For your pleasure and amusement

[kissakai]

As I haven't posted any images for a while so these are a small random sample of the museum tsuba

 

I welcome any comments, schools, quality etc but mainly for your interest

Before I stated what I thought weres good tsuba but got shot down a few times (thats life)

 

1)

 

2)

 

3)

 

4)

 

5)

 

6)

 

7)

 

 

9)

 

 

Grev UK

[kissakai]

Hi

Although I said I wasn't after any replies I wondered if anyone wished to make any comments

 

 

Grev UK

[RobertM]

I dont know the school but i like the simplicity of number 8 with the moon and clouds.

 

Rob M

[Antti]

Regarding Tsuba #7, there is a very similar one for sale on Tsuba-no-bi.com, attributing it to Late Akasaka.

http://tsuba-no-bi.com/tsuba/detail/T00087/52/

 

I enjoyed the first Tsuba, and I assume it portraits a constellation? Big Dipper or Little Dipper perhaps, which would make the rightmost star the North Star, which seems to have a special significance in the design?

[Brian]

That last star in the first tsuba....has a tail.

Almost looks like they were depicting a comet? I wonder if that is possible?

They certainly didn't intend it to look like an exclamation point.

 

Brian

[Antti]

http://japanesemythology.wordpress.com/ ... -in-Japan/

Now IF that is the Little Dipper, the star with the "tail" is the North Star, which was worshipped as a deity called Myoken, who carried a sword, and the tip of the sword resembles that tail quite a bit.

[John A Stuart]

Draco. John

[Antti]

Ah, so the "tail" IS actually a tail.

[Ron STL]

Here is a depiction of the "Little Dipper" on the nakago of a ken. Another local collector has a wonderful tsuba that shows this constellation. Interesting to find this used on swords and fittings.

Ron STL

[Brian]

Interesting yasurime Ron. I wonder what the significance is?

 

Brian

[Antti]

I showed the picture to a friend of mine who is into stargazing. He immideately said that is the Lacerta-constellation (Lizard).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... on_map.svg

That, but with the two large stars below "2" and "5" to complete it.

[kissakai]

I feel like I'm highjacking my own post!

 

One of my tsuba by Masayoshi 正吉

 

Described as the constellation of Draco (dragon) with a Ken at the end of the constellation

I wondered if the stars on the reverse denoted anything

 

 

 

 

Thanks for letting me know the possible school for number 7

Grev UK

[Bugyotsuji]

Enjoyed all of them for one reason or another. Thanks for posting.

[kissakai]

Thanks Piers

I was wondering if it was worth posting any more of these images

Without a couple of replies it appeared to be a waste of time if none appear to have any merit

 

 

Grev UK

[Justin]

Tsuba number 5 reminds me of this one (which I once owned a long time ago).

 

[Soshin]

Hi Grev UK,

 

I haven't had much time for NMB this week in general but I am making time this weekend. The first one is my favorite of the bunch you posted. To me it looks like a mid to late Edo Period Myôchin (明弥) school work. Nothing spectacular but the mokume (woodgrain) texture is nice and the design as discussed is interesting. What is the tsuba measurements including thickness?

[kissakai]

Hi David

The size is 85mm x 82mm x 4.3mm

 

 

Grev Uk

[Davis]

Hi

Thanks for posting the pictures. It certainly isn't a waste of time, I've studied them a number of times. My knowledge of the subject is rather weak and I too was hoping to learn from the comments of others. By the way what is the name of the museum and how did you get involved with them? Thanks for sharing.

Mick

[kissakai]

Hi Mick

I don't advertise the name of the museum I'd rather wait until I've done all I can (with a lot of help)

I bought a turn of the century catalogue that showed around 500 tsuba that hadn't been on display for over 80 years

It seemed a shame that these should be hidden away so I contacted the museum and over a number of months photographed all the tsuba with the intention of producing a book. I didn't realise the enormity of the project so I'm still undecided on how to progress!

I've had loads of help from the NMB but still a long way to go

 

 

Grev UK