G26

Fortunately, the University of Kansas Art library has the volumes and is not far from here. There don't seem to be many copies of the MCI publicly available in the US and Canada. I've attached the list of academic and museum library collections from the WorldCat.

Today I was able to consult the MCI, the Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum, and confirm that the signature is that of Chomin.

Thanks Jean. It's nice to hear that it could be earlier than the 19th century. I will look for examples from the Umetada school and see what I can find that's similar. I have only two tsuba so far. They were part of a collection that was donated to a museum in 1923 and deacquisitioned in 2017. I've wondered about them for a while and thought that it was time to learn more. I really appreciate the help.

Thanks Steven. In a way it's nice that the netsuke is something of a mystery. It will be interesting to see what I can discover. Glen

Thank you Jose. Is that the possible style or a possible technique? Do either of you know if there any way to date this piece approximately, or could it have been made anytime during the Edo period? Glen B.

Thank you Steve M. That helps a lot. Knowing that it's possible makes it worthwhile to try to track down an example. Thank you, too, StevenK. I have seen some examples by the Chomin that Davey lists with that signature, and they all seem to be ivory. It was suggested to me that I check Dieuwke Eijer's book Kagamibuta, since there is a Chomin mentioned there that might have been a metal worker. The person who made the suggestion posted the signature that Steve M. posted above. I don't know whether that's actually in the book though. If it is, then the problem may be solved. At least it is helpful to know that the signature on the netsuke could possibly be read as Chomin, since that seems to be the most promising line to follow for now. I've attached a photo of the netsuke. I the Davey book the closest kakihan that I could find is associated with Ono Ryomin. The signature of Ono Ryomin IV looks close to the signature on this netsuke, too (except that the Ono part is missing). All four of the Ono Ryomin's worked in ivory though, and I think that I need to find a metal worker.

Thank you Jose. That's very helpful. There's a strong resemblance, particularly to your first example. Thank you, too, for the description of technique. I feel that I understand this tsuba much better now. Glen B.

I may be able to provide a clearer image, though the inscription is tiny. Glen B.

The thickness is 3 mm. Glen B.

Thank you Jean. Glen B.

This signature and kakihan are on a kagamibuta netsuke. When I bought it, the suggested translation was Kamin, but I wasn't sure that was correct. A Japanese speaker thought the first character was cho, and I received a helpful suggestion in another forum that it the signature might be Chomin, who is recorded as having made kagamibuta. On the Nihinto Message Board there is a previous post (Minkoku/Shumin Tsuba) that mentions a Someya Chomin, father of Funakoshi Shunmin/Ikedo Minkoku, who made the tsuba. The kao illustrated there looks similar to the kakihan on the kagamiguta. The signature could be something else entirely, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

I would appreciate any information about style, age, and technique for this tsuba. Its dimensions are 7 x 6.8 x 3 cms. Thanks.

I would appreciate any information about this tsuba. Its dimensions are 7.6 x 8.1 cms and its thickness at the rim varies from 5 cms to 3 cms. The inserts in the ana are bamboo with the remains of red and gold lacquer on one side and the natural surface on the other. Has anyone seen bamboo inserts like these before? Were they likely to have been added well after the tsuba was made? Was the rim made by raising or was it left from carving away the surface? Does anyone know of a similar piece online or in a publication? I would be grateful to hear any thoughts about the age, style, and technique. Thanks.