Steve Waszak

Hi George, Well, I can agree with some things you offer here, but not others. I would certainly agree that kinko were used by bushi, and we can see from examples in Uchigatana no Koshirae, I believe, that soft-metal tsuba (yamagane, mostly, I think) were mounted on warriors' koshirae, at least sometimes. I don't find either of these points to be very debatable, really. Where I would not necessarily agree is that I'm "not being honest with [myself] if I can't agree that the Shomin kinko...is at least as good as [my] 'hard metal' example." The problem here is what you mean by "good." If by "good" you mean that the Shomin piece is as well made (i.e. technically executed) as the Yamakichibei guard here is, with that I can agree. Where I will certainly not agree is that the Shomin piece is anywhere near as tasteful (to use your term) as the Yamakichibei. I can't stand the Shomin tsuba. While I would not at all call it "gaudy," in my view, it is hopelessly saccharine, even mawkish, in presenting the subject it does (despite its technical excellence). The plate is bland, dull, featureless. The tsuba is utterly lacking in haki (power, ambition), an aesthetic value highly prized (in my sensibility of things). Then again, it's not trying to express this value. Which is perfectly fair: not all works need aim for the same aesthetic value/expression. But see, what we're really discussing here is taste, and as the saying goes, there is no accounting for taste. I can't say why I have always had (right from the beginning of my interest in this stuff) such a visceral dislike of all tsuba like this Shomin, or why I gravitate so strongly to the quiet iron guards, other than to say that certain Japanese aesthetic principles (yuugen, mono no aware, shubusa, sabi, including and especially haki) are vastly more appealing to me than others, and that some tsuba (such as many pre-Edo iron Owari works) satisfy this set of aesthetic principles/values far more effectively than other types of tsuba do, and this includes about 99.9% of Edo kinko. For me, a good deal of Edo kinko is akin to a ruby-studded gold Rolex in its aesthetic sensibility; even those Edo kinko tsuba which are not so flamboyantly bling-y are still often saddled with a dripping sentimentality that makes them (in my eyes) paragons of triteness. Is there anything inherently wrong with this? Maybe not, but the taste required to be drawn to such things is certainly not anything I've been blessed with. As for attempting to "persuade Chris by jovial elitism and embarrassment," remember, he came to us seeking help. If he is interested in expanding his taste, and learning what it is about some "manhole covers" that makes them great, and why so many are so celebrated by the Japanese, I am going to do what I can to help out.

Chris, In response to your query regarding masterpiece "wabi" koshirae, I can post this example here. I'm not sure I'd call it "wabi," exactly, but it certainly is spartan relative to many of the gaudy koshirae we are familiar with. This koshirae, incidentally, is juyo. Cheers, Steve

Oh, wait. Sorry. My mistake. This is an iron ita tsuba from the Momoyama Period made by nidai Yamakichibei, one of the most respected tsubako in Japanese history, an artist with a number of juyo tsuba to his name. Maybe there is more to appreciate here than first meets the eye...

Hey, look! I found an old iron manhole cover tsuba!

Henry, I've always liked that ko-Kagamishi piece. A nice, quiet beauty... Chris, the best book on koshirae I've seen is Uchigatana no Koshirae. Spectacular examples of all kinds of koshirae here. Grey should be able to get you a copy. WELL worth it.

George, Would you please be so good as to supply a few photos of these "manhole covers" and "charcoal briquettes" for us? I'd very much like to see these "emperor's new clothes" examples. Thanks.

And it needs to be said, too, that there is kinko, and then there is kinko. While I would love to have one of the two tsuba pictured here, the other is wholly unappealing (this is being kind). Both are kinko, technically, but it is akin to saying that a Siberian tiger and a tabby are both felines. One of these tsuba exhibits forcefully a value Kokubo Ken'ichi called Haki (power, ambition, unbridled spirit), while the other is trite, obvious, unimaginative, and the very embodiment of insipidity (all in my humble opinion, of course... ). Which is which?

On the other hand, Kaneie was Hideyoshi's Fushimi tsubako, so he must have had some taste...

Ah, so true... Here is Hideyoshi's Golden Tea Room. Makes me gag, but that's just me...

