Menuki - No Idea

[Vermithrax16]

I know just enough about swords to be, in my mind, mildy informed. Just getting a grasp on tsuba. On menuki? No idea at all.

 

But when the wife sees a set on some site she looks at and says "don't you like silver fittings?" you just embrace the situation and buy the set.

 

I think these are real silver (long experience with old coins) but no idea if they are old, made yesterday etc. Any feedback is appreciated even if it's bad. No worries at all.

 

 

[kissakai]

They look like water lilies on a pond to me but the stem looks too big unless it is not attached to the lilies

[SteveM]

I thought it was bamboo grass and hollyhock (笹と葵), and that particular combination had some significance, but nothing is leaping out at me. 

 

Or bamboo grass and ivy? 

[TETSUGENDO]

Jeremiah,

 

I'll throw my vote in for hollyhock as well, at this point I am cross eyed from looking at them, so many differing leaf and flower forms.

Was not able to find the exact form of blossom but the one pictured is close, together with the leaf type and clustered buds pictured on your menuki.....looks the likely suspect.

[Ian]

Looks like wasabi to me. IMHO I have my doubts about silver menuki. I have seen many cast

[TETSUGENDO]

Ian,

 

The foliage is very similar but the petal count differs. Jeremiah's menuki have five petals.... your Wasabi four.

 

-S-

[Ian]

You may be right, but it's my choice

[Curran]

Wasabi painting.

 

And what I think is Wasabi on a tsuba. Prior opinion was African Geranium, but I thing that is very wrong.

[kissakai]

I don't see the scroll like feature in the leaf shown on the tsuba in the painting

[TETSUGENDO]

We have several plants illustrated here-

 

Ian, your tsuba/flower pick- Wasabi

Ian, your f/k- Nuphar Japonica (East Asian yellow water lilly)

Curran, your tsuba- most likely Wasabi

Jeremiah, I am amending my Hollyhock pick to include the possibility of Nuphar Japonica.

 

-S-

p.s.-all these plants share like leaf forms.

[Curran]

We have several plants illustrated here-

 

Ian, your tsuba/flower pick- Wasabi

Ian, your f/k- Nuphar Japonica (East Asian yellow water lilly)

Curran, your tsuba- most likely Wasabi

Jeremiah, I am amending my Hollyhock pick to include the possibility of Nuphar Japonica.

 

-S-

p.s.-all these plants share like leaf forms.

 

Mostly I agree with Steven here. In the past I've taken up this topic on the National Gardening Association Forums before, and got a variety of answers with some smarter gardeners arguing towards wasabi, or a type of it.

It gets complicated, and further confused by differences in Kanji for several different things all condensed into fewer names in English.

The scroll painting is an antique depiction of wasabi vs a more modern cultivated version.

 

I felt there might be a better answer or different answer for J's question, as I've seen versions of these menuki pop up before.

I was going to post an opinion next time I stumbled on the similar in a book or elsewhere.

Either that, or he can post in the National Gardening Association Forums. Those people are strong in the knowledge base.

[TETSUGENDO]

Nuphar Japonica-

[TETSUGENDO]

Curran,

 

I think Grev is referring to the stylized(exaggerated) scroll element of the leaf form as represented in Japanese Art.  

 

-S-

[Vermithrax16]

Great input all, many thanks! Plenty to follow up on. Excellent.