Menuki, Fuchi And Kashira Question

[Iain E]

Hi all,

Wonder if anyone could cast their eyes over the following Menuki, Fuchi and Kashira please.

 

They came with the blade and Tsuba that I recently posted, so were not sold as any specific vintage. I suspect from what I can see that there are not old, but wondered if anyone could confirm if they are based on any particular school or design and a rough idea if they were made last week, last 10 years or sometime earlier.

 

I'm starting to write up a description of the sword, so it would be useful to put a few words of detail in to describe the fittings.

 

The Menuki is slightly odd, the inlay pattern looks to be done (painted ?) on some sort of cloth or material, but the ribbing in the photo was only visible to my eyes under extreme magnification. I haven’t seen anything similar so far in my reading up of Menuki, but I’m aware I know very little in this area. Is there a name for this type of design

 

Many thanks

 

Iain

[SteveM]

Hello Iain,

 

It doesn't look to me like they were made last week. My guess is vintage mid-to-late 19th century. They just aren't particularly skillfully made (says the anonymous critic). Fans are a common theme in tōsōgu, and there are plenty of examples of very fine work on this theme. The spokes of the fans on these pieces here, for example, don't look to be inlaid. I don't know if they are painted on, as you speculated on the menuki, but it definitely seems to be some simplified method for achieving the inlay effect (on all the pieces, fuchi, kashira, menuki). 

 

But I don't think this means they were pumped out in somebody's garage last week. Maybe they were just cheap pieces produced for the tourist trade in Meiji times. Or maybe just inferior work of a minor craftsman or his students. I've seen much, much worse, if that's any consolation. 

[MauroP]

The quality of  your fuchi/kashira set is far better than the tsuba. The spokes of the fans seem to me in plain nunome-zōgan. I'm more perplexed about the menuki (layered on plastic foam?).

Mauro

[TETSUGENDO]

Iain-

 

I would say Steve and Mauro collectively have given you the right answer.  Fuchi/Kashira are lower quality (but not junk) and look like second half of the 19th C.  The Menuki are "STRANGE" -  I'd say low end  "KOMAI TYPE" WORK.  

 

Steven K

[Geraint]

Does not the texturing of the ground for both the fan stalks and the menuki suggest nunome zogan?

 

All the best

[Iain E]

Thanks for the replies all, will do some research. Still cant make my mind up on the Menuki, they are metal, but cant see what the core material is. Just to small for my eyes...

 

cheers

 

Iain

[jason_mazzy]

I actually like the menuki