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docliss

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  1. Is this not Tsukui YOSHIMUNE (H 11902.0), a student of Ono Yoshitoshi of the Tanaka school, and working in Edo in the second half of the C.19? John L.
  2. May we please have an update as to how Ford's project is progressing - there has been a sad dearth of news since its inception. John L.
  3. Thank you all for your help. Brian, I tried a rubbing, but the mei is too small and indistinct to leave a clear image. Kind regards, John L.
  4. Dear Piers, thank you so much for your help. I have tried several times, unsuccessfully, to get better images of the mei but, situated as it is on the curved edge of the netsuks, this is extraordinarily difficult. I have, however, attached an image of the plate. With your help, I believe that the mei may be TOKUOKI (H09786.0) tsukuru. Any further comments, please. John L.
  5. I should be most grateful for a translation of the three kanji mei on the attached rōgin kagamibuta. This was a part of lot no 79 in the first Peak sale, held on 12 Sept 1938, and was labelled ‘… shibuichi cased kagami-buta, the case decorated insects, iron disc raised and inlaid Buddha, signed Atsusada.’ I am uncertain about the reading of this mei, and have hesitantly accepted Peak’s translation of this. There is no record of such an artist in the literature, however, and I should be grateful for its confirmation. John L.
  6. Dear Markus, thank you so much for your erudite entry to this thread. And thank you also for resolving the Bamen Mura/Maruoka residential query. Kind regards, John L.
  7. Haynes, on p.2113 of his Index ..., disposes of the myth related to the literal translation of Bamen as 'horse face'. He states that the family name is derived from Bamen Mura, a village in Echizen where his family had lived for generations. There is nothing to support the contention that he once manufactured horse armour. John L.
  8. Dear Hamish, you appear to be basing your assessment of this artist's ability upon the fact that you were fortunate enough to obtain an example of his work at a knock-down price. I humbly suggest that you rejoice in your good fortune, and form an assessment of his artistic ability by the study of the numerous available examples of his work. John L.
  9. This is an opportunity to post an image of another tsuba by Bamen Tsunemasa (H 10825.0). This is a remarkable example, demonstrating extreme metalworking versatility in its creation, but possibly less practicality in its design. It comprises a hollow ring of beautifully, chocolate patinated iron, bisected by a narrow, circumferential aperture, within which are enclosed two metallic beads. An identical tsuba is illustrated on p.96 of Shibata Mitsuo's Tsuba Niūmon. John L.
  10. While I am reluctant to compromise the commitment to nihontō of the NMB, I feel that the study of kagamibuta netsuka (鏡蓋根付) should not go unrecognised by its members. These are defined as 'mirror-lid netsuke' - shaped like a manjū, but with a metal disc serving as a lid to a shallow bowl, usually of ivory. This disc is often highly decorated with a wide variety of metallurgical techniques which, with the exception of nanako, mirror those used in the construction of tosōgu. Some makers of sword furniture also utilised those same skills in making kagamibuta, and many reverted to this after the issue, in 1876, of the Haitōrei edict John L
  11. A sentoku plate, with gold, silver and shibuichi decoration, but where is the bronze? It's difficult to be certain without the tsuba 'in hand', though. John L.
  12. Has not Grev already correctly identified this tsuba as being the work of KATO TERUAKI (H.09546.0)? This artist, who used the go of Tokasanjin (?Tobusanjin), is very fully described and referenced on p. 1902 of Haynes' Index .... John L.
  13. Grev, regarding your Hikone-bori tsuba, that, surely, is an alternative, eight-stroke kanji for 'hiko', although I have been unable to confirm this in the books. John L.
  14. I agree completely with John Stuart. The workmanship is very crude, and lacks completely the delicacy of better Hikone-bori work. This deficiency is particularly noticeable in the lack of detail in the faces of the depicted figures. John L.
