Tsuba decoration type?

[Spartancrest]

I was trying to do some research on a type of tsuba that has square inlays in the manner of Yoshiro, but not by that school. The square mon if you can call them that, look like the chapter headings from the 'Tale of Genji'.

It is difficult to find examples if you don't have a name to go with it. These turn up infrequently and from what I can find the descriptions are very vague. Anyone know the school or technique name? Thanks for any help.

[Kurikata]

Similar one: https://www.czernys.com/a-137/?o=108281

[Bugyotsuji]

Try looking under Genji Ko 源氏香

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=源氏香&client=safari&sca_esv=587470601&hl=en-gb&tbm=isch&prmd=imsvn&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqjtyetfOCAxXBb_UHHU-bAWgQ_AUoAXoECAcQAQ&biw=390&bih=663&dpr=3

[Spartancrest]

Thanks Bruno and Piers, so far all I get from Google are these sukashi types. But I will keep looking. 

[Dan tsuba]

This is a square inlay type tsuba I have in my collection.  I am also interested in the school or technique name!

With respect,

Dan

[Spartancrest]

44 minutes ago, 1kinko said:

Touken Matsumoto has a katana sized one for sale (TSU 2627) and says it represents lattices. 

Wow he seems to have some good pieces!   https://www.touken-m...roduct/ichiran/tsuba    Den-Umetada - not what I would have thought.

 

   I was wondering if there is a clue in this papered example. Google translate is no so great.

 

Denrichu ?    "Baked hand-roasted bullion covered ring ears"  sounds like an expensive coffee blend rather than a useful description of a tsuba! 

 

 

[SteveM]

The authentication paper is calling this design  "scattered lattices" (格子散図), which is as good a descriptor as you'll find, I think. The other bit about "hand-roasting the bullion" is a mistranslation of the type of forging technique of the tsuba. 

 

This one, from Christies, is perhaps my favorite. It comes with a hakogaki by Torigoye, who also calls them "lattices in sukashi" (格子透)

https://onlineonly.c...-iron-tsuba-19/12103

 

The Japanese dealer Tokka has had a tsuba with a similar motif available on his site for a while now. 

https://tokka.biz/fittings/T015.html

His descriptions says

Quote

だいぶ調べたのだが、透かし文様を解明出来ないまま紹介することになった。

 

Translation: I've researched extensively, but I'm afraid I have to offer it without any explanation as to the design of the figures in sukashi.

Are they meant to be lattice screens? Is there some significance in this type of "lattice screen"? Or are they some other design, that for some reason has just be reduced to "lattice". I'm waiting for a definitive explanation, but in the meantime I won't argue with Torigoye.  

 

 

[DirkO]

I'll argue with Torigoye then  (not really seeing his strong point was iron tsuba)  These are the chapter symbols for the Tale of Genji.

[Bugyotsuji]

‘Denrichu’ above is Den Umetada.

’Covered ring ear’ is fukurin mimi.

 

[Spartancrest]

I uncovered two more with one signed  SHOAMI MATAJIRO  https://onlineonly.c...-iron-tsuba-19/12103

and this one on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/294849989719

One that was shown by Bruno is said to be Katchushi? The papered one above Den-Umetada. So like a lot of designs does this mean more than one school copied the pattern?

[ROKUJURO]

A question for Steve: Could these inlays be very simplified/abstracted versions of Chinese (HAN ZI) characters?

Dale: ....One that was shown by Bruno is said to be Katchushi? .... I have observed that sellers often have no clue and take a DOTE MIMI as a sign for KACHUSHI, which certainly is not true for this TSUBA.

[Dan tsuba]

I wonder if those "scattered lattices" characters represent hexagrams (or something like them) from the I Ching?  They look very similar.  

 

List of hexagrams of the I Ching - Wikipedia

 

With respect,

Dan

 

 

 

[DirkO]

@Dan tsuba great find! it put me on the way of something else - seeing yours have 6 lines, but apparently it relates to an older system with 4 lines, which most tsuba have with this design:

[Dan tsuba]

Wow DirkO, that's it!!  Fantastic!  Thanks!  I found some more information here-

 

Taixuanjing - Wikipedia

 

Now I have to work on translating what the square inlays in my tsuba mean!

 

With respect,

Dan

 

[SteveM]

6 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

Could these inlays be very simplified/abstracted versions of Chinese (HAN ZI) characters?

My thinking evolution was

 

1. Some simplified/abstracted versions of kanji. Maybe "good luck" (喜, 吉, 囍, etc...). I gave up on this hypothesis, though.

↓

2. Some representation of the I Ching trigrams (the ones that Dan Tsuba mentions in his post above). I didn't completely give up on this, but seems unlikely.

↓

3. Now that I am aware of the "Taigenkyō" symbols (DirkO's last post), I think this is probably going to be an area that merits further research.

 

So I've come all this way to kind of repeat what Tokka says, "after looking at a lot of stuff, I still don't know". But I think the taigenkyō letters look promising. I was not aware of these symbols until today - I was only aware of the more common trigrams (the ones you see on the Korean national flag). I'll have to dig a bit more into the taigenkyō symbols and find out their connection to samurai thought/aesthetics (if any). 

[Spartancrest]

8 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

I have observed that sellers often have no clue and take a DOTE MIMI as a sign for KACHUSHI, which certainly is not true for this TSUBA

You can say that again Jean! But they are unlikely to let the truth get in the way of a quick sale. 

Way off subject but I find a number of sellers citing their pieces as appearing in books, but they never really have a close look at the evidence. This one recently.

 

 

I notice a certain rigidness to the layout of the "lattice" squares in most of the images I have seen, each has five 'windows' two have different figures which may be monograms or kao?  [except for Dan's which looks symmetrical and only has four 'windows'] If the lattices are Tetragraphs then I assume they would read a certain way and may have an overall meaning rather than as individuals?  [Where is Alan Turing when you need him?]