Mitsunaka Fuchi Kashira And Nagoya-Mono Tsuba

[benatthelake]

Below are some recent pictures of my newly acquired Wakizashi Koshirae (blade pics will be on the other thread) purchased through one of Ray Singer’s contacts.  Thanks again Ray!

The Saya is samegawa.  Newer but in great shape. 

 

A few questions for the board in regards to the Fuchi Kashira and Tsuba.  I believe the former is signed Mitsunaka.  Can anyone provide a translation of the Fuchi?  Any reason to doubt the mei or sho shin?

 

The Tsuba may be a Nagoya-mono one.  I’ve seen lower quality ones…mass produced it seems.  Is this mid range for quality?  Comments?   I see a good related discussion on this thread….which leads me to believe mid range…perhaps a bit better. 

 

 http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/18987-real-or-fake-tsuba-help/

 

Comments welcomed!

Thanks!

Ben

 

[Curran]

Fuchi Kashira and Tsuba.  I believe the former is signed Mitsunaka.  Can anyone provide a translation of the Fuchi?  Any reason to doubt the mei or sho shin?

 

At the moment, there seems to be no picture of the signature of the fuchi.

I would take your word for it that it is signed Mitsunaka.

 

Workmanship of f/k is about as Mino as it gets, and lots of the Mino guys using Mitsu as their first or second charcter in the name.

I think you'd have a hard time proving it was gimei.

[benatthelake]

sorry...Forgot to post the fuchi.

[Curran]

Page 131 & 132 of the Kinko Mino Bori book.

I haven't got a working scanner at the moment, otherwise I would have directly posted the images.

[benatthelake]

Thanks Curran...I'll get my hands on that.  Does it include similar f/k images or something?  Are mine typical...average? 

Thanks again. 

Ben

[Curran]

Ben-

 

Nigh identical. Same design. Very small variation in the signature, but the feeling of the signature is very similar and it isn't exactly a target of gimei.

If you mean typical of the Edo Mino school- yes.

The undercutting is a fair bit of work.

 

Don't go down the road of thinking there is a universal hierarchy to fittings.

I personally like Ko-Mino mucho, and Mino is very nice in general. I know one or two people who love it, and some minimalists that hate it.

 

I think the saya, f/k, and menuki on yours are good. It is rather a nice package over all.

The tsuba isn't the best example and a weaker point in the general aesthetic [in my opinion] BUT is in keeping with the general construction of the koshirae.

That alone makes it nicer to me than some of the frankensteins that [some Japanese dealers] or others produce when they swap a valuable tsuba off a koshirae.

 

I can't say if yours was original or a swap off, but at least someone kept it in the same aesthetic.

[benatthelake]

Curran:  Fair assessment.  Thank you.  I feel the same....but you explained it better than I.   I see your point on the Tsuba impacting the general aesthetic as it relates to the other components....nice but not perfect.  However, by itself, the Tsuba...I've seen plenty of weaker examples of nagoya-mono and only a few better....but based on my limited research.  I'm thinking now a bit above average but again...I'm no expert.  I defer to the experts here.

 

One thing is for sure...plenty to look at with this piece.  And I hope my photography is getting better....the Kashira I think is a pretty good pic.   

 

Thanks again.

Ben 

[Curran]

Ben-

 

Yoh-- . Just trying to help. It is a huge field and fittings are yet another huge dimension of it.

I remember my early days with mentors and my own trying to sort it out.

 

As to "Nagoya-mono" and that term, it is sort of relative and beyond the scope of current discussion.

Having lived in Aichi prefecture and identifying with it more than any other part of Japan, I'm favorably disposed to most anything that comes from there.

[Curran]

Ben:

 

Stumbled on this today:

http://www.wakeidou.com/publics/index/331/

 

I thought you might appreciate it.

 

Curran

[John A Stuart]

F/K are very good and high relief, covetous. Tsuba, not equivalent, but, at least representative. John