A stunning set of Aikuchi Mounts... Which School/Maker??

[Marcus Devonport]

Wanted to share an Aikuchi koshirae, entrusted to me by a very good friend. I've held it in my collection a number of months now, so thought it was about time I put together a short post on the piece.

 

The koshirae once housed a Sunobi-Tanto. It must have been a blade of spectacular quality, to be paired with such a koshirae.

 

Visually, the fittings themselves these are quite  interesting. 

Each piece of the set is colourfuly adorned with crabs and water plants, set against a soft background of Nanakoji. 
Upon closer inspection, I  suspect these "waterplants" to be wild ginger, or hollyhock; as stylistically they are similar to the 'cloves' seen on certain Kamon. 

I thought that this may have been an intentional choice; perhaps to celebrate family ties/allegences of the original owner who commissioned the piece. I feel that these being in *gold* of all things is no coincidence.

 

Now onto the saya...
I'm especially fond of this style of urushi; 
I particularly enjoy the inclusions of aogai and flaxseed/rice husks within the lacquer- it gives the piece a very "three-dimensional" feel. It must take a great degree of skill to achieve such a finish.

 

I do not believe the kozuka itself is original to the set, yet it's subject loosely follows the "aquatic theme"

The kozuka shows good workmanship. We see "Omori-esque" beads of silver set into the base, which is a nice touch. 

 

The tsuka itself is neatly bound in Jabari maki, black silk over white samegawa. Several sizable 'emperor-nodes' are visible. 
The selection of samegawa is a telling sign of the overall quality.

 

Again, we see the nautical/riverside theme continuing into the Menuki, with a singular  crab peeking through the wrap.

[Marcus Devonport]

It looks to be an unsigned piece, although I've been reluctant to wiggle loose the fuchi to look beneath for a signature (as it carries with it the chance of causing accidental damage)

 

I am curious whether the workmanship points towards any particular schools/workshops- I would be grateful for your thoughts. 

 

Thanks Again, 

- Marcus Devonport 

 

 

[Dereks]

Hello Marcus, 

 

It honestly read a bit like an auction description — well written, so credit where it’s due.

That said, I would consider this a decent koshirae rather than a “stunning” one. To my eye it’s mid-level work at best. The nanako, in particular, isn’t especially strong.

Describing it as housing a spectacular quality blade feels a bit overstated.

Just my two cents..

 

[Lewis B]

I like the design choices on the piece, especially the fittings. Very playful. 

[ROKUJURO]

I also like that set, but I have no absolute comparison scale for the quality. There is always something better in this world, but this one is in good condition what would matter for me. 

[Hokke]

1 hour ago, Dereks said:

The nanako, in particular, isn’t especially strong.

Describing it as housing a spectacular quality blade feels a bit overstated.

 

 

 

I agree on the nanako, but overall, as others have said, I rather like the set. The theme elements show quite nicely and have good detail. Im also a fan anytime you can find a matching set that includes kojiri and kurikata. 

 

In fairness he never said it actually holds or held a spectacular blade, only that it once held a sunobi. The "spectacular" part was an admitted presumption on his part.

[Dereks]

33 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

I also like that set, but I have no absolute comparison scale for the quality. There is always something better in this world, but this one is in good condition what would matter for me. 

 

I’m also still learning and studying a lot of koshirae, especially through museum collections like The Met. The last time I saw something I would truly call “stunning” on this forum was this one:

 

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/53904-something-unique/

 

That piece also has excellent samegawa on top of very high-quality fittings.

 

@HokkeI actually like this set too—I think it’s quite charming, and it probably has an interesting story behind it. Maybe it belonged to a fish merchant or an island samurai. My point was simply that it isn’t a “top quality” item in terms of workmanship as he might think it is. 

 

Thanks

 

[ROKUJURO]

1 minute ago, Dereks said:

.....Maybe it belonged to a fish merchant.....

Are fish merchants known to have carried SUN NOBI TANTO?

[Dereks]

19 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

Are fish merchants known to have carried SUN NOBI TANTO?

Sun-nobi tanto or wakizashi — back in the day, the distinction wasn’t always that important. And yes, if a merchant was wealthy enough, they could carry or own one depending on the period.

[Marcus Devonport]

5 hours ago, Dereks said:

Hello Marcus, 

 

It honestly read a bit like an auction description — well written, so credit where it’s due.

That said, I would consider this a decent koshirae rather than a “stunning” one. To my eye it’s mid-level work at best. The nanako, in particular, isn’t especially strong.

Describing it as housing a spectacular quality blade feels a bit overstated.

Just my two cents..

 

Thanks for the response.

 

Admittedly, I'm only starting out on the journey of Tosogu collecting- I'm still very much in the "honeymoon phase", which may come through somewhat in my writing. 

 

I have no doubt that more seasoned (and wealthier) collectors can aqquire much better.

I know it's subjective, but for me this is among the nicest I've handled. 

 

Just wanted to offer something to the forum, other than my usual reel of questions. 

 

[Marcus Devonport]

3 hours ago, Dereks said:

 

I’m also still learning and studying a lot of koshirae, especially through museum collections like The Met. The last time I saw something I would truly call “stunning” on this forum was this one:

 

https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/53904-something-unique/

 

That piece also has excellent samegawa on top of very high-quality fittings.

 

@HokkeI actually like this set too—I think it’s quite charming, and it probably has an interesting story behind it. Maybe it belonged to a fish merchant or an island samurai. My point was simply that it isn’t a “top quality” item in terms of workmanship as he might think it is. 

 

Thanks

 

Cant help but agree with you, on the Koshirae included in your link. I quite like the detailing on the Mekugi of all things, as well as that Habaki. 

Very nice 🙏

[Dereks]

22 minutes ago, Marcus Devonport said:

Thanks for the response.

 

Admittedly, I'm only starting out on the journey of Tosogu collecting- I'm still very much in the "honeymoon phase", which may come through somewhat in my writing. 

 

I have no doubt that more seasoned (and wealthier) collectors can aqquire much better.

I know it's subjective, but for me this is among the nicest I've handled. 

 

Just wanted to offer something to the forum, other than my usual reel of questions. 

 

 

Please don’t get me wrong — your koshirae is still very nice and would be a welcome addition to my collection. My comments were purely educational. I’m not a seasoned or wealthy collector, but you can take my words as someone who spends entire days studying top-grade pieces in books and museums.