Menuki Styles and Traditions...?

[Soshin]

I have started collecting menuki and how have a few sets. I was wondering if menuki like tsuba and other tosogu can be classified into categories by style and/or tradition. Basically in a similar manner in which tsuba can be classified. Here is a photograph of a set of small menuki that I purchased a few years back from Aoi Art in Tokyo http://www.aoi-art.com/. The only thing I know about them it that they date back to the middle Edo period. They are mumei. I am also looking for on-line or print resources that might also be helpful in my research. Thank you very much for providing any additional information.

 

[nagamaki - Franco]

hi,

 

yes, menuki can be classified as to age, tradition, school, and even maker. The catch is that the workmanship must be distinguishable in order to receive a specific designation for each category down to the maker. It should be noted that there were significant numbers of side schools/artisans attempting to reproduce copies of mainline school work, these copies ranged from excellent to poor in quality. This pair of menuki appear to be a copy patterned and styled after mainline Goto work.

[Soshin]

This pair of menuki appear to be a copy patterned and styled after mainline Goto work.

 

I was reading up on the section entitled "Decoration in the Goto Style" in my only book resource on tosogu "Lethal Elegance" by Joe Earle. It said (paraphrasing) that the later Goto style had a interest in motifs from nature and carefully copying them from real life images. This coying from real life images was a western influence on the late Goto tradition. This sounds very consistent with the theme of my menuki being oak leaves intermixed with chrysanthemum flowers. Here is a little bit more information about my set of menuki. I had a few different people take a look at them a said the the base metal is likely Shibuichi with kin-iroe (gold highlights). The base material is much lighter then my other sets of menuki which have shakudo as their base metal.

[John A Stuart]

Perhaps shibuichi, but, I'm inclined towards silver. John

[Rich T]

Hi all, yes, as Franco has already noted, menuki can be placed into different groups and even individual makers. Goto, Ko Mino, Ko Kinko, Kyo Kanagushi, Ezo, Higo (the Kanshiro Nishigaki was famous for his menuki and fuchi kashira), and nearly all of the later Edo artisans made menuki.

 

I would probably place these myself in the Kyo Kanagushi pond, and probably the mid to late Edo period. I wondered at first if they were Shakudo with a blown out flash ?, but John's idea of gin is also interesting.

 

When studying menuki, it is just as important to look at the backs as well as the fronts. They can give us a good indication of age, construction techniques and quality and are important in in the kantei process. Lastly, if you can find Thomas Buttweiler's article on "The history of Pre Edo Menuki" it is an interesting read.

 

Cheers

 

Richard

[Soshin]

I would probably place these myself in the Kyo Kanagushi pond, and probably the mid to late Edo period. I wondered at first if they were Shakudo with a blown out flash ?, but John's idea of gin is also interesting.

When studying menuki, it is just as important to look at the backs as well as the fronts. They can give us a good indication of age, construction techniques and quality and are important in in the kantei process.Richard

 

Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback I have obtained about my study/collection of menuki. I noticed something about the chrysanthemum flowers on this set of menuki. It has a dark silver hue to them that make me think Shibuichi but gin (silver might be a possibility) for the chrysanthemum flowers. The oak leaves are dark in places not highlighted by the kin-iroe. Here is a photograph of the back side of the menuki. The small horizontal bar that extends out the back of the menuki appears to be copper. The base metal of the back of the menuki is dark.