Bob M.

Re. Item No. 278

Or perhaps a Portugese ?

Item No. 278   Iron Tsuba with shakudo , gold and copper    7.51 cm x 7.16 cm x 0.54 cm

Subject of a European, possibly a Dutchman , with his matchlock gun and hunting dog ( definitely a male ). Signed Toshinaga with kao, early 1700's.

A foreign devil caricature of a huntsman wearing his best outfit and generally lording it about with the assistance of his canine companion.

Early Nara school piece in good original condition.

Ex. Roland Hartman collection

Ex. Edward Wrangham collection

Re Item No. 277

Papers / Hakogaki ( outside of lid ) / Hakogaki ( inside of lid ) as promised...

Thanks !

Hi Steve ,

I will try to take some pictures and post them on the board in the next few days.

Regards

Item No. 277   Iron Tsuba with sahari and gold    8.24 cm x 7.77 cm x 0.45 cm

Subject of a basket weave fence in front of Holly branches. Can anyone identify the inlaid characters at 11 o'clock ?

This tsuba by Teiei ( Kunitomo / Hazama Group Artists ) dating from late 17th/early 18th cent.

In very good condition for a piece 300 year old plus.

With inscription by Kanichi Sato ( Kanzan ) on box.

NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papered.

Re Item No. 276

A few extra pics to give a better idea of the texturing etc.

Thanks, everyone for your interest !

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the examples , there looks to be a fair degree of similarity - one for the shinsa I suspect.

Regards

Item No. 276   Tsuba in sentoku with shibuichi and gold   7.95 cm x 6.96 cm x 0.28 cm

Subject of snails signed Otsuryuken Shozui ( 1696 - 1769 ). Therefore dates to approx middle 18th cent.

Unusual subject matter purportedly by the student of Toshinaga and founder of Hamano school.

Can anyone give an opinion on this or possibly look in Wakayama or Haynes ?

Delicate and subtle engraving and carving work to both sides with gold inlaid feelers ( horns ) and slime trails . The textures of the stone lantern on the reverse are also worthy of mention.

I will try to take some better pictures and post in the next few days .

Item No.  275   Tsuba in shibuichi with shakudo and gold and silver details   5.02 cm x 4.08 cm x 0.38 cm

Subject of leaping carp with water plants. Signed Tsuchiya Takachika with kakihan , and dated - a day in the tenth month , in the year of Kanoto-tori. ie. Bunkyo 1 1861

Smallest tsuba in the collection , showing good workmanship , as one would anticipate from a student of Tsuchiya Yasuchika .

The treatment of the water weeds and the Lotus flower are matched by the intricate modelling of the leaping carp in shakudo - a model of persistence and therefore much admired.

My thanks to George Miller for his invaluable assistance on this piece.

Item No. 274   A Kozuka in shibuichi with gold, silver and shakudo

Subject of Onna San no Miya ( the Third Princess ) and Prince Genji's wife. Carved by Hamano Teruchika at the turn of 18/19th cents.

As expected , a finely detailed and inlaid piece depicting the moment when the princess's cat escapes onto the balcony .

Kashiwagi then gets a brief view of the princess as she tries to retrieve her pet and falls in love with her.

Item No. 273   Fuchi-gashira in shibuichi with gold detailing.

Subject of flying ho-o bird with a kiri branch , signed Joi.

Carved and inlaid with a fine ishime ground.

Painstaking detailing appears on all the feathers of the bird with delicate gold inlays.

Looking deceptively simple ,once again , workmanship that only fully reveals itself in hand and under magnification .

Provenence -

Ex T. B. Blow collection

Ex T. B. Kitson collection 

Item No. 272   Silvered iron with gold and silver   7.12 cm x 6.91 cm x 0.41 cm

Subject of flowers and leaves by Sunagawa Masayoshi , 3rd generation Sunagawa school , early 19th cent.

Is there a gardener / botanist out there who can identify the subject of this piece ? As far as I can see it could be an Orchid or possibly an Iris or a Lily.

There is a lot of dirt obscuring detail on this - I think a good soaking in a detergent solution is called for , see if any of the grime will lift.

Item No.  271  Tsuba in iron with gold and silver/shibuichi  7.08 cm x 6.45 cm x 0.50 cm

Subject of Shoki and Oni  unsigned , design after Toshinaga.

A determined looking Shoki in pursuit of a realistic, powerfully muscled oni . Good detailing throughout with a micro nanako ground to half of the tsuba - not easy to do on iron.

Although without signature , papers or provenance , one of my favourite pieces , acquired nearly twenty years ago off ebay , before the Chinese fakes started to appear . Difficult to assess age , but possibly about 150 years old . 

Has been mounted at least once.

