NEW Blog: Tsuba are beautiful - Kantei Series #01: “The Black Shakudo Tsuba - Ko-Kinko, Kyo Shoami or Soten?“

[Kunehito]

PREFACE

 

This new series „Tsuba are beautiful - Kantei Series“ is dedicated to collectors, friends, and enthusiasts who appreciate genuine Japanese art as much as I do. I share my knowledge from today’s perspective, offering insights that may help when, perhaps in a hidden corner of your favorite antique shop—or even online—you come across a precious Tsuba that captivates you, though you may not yet know much about it. By following this series, you’ll learn to work methodically toward identifying unsigned Tsuba on your own. I hope it will be helpful for your future collecting journey and maybe even ignite the spark for new collectors to begin theirs.

Please enjoy—and feel free to ask questions or share your opinions. Let’s discuss kindly and respectfully, whether you agree or disagree. Remember, collecting is a shared journey; respect for others’ views keeps our community strong.

You will find the link here: Tsuba are beautiful - Kantei Series #01: “The Black Shakudo Tsuba - Ko-Kinko, Kyo Shoami or Soten?“

Enjoy reading!

 

Best wishes,

Tobi

 

www.nihonto.art

www.tsuba-no-kake.com

 

Edited 15 hours ago by Kunehito

[Curran]

Tobais:     VERY NICELY DONE!

 

I like your STEP 7: DIVE in the scenery most.

So many tsuba have a lot more story to them than we appreciate. 

 

These days, finding the story often means the most to me.

[MauroP]

Brilliant analytical writing, very well done! (... but personally, I would lean toward the Hikone/Sōten attribution).

 

[zanilu]

I would side with Pietro on this.

 

Look a lot like a Soten piece or to be more precise (or more generic,  you choose ) it looks like one of the Soten like pieces made by various artisans that took advantage of the Soten school popularity. 

From the reduced number and larger size of the human figures I would also say a later one.

 

As always I could be wrong...

 

Regards 

Luca

[Exclus1ve]

Hello!
I've also done some research on my Soten tsuba set. I'm inclined to believe that your tsuba was made by a follower of Soten with their own unique style.
There are noticeable differences in the way the pine tree is drawn, with its more elongated needles(with an Italian accent)) joke), which is not as common in the Soten school.

Additionally, the tops of the waves have a concave point, whereas Soten often uses a round point, and the overall style of the waves is different.

 

A similar plot, I suppose)

 

The precise depictions of the clans are also not typical of Soten, and I really appreciate this detail on your tsuba!

 

I also found a potential pair that is slightly smaller in size, both in appearance and in terms of the additional seki gane insert.

Best regards 

Viktor

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Exclus1ve

[Exclus1ve]

Although, considering that this is a ko-kinko, you must be right!

https://www.bonhams.com/auction/22248/lot/1207/a-ko-kinko-tsuba-edo-period-18th-century/

In any case, it was interesting to compare!

Edited 7 hours ago by Exclus1ve