Hirata II tsuba (cloisonné on iron) - LARGE PICS WARNING

[Gabriel L]

I didn't expect to buy anything except perhaps a book at the Baltimore show, but I've always had a special weakness for Hirata school work, and Grey Doffin and Mark Jones were a pleasure to deal with. So I jumped on this small tsuba formerly of Skip Holbrook's collection. Skip's tag reads "Hirata II pine bark mon sukashi, sea life, shippo" and Grey had its measurements as 5.7 x 6.3 x .35 cm (it's travel-size, haha).

 

Anyway, I'm really taken with it, and as I said Grey and Mark were terrific to do business with. Many thanks!

 

In-hand, so you can get a sense of just how small is "small:"

 

 

And now for the macro photos:

 

 

 

Detail pics in the next post (otherwise I hit the photo limit).

[Gabriel L]

Most of the cloisonné details.

 

 

The gold inlay is extremely thin!

 

 

I always enjoy sea themes.

 

 

I'm not entirely sure what that last image is supposed to represent – a tadpole? Beautiful in any case.

 

Likewise this very small detail, no idea what this represents.

 

 

---

 

Anyway, this is now incentive for me to do a lot more research on the school, figure out more details about nidai Hirata and determine how Mr. Holbrook attributed it specifically to that maker. Hirata school didn't sign their work often, I have read because one was not supposed to sign work intended for the Shogunate family (and Hirata was directly commissioned by the Tokugawa).

 

Thanks for checking it out,

 

—Gabriel

[Henry Wilson]

Nice tsuba. Well done. I had been eyeballing it for a while but forgot about it. I am a bit surprised it took so long to sell. The 2013 KTK catalog has a very nice Hirata kanagu set belonging to Kenji Mishina that I was lucky enough to see and handle last year in Tokyo. The vivid colours of the enamel and the contrast it had with the black iron and gold inlay was extremely beautiful.

 

I like the simplicity of yours and the shape of the plate. Once again well done Gabriel.

[Baka Gaijin]

Good morning Gabriel,

 

Perhaps Nasu (Eggplant) & Myoga ( Japanese Ginger)

 

Cheers

[Gabriel L]

...I am a bit surprised it took so long to sell. ...I like the simplicity of yours and the shape of the plate. Once again well done Gabriel.

Thanks! Grey actually said the same thing, he was surprised they kept it for so long.

 

Perhaps Nasu (Eggplant) & Myoga ( Japanese Ginger)

Seems likely!

[runagmc]

Could the one you said you weren't sure about be a flower bud of some sort? Or was that the ginger?

 

Edit- Never mind, I googled it, and ginger it is, I think...

[Brian]

I see half an oyster shell....which ties in with the others. BUt whatever it is, it is a charming little tsuba. Nice one.

 

Brian

[runagmc]

The 'tadpole', I would think, is more like a melon or something...

[Lee Bray]

Eggplant, scallop, clam and ginger...it's a recipe on a tsuba...

[Gabriel L]

Eggplant, scallop, clam and ginger...it's a recipe on a tsuba...

 

I know there is a touch of humor to this suggestion, but I for one agree... it is some kind of dish. Not a dish I think I'd enjoy, but someone apparently did! :lol:

[Guido]

A nice Tsuba, but not Hirata IMO. The Hirata Shippô I've seen had the colors usually seperated by gold wire, the cloisonné is more glass-like (not dull) and without holes from uneven melting.

[Gabriel L]

A nice Tsuba, but not Hirata IMO. The Hirata Shippô I've seen had the colors usually seperated by gold wire, the cloisonné is more glass-like (not dull) and without holes from uneven melting.

 

Thanks very much for the honest opinion Guido. I did find the workmanship clearly distinct from the more masterful shippo seen on many known Hirata school fittings. It raised the question in my mind as to whether it could be a later-period Hirata-influenced piece (once the cloisonné technique was "out of the bag") rather than Hirata school proper.

