TETSUGENDO

Ray, Ah that's better, fine example of Meiji ivory carving. You are fortunate to live in a climate that's kind to ivory, no doubt why the condition is so good. 99% of blades in this style koshirae are nonsense, any possibility yours is part of that 1% exception? Cheers, -S-

Dave, They are often different to varying degrees, nothing unusual. -S-

Malcolm, Great links-Thank You, and thanks for bringing the omission of Chamberlain to my attention. Much of the work of Hearn, Mitford, and Chamberlain is availble on Google Play, many ebook versions are FREE. Do take a look! -S-

Curran, I think Dojikiri was referring to design not maker, Horai pieces don't generally exhibit the degree of modelling present in Jean's tsuba. That Chosu group is a possibility, I believe, there are the rare exemples with rounded rim and those that are completely modelled. Hizen is possible as well....Will see. -Cheers,

If this subject matter interests you look into the books of Lafcadio Hearn and A.B.Mitford. The are filled with fantastic stories of the supernatural and classic folktales, all presented with considerable style and charm. -S-

Very elegant koshirae in fine condition Peter. I'm with Jean......some photos of the blade would complete the beautiful picture! -S-

That's great Ray, Ah, now I see it peeking out shyly, something this nice deserves a full display......Don't you think? Cheers, -S-

Certainly not the same old boring thing, this is an odd one, it almost has a slight "late Gothic" flavor. But seriously, a quirky Chosu maker is not an impossibility. -S-

Kyle, Katakiri-bori subject matter finds its influences from many sources, Itcho being a major one. You are correct about the importance of identifying source material, a familiarity with the Japanese visual arts is crucial to the understanding of tosogu on all levels, without it you are seeing with one eye. BTW, don't get hung up on "originality" as, in many ways, western constructs do not apply here. Cheers, -S- p.s.-considering the kao (see the two posts prior to yours), Furukawa is not a horse in this race.

Thanks George, I agree, as I have intimated my feeling is that although the work is quite fine it falls short of the exalted level of Soyo II. I, after some protracted searching, have been unable to find an exact match to the kao. And yes, subsequent kao's do follow a variation on a theme format. Putting notice in the translation section is an excellent idea, meanwhile I'll keep looking. -S-

Very nice quality Meiji export work, not the common stuff. As Stephen noted, beautiful dragons indeed! Do you have the Saya? Cheers, -S-

Kyle, Since you have the choice seat in the theatre lets go with your impressions, I am disadvantaged by a one-dimentional view. Katakiri-bori is best seen in hand! The draftsmanship, fluidity and calligraphic line all speak well, what's missing for me is a certain vigor I would expect of the best work....a direct observation may add the missing element. One convincing passage of the piece is the scene of the two Yokai which exhibit an understanding of the quirkiness of Itcho's style. Do let us know what you discover. -S- p.s.-Yes, George should voice his feelings. As far as Soyo, I said "possible" the abbreviated Kao is theorized by some to apply...again I can't confirm this.

Kyle, I believe the Kao on your tsuba is a possible variant used by Yokoya Soyo, third master of the school, I have not been able to confirm this. Now all you have to do is ascertain the particulars. -S p.s- My personal impression is that the work does not rise to an exaulted level, very nice but not top range. At worst you have a very attractive piece of uncertain origin, on the up side there is the possibility of its being something better. Best of luck!

Echizen Kinai? -S-

Perfect! -S-

Definately two Oni, I stopped by earlier but did not interject as I knew you fellows would sort things out! As for origin it may well be later Yokoya school work. Do keep in mind though that during the last third of the 19th century the Mito produced many works in the style of other schools. -S-

Beautiful things all! I remember seeing an excellent NHK program on the Mingei movement, perhaps its availble for viewing. Shoji Hamada's luminary status is well established, his works are highly desired, anyone with the good fortune of ownership can relax and.enjoy the comfortable glow while congratulating themeselves on their cleverness. -S-

Hi Alton, Looks interesting but more or less beyond me. Piers and Anthony are extremely knowledgeable and should be able to guide you in the right direction. I do know quite a bit about netsuke, the few real miniature gun netsuke I have seen were smaller and very finely made, most of the ones about are fake. As to the exact function of your piece, I'll leave to someone who knows. Cheers, -S- p.s.- BTW, there are collectors for just about anything.

Peter, Been watching his progress for a while, beautiful work that will only get better. He is an artist worth keeping on the radar, can not wait to see what comes next. -S-

Ko Shoami is becoming a curiously popular new catch-all! Why not, if it good enough for........... -S-

I'll throw caution to the wind. Nishigaki? -S-

Thank you Morita San, Yoshinori it is!, the work is an absolute match, now I've got some reading to do. Appreciatively, -S-

Hi George, I considered that possibility, it's a valid one. Honestly, the image quality leaves a lot to be desired, I can see both crabs in a cluster and a centipede. Both associations are commonly depicted. -S-

Thank you Steve! -S-

The design is obviously a reference to the Heike Monogatari, Bishamon and Heike crab. The piece is signed, so there's that ,but there was no notation of the photos origin. -S-