuba that you can find in a basket in Japan for less 10.000¥, and they bring it to Spain and with the help of silver worker and goldsmith's, they put Christian images and sell it like rare museum works for more than 800€. Also some of this people are taking blades forged in China and even Spain, mounted with this kind of old cheap Edo koshirae, use chemistry for imitate urushi, and finally sell it like original nihontō museum work, for more than 3000€ Even sometimes they buy tons of NTKK and NBHTK and sell it with the works even if don't match at all. For example, a paper of wakizashi for a Nihontō. I know that this is also working in Germany, where some people are posting Chinese blades with cheap Edo koshirae like a Nihontō. In this case they make false papers with nakago pictures of other swords. The piracy is going more "clever" and we need to stay alert.
  12. Seems not very old to me, I will suggest non particular school between Meiji and Shōwa. In the best case, could be some Asian export from XVIII century with some new adds like the udenuki ana. Except the zōgan party, I saw similar tsuba for IIWW wakizashi.
  13. SalaMarcos

    Tsuba i.d.

    Also seems cast, maybe not...but judging the mei and the pic... Hope not...
  14. Good news! I have printed the 1 & 2 books and I can't wait for read the next one's. Thank you again for your hard work!
  15. Saw ninja katanas known as shikoro gatana are a fake of XX century, like the 90% of the ninja stuff. Regarding tsuba, I suggest that the "saw shaped" tsuba or seppa, could be more related to a kiku shape, or in a second opinion a tokei shape, and in a third opinion a christian jesuitic anagram, but I don't think could exist such a "ninja seppa" as either don't exist a ninja tsuba.
  16. I saw that many of you consider this types of tantō yari or wakizashi yari as a self defense weapon. Besides, I allways pointed that this was a mere form of storage yari blades when was not suitable having long spears inside small Edo houses. Also a kind of "weapon" that could like a chōnin that has no intention to use but yes to "show" to prove his economical position. Of course it could be used as a weapon, and of course the "yari onna" existed as last chance for self defense, but specially in good blades and expensive koshirae I consider first the options of storage and dandysm.
  17. I think that asking a lot of people in this matter is not good idea, because each one is one kind of collector. There are collectors that search in the art market pieces that could increase the value, so they can sell again to earn money or just to have money to buy a better piece. Also there is romantic collectors that only search the patina of history, in the case of nihontō and tōsōgu, the ones used by Samurái un duels or battlefield. Also there is collectors that just like the pieces as any other art work. So they just search for quality and aesthetically taste. Of course there are many mixes between all this 3 kinds of collectors, but for example, I think you're type 2 and I'm type 3, so my suggest will be not valid for you.
  18. My guess is that if has a dai seppa, maybe could be Gôto work, but if its carved on the hira, I bet for Edo - Mino.
  19. Maybe I'm wrong, but do to one of the translations of den as "transmission" I think could be something like "school of.." or "atelier work", meaning that is a style of this school, but because it's imposible to determine the artist, you can mention only the style. Could be something like when we saw a Gôto kôgai that it's sure from Gôto style, but if it's not signed could be very difficult determine the artist that made it, so we say Gôto den.
  20. Here I found newly made habaki from the newly made works exhibition at Tôken Hakubutsukan last time I attend to this exhibition 2 years ago.
  21. In my modest opinion (as here posted really experts as Ford Hallam), I think it is part of the tôsôgu, or even the kodôgu 'cause is an small part. Of course I agree that the 80% of the cases (like the seppa as Ford said), it's a functional part with no decotarion and without an artisctic or aesthical background. But I think we must consider in the same group but not the same category due there are excellent examples, for example, i'm thinking in the Gôto Jûyô or koshi Jûyô types. To make an example on Western (Spanish) silverwork, in the Martinez or Arfe atelier you can find very decorated and artistic spoons as well simple and just practical ones. Both had the same mark of the atelier, but just the important ones had also the artist mark. So all silver spoons are under the same group as silverwork, but not the same category, depending its artistic and aesthetical work. For example, I took a picture of this habaki years ago in a Bizen Osafune Museum exhibition. The last habaki is from a private Spanish collection.
  22. Thank you all for your all the messages I received offering images from your own collection. You're the best!
  23. I have some pdf but in Spanish, if its ok, I can share.
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