Shirogitsune

In Bengal there are tigers that haunt the shorelines and they are well known for being able to leap from the shore to a skiff fifty feet offshore. I imagine that this is generally true for all Southeast Asia, or was true wherever they still had tigers. But I do agree, this is the first tsuba I have seen depicting a tiger in the waves and I still hope to find a record of it in the literature somewhere.

Even when they are putatively real they are still not worth collecting. I was looking at one in the Minneapolis show in 2016 and Bill Rannow wisely pointed out that at best they were mass produced, hardly better than Hamamono, just flashier.

And if we’re going to talk about the tsuba we pine for, then the one I want is the deer and moon tsuba by Natsuo in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, even though the moon is on the Ura.

A soft metal piece I picked up at the Minneapolis show in 2016. The seller thought it was Mito but I believe it will eventually prove to be an Ono Kinko piece.

Another Mito piece, Moon and Crane above the waves, which I posted here a few years ago in a different discussion thread.

This Mito piece with the moon just peeking down on the rabbit in the garden is something I picked up a few years ago in lieu of being able to attend the San Francisco show.

I’ve actually put this Kaneiye tribute piece up on eBay but probably priced it out of treasure hunters’ interest range.

In both Mito and Den Kaneiye the moon is a prominent subject. I have a few. My favorite came back from Japan via Dick Dodge through Elliott and Bob Haynes.

It’s a superb piece. I particularly like the way in which it combines traditional Bushi and Kinko aesthetics. In a world full of dragon tsuba this one really stands out!

Thanks. Any comparison images would be appreciated as there really aren’t enough out there.

I recently acquired a very fine tsuba from Japan signed Sekijoken Oyama Motozane. I was wondering if anyone had seen this piece before or if it had been published anywhere. Shirogitsune

This is absolutely devastating news. It was only a short time ago that I was emailing Darcy congratulations on his fiftieth birthday and we were reminiscing about when he was the “kid” that most dealers didn’t yet know and were wary of showing their Juyo to. His knowledge and taste were impeccable and his loss is irreplaceable. I’m fortunate enough to have gotten my wife’s engagement ring stone from him and his memory will always be cherished in our hearts.

Inconceivable!

Very similar indeed. Have you discovered any provenance on your piece?

Does anyone recognize this Tsuba? I believe I saw it in a catalog in the 1980’s. I’m trying to track down provenance on the piece, which I believe to be first half of Edo period, Mito School. (It posted twice without pictures because I lost my connection. I finally had to pull out my computer and stop trying to post from my phone).