Hi Chris, I'm happy to help out if I can. Those who know me here will hear me go on and on about the virtues of pre-Edo iron, especially Azuchi-Momoyama Owari tsuba... So again, if you'd like to set up a time to talk in live time, just let me know. I'm in San Diego, so on USA west coast time. Just a thought or two to add quickly here. As concerns Tsuba: An Aesthetic Study, it was really the Introduction of the book that I found most rewarding, mostly because it confirmed/supported a viewpoint I'd long held: that it is the plate of the tsuba that matters first and foremost in a pieces's beauty, not any applied decoration, whether sukashi, carving, or inlay. The book is worth getting just to read this argument. Next, another "small" book on Japanese aesthetics is Donald Richie's A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics. It is all of 79 pages, but it introduces and explains many aesthetic terms/concepts that were in use from the earliest centuries of Japanese history, on through the Muromachi, Momoyama, and Edo periods. The book Ford mentions, Tanizaki Jun'ichiro's In Praise of Shadows is one I not only echo in recommending, it's a book I quoted from rather liberally in an article I wrote on the importance of lighting in iron tsuba appreciation. I would second Henry's comment that for text, Sasano's gold book is the one to have, but for images, his silver book is a must-have. I should mention, too, that to really understand pre-Edo iron tsuba, you must also familiarize yourself with the Tea Ceremony and the articles used in that practice (the ceramics, in particular, for many of the aesthetic concerns attached to the Tea Ceremony (which was a hugely important cultural phenomenon of Momoyama and early Edo times) also informed the design and construction of upper-level iron guards. Contrary to what some might say, the finest of iron tsuba of those times were meant for high-ranking bushi, the same bushi who were also intimately involved with Tea. Finally, it's worth noting, I think, that the most celebrated tsubako of all time for the Japanese (generally speaking, of course) are Nobuiye and Kaneie, both of whom worked almost exclusively in iron and were Momoyama artists. Many will argue that these tsubako best expressed many of the most valued aesthetic principles of their age (or any) age. There is SO much more to say on this, Chris, so please do get in touch... Cheers, Steve

Hi Chris, Actually, I'd recommend Sasano's Early Japanese Sword Guards: Sukashi Tsuba as the best introductory text for appreciation of early iron guards. But I'd be more than happy to elaborate in detail on the merits of early iron tsuba... Please feel free to email me at stevewaszak@cox.net. We can get into lots of specifics. If necessary, we can arrange a phone call. Happy to help if I can... Steve

And, uh... What ever happened to the Buttweiler School pieces? Still floating around out there...with their papers? Wonder what else he made...

Thanks for this reminder, Pete: I do need to get a copy of this book. Don't know why I haven't up to now... I have had a few twisting, tortured experiences along the way! But none to top yours here. Alas, I haven't your resolve, Pete: I have fallen into the Pandora's box of ceramics, too... Hopeless and helpless I am...

Pete, Great story, congratulations on your "re-find," and thanks for posting the video. Really helps to bring these menuki to life!

Hi Ford, Sounds good, Ford. I look forward to that day very much... God knows what might come out of our mouths once the sake is flowing! Cheers, Steve

Hi Ford, Agree with pretty much all of what you say here except, perhaps, the bit concerning the hitsu-ana (a relatively minor point ). Your thoughts about the first tsuba being a better example of its type than the Kanayama is of its type (Kanayama) I wouldn't necessarily disagree with, either, though outside of the first one's being called a "tokei" tsuba, I'm not sure what type it is. I certainly concur that there are much better Kanayama guards than this one, and the price this piece carries ($2,500) is about the upper limit that it could/should command, in my view. It's a good Kanayama, but "good" is about all. Oh, and I need to add that if I left the impression that I thought both of these were Kanayama works, apologies: the first is not, of course, a Kanayama tsuba, and I never meant to suggest that I thought it was. And you're quite right, too, in saying that the two are not really comparable in that they each pursue different aesthetic goals (the shared motif is not really a point that should/needs to be compared). But if I were a bushi in need of a new guard for my koshirae, and was enamored with the "tokei" look, I'd definitely be choosing the Kanayama over the other, IF cost were not an obstacle. I can certainly accept the argument that the first tsuba represents a better value for the money, especially if a bit of TLC were applied, than the Kanayama would (for its type). I will hold that the Kanayama is the stronger tsuba if we are simply asking which tsuba I'd rather own, but when the question is presented as you do (which is the better buy for the money?), I don't see any discord in our thoughts... Cheers, Steve

