Opinion on Momoyama ko-kinko tsuba of butterfly, plum and peony.

Ron STL · March 28, 2022

Studying this lovely tsuba with an eye to acquiring it. It is of shakudo and depicts butterflies, peony and plum blossoms. Notice the vertical (up and down) lines of nanako. The mimi appears to be part of the plate. Worn gold highlighting can be seen. The tsuba, I'm told, came from Dean Hartley's collection, so maybe the seller will remember it if on this group. My interest is judged by it being early work of the Momoyama period. I would appreciate having your thoughts on the tsuba. Whatever, it is worth taking a look at just to enjoy the tsuba.

Ron STL

Curran · March 28, 2022

HI Ron.

Lovely earlier example. It is as you say, a Momoyama ko-kinko and close cousin to some of the Ko-Mino examples. The butterflies are more distinct than usual, and what makes this an interesting piece to me.

Attached is one I purchased in 2014, papered TH and sold about 5 years later. The more I see, the more the early tsuba interesting examples like this are rare.

In one of the Ko-Mino books there is a nice diagram page that breaks down the evolution of the rendering of the flowers. From that, you can hone in on a more specific date. I believe it is the 1990s Gifu Museum Catalog-Book on Ko-Mino.

At present, I cannot find my copy.

Ron STL · March 29, 2022

Thanks for the back-up on this, Curran. I have the Gifu Museum book and love looking at the many fine examples. I'll have to check the diagram you mention to see if it explains anything to me. Your sold tsuba look gorgeous, just what I enjoy in these Momoyama era ko-kinko works. I usually see them after a dealer gets them which of course means a price rise. I do hope my friend parts with this one I pictured. I've picked out a number of equally nice later tsuba of equal value, thereabouts, but he is always afraid to part with something I say is nice. I think the nanako on your tsuba is following the shape of the tsuba where my example has vertical nanako. intresting.

Ron STL

Iekatsu · March 29, 2022

A nice example Ron, I agree that it likely dates to the Momoyama period, do you have an images of the reverse?

Ron STL · March 30, 2022

No revese side image at the moment but hope to have this available again later this week. Wish me luck in acquiring it. Ron STL

Curran · March 30, 2022

22 hours ago, Ron STL said:

I think the nanako on your tsuba is following the shape of the tsuba where my example has vertical nanako.

yep. Vertical nanako often seen on ko-Mino, but NBTHK would probably say yours is ko-kinko.

Half way to being ko-Mino.

Ron STL · April 1, 2022

On 3/29/2022 at 4:34 PM, Iekatsu said:

A nice example Ron, I agree that it likely dates to the Momoyama period, do you have an images of the reverse?

I had the tsuba again yesterday, so here are both sides of the tsuba.

Ron STL

roger dundas · April 1, 2022

It is really pleasing to see the well cared for condition of this old 'Momoyama (?)' period piece. Many, many of generations of previous owners have taken the trouble to keep the integrity of the relatively fragile surface design intact.

So often these san mai tsuba show design distortion through use or some lack of care.

Just my take on it.

Roger j

Iekatsu · April 1, 2022

Ron,
Thanks for sharing the reverse images, I think its a nice piece and id be happy to have it in my collection.

Roger,
I agree, but I don't think this example is San-mai.

roger dundas · April 2, 2022

Yes Thomas, I just had another look .

You are right and I was wrong to surmise San-mai. But the manner of work has that repousse worked, San-mai appearance to my way of thinking.

It makes me wonder just how the high relief figures of butterflies and blossoms were worked up from the background ? They don't appear to have the edge sharpness that a chisel might produce ?

Roger j

roger dundas · April 2, 2022

More semi-relief rather than high relief.

If I keep trying I might get something right to-day.

Roger j

roger dundas · April 2, 2022

I have been looking and thinking further about the above tsuba and would propose that they are formed from two worked plates attached back to back without the middle 'sandwich' copper middle plate found with san-mai tsuba..

Attached either by rivets (but I don't see any) or some sort of adhesive or solder which would date them after C1600 plus a fukurin for full security.

Although the "Shibuichisword/Long tsuba site" states that similar plate designs were created by carving away the background (in a way like Michaelangelo did with his marble statues) just leaving the design itself in relief, the technique is called 'Sukidashi-Bori'- the metal carved away ;

I would like to put my head above the parapet here and say that I think that once again it was instead done using repousse- the design punched and chiseled into the back of the plate, the plate turned over and refined with chisels from the face side and finished with nanako, gilding or whatever.

I just think that a thin, relatively soft shakudo sheet wouldn't easily lend itself to such deep carving whereas repousse would be far easier and more manageable.

Anyway, that is my take on it and I can claim to have some amateur experience with repousse work- not a huge lot but enough.

If there is only the one plate with designs on either side then my proposal doesn't hold water.

Roger j

MauroP · April 2, 2022

Here below some examples of vertical nanako tsuba. No.1 papered as tachi-kanagushi, the others as ko-kinkō. No.2 has a sanmai construction. Unfortunately no ko-Mino example to show.

Iekatsu · April 2, 2022

Roger,

Most examples of this type, including the one posted in this thread are constructed from a single plate, the designs are carved into the surface.

Mauro,

Odd that the first is papered as Tachi-kanagushi, the design elements are clearly oriented edge up.

MauroP · April 2, 2022

@Thomas Sinclair

In my database I've recorded 7 tachi-kanagushi tsuba; 3 out 7 can be oriented according to their decoration, and all are edge up (as in katana mounting). In 5 tsuba attributed to tachishi (is the same as tachi-kanagushi or not?) the only one that can be surely oriented is also edge up. So what's the meaning of such attributions is still unclear for me...

Curran · April 2, 2022

48 minutes ago, MauroP said:

@Thomas Sinclair

In my database I've recorded 7 tachi-kanagushi tsuba; 3 out 7 can be oriented according to their decoration, and all are edge up (as in katana mounting). In 5 tsuba attributed to tachishi (is the same as tachi-kanagushi or not?) the only one that can be surely oriented is also edge up. So what's the meaning of such attributions is still unclear for me...

tachi-shi ones tend to be design oriented edge down. You're dataset runs much larger than mine, but most of the ones I have seen were oriented that way. Example attached.