theme of tsuba help

[rkg]

Hi,

I am trying to write a description for one of my tsuba, and am having trouble determining what the meaning of the decorations are.  I think the piece is Jakushi work (though we'll never know for sure because its not signed - had to have been somebody in the Nagasaki area though).  One side shows a rain dragon (thanks Gordon/others), and the other shows workers who are apparently planting rice.  They seem to show the cloud the rain dragon is from wrapping around the piece, suggesting this is some kind of unified theme.  So...  is there a legend or standard name for this or is it just a "rain dragon/rice planting themed tsuba"?

 

Apologies if you've already seen this - I've posted it in another forum or three as well.

Thanks in advance,

rkg

[Gunome]

Hello,

Nice tsuba and nice pics !

Not sure it is Jakushi due to the shape of your tsuba and the shape of the hitsu ana.

Usually Jakushi are maru or nagamaru gata.

Moreover the quality seems better that usual Jakushi.

However, I have no clue of what it could be. Maybe Shoami ? And of course I could be wrong

Regards

[rkg]

Sebastien,

Agreed on the quality (IMHO a bit better than usual), though I recently saw a jakushi piece with similar quality inlays. In addition, the Jakushi guys did indeed do Kawari gata pieces (I've seen several, and actually have one:

 

)
In addition, somebody responded to one of my earlier inquiries about the piece withan image  a signed one that was both kawari shaped and actually had similar sukushi/hitsu , though the theme appeared to be different.  I don't have the owner's permission to share the image directly, but its posted on the kiodogu no sekai fb page...
 

You may well be right - it could well be somebody else doing their interpretation of Jakushi/nagasaki/hizen/etc work - especially in late pieces like this where there were pleny of craftsmen versed in a number of different techniques who did whatever the client asked for....  not signed = we'll never really know.

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

 

 

[Yasaka Azuma]

According to an ancient Chinese collection of short stories, "The Shuyiji" (A.D.460-508), "A snake grown in muddy water becomes a Mizuchi (rain dragon) in 500 years." In Japan, it brings the blessing of rain to agricultural gods, especially rice cultivation.

 

https://www.facebook.com/imamiyajinja/photos

[rkg]

11 hours ago, Yasaka Azuma said:

According to an ancient Chinese collection of short stories, "The Shuyiji" (A.D.460-508), "A snake grown in muddy water becomes a Mizuchi (rain dragon) in 500 years." In Japan, it brings the blessing of rain to agricultural gods, especially rice cultivation.

 

https://www.facebook.com/imamiyajinja/photos

 

Yakozen, Thanks for the reply!  I'll look into that.  Another collector also suggested it might have to do with the story of Binbou (貧乏) or Bimbo if you use Joly's odd romaji:

https://books.google.com/books?id=OSxPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=bimbo+joly+Japanese&source=bl&ots=DVAA0Xo_yS&sig=ACfU3U0ZCyMwwPTzeaNNIepKN7wtS8wnjw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVi8ai8dnrAhUJvZ4KHZ8rD3kQ6AEwC3oECAMQAQ#v=onepage&q=bimbo joly Japanese&f=false

 

Best,

rkg

(Richard George)

 

[Spartancrest]

On 9/8/2020 at 4:27 AM, rkg said:

suggesting this is some kind of unified theme.

 

Long time getting back to this thread! 

A couple of interesting "rain dragons" with the same odd hitsu shapes - one has a very similar design to Richard George's piece.

https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/37813/  This one is signed but I don't know the name.

 

https://www.touken-world.jp/search-sword-guard/art0002011/

  

[Tamagucci]

14 hours ago, Spartancrest said:

 

  

Do you have any more information on this tsuba? I find it quite striking. I can barely make out the mei but the website says wakashiba, and I assume wakashiba = jakushi? 

[Spartancrest]

Sorry Kai that is all the information I have.

[disconcerting, my eldest son is called Kai - [born 1987]

Edited September 30 by Spartancrest

[Tamagucci]

Haha fret not i'm much younger than your eldest! 

 

I wonder if the strangely shapped hitsu-ana is meant to be evocative of swirling wind. 

[Spartancrest]

4 hours ago, Tamagucci said:

I wonder if the strangely shapped hitsu-ana is meant to be evocative of swirling wind. 

I am not sure what it is supposed to be, it looks a little like the image of a comet you find in medieval images     

 

  This is a guard I recently purchased, it has a similar hitsu shape but open through the mimi - I conjecture that the strange opening at the top may have had a soft metal insert which would have looked like an axe or O'no (斧) [I take the hot stamps put the guard in the saotome or tempo school?] 

[Tamagucci]

I like the comet idea!

 

I wonder if it could also be a stylized magatama. Especially since it has many associations with dragons, water, and "life essence". 

 

 

Edited September 30 by Tamagucci

[Spartancrest]

  https://www.jauce.com/auction/v1202758143 

Dark images but they show a raindragon on the ura and a village scene on the omote.

Edited October 5 by Spartancrest

[FlorianB]

The problem ares the differences in the tail-like form. Some show a widening at one end, others an even opening. Some have those lines beside, others not. I can’t even decide if it is a positive or negative sukashi.

In the last Tsuba the design is part of a bizarre landscape and thus clearly positive opening.

 

I think, in repeated copying of this detail the original idea got lost - or changed.

 

Some of the examples above reminded me to deterioration like worm eaten wood.