Tsuba school

[DanielM]

Hello Members,

 

I would like to identify the school of this tsuba

It has a sligtly rised border, the plate seems well hammered

In takazogan we have « Raijin » the god of thunder juggling with his drumsticks.  (in sukashi)

A signature in a gold cartouche Ichi ryu sha ?  i have no reference of this artisan

The big sekigane make me think of the tanaka school?? but these are not carefully done?

Any comment is welcome, thanks in advance

[Spartancrest]

It could be Tanaka school this example has similarities including the large sekigane and inlaid mei plate - not the same artist though https://soryu.pl/products/iron-tanaka-toryusai-school-tsuba-signed-takahashi-toshitsugu-with-nbthk-hozon-tosogu

[kissakai]

Doesn't look like Tanaka to me but I'll check it out later

 

[DanielM]

Thank you Dale and Grev for your comments.....so we have one for the tanaka school with arguments...(the rim, the sekigane, the gold cartouche...ands i will add the negative sukashi (drumstick) that we find  sometimes in this school (see the photo )....and one against without comments at this moment...so please Grev could you give us your comments

By the way have you any idea when the practice to sign in a gold cartouche appeared ?   i would guess late 19th??

Thanks to you both

one for with arguments and one against without comments..

[Steves87]

Not saying it's Nara, but Nara also did the mei panel like that.

I'd have said it is a Tanaka that has lived a very hard life at one point, if the plate background was anything to go by. The kuchi-beni have been highly deformed by multiple nakago fitments, and the extra sekigane added

[DanielM]

Hello Stephen,

many thanks for your comments. I was not aware that some Nara tsuba had mei in gold panel...interesting. I also discovered that the otsuki school had the same practice...i also recognise that the plate background of this tsuba is not in the style of the tanaka...and the sekigane are very badly done...so it remains a mystery..

thanks for your help

 

[DanielM]

Now we know that Nara school used sometimes a gold panel for the Mei...we also know that some Nara tsuba were made with old iron back plate ..showing "iron bone" in the rim...(as in this exemple)...we were misled to the Tanaka by the Kuchi beni often associated with Tanaka

But we have have never think that some nara were made with Kuchi beni...as in the exemple joined...it is made by Nara Toshiharu...it is a copy from Tanaka Toryusai

Thus possibly the Tsuba we were questionned about...is from the Nara school.....

May i hope that some Nara specialist will comment this possibility?

Thanks in advance

 

[Spartancrest]

     https://art.thewalters.org/object/51.90/   Walters museum says Tanaka for their piece,  Tanaka Kiyotoshi (1804-1876) 

They can't afford the lighting bill and so their images are always DARK!  

[ROKUJURO]

If I remember correctly, there is a similar TSUBA depicted in the black W. COMPTON catalogue.