  15. Can one still edit a previous post in order to correct typos or errors? My apologies if I am being thick! John L.
  16. The term shiiremono is clearly defined in Tsuba: an Aesthetic Study as follows: '"ready-made article." When applied to tsuba this term applies to ready-made or mass produced work of the late Edō age, but may also be applied to mass production pieces of earlier ages. Much SHIIREMONO was made to be sold to foreigners.' But the terms iebori and machibori are much more confusing. My own interpretation of these two words has always been '(lit. "family carving" or "house carving"): sword-fittings makers under the patronage of the shōgunate or of a daimyō'; and '(lit. "street carvers" or "town carvers"): sword-fittings makers who worked from studios in the towns, and were thus unprotected from normal trade pressures' respectively. Nihon Tō Kōza confuses the issue by a completely different definition of the latter two terms, although he appears to agree with the first. Thus iebori become '... refers to Gotō artisans and their works'; and machibori '... kinkō other than members of the Gotō lines'. Clearly, machibori can also be shiiremono, and vice versa. But what are the correct interpretations of these three, commonly used terms? John L.
  17. Thank you Brian for all your hard work with NMB; it is very much appreciated. John L.
  18. Just to finalise this thread, I note that Alex's posted tsuba has an NBTHK Hozon paper certifying it as "(梅)忠 (Ume)Tada" work. John L.
  19. That is a truly lovely tsuba, with the studied simplicity of the moon complementing beautifully the overall tranquility of the scene. Yes please .... John L.
  20. Here is a second, masterful tsuba inscribed BAMEN TSUNEMASA with kao. Measuring 8.0cm - 8.0cm, it demonstrates extreme metalworking versatility - but possibly less practicality - in its design. It comprises a hollow ring of beautifully patinated, dark brown iron with a narrow, circumferential aperture. Within this ring are enclosed a number of metal beads. It appears, remarkably, to have been forged from a single piece of iron. Tsunemasa is, of course, renowned mainly for his work in negative silhouette. An identical tsuba is illustrated on p.96 of Shibata Mitsuo's Tsuba Nyumon (1968). It would be interesting to hear Ford's comments upon the creation of this piece. John L.
  21. In order to restore the continuity of this thread, here are two more pieces, purportedly by Hosono Masamori. The tsuba, ex the Naunton collection, is of a chocolate-brown shibuichi and measures 6.6 - 5.8 cm. It is inscribed on the omote surface, HOSONO SOZAEMON MASAMORI with kao, using the seven-stroke kanji for 'Masa', and depicts a rice growing scene in the kebori-zōgan typical of this artist's work. The kodzuka, ex the Ransom and Hitchen collections, is also of chocolate-brown shibuichi, and is inscribed HOSONO SOZAEMON HORU KORE. It depicts a water scene in which two straw-hatted figures tow a boat with five seated passengers. This kebori-zōgan work is rather less detailed than is usual for this artist. Haynes, on pp.900-901 of his Index ..., suggests that this artist 'must have had many students and assistants to produce the quantity of material still extant', all of whom signed with the master's (masters') name. This, together with the wide variation in quality and in mei, and the use of both five- and seven-stroke 'Masa' kanji, makes a second artist of this name at least a possibility. John L.
  22. Ford, Geraint, Bazza and John; many thanks for your interesting contributions to this thread. They are much appreciated. John L.
  23. Ford, thank you for your detailed reply to my cry for clarification. Are we then to accept that the 'plethora of cast fakes' that you describe is entirely of late 20th century production? Personally, I find this rather surprising. I have read somewhere - unfortunately I do not have the reference - that better quality castings were facilitated by the use of steam; this was achieved by the application, under pressure, of wet pads to the molten casting. Your comments please. Kind regards, John L.
  24. Ford, please excuse me if I now express my confusion over the subject of cast Namban tsuba, It was you who raised the subject of a 'plethora of cast fakes'. You then produced support for the opinion that the technology for producing complex iron castings such as Namban tsuba did not exist in Edo Japan. When, then, was this 'plethora' produced if not, as I suggested, during the 19th century? Please ease me in my confusion. John L.
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