Item No. 270   Iron tsuba with ( single ) gold detail  7.00 cm x 6.68 cm x 0.43 cm

Subject of a horse , its head raised towards a stream and hills in the distance as depicted on the rear. Mito School , 19th cent. , by Hagiya Katsuhira & kao

Superior workmanship , shown off in the hand , far better than in photographs , with many subtle, raised details to give a three dimensional effect . In fact the horse appears to be looking back towards the viewer , just before galloping away.

Provenence-

W. W. Winkworth collection

Edward Wrangham collection

Item No. 269   Mokkogata Tsuba in Iron with gold , shibuichi and silver    8.94 cm x 8.36 cm x 0.35 cm

Subject of pigeons feeding . Unsigned , attributed to Kawarabayashui Hidekuni 1825 - 1891 ( adopted son of Hideoki ).

Unusual theme from an artist of the famed Otsuki school - nicely portrayed - those pigeons have Attitude . As usual , the piece looks far better in the hand with carefully worked details becoming apparent.

Haynes ref. H01054.0

NBTHK papered

Hi Barry ,

Thanks for your comments and support .

There are another four Ford pieces ( tsuba ) to go over the coming months .

When the thread is finished , we can then start on groupings of fittings by maker , subject , age , etc etc  .  Please let me know what you would like to see ( if anything ) - this should be better for making comparisons / study .

Regards

Item No. 268  Pair of menuki in solid gold.

Subject of Sakura blossom ,  modern made by Ford Hallam about 12 years ago.

The subject and quality speaks for itself .

Item No. 267   Tsuba in shakudo or dark shibuichi  7.71 cm x 7.50 cm x 0.42 cm

Theme of tigers and bamboo by Ishiyama Mototada , Kyoto 1669 - 1734 . ( Haynes 05940.0 )

Son of a court noble , Ishiyama Motoaki , he inherited the title after his father's death and often stated this on his work .

He was a student of Yokoya  and Goto schools .

Nice , early ( ish ) Katakiri work .

Scratches on the reverse around the seppa dai are what happens when the sender ignores a request to separately wrap the tsuba and not send it in its box.

NBTHK papered.

As previously mentioned , this is the first new posting intended to compliment the existing ' A series of fittings ( or how not to build a collection )' thread.

I will start as I mean to carry on with -

Item No. 266  A brass ( sentoku ) tsuba with gold   7.38 cm x 6.82 cm x 0.41 cm  

Subject of monkeys , signed and inscribed ' Hizen Yagami ju Mitsuhiro saku , motte sentoku kin kore wo tsukuru '  late 18th/early 19th cents.

A not uncommon subject , perhaps a little better carved than most.

Re. This Thread.

There are a total of 265 items posted to this thread and I have decided , after consultation , to stop posting any further pieces on it . ( Some items have a number and suffix , rather than their own unique number ).

The thread itself is becoming unwieldy and because of being pinned , although available as a reference , it is somewhat hidden and it is not always apparent if a new item or comment has been posted .

There are approx. forty more tosogu to be shown and they will appear under a new thread with the rather catchy name of ' A Series of Fittings Part II '. This will also be pinned upon completion ,

probably sometime next year.

I will start posting these in the next few days. 

The fittings comprise of a number of personal favourites together with a mixture of types , schools and ages and a few more possibly familiar pieces.

Could I please encourage everyone to comment or criticise - it really helps to keep the thread alive .

Thanks

Item No. 259   Tsuba in Sentoku wth silver , gold , shakudo and shibuichi   6.90 cm x 5.50 cm x 0.26 cm

Subject of autumnal scenes under a full moon . Signed Nagaharu - 3rd Generation Koichi  & Katsuo school ( Kaga ) late 17th cent.

The tsuba is in good condition for its age of nearly 350 years.

An interesting small ( wakizashi sized ) tsuba with an image of a stream running past bundles of firewood and an old pine tree . The scene continues on the other side with a few more bamboo leaves and two flying geese . The whole panorama is lit by a full moon shining through a gap in the clouds .

A quiet, contemplative , almost melancholic piece depicting the changing of the seasons .

Item No. 258   Copper Kozuka with gold and shibuichi

Subject of a cricket signed Yasuchika on one edge.

The Kozuka is carved with a background imitating a wooden log , the cricket in gold with a full moon rising behind grasses on the reverse.

Re Item no. 257

Slightly clearer images showing a bit more detail.

Item No. 257   Iron Tsuba with shibuichi , shakudo , silver , gold and copper   6.90 cm x 6.43 cm x 0.46 cm

Subject of Shoki and oni  , signed Toshinaga saku  - Nara school 18th cent.

A wakizashi sized tsuba with popular theme of the demon queller and his adversary . Shoki is striding purposely forward whilst on the reverse a fleeing oni is stealing a banner.

Both figures and the banner are beautifully detailed and reward a close look .

Provenence - ex Edward Wrangham collection.