Yamakichibei for $30,000!

[Ichi]

I am not a vivid tsuba collector, and never seen such expensive tsuba on the market. This must be a special one, athough design don't turn you on.

 

 

http://ginzaseikodo.com/fittings.html

[Stephen]

dweller like me, seems all the items have a extra set of 0s maybe someday

[Rich T]

been for sale for a fair while, it is in many books, probably a bit over priced but a sensational guard none the less, if I had the money........., I know another collector with the same thoughts. And that is not that expensive in the realms of excellent tsuba. It would be priced in the low end Juyo level.

 

Rich

[Ed]

... this one has been discussed.

 

It is as Rich stated a very fine representative work.

 

The price is not an incredible one in regards to incredible tsuba. However, this particular piece seems to be somewhat overpriced, simply due to the fact that it has not sold. It has been on this site for some time.

Most high end pieces go quickly when they are made available.

 

As far as what turns you on, is simply personal preference.

 

You have heard the old saying, "One man's trash is another's treasure."

[Bungo]

let me stir the pot a little...............

 

$ sign does not necessarily mean " greatness ".............it's whatever turns you on.

Old masters and dadaism.....to each it's own.

Who's to say which is " better " ?

 

The love of oleeeeeeeeee rusty wabi/sabi iron to near mystical level all started with Akiyama and his followers ( Torigoe et al ). Not here to agrue with the experts but , according to the connoisseurs , it takes a lifetime to appreciate the full meanings of wabi/sabi ( in this case the iron ) and a few years looking at books ain't going to ' cut it '. To me, this smells of " elitism "..........

 

Of course there's nothing wrong with elitism, just like liberalism. Somehow people are left with an impression that's there's something wrong..............but that's another story.

 

Western collections are often " overweigth " with iron sukashi tsuba ( among a few collections i have personally seen ), is it the same case in Japan ? Or are they( in Japan ) so private that only a few connoiseurs with ' like mind" are shown to ? Anyone ?

 

Milt THE ronin

[Pete Klein]

I have to agree with Milt a bit here. I often get the feeling that we tend to be led by what we believe others believe is right. Had a single malt scotch recently? How about a cigar or a glass of Chardonnay? Poker anyone? I happend to like this tsuba very much but then I liked it the first time I saw it in the Sasano Sukashi Tsuba book way back when and have liked it all along. If the money was there it wouldn't be. But, reality is what it is. I have had the opportunity to speak with some 'higher ups' as they say and the piece is considered a bit high priced for what it is (shodai Yamakichibei, published in multiple reference books, who is in line with Nobuie and Kaneiye in importance of early tsubako masters). If it was going to go Juyo it most likely would have already. From what I understand from someone who has seen it first hand it is is a knockout.

As for Japanese collectors I have a book on Ebay which is a private printing from the Shoyukai, an invitation only group of fittings collectors in Japan, which has all sorts of different kinds of fittings in it from iron through machibori, tsuba to menuki, so in lieu of going to Japan to find out personally I would say they take it all in stride, probably having personal likes and fields of expertise and collect for quality rather than because 'it's supposed to be what we collect', because they are sort of the 'we' that we think we listen to. IMHO!

[Rich T]

The love of oleeeeeeeeee rusty wabi/sabi iron to near mystical level all started with Akiyama and his followers ( Torigoe et al ).

 

Hi Milt, I agree with a lot of that, but, not with the quote above. Yamakichibei, Nobuie, Saotome and the likes were making these wabi sabi tsuba loooooooooonnnnnnngggg before Akiyama and Torigoe were around and these were tsuba of the highest regard in their day. They were as important then as they are now I believe. Maybe Akiyama and Torigoe were a bit like Suishinshi Masahide, they loved the old stuff and thought the world needed to be re introduced to it as change and modern tastes ( to them ) had seen it left behind in the past.

 

You are 100% correct in saying it is personal taste, I still have trouble with a lot of Higo designs ( exclude Hayashi ), and think they are over priced LOL, but thats me.

 

Rich

[Bungo]

god, i am not used to this " love fest "............ anyway we should all collect to our personal taste.

 

Reading " the Lethal Elegance " book, it was pointed out that some experts back then were " dissing " anything later than Momoyama period and that is a little bit too much....................

 

milt THE ronin