 

While that would be mildly disappointing if true, on the other hand I recognized that it was not a high-end example when I bought it, and I paid what I thought it was worth simply for being an attractive tsuba with shippo. Part of the reason I posted it here was to hopefully spur discussion especially about the specific appraisal (why "Hirata II?") but I didn't want to poison the well so I'm glad someone else raised the question. Although I am not an expert in blades or fittings, I might say I am even less an expert in fittings than in blades so I do not have a good basis on which to make such a determination. This is another reason I am now interested in learning more about the school and representative / copied examples (even if it is not genuine Hirata, that makes it a good comparison example in my humble opinion).

 

Perhaps if someone has Skip Holbrook's contact info I can get his thoughts / notes on the piece... provided he remembers it well enough. Not to be challenging , just to see if he has any knowledge to offer.

 

In the meantime, thanks to everyone for contributing to the thread. More opinions & ideas are welcome!

[Guido]

Frankly, I don't get all that Holbrook hype. If you search NMB, you'll find quite a few examples where he was totally wrong. I never met the man, and for all I know he's a nice fellow who loves sword fittings, but I wouldn't consider him an authority on Tsuba. He also seems to have a tendency to "mess" with his Tsuba, they all have the same "patina" (at least judging from the pictures).

 

As to your Tsuba: Nagasaki Shippô is my best guess. Here's more (free) info on Shippô: http://archive.org/details/cu31924023433349

[Gabriel L]

Thanks Guido! Nice topical eBook, I'll enjoy reading it.

[Ford Hallam]

I have say I agree with Guido, I do on most issues (it makes life so much easier that way ) but the point about the relative coarseness of the enamel is well made. This is a technical matter relating to the preparation of the powdered enamel before actual firing in my opinion and having done quite a bit of enamelling myself.

[raiden]

As a dealer and collector, I have seen many "hirata" pieces. I even had a Donin kozuka go juyo a few years ago. This type of tsuba in my opinion, and compared to what I have seen is a iron tsuba with the shippo added at a later date. This does not make the tsuba less detracting, it is what it is, and I have seen many tsuba in which this was done. Who knows why they did this, personal taste, want to have a hirata tsuba, but couldn't get one from the Tokugawa.....

Note that I have seen a Myochin tsuba signed with the added mei that a later Hirata did the shippo work, now that is the proper way on a quality piece.

[raiden]

 

3rd generation Narihisa. A funny story made short... I once offered this tsuba with a guarantee to pass NBTHK shinsa at a very reasonable price to be nice to a new client. At first he said ok, then after talking with another dealer, he changed his mind afraid that the mei wasn't right. So I said fine, and went through the shinsa , box process. A few months later I just e-mailed a pic of the Tokubetsu Hozon to him....you should have seen the reply! study study study!

[Gabriel L]

This type of tsuba in my opinion, and compared to what I have seen is a iron tsuba with the shippo added at a later date. This does not make the tsuba less detracting, it is what it is, and I have seen many tsuba in which this was done. Who knows why they did this, personal taste, want to have a hirata tsuba, but couldn't get one from the Tokugawa.....

 

I've heard (now that I started looking into it) that this was sometimes done, and FWIW I agree it is a possibility for this piece if you look at the placement of some of the shippo – they get very close to what would be the seppa dai (if it had a more distinct seppa dai), to the diagonal groove, etc. It is a composition which looks okay as it is, but might look a little "tight" mounted and gives an impression of being unplanned. Also, you can see the color of the patina is slightly different surrounding each piece, which to my uneducated eye suggests they might have been added later. But that is a total guess on my part.

 

Nice sandai tsuba! Thanks for sharing. The rabbit is definitely out of the ordinary and very striking.

 

I have say I agree with Guido, I do on most issues (it makes life so much easier that way ) but the point about the relative coarseness of the enamel is well made. This is a technical matter relating to the preparation of the powdered enamel before actual firing in my opinion and having done quite a bit of enamelling myself.

Appreciate it, Ford. If nothing else I am learning quite a bit more about this technique than I likely would have any time soon.

 

Regards,

 

—G.