Kinko Artist name help, please-

[Curran]

在哉

 

I am looking at a funny (comic) tsuba, and wondering how to read the artist's name: 在哉

 

Is it:

Sa-suke

Sa-chika

Sa-toshi

 

Suke-chika

Suke-toshi

 

Yoshi-suke

Yoshi-chika

Yoshi-toshi

 

Theme is a Rain Dragon pouring rain down on a Tiger, who does not look happy as it runs away. The rain dragon looks to me like it is smiling a bit.

Tsuba condition is a bit damaged, but the box has a sticker that claims it had Tokubetsu Hozon papers at one point.... now missing.

 

I have seen this theme before on a nice tsuba at Bonhams auction two years ago. On that one, there was a bamboo thicket on the other side towards which the tiger appears to be running to escape the rain. Maybe it is a well known story?

[John A Stuart]

Hi Curran, There are a whole bunch of Shonai Shoami artists that use 在哉 and the reading is Arichika, of course a reading fate caused you to leave out. John

[Curran]

John,

 

thank you. That was fast.

The sad thing is I have made this exact same mistake before.

I have looked up these guys, and found a Note to Self not to make this mistake again.... and make correct change to my kanji reference.

 

Taking a few minutes to go through the Bonhams NYC Oct 2012 Auction catalog, I see three other tsuba of various renderings of the rain dragon vs tiger, often with a mountain somewhere in the design as a third element.

[John A Stuart]

Fates a bitch. How many times have I done the same, I wonder? Do we get a wee peek? John

[Pete Klein]

This is the tsuba in question:

 

 

It is pictured in the book on Shonai kodogu artists, 'Shonai Kinko Meisaku Shu' by Sato Kanzan;

 

http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.c ... hu-dr-sato