Where is the love for cats?

[Bugyotsuji]

A while ago someone explained to me that a flat tsuba shape billet of suitable iron, before any work is performed on it, can cost in the region of ￥30,000 today.

[rematron]

Piers, if that’s the case I got a great deal!  Do you recall the details of that conversation? Wish there was a way to know where it was actually made. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Jeremy, I'll be seeing the guy tomorrow, so if I get a chance I will float your enquiry. No guarantee that yours is from the same origin though...

[rematron]

Thank you, Piers. Yeah I know it’s pretty impossible to know where mine came from so I’m just gonna be happy with it as a humble addition to my tiny tosogu collection. However, I am now generally curious as to the high price of a simple new Japanese tsuba in Japan. 

[rematron]

Was doing some research on Choshu tsubas just now and came across this: Bonhams : A Choshu-school iron tsuba By Nakai Tomotsune, 18th century (2)

 

 

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Cat hamon anyone?

 

[Bugyotsuji]

There should be two cats in here somewhere. 

[GRC]

This one doesn't look like the typical "ferocious tiger", so let's just call it a "tabby cat"... 

[Xander Chia]

6 minutes ago, GRC said:

This one doesn't look like the typical "ferocious tiger", so let's just call it a "tabby cat"... 

Neither does this. I know it’s a bit weathered but I still can’t picture it being a tiger.

[Bazza]

Its a 'goofy' tiger - a good sign IMHO.  Like a goofy Shishi.  Good renditions of a creature hardly if ever seen.

 

BaZZa.

[Spartancrest]

Lots of goofy tigers getting about!

 

[Spartancrest]

Yes it is very modern but nice design. https://www.jauce.com/auction/p1087517204

[Spartancrest]

Where is the love for cats?   How about the love of cash!  Wish I had some!

https://www.jauce.com/auction/j1087841412   - Starting off at 195,000 yen

[Spartancrest]

  I think this is the same tsuba as Okan showed in his original post - the image was taken by Baldwin Coolidge in 1904 for a series of tsuba cards for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

 

https://www.pinteres.../512847476318414055/ or  https://www.etsy.com...=nla_listing_details

[Spartancrest]

  Do modern netsuke count? https://fujiyasubook...fc15c19c455ce628a135

[Spartancrest]

  This is selling again https://www.jauce.com/auction/t1118726205  or  https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/t1118726205

[terminus]

Okawa Teikan

[DoTanuki yokai]

[Stephen]

On 12/26/2023 at 8:50 PM, terminus said:

Okawa Teikan

Just lovely Tony, did you post in moon tsuba thread?

[Spartancrest]

Christian S. A nice catch from a very famous German collection.  The Georg Oeder collection was catalogued in 1916 and published in German. The whereabouts of the collection is now unknown as it disappeared from Berlin after the fall to Russia at the end of the Second World War 1945.

I translated the book.    https://thepencentre...86?model=0&variant=0

[Okan]

Meow

[Stephen]

Blank carve yourself lol

 

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/h1121329185?

[Brian]

Appears wire cut from mild steel. But does have a certain charm.

[Spartancrest]

An older thread but I just found this Hamidashi tsuba converted to a netsuke - cat with a catfish [menuki?] attached.

        https://www.jauce.com/auction/f1147577760

 

[GreyVR]

Sorry to necro, but I actually might have an answer for @Okan

House cats were (it's reported) considered bad luck around dead people because of a legend about a cat that takes you to hell. The Kasha. You had to keep cats away from dead people or it might turn out to be a Kasha in disguise, who would steal the corpse, or turn it into a monster. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasha_(folklore)
Kasha the Japanese Cat Demon: History & Myth Explained
https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/kasha-Japanese-cat-demon/

The story's development is complex, but basically it's called the Kasha. Originally it seems it was just a flaming chariot, but later it was depicted as being driven by a cat. In Nioh 2, they depicted Kasha as a boss, but also as a curvey and extremely hot cat woman. 

There's also other cat demons, like the Nekomata, which is where you cat develops into a yokai. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekomata

There's the Bakeneko, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakeneko

So, while I can't say for sure this is the real reason there's less housecats on antique sword fittings.... it's very likely that it would be considered bad luck.

A very basic human superstition is the idea that 'naming calls' (Say the devil's name and he will appear, as they say.) You wouldn't want to have a cat image on your sword because if you died with it with you (and that's kind of likely if you took it everywhere) it might make the appearance of a Kasha more likely.

So I suspect the cat image might have just been considered bad luck. 

[eternal_newbie]

3 hours ago, GreyVR said:

In Nioh 2, they depicted Kasha as a boss, but also as a curvey and extremely hot cat woman. 

 

 

In Nioh 1 there is also a scene where a ninja wants to check the time, and pulls out a cat and looks into its eyes (there is an old urban legend/folktale that you can tell the time by looking at how dilated a cat's pupils are).