Would anyone help with these tsuba queries

[kissakai]

A couple more queries I'd like help with

I know they should possibly been on the translation page but as I had a couple of other questions I added it to this page

 

Umetada mei = Masa or is it a kao

 

 

 

This was described as Seiriuken Yeijiu but I'm not convinced

 

 

 

Teruaki with kao

I found a reference to this mei and kao on the internet from a book called 'Japanese Sword mounts in 'Collections of Field Museum

The maker was around 1860 but not sure about a school

 

 

 

My Daisho

I bought this on Ebay a few weeks ago as I was drawn to the cloisonne work and it is a Daisho set

I presummed it was modern (around 1950)

I then saw this on the internet:

Aoi mon tsuba, Hirata, 19th century

Shakudo mumei Hirata shippo yaki Aoi-mon (Tokugawa family crest) motif, end of Edo period, 19th century

Aoi mon tsuba, Hirata, 19th century

Published in the book Tsuba – Japanese sword hanguard

Do you think this is right?

If it is then obviously better/older than I thought

 

 

 

Thanks

Grev UK

[docliss]

Dear Grev

 

The signature and seal on your Teruaki tauba are indeed illustrated on Pl.LXI, #12 of Helen Gunsaulus’ Japanese Sword-Mounts in the Collection of the Field Museum (1923). This illustration is cross-referenced to p.183 of the same publication, where it is attributed to Teruaki Tōkasanjin, but this is in error. This latter artist, Katō Teruaki, used completely different kanji for his mei, and both your tsuba and that illustrated in the above publication are by MIYAGAWA TERUAKI (H 09552.0), an artist working in Tōkyō ca 1850-1875.

 

Your second tsuba is not by Seiryuken Eiji; this artist also used a gold seal rather than a kao after his signature. But I leave it to one of our experts to interpret the mei - sorry ....

 

The kanji on the first tsuba is indeed MASA but, rather than being the initial kanji of an Umetada artist (eg. Masatoshi, Masashige) might it perhaps be instead the initial kanji of Shōami?

 

With kind regards, John L.

[kissakai]

Hi John

Thanks for the information - I will have to amend my records about this maker

I've looked the maker in Haynes and there is an additional ref

SCE W-306-U-4

I understand this is a reference but what does it reference to?

Only had my Haynes books for a few weeks so I only just learning how to use it

 

 

Grev UK

[docliss]

Grev, you will find in the front of your Haynes a list of all his various references. The Ws refer to the various Wakayama publications. John L.

[IanB]

Grev, As John will happily confirm I wouldn't know a tsuba from a dustbin lid, but the first tsuba looks to be signed Masatsugu 正次 to me. The second one is industrial strength sosho, but at least I know the kamon is Inaba family.

Ian Bottomley

[george trotter]

Grev,

your first tsuba seems to have the mei Masatsugu.

My Hara 1905 p.77 gives 9 makers of this mei so you will need to do research...maybe the knowledgeable can narrow this to a school/period?

Regards,

PS how about a pic of the other side of #3...looks really nice IMHO.

Edit to correct spelling.

[John A Stuart]

Could the kamon tsuba be 家凍 Iyeteru. I am sure of 凍 , but not the 家 ? John

[k morita]

#2 tsuba mei says "Kumagai Yoshitsugu +kao".

熊 谷 義 次

[Marius]

Grev,

 

can you post a pic of at least on of your daisho tsuba? The small picture you have posted tells me only that this seems to be a low quality item.

[docliss]

Thanks to Morita's expertise, we now know that the maker of this tsuba is listed as H 12262.0 in Haynes' Index .... John L.

[kissakai]

Thanks for all the replies which have been a great help

 

The front of No 3 as requested

 

 

 

Better image of the last tsuba

I'm sure this is a tourist piece of no great quality but still nice to look at

 

 

 

Grev UK

[Marius]

Grev,

 

not even a tourist piece. Looks more like made in China. But no reason to worry about, with the others being real :-)

[kissakai]

I hadn't thought of a Chinese copy but a good shout

 

 

Grev UK

[k morita]

#3 tsuba:

I don't know this artist.

The mei says " Tōka-sanjin " with inlaying stamp "Teruaki". 桃花山人 , テル明 .

Maybe Tōka-sanjin is his Go(pen name)(?).

[docliss]

Tōkasanjin is one of the gō of Katō Teruaki (H 09546.0). Oops! John L.

[k morita]

John san,

Sorry,I did not notice your upper posting.

You had already described as Tōka-sanjin.