26 tsuba from a pre-war collection

[Marius]

Dear All,

 

allow me to explain that I am posting this second (and will be posting subsequent) tsuba on behalf of the curator of the Torun District Museum, Pawel Czopinski, whom our nihonto society has managed to get excited about nihonto, kodogu and woodblock prints (I am working on cha-dogu as well ) Pawel's kind help was essential to an exhibition we have organised - http://gomabashi.blogspot.com/2011/05/p ... ition.html

 

Pawel is in the process of uncovering tsuba from various Polish museums - before WWII there have been some serious collections in Poland, which have been since scattered and bits and pieces now rest in museum storage.

 

If you and Brian, our Admin, do not object, I will post tsuba and other nihonto related items here on a regular basis, asking for your opinion about school, age and motif. I am ignorant when it comes to Edo tsuba... Please rest assured that this there is no commercial background to that. I hope that once catalogued, these tsuba will find their place in some big exhibition.

 

So, here we go:

 

a kinko tsuba, the motif of which is most likely Fujiwara Hidesato and the Dragon King.

 

Higher resoltuion pics are here: http://gallery.me.com/mariuszk#100568

 

Thanks for your time and effort

[John A Stuart]

If this is the quality of tsuba mouldering in drawers in Poland I want to see more. I wonder if this is Omi school work, you know, like Hikonebori, or maybe Choshu. Wonderful work. John

[Marius]

John,

 

there will be 26 tsuba (two have been already posted) and 11 kozuka. I have dropped Brian a line, asking him if this is OK. Again, strictly pro publico bono, no commercial background whatsoever.

 

As for drawers - these tsuba and kozuka come from the Muzeum Archeologiczne i Etnograficzne (Archeological and Ethnographic Museum) in Łódź, and they have been most likely part of the collection of Henryk Grohman, a famous pre-war industrialist and art lover.

 

All the tsuba and kozuka have been given into deposit of the District Museum in Torun, where a permanent exhibition of Japanese art is being organised by Pawel Czopinski, with some assisstance from our Society (allow me to translate it as the Polish To-ken Society).

 

Glad you like it

[Brian]

Mariusz,

I am fine with you posting them, knowing the purpose. However I do hope the collectors of these decide to come out of the woodwork for a change

Lots of guesses, but the guys who know are conspicuous by their abscence lately...or online.

Best to keep them all in this one thread, and we can take them as they come. Perhaps tsuba in one thread, other fittings in another.

Good luck.

 

Brian

[Curran]

I do not have an answer.

I like this piece and wish it did not feel boxed in with that shakudo fukurin.

 

It reminded me of a Hamano Naoyuki tsuba I have seen, probably in the Baur Collection. Proportion is ever so slightly off in that Hamano way which reminds me of early Sienese painters dealing with depth of 3-D perspective. It could also could easily be from any number of talented Mito subschool artisans. Peter or some of the other quiet tsuba experts might have more insightful observations.