Collection Catalog Revision

[zanilu]

Dear All

I am in the process of revising my collection catalog and I have just realized ho indiscriminate I was at the beginning of my collecting career in acquiring pieces. Initially I bought what I liked with little discerning...

 

I would like to have your help in classifying some of my earlier acquisitions.

 

Following is the first one. I will add later others as going though the collection I have doubts about them.

 

Please feel free to give your guess and comments. If possible please also justify the attribution to make the thread as instructive as possible

Regards
Luca  

[zanilu]

FT-0004 Dragon in waves (nami ryū zu - 波竜図) Tsuba

 

Jū-mokkogata (木瓜形), tetsu-ji (磨地), sukidashi-bori (鋤出彫), ke-bori (毛彫), kin iroe (金色絵), maru-mimi (丸耳), ryō-hitsuana (両櫃孔).

Dimensions: 80.3 mm x 75.4 mm. Thikness 3.9 mm at seppa dai, 3.4 at mimi.

Material: Iron

 

 

 

Is Jū-mokkogata (木瓜形) is right or it is better kikku-gata (菊花形)?

 

Regards

Luca
 

[Spartancrest]

  This guide describes Kikka-gata as "Kikuka-gata"

 

  This one as "Kiku-gata"

 

  And this one as "Kikka gata"

 

Well there is certainly no consistency with spelling!

 

You get more hits with KIKU-GATA in searches. 

https://www.Japanese...kikugata-iron-tsuba/  a plain guard with Chrysanthemum outline.

[zanilu]

Thanks Dale.

1 hour ago, Spartancrest said:

 

You get more hits with KIKU-GATA in searches.

 I used exactly this criteria when deciding the spelling to use.

 

Luca

[SteveM]

I think you are safe with Jū-mokkō-gata (十木瓜形).

 

My bias would have been towards Kikka-gata (菊花形), but having looked in Iimura's "Tōken Yōran" which is a little almanac on swords first published in the 60s, I see he uses Jū-mokkō-gata for this kind of 10-lobed tsuba. And having double-checked with some papered tsuba, I see that NBTHK also uses "mokkō-gata" for tsuba with scalloped edges (8 or 10 or 12 lobes), always including the number of lobes when there are more than the default 4 lobes.  

 

But I don't expect these terms to be used with any consistency nowadays. You could call it Kikka-gata and get very little argument from anyone. 

 

Adding the entry from Iimura just for reference. I'm sure we could find examples where other authorities use other terms (as Dale has shown above). 

 

 

 

 

[zanilu]

Thank you for the clarification Steve,very informative! 

 

Regards 

Luca

[MauroP]

Ciao Luca,

nice tsuba BTW. A remark on typo: 磨地 reads migaki-ji (smooth surface), tetsu-ji is 鉄地.

About an attribution I’d suggest Hizen (thoght hitsu-ana  shape could also point to an Higo school).

[zanilu]

Ciao Mauro.

 

I stand corrected for the kanji.

I had the same idea about Hizen based on the hitsu Ana as you said I will also consider Higo now that you mention it.

 

Grazie! 

 

Luca

[Soshin]

On 10/13/2023 at 3:00 PM, SteveM said:

My bias would have been towards Kikka-gata (菊花形), but having looked in Iimura's "Tōken Yōran" which is a little almanac on swords first published in the 60s, I see he uses Jū-mokkō-gata for this kind of 10-lobed tsuba. And having double-checked with some papered tsuba, I see that NBTHK also uses "mokkō-gata" for tsuba with scalloped edges (8 or 10 or 12 lobes), always including the number of lobes when there are more than the default 4 lobes.  

 

Jū-mokkō-gata is now I would describe the shape of the tsuba. It is also how the NBTHK would describe the shape of the tsuba on a paper.     

[zanilu]

FT-0008

Iron tsuba signed ??ken Eiju with kakihan.
Dimensions 69.3 mm x 66.4 mm, thickness 4.5 mm at seppa-dai, 3.8 mm at mimi.

 

 

Considering the quality and comparing the mei with a papered example I provisionally classified it as gimei Tetsugendo. 

What is your opinion?

Regards
Luca

[Brian]

Seiryuken Eiju, very typical of their (workshop?) dragon work. Don't see any reason to think it's gimei, they did hundreds if not thousands.

[zanilu]

Thank you Brian

 

This is one of my earliest acquisitions, my dragon period I would say.

Since then my interest drifted somewhere else. My knowledge of Tetsugendo school is limited.

 

Regards 

Luca 

[Spartancrest]

Some more information here from an older thread. The circled seal/kao is one of several used by the Seiryuken craftsmen - same as on your piece.

.

[zanilu]

Thank you Dale. 

 

As usual we can trust you will come up with a lot of info!

 

Regard

Luca

[1kinko]

Gimei or not, they do seem to have cranked them out. This one is a different shape, but with the same lousy mei and kao. 

[Spartancrest]

On 10/20/2023 at 3:19 AM, zanilu said:

FT-0008

Iron tsuba signed ??ken Eiju with kakihan.
Dimensions 69.3 mm x 66.4 mm, thickness 4.5 mm at seppa-dai, 3.8 mm at mimi.

This is going off topic but I could not miss that the guard has had a hole drilled through it in the seppa-dai then refilled with silver/lead? It reminded me of one from another thread. A remnant from a locking device perhaps?

 

[zanilu]

Yes Dale it could be. I had the same feeling. The filling material looks like lead to me.

I have a nicer tsuba that I think could be classified as Washida that has a similar hole but not filled. 

 

Regards

Luca

 

[thutson]

I also have a tsuba with a hole in the seppa-dia, in case its useful, here's the thread.

 

Best,

Tom

 

 

[zanilu]

Dear all

Another bunch of dragon in the cloud for your assessment.

 

Any consideration from your side is welcome.

 

Regards

Luca

 

FT-0013

Iron tsuba mumei.
Dimensions 67.9 mm x 64.0 mm, thickness 3.1 mm at seppa-dai, 3.1 mm at mimi.

[zanilu]

FT-0018

Menuki dimensions 59.9 mm x 15.0 mm, thk 5.4 mm and 61.2 mm x 14.0 mm x 4.1 mm.

 

[zanilu]

FT-0025

Iron tsuba mumei.
Dimensions 83.7 mm x 76.6 mm, thickness 5.7 mm at seppa-dai, 3.6 mm at mimi.
 

[zanilu]

FT-0045

Dragon shakudo menuki
Dimensions 100.5 mm x 17.3 mm x 6.9 mm and 101.5 mm x 19.1 mm x 7.0 mm.

[zanilu]

FT-0021

Nioi shakudo menuki
Dimensions 31.8 mm x 14.5 mm x 4.4 mm and 32.4 mm x 14.8 mm x 5.0 mm.
 

[Bazza]

Luca, nice, NIO btw.  Are these papered??  I think they are Unno Shomin school, Mito province.  See Legacy Art here:

https://www.legacysw...-unno-school-menuki/

Note Ted Tenold's comment:

The meticulously placed star shaped chikaragane around the posts are yet another qualitative touch that immediately show the dedication to craftsmanship through details, and a hallmark Unno touch.

I must say, though, that I don't see the level of detail exhibited in the Legacy Art menuki.

 

I have a pair of NIO in shakudo, also Mito, that have heavy posts.

 

BaZZa.

[zanilu]

Thank you Bazza.

I will look into Unno Shomin school.

As you said the menuki on Legacy Art are another level of quality compared to mine. 

 

Regards

Luca