Akasaka tsuba

[Lee Bray]

I own this piece and have been unable to find any information on the maker.

Anyone know anything about the piece or maker?

 

 

The translation in the picture is courtesy of Ed Marshall of Yakiba.com

My own translation came to Kanen Ju Akao Yoshiharu Saku.

Which is correct?

[Pete Klein]

Lee -- this is most likely 'Kofu no Ju Akao Yoshitsugu Saku'. I cannot find this mei in the reference books but from what I found in the Nihon To Koza VI I would guess that he was of the Tatsutoshi/Tokinao lieage as they worked in Akasaka style and they used the Kofu no Ju in their mei. Yoshitsugu was the most common name used in the Akao school.

Hope this helps.

 

PS: this isn't an Akasaka School tsuba but an Akao School tsuba.

[Ludolf Richter]

Hi!I have more than 20 mei-pics from Akao Yoshitsugu,none with the "box" in tsugu like in the above pic!There is no Akao Yoshiji or Yoshiharu in the books.Ludolf

[Ed]

Lee,

This post causes me some ambivilance in that I wish someone could have provided some more conclusive information, yet I feel better that I was not the only one who exhausted my references looking for this particular maker to no avail.

 

As Pete pointed out, it is undoubtedly the Akao school. I too speculated at Akao Yoshitsugu but it is clearly not the Tsugu character seen on any mei example I was able to reference.

See this one for comparison: http://yakiba.com/Tsuba%20Akao%20Yoshitsugu%20Descipt.%20pg.htm

 

It would be great if someone could shed some knew light on this mei/maker.

 

Ps: I think Lee meant to say Akasaka style tsuba.

[Rich T]

Hi all, I think this tsuba is signed Kofu no Ju Akao Yoshiharu saku and may well just be an unlisted student or maker. It's a nice enough looking piece with both Akasaka and Higo traits but it lacks the originality that the very best of the Akoa tsuba are famous for. Well in my opinion anyway.

 

cheers

 

Richard

[Lee Bray]

Hi Ed.

 

This tsuba is not to be, it seems.

It's a delightful tsuba; quite delicate but more than capable of its task.

 

The Akasaka/Akao misrepresentation was my lack of understanding. You told me it was Akao previously, I've read it for myself and yet I still called it Akasaka. Appreciate you trying to give me an out but it was just me being dumb. Now I know better.

 

My thanks for checking your books, Pete and Ludolf.

I'd have to agree that I cannot make out Yoshitsugu from the mei and I'm fairly certain it's Kanen and not Kofu.

I also think the mei is struck more elegantly than the examples of Yoshitsugu that I've looked at but perhaps I have bias.

 

It's still early here so later today I'll take some shots of this in the sun and post some dimensions.

Perhaps it will illicit some more opinions on the quality of workmanship as I'd like to know what peoples opinions are on that, too.