Juyo Turtle

[Darcy]

You thought I was joking.

 

Session 26 passed some questionable stuff. There are a lot of amazing things in it, but there are ... things that would not pass Juyo today.

 

 

[mywei]

That's actually pretty cool.

Not sure what the NBTHK was doing authenticating it though as it has nothing to do with nihonto?

[Curran]

It is by Sekibun, the very gifted multi-multi-talented kodogu artists.

His themes are often naturalistic. Whether turtles, crabs, tigers, or whatever- the perspectice is you often feel they are looking at you and that if you watch them long enough they will suddenly move.

Not quite Natsuo, but up there. He and his son did 'sell out' a bit by making a sort of lower grade iron tiger tsuba that seemed extremely popular, but his pure kinko works are top drawer mixes of his own style and whomever he appreciated or respected at the time. Like I said, quite the range on them- with the most common element being that 'looking at you' quality.

 

Still, agree with Darcy that a piece shouldn't be getting NBTHK Juyo papers just because it is by a famous kodogu artist.

Natsuo made some great vases. Any of them Juyo? If so, I'd enjoy seeing them but don't think the NBTHK should be giving them Juyo papers.

[Dr Fox]

You thought I was joking.

 

Session 26 passed some questionable stuff. There are a lot of amazing things in it, but there are ... things that would not pass Juyo today.

 

juyo-turtle.jpg

 

And this did not pass;  my wife's notice, who went gaga when she spotted this, I have to agree!

[Curran]

An example of his work just popped up for sale:

 

http://ginzaseikodo.com/sekibuntoraE.html

 

This would be one of his tigers that I talked about him McFranchising a bit. He was capable of a lot more. Still, this one shows his typical "I'm watching you" rendering of an animal.

[Brian]

Haha. I see what you mean about the "I'm watching you"

Nice work though, even if he did produce "cookie cutter" examples. He fits a lot in to that space.

 

Brian

[Curran]

Brian,

 

Actually I would stress that the tiger works are his baseline stuff to pay the bills.

Choshuya just posted one of the iron tiger tsuba in their newest magazine:  http://www.choshuya.co.jp/sale/gj/index.htm

 

See #6.

He's capable of a LOT more.

 

If I had to do a Top 10 kodogu artsists of the 1800s list, I'd try and place him somewhere in the bottom half of the list.

When you see that crazy signature of his, look at the work. If it is any creature or object other than a tiger, study it for a while.

Tomei must have gotten tired of making millet designs (looking forward to seeing the non millet ones Darcy might post) and I suspect Sekibun got a bit tired of pop-eyed tigers.

I sometimes wonder how many of them are mostly done by his son, with dad signing off.

[Loco Al]

Here is a picture of one of his early works (a tsuba) from another website. Quite expensive.

 

 

Alan