Ko-kinko tsuba - what is this shape/profile called?

[growlingbear]

Hi all, hope you can help with my tsuba question.

 

This tsuba is deep brown and appears to be made of copper/yamagane, with wave carving in the centre and then inlaid silver patterns around the edge. I think it is attributed to ko-kinko, but would welcome any other opinions.

 

What I would like to know is what this type of shape/profile is called. Right at the edge is very thin, around 1.5mm and this then raises to around 3mm, and drops again to 1.5mm at the nakago ana where the waves are carved. It's very difficult to catch in a photo, and doesn't look like any of the examples in my books.

 

The overall tsuba is 6.4cm round. Any other comments welcome!

 

 

You can also see on this final photo there is some dirt/wax stuck in the wave carving. What (if any) is the best way to get this out? I have tried gentle washing in warm water, and this has got some of it out but I am reluctant to try anything else that might damage it.

 

Thanks,

 

James

[John A Stuart]

Maybe goishigata. John

[growlingbear]

Thanks John. I thought goishigata meant the while plate was convex? On this tsuba the centre where the waves are carved is almost dished in towards the nakago ana.

 

James

[Pete Klein]

It 'might' be considered 'Hotei Bara', protruding abdomen. Personally, I understand this sugata well...

[John A Stuart]

Don't we all at a certain age Pete. James, you are correct, but, I can't think of any other common usage descriptive term. John

[docliss]

Is not the 'dirt/wax' that you describe in fact remants of black lacquer? I should definitely refrain from any attempts at its removal.

 

John L.

[Soshin]

Hi James,

 

Nice ko-kinko tsuba.

[growlingbear]

Is not the 'dirt/wax' that you describe in fact remants of black lacquer? I should definitely refrain from any attempts at its removal.

 

Hi John,

 

Yes there is definitely black lacquer on the tsuba. This is what I don't want to damage - the dirt is the yellowish stuff in the last photo which looks like oxidised wax that has got stuck in the grooves.

 

Thanks for the help, I have found a couple of other examples of the same shape - this is a good photo showing a similar shape tsuba:

 

http://images1.bonhams.com/image?src=Im ... 1-33-1.jpg

 

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15678/lot/272/

 

James

[John A Stuart]

It is too bad the certificate is not illustrated as then we might see what the panel says about the kata. John

[Curran]

James,

 

That Hazama you linked to is very nice and very valuable. This shape seems to be popular there.

Yours is ko-kinko, but a very nice example that I think a bit elegant in how the ridge makes a bowl of the waves.

 

The wax/clay - Don't clean it. You'll regret it for a long time, if not handled right. It will stare out at you as a cleaned spot, unless done very minimally.

I sent you a PM about it, as I enjoy wave theme items.

Over the last two years, I have definitely learned the trials and pitfalls of trying to clean the waves. Careful....

[Ford Hallam]

A very appealing yet unusual tsuba I think.

 

If you look closely at the seppa-dai area it's clear that area was forged beyond the original finish as some of the hammer marks have flattened the edges of the wave pattern engraving.

 

I also get the impression the rim was also forged into it's present tapered form sometime after the tsuba was originally made. Perhaps to make the tsuba larger. That would make the silver wire inlay a later addition.

[Alex A]

Probably a silly question, why would someone go to the trouble of putting in silver inlay, only for it to be lacquered?, unless the silver inlay was not lacquered over?, just something that springs to mind when i see a decorated kokinko tsuba.

 

Alex.

[John A Stuart]

Ford brings up a valid and telling point. As we have seen time and again many tsuba have been modified to fit current models of the time. The outer tapered area of the tsuba does indeed seem at odds with the wave pattern area of the inner section. Too, the silver inlay at one point in history was popular and not at others. The fact illustrated with a tsuba I have where a later artist took a very nice kamakura tsuba and added silver inlay to meet the popular criteria. It detracts in my opinion, but, that may not be how contemporaries would have thought at the time. As to having lacquer, I wonder what it looked like originally when lacquered. We, now, always seem to see these tsuba in such a deteriorated state as to the lacquer it becomes hard to visualise how they were meant to look and can only surmise. John

[Alex A]

Now i see, cheers John.

 

Alex.

[growlingbear]

Thanks everyone for the interesting discussion.

 

Ford, I had wondered if the rim was a later addition - it certainly looks quite different in style from the waves. The silver inlay is pretty much completely intact, there is also the remnants of gold plating/inlay round the outside of the rim.

 

The lacquering is also interesting. It looks like the complete surface may have been lacquered at some point, you can see in the first photo the black lacquer that is over both the waves and the silver inlay so I think Alex raises a good point. I probably agree with John, it seems like the inlay was added (either to an older tsuba or by the original manufacturer), then the tsuba lacquered later in its life, and the lacquer finally worn off to leave it in its current state.

 

Anyway, glad it is of interest.

 

James

[runagmc]

I wonder if the lacquer was polished down at the time of manufacture to reveal the high spots from whatever is underneath (like the high points of the waves in this example). I'm thinking about the way they do on urushi-nuri-togi-dashi-same-koshirae. Just a thought as I know nothing about lacquered tsuba.