A few thoughts to convey in response... First, as to what I mean by "stiff, dry, and lacking in vibrancy," what I'm trying to say is that, sometimes, we encounter pieces that lack subtlety in the fluidity of their lines (here I do not only mean the relatively two-dimensional lines of the top-down view of the tsuba's "face," but also the niku moving from seppa-dai to mimi, and "traveling" across the plate). The first tsuba you present appears to me to be lacking in this fluidity: there is little to no sensuousness to the form. It is rigid. Of course, this is in the eye of the beholder, so one's mileage may vary... The tsuba also presents (in this single photo) as lacking depth to any patina it may have; it lacks the "wetness" so prized among many old-iron tsuba connoisseurs. Again, I qualify this statement due to the fact that we are viewing these pieces through photos only, and in the case of the first one, a single rather poor image. It may be that, in hand, it does indeed have a deeper, richer patina than it appears to here. When a tsuba lacks both the "life" of a wet patina and is also lacking in fluidity/sensuousness of the forms that comprise it, then to me, it lacks vibrancy therefore. Tsuba #1 is thus dull, insipid, DOA... Ford, Oh come now... You know as well as I do that actually working with metal has nothing at all to do with whether one is "beguiled" by "lumpy bits in iron." Our response to such "bits" is based on aesthetic sensibilities, and is not related to experience at the bench. Further, whether there may be any certainty in how tekkotsu "may be explained or described" again has zero to do with appreciating their effect. And your separation of aesthetic value and market psychology is something of a false dichotomy: if one (or the market) values tekkotsu aesthetically, and enough sympathize with such a valuation, then the market will respond. Perhaps I'm not understanding what you mean by the distinction you're making exactly... As for your comment about tulips and the like, if your point is simply that tastes change, and that there is no accounting for taste (and the [market] values/valuations that accompany shifts in taste), well...yeah. There is no fixed and objective, intrinsic superiority of one form or another, whether in tsuba art or any other. What one considers superior to another depends on argument, not on fact. So I'm not quite sure what you meant to accomplish by including this comment. I find your thoughts as concerns tsuba #2 quite intriguing. As we all know, one cannot accurately assess surface presentation of tsuba via photos, so the statement you make about its state of preservation is curious and perplexing. Then, your qualifier---"apart from some obvious lumpiness in the rim"---in assessing the quality of the iron is frankly odd: you select out THE dominant aesthetic property of Kanayama guards and then evaluate the rest. I guess I might say that, apart from the engine, transmission, suspension, and chassis design, there isn't much special about ferraris. Sheesh. Further, by comparison, the metal of tsuba #1 appears (in the photo) to be utterly lacking in character, unless one finds rust patches to be "character building." And there is nothing at all "awkward and stiff" about the hitsu in tsuba #2---in fact, their placement so close to the edge of the plate creates a liveliness that, again, tsuba #1 wholly lacks. The hitsu-ana placement in tsuba #2 presents as carefully considered; by contrast, the hitsu-ana in tsuba #1 come across as rote, by-the-book, mindless. The price of this tsuba is fine. $2,500 for a good tsuba is nothing. Juyo-level Kanayama are $10K-plus. This piece isn't juyo, obviously, nor even TBH; but it is a good Momoyama Period Kanayama guard. There are not a lot of these around. If anyone thinks that a superb-quality Kanayama tsuba can be had for $2,500, he had better reconsider what counts as superb. For maybe the fifth time, I'll say that without seeing the tsuba in hand, I would reserve any sort of final judgment. But it is a superior rendering of the motif to that seen in tsuba #1, at least in the features I would value. Finally, oh I wish it were so that such "flash patination" could work such wonders. I have yet to see anything approaching a convincing patina in quick-fix (and even the vast [VAST] majority of slow-fix) cases. When one has seen deep, old patinas on fine iron, there is nothing that can compare. I am not suggesting here that tsuba #2 has such a patina; I rather doubt it, frankly (though again, I have only photos to look at). In any event, and in the end, it really boils down mostly to taste and what we find appealing. I personally loathe Edo Kinko as hopelessly trite, mawkish, saccharine (most of it), but that says everything about me, and virtually nothing about the pieces themselves. I think all we can do is try to assess how well an aimed-for aesthetic expression achieves those aims vis-a-vis others that also target that expression. And to my eye, tsuba #2 easily out-does tsuba #1, and it is a good, though not great, example of Kanayama sensibilities. Cheers, Steve

An interesting thread. Personally, I see #2 as far superior to #1. #2---a Momoyama Kanayama guard---is peppered with strong tekkotsu all over the rim (a highly desirable feature for those who like