Request info on Forger Ito Katsumi, Ito Masatoshi, students

[Curran]

Bear with me, as lots of questions here:

Those who have been here a time know that I am interested in Norisuke work, and I seem to enjoy as a side line of study those 19th century fittings artists that were skilled enough to both work in their own style and in making excellent copies or downright forgeries.

 

I've been recently looking at a tsuba signed (Ito) Masatoshi . Nice write-up in Haynes, but doesn't mention the reference mei which are in Wakayama's 3vol set and Kinko Meikan for Ito Masatoshi. The tsuba being studied is also signed Masasada, which is supposedly a student of Ito Masatoshi.

 

Request 1: Does anyone have a geneaology tree for Ito Katsumi -> Ito Masatoshi -> (Ito Masasada?)

 

Request 2: Can anyone provide a reference signature for Ito Masatoshi or Ito Masasada outside of Wakayama and the Kinko Meikan? The tsuba up for sale is unpapered, but the Masatoshi signature doesn't look a close match at all. Yet it doesn't feel gimei, as workmanship is spot on and it isn't a big name. From experience with Norisuke, I am wondering if it is Masasada work with the Masatoshi mei also put on it?

Masatoshi had a long life, so it may just be one end of his spectrum of signatures. My only concern with the whole Masasada student is that Masasada is supposed to have died c. 1850..... which would have been when his teacher Masatoshi was 5 years old.... Probably just another of the small errors or inconsistencies in Haynes' mostly superb Index.

 

Request 3: I enjoyed reading about Ito Masatoshi's teacher Ito Katsumi and all the trouble he got into for his forgeries, his "I'm blind" years and subsequent recovery. He was supposedly extremely skilled. Has anyone an example of his work, or more information on his life?

 

Thanks in advance. I'm surprised I haven't studied up on Ito Katsumi and his students before.

[Pete Klein]

1). Did you check the JSSUS Vol. 3 Owari article?

2). Did you check the Afu translation of the Tosogu book from the Nihon To Koza?

[Ludolf Richter]

Hi Curran,here are some pics of the 3 guys from my database.Ludolf

[Eric H]

MFA Boston

Eric

[Curran]

Ludolph and Eric,

 

Thank you. The images of Katsumi work have been very helpful along with those sent to me offline.

 

The Katsumi and Ito Masatoshi are good examples for me to get the frame of reference I needed. The Ito Masasada was different from Bushu Masasada (different Sada character) and was relatively unknown as be probably didn't become a student until the cusp of the Meiji era.

 

I have been trying to post images of Katsumi tsuba provided to me via email, but am having trouble getting them from an Adobe Acorbat format to something of side I can display here.

 

You two have been helpful in one of the limited chances I've had to study something new. I will try and post an image of the jointly signed Ito Masatoshi and Ito Masasada tsuba tomorrow. The Ito Masatoshi signature still isn't a match with any of the reference examples I've seen, but just doesn't seem to make sense as a gimei.

 

Curran

[Curran]

With a bit of help and advice from Brian and Rich T., hopefully will post now the Katsumi works. (see acrobat file attachment) And here is the image of the Ito Masatoshi and Masasada work that got me interested in the Katsumi story.

 

The signature for Ito Masatoshi doesn't match what I have in a few reference books, but he did have a very long life/career and only 2 or 3 reference signatures in my books.

 

Tanaka school style work done in the Bushu Ito school. New to me, though maybe old hat to some of the veteran collectors here.

Katsumi-Tsuba-examples.pdf

[Gazmo1]

Hi Curran I actually have one of his tsuba on my ko wakizashi here is a picture for you. Albeit a decade late