Curran Posted January 10, 2014 Report Posted January 10, 2014 With dunce cap in hand. The first character should be simple, but I am not sure if it is a variation of SHI, no, kore, yuki, yoshi OR... something else. I suspect the tsuba is either a gimei or a student work. The workmanship is not on par with that of the famous artist it mimics, but he did have many students. The translation of the mei will determine if student work, or just gimei. Sincere thanks in advance. Quote
John A Stuart Posted January 10, 2014 Report Posted January 10, 2014 As you know Curran, these Sosho mei aren't easy, so, maybe 広健 Koken or Hirotake. Haynes has not much to say about this artist if my reading is correct. John Quote
Curran Posted January 10, 2014 Author Report Posted January 10, 2014 It is moments like these when I appreciate my 6th grade Isaac Newton reading of "because I have stood on the shoulders of giants" (ie. Haynes Index). No, I don't think Koken or Hirotake are the right sidestreets. Thank you for this insight, as I can see it. I was headed off down other avenues that were less productive. I am hoping one of our Japanese fluent members and Haynes decipher this mini mystery. This little tsuba seems to me entirely a knockoff of Natsuo workmanship. It has his perspective, but not the depth of his skill. Kinda a knockoff of the one in the Boston Museum and a few others I have seen. I'm hoping it is one of his many students, instead of a gimei of some sort. The tsuba has some patina damage, but the design is pretty and mostly well done. It bugs the whiskers off me that I cannot read what looks to be a rather simple signature. Quote
John A Stuart Posted January 10, 2014 Report Posted January 10, 2014 Hey, yeah, I see the 'o' is pretty close the 'natsu is quite different. 夏雄 http://markussesko.files.wordpress.com/ ... rogari.jpg , for reference. John Quote
Curran Posted January 10, 2014 Author Report Posted January 10, 2014 That duncecap in hand is now on my head. I stopped at the Haynes entry on Natsuo, not knowing that Natsuo signs like that. I didn't recognize the first character as his and hoped it was some student that had taken the second character of his name. Should have taken the extra step to look up actual examples in Wakayama. Yes.... looking darn gimei from workmanship to signature. Just like the chinatown "Prado" wallet of Canal Street fame. Quote
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