Design Questions for New Tsuba...

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have a few questions about a tsuba in my collection. Below are some photos I did over the weekend. The measurements of the tsuba are 7.6 by 8.2 cm. The thickness at the rim is 6.0 mm but is only about 3.0 mm at the seppa-dai. The rim shows a great amount of turn back causing it to have so much thickness. Two of the designs in gold inlay (kin nunome-zogan) are matsukawabishi (pine bark mon) and matsu (pine). What are the two other designs one on the omote and the other on the ura? Within these designs are star shaped geometric shapes each with six points. Overall the tsuba has a very strong Kyoto feel. The thin (relative to the rim) plate of the tsuba also show a interesting fine ishime-ji (石目地) texture made likely by a specialized chisel. I am not sure if you can see this on the low resolution of the photo I posted. The patina is a deep rich black which I think have been mixed with some black lacquer. Would love to hear others opinions of what the designs are and/or general feedback about the tsuba.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Grey Doffin]

Hi David,

When I had this tsuba those designs put me in mind of shoji in non rectangular window frames.

Grey

[Ian]

Hi David

 

Take a look

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18980/l ... ult%3Dgrid

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

Thanks for all of the helpful replies. Ian C. the link was really helpful as the tsuba does have some of the same designs done using a different style of inlay technique. I was also able to find a tsuba with similar designs done with the same style of inlay technique. Attached is the tsuba from the Token Bijutsu magzine issue number 634 tosogu number 1. It is a signed work of the Ko-Umetada artist Mitsutada. Notice some of the similar designs within the paper fans pictured.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Nobody]

This is my guess for the disign.

Temari (手毬 - Traditional Japanese handball) and Take-ami (竹網 - Bamboo net)

[Soshin]

Hi Moriyama-san,

 

Thank you. I think you are correct about what the designs are.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[MauroP]

Hi everybody,

I wish to post the pictures of two tsuba that show designs similar to the tsuba by David:

I think that those designs could be consistent with jigami (地紙), i.e. papers cut in a fan shape.

The fine texture made by a specialized chisel (which I can hardly appreciate from the pictures posted by David) can be probably described as keshō-tagane (化粧鏨).

Please take the above statements as a contribution to discussion, since I'm far from being an expert on tosōgu.

Bye, Mauro

[Soshin]

Hi Mauro,

 

I do see the similarities between my tsuba and the tsuba in the photos you posted in regards to the designs. In regards to keshō-tagane (化粧鏨) they are often found around the nakago-ana of a tsuba. They were sometimes very specific and could be used to identify artists that often didn't sign there work. Some of the different schools of tsuba makers in Higo Province were known to do this. Please see the following fine example posted on NMB: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/download/file.php?id=36961 of the Hirata school of Higo Province. The tsuba is mumei but the keshō-tagane (化粧鏨) show a very specific shape and pattern and the tsuba can be attributed to being the work of the 1st generation master Hirata Hikozo.

Because the chisel work is distributed around the surface of the tsuba where there isn't gold inlay I was using the Japanese term ishime-ji (石目地) to describe the surface which has a almost stone like appearance. Attached is link to a high resolution composite photo of my tsuba above.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[MauroP]

Hi David,

You are perfectly right about the function of keshō-tagane as a sort of signature, usually when the characteristic shaped marks are placed around the nakago-ana (Markus Sesko in his “Handbook of Sword Fittings related Terms”, p.33 call this occurrence kakushi-tagane i.e. “hidden chisel”). On the other hand simple chisel marks (i.e. without any characteristic shape) are probably better described as tagane-mei (鏨銘) if their disposition is peculiar of a particular artist.

In suggesting the term keshō-tagane (化粧鏨) I was thinking of a simple decoration like the image I’m posting here:

Bye, Mauro

[Soshin]

Hi David,

You are perfectly right about the function of keshō-tagane as a sort of signature, usually when the characteristic shaped marks are placed around the nakago-ana (Markus Sesko in his “Handbook of Sword Fittings related Terms”, p.33 call this occurrence kakushi-tagane i.e. “hidden chisel”). On the other hand simple chisel marks (i.e. without any characteristic shape) are probably better described as tagane-mei (鏨銘) if their disposition is peculiar of a particular artist.

 

Hi Mauro,

 

Yes I am very familiar with that book. I have my own copy and I often use it as it is a really helpful resource. Looking at tagane-mei (鏨銘) as you call this type of surface treatment is often found on Ko-Umetada and early Umetada school work. This along with great turn-black treatment of rim and quality of the kin nunome-zogan (gold inlay) makes me think this tsuba is a work of the Ko-Umetada school circa the Momoyama Period. Attached is another early Umetada tsuba I have with tagane-mei similar to iron nanako between the 16 petals of the chrysanthemum flower.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[MauroP]

Hi David,

I’m afraid my poor English is not good enough to make me understand properly.

Here is the way I see the different terms:

1 - keshō-tagane (化粧鏨) i.e. ornamental chisel marks (nanako-ji is just a particular kind of surface pattern obtained by keshō-tagane technique).

2 - kakushi-tagane (隠し鏨) i.e. keshō-tagane used as a sort of signature.

3 - tagane-ato ( 鏨跡) i.e. chisel marks made to fit a blade in nakago ana.

4 - tagane-mei (鏨銘) i.e. chisel marks non functional to shape the nakago ana, but used as a sort of signature.

Am I right?

Bye, Mauro

[Soshin]

Hi Mauro,

 

Well I think in both my tsuba cases the chisel marks are keshō-tagane (化粧鏨) and are decroative in nature. They are not specific to a specific artist and therefore would not be considered kakushi-tagane (隠し鏨) or tagane-mei (鏨銘). This type of tagane work on the surface is often found in Ko-Umetada and early Umetada school work.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles