Translation help for a fuchi kashira

[Mantis dude]

Hi All,

 

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the new year. I have had this fuchi/kashira for several months now but forgot that I needed help in translating. Here is just a pic of them

 

The signature

 

Thanks.

[Markus]

The mei reads "Kamo-shison Sankôdô - Josui" [kaô].

賀茂氏孫山光堂　如水

 

Not sure about the "shison" (氏孫) which "should" mean "descendant" (from the Kamo family),

but the signature belongs to the female artist Josui, who was a student of Jochiku.

Shoshin or not is another question.

[Mantis dude]

Markus thank you! That is always the next question, is it real or not! Will be nice to research this a bit more. Interesting though that the artist is a female. I remeber reading that women did work om fittings, I think they were tasked with doing a lot of nanako? But I assume that is fairly uncommon for them to be signing artists? Always nice to learn something new. Off to try and find a bit more info. Thanks again.

[Brian]

Ken,

Are you sure they are a matched set? Only asking because the fuchi appears to have nanako ground, and the kashira, ishime.

The kashira also appears better done than the fuchi. Both are nice work though.

 

Brian

[nagamaki - Franco]

Ken, if you have the Bushido magazines, see October 1980, vol. 2, #2 for an article including images on the Murakami Jochiku school. The article does state there were a number of women involved with this school. If it turns out that this set was in fact made by one of these students, perhaps she was not fully trained in Jochiku techniques as this set is not up to Murakami standards, imho. Brian brings up a valid observation regarding nanako and ishime, although this school worked in both.

[Mantis dude]

Actually, I am not sure if they are a match, it is posted on my website under fuchi kashira, I actually wrote, - "Here is a nice Fuchi Kashira with mantis and plants done in shakudo and gold. Not sure they are a match fuchi is nanako and kashira is more isheme, a bit of a size difference too but the gold band on the edge look alike." So I agree with those observations. Just reading Hayne's Index of Japanese sword fittings & assoc. artisits... There is a kozuka ... the piece is marked: Sankodo josui, the granddaughter of Kamo, after a picture by Okyo. It also mentions a tsuba in Mosle that is not done in Murakami school style. So lots of questions to be researched but an interesting aside, the fact it maybe done by a women in of itself is something different. Curious how a women artist would have been viewed in those times? Any comments to that statement even how were women perceived in any of the arts vs. Men. Sort of a side issue from the validity of this piece but still both are of interest to me. Thanks for the continuing input.

[John A Stuart]

Hi Ken, An article on women artists. Non-specific.

http://www.worldandi.com/public/1988/april/ar12.cfm

John