Kunimichi tsuba in Hawkshaw catalogue

[Ron STL]

G'day all -

 

I am researching a lovely kinko tsuba in my collection (attached) signed: Bushu ju Kunimichi saku. I believe this would be Haynes H.03613.0 from all indications. Haynes mentions an example of this fellows work shown in the Hawkshaw catalogue, p.161, #2073, illus. pl. XXXIII, p.60. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of this famous old catalogue. Any possibility one of you would have it and if so, if a scan of this Hawkshaw illustration might be available? There is a slight possibility that my tsuba is this same one, of course. This one came out of a large tsuba collection sold in Santiago, Chile about a decade ago. Thanks in advance...

Ron STL

[Akitombo]

Hi Ron

Here you go.

The write up is as follows:

 

2073. Sentoku,polished with raised oval rim, inlaid with clematis in shakudo and silver, the rim inlaid with karakusa shakudo. signed Fujiwara Kunimichi ?late xviii

 

Thats it.

Regards

David

[Ron STL]

Thanks David, that was fast. If you have a minute more, since you have the book in front of you, can you see how close the two mei compare, book illustration vs my posted photo?

Ron STL

[Akitombo]

Ron

The two on the left are close, the Hawkshaw is not the best pictures

I enclose scans from Joly's "Shosankenshu" 1963 Ed. (No.257) and Hara's "Die Meister" 1902, (page 59)

Hope this helps

Regards

David

[docliss]

Ron, thank you for posting the images of your very fine tsuba. It is, as you say, signed BUSHU (NO)JU KUNIMICHI SAKU, and is certainly the work of Fujiwara Kunimichi (H 03613.0). Although working in Bushū ca 1775-1800, the decoration makes one think of a later date.

 

In the K257 entry from Shōsankenshu, almost certainly taken from Hawkshaw’s tsuba, Joly notes ‘Jochiku inlay’. This is sumie-zōgan – a dark, shakudō hira-zōgan inlay on a light-coloured surface such as shibuichi or copper, which resembles ink painting and is present on the dote mimi of your tsuba.

 

I have been unable to find any other work by – or reference to – this artist, but your example of his work is quite unlike that which is normally accepted as Bushū. With its fine treatment of the soft-metal plate; its hira-zōgan decoration; its broad ryō-hitsu; and without its mei, it would probably be attributed to the Akita Shōami, Umetada or Murakami schools.

 

A beautiful tsuba….

 

John L.

[Ron STL]

Thanks for your comments, John. Before researching the maker of my tsuba my impression of it was something associated with Umetada group. Haynes mentions Kaga training (hirazogan) and I'll go with that call. Another reference, one I regret not buying when it was available early-on, was Kaga Taikan. It might be a good book to check for any reference to this Kunimichi. But of course if Haynes didn't come up with more references, most likely Hawkshaw is it. Always found this tsuba interesting in that it came from Santiago, Chile. That was a collection of over 700 tsuba! I managed to acquire a dozen or so before it all went to auction. My Santiago friend who was involved initially, said that one U.S. buyer bought it all.

 

Ron STL

[Michel D]

Hello every one,

 

but your example of his work is quite unlike that which is normally accepted as Bushū. With its fine treatment of the soft-metal plate; its hira-zōgan decoration; its broad ryō-hitsu; and without its mei, it would probably be attributed to the Akita Shōami, Umetada or Murakami schools.

 

You might be interested in these two tsuba by Bushsu Fujiwara Kunishige. (Haynes 03649.0, Kinko Meikan 108 c and 108d) While the later says this artist belonged to the Shoami School, the former writes "some say he was of the Shoami school but his style is closer to that of the Kaga or Umetada shool".

The first one has a wonderful greenish patina on the sentoku ji. I have lighted the color to get a better view. I must confess that I was surprised by a Bushu work when I got it, judjing a strong Kaga or Umetada influence in a classic Shoami rather massive mokko shape.

 

 

The second one (I regret to have not purchased it some years ago) is also rather massive but the inlay reminds inlay of the Umetada school with a feeling of sumiie (one can discuss Murakami influence style but I feel light to substantiate such a view

 

 

I just wonder if there is a link between this artist and Kunimichi. Just food for thought and looking forwards your comments

[Michel D]

Hello again,

 

Sorry, a misuse has prevented me from writing "Ron, beautiful tsuba", and John "thank you for your intersting comments"

[docliss]

Michael, two beautiful and very interesting tsuba. Thank you. John L.

[docliss]

These two Kuni - Nanigashira artists, both working in the province of Bushū in the eighteenth century, must surely be related in some way. That there should be two independent, Fujiwara artists in this Edo Itō dominated area at this time, both producing work quite unlike its Tokugawa Shōgunate - supported norm, is extremely improbable.

 

Haynes lists both of these artists. Fujiwara Kunimichi (H 03613.0) is described as working in Bushū ca 1775-1800, and as ‘seeming to be an artist with training in Kaga style inlay’. Fujiwara Kunishige (H 03649.0) is described as working in Bushū ca 1700; Haynes notes that, ‘although said to be of the Shōami school, his style is closer to that of a Kaga school, or the Umetada school’. A suggestion by Hara that this artist worked in Iyo province, on the Northwest coast of the island of Shikoku, has never been confirmed by a known mei.

 

The Iyo and the Shōami connections that have been variously mooted raise the possibility of an Iyo Shōami connection for these artists. Nihon Tō Kōza, on pp.83-4, lists the names of Iyo Shōami artists, and one of these, Kunizumi, is listed by Hayne as Kunisumi (H 03663.0), a member of the Fujiwara family and working circa 1775-1800. Is there a connection here, one wonders. The characteristics of Iyo Shōami work in these three tsuba, together with the wide, suhama-gata ryō-hitsu cause one’s suspicions of the Iyo Shōami group as a source of influence upon these Bushū tsuba to persist.

 

The impression of a Kaga influence also persists. The Koichi Kuninaga branch of the Kaga ha contains a large number of artists whose names commence with the kanji for ‘Kuni’, but there is no evidence that any of these left their home in the province of of Kaga in order to found a new school in Bushū.

 

No Umetada connection has been found.

 

In a vain attempt to trace a Fujiwara family line, I searched Haynes’ Index … for all of the family members who had ‘Kuni’ as the first kanji of their name. There were eight such artists, but only one, F. Kuniharu (H 03562.0), working in Bushū ca 1700, was ascribed a family relationship - in this case to F. Kunishige (H 03655.0), an artist described by Haynes as of the Bushu Kunihiro (H 03588.0) group. But this latter group is clearly quite distinct from the group under discussion here.

 

John L.