New tsuba - trying to establish origins

[Jesta]

This one has just arrived, and I am sharing my excitement… 

 

It is iron, and has some good nunome-zogan, using two different shades of gold, with the ground in what I think is silver. This one in the Ashmolean looks like similar work (https://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/921/per_page/50/offset/200/sort_by/date/category/other/start/1799/end/1895/object/21029), but doesn’t note a possible origin. 

 

Does anyone have any ideas where it might have come from?

 

 

 

[Spartancrest]

Kenjo or Kyo-kenjo? 

Like this one: https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/Iron-tsuba-Gold-Inlay-Kyo-Kenjo-NTHK-Origami-Japan-18th19th-century/21822197-iron_tsuba-10.11.18-catawiki

 

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/47750-kenjō-kyo-kenjō-tsuba-and-fittings/

 

The late Gary Murtha wrote a whole book on the subject. https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Japanese-Sword-Guards-History-Presentation/dp/1532314752

 

[DirkO]

Although the tsuba has a lot of nunome zogan, I wouldn't call it good nunome zogan. Good nunome zogan actually means that you barely see the cross-hatching, seeing that part was reworked/cleaned up after the inlay. 
Here the zogan was prepared without knowing how large and where the inlay would come. Then afterwards no care was taken to clean up the prepared surface.



See how in the above picture the prepared crosshatching was cleaned up and only the bare minimum outside the inlay is left. 

 

[Jesta]

52 minutes ago, DirkO said:

Although the tsuba has a lot of nunome zogan, I wouldn't call it good nunome zogan. Good nunome zogan actually means that you barely see the cross-hatching, seeing that part was reworked/cleaned up after the inlay. 
Here the zogan was prepared without knowing how large and where the inlay would come. Then afterwards no care was taken to clean up the prepared surface.
 

Interesting point, but I think that it is more likely that the artist wanted to leave the cross-hatching to keep the material-like texture, which I understand to be one of the ways to use this technique, much like nanako resembles silk (and something that I like). (see here for another example: https://japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/tsuba-kodogu/q784-higo-tsuba-hozon-to-kumagai/) 

The fact that the pattern covers the whole surface would indicate that the this wasn’t put there just to hold the the design in place.  In your example, the technique has been used for exactly that, and only for the design, rather than for a material aesthetic. 

[Kurikata]

https://www.zacke.at/auction/lot/lot-58---a-fine-silvered-iron-tsuba-with-autumnal-flowers/?lot=75950&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=143&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=96&pn=1&g=1

[Jesta]

2 hours ago, Kurikata said:

https://www.zacke.at/auction/lot/lot-58---a-fine-silvered-iron-tsuba-with-autumnal-flowers/?lot=75950&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=143&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=96&pn=1&g=1

Thanks. I was the bidder… 

[Jesta]

5 hours ago, Spartancrest said:

Kenjo or Kyo-kenjo? 

Like this one: https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/Iron-tsuba-Gold-Inlay-Kyo-Kenjo-NTHK-Origami-Japan-18th19th-century/21822197-iron_tsuba-10.11.18-catawiki

 

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/47750-kenjō-kyo-kenjō-tsuba-and-fittings/

 

The late Gary Murtha wrote a whole book on the subject. https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Japanese-Sword-Guards-History-Presentation/dp/1532314752

 

Thanks for this. I can’t see the first one clearly, but I will check out the book. 

[ROKUJURO]

I think Dirk is correct in his statement.

In my opinion, it is a very late TSUBA (MEIJI ?), made in series. Now, probably to remove some corrosion, it has been ground and is heavily damaged.

The cross-hatching is irregular and somewhat crudely executed, and does not convey an aesthetic appearance.

[Matsunoki]

I’m struggling to believe this is silvered. The silver colour looks like heavily worn shiny iron ie it has lost all of it original dark patina. Personally I’ve never ever seen nunome zogan on silver or on silver plate. In this case the silver nunome would not have stood out against the background? To my eyes it is a heavily abraded and  worn  iron plate that just happens to look like it’s been silvered. 

 

I hope i am wrong because that’s a hell of a price for a worn iron tsuba.

[MauroP]

I don't think it's just an overcleaned tsuba. If the iron patina was abraded surely the nunome-zōgan would have been abraded as well. Nunome-zōgan over silver is unusual, nontheless silvered iron tsuba do exist (here one of mines).

 

[Matsunoki]

We’ll to my (old) eyes the iron surface AND the nunome has been very heavily abraded…..see circled areas in red. The nunome has virtually disappeared and where it remains it is very weak.

Also imo the Japanese would never put silver nunome onto a silver(ed) surface…..what would be the point? It would not show up. Not the sort of artistic blunder that the Japanese would ever make. 

Also imo we can see the remains of deep pitting in several areas especially where the surface has been abraded suggesting very nasty corrosion had existed. 

Also, in areas where there is no abrasion to the plate or the nunome  the surface colour does not suggest tarnished silver, it looks exactly as it should ie patinated iron.

Im not trying to score points but if someone is spending substantial money on these things it is useful to understand what we are looking at…..and why it looks as it does….and best not to rely on what any Auctioneer says.

[Jesta]

Hi all. Thanks for the notes. To put this to rest… Matsunoki is right, or so I believe. I have run a couple of simple tests to see if it is silver or polished iron. I can’t find any evidence that it is silver, and when I rub the darker areas with a tissue they come away with iron rust colour, so I am going to assume that it is indeed iron. 

 

I have written to the auction house to complain that their description was inaccurate and asking for some action, no idea if they will respond with any except a form email, but we will see… 

 

I am sad, because it was a piece that I was quite excited about. It is not a cheap mistake, but I am somewhat sanguine about it. It’s still a piece that I like looking at, and learning is always valuable in the end. 

[Matsunoki]

38 minutes ago, Jesta said:

To put this to rest… Matsunoki is right, or so I believe.

 

Justyn, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I wish you well in your dispute with the Auctioneers. If it would help in any way you can use anything I have said…you can quote me exactly and I am happy to email them directly if it will help. Good luck. 

[Jesta]

6 hours ago, Matsunoki said:

 

Justyn, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I wish you well in your dispute with the Auctioneers. If it would help in any way you can use anything I have said…you can quote me exactly and I am happy to email them directly if it will help. Good luck. 

It’s all good, I’d rather know, and thanks for your offer. 

[Jesta]

Quick update: I have been in touch with the auction house. They have agreed to reassess the tsuba and said that they will refund me if they agree with the notes I gave them. I am going to send it back to them today. Fingers crossed. 

 

Quite impressed with the willingness to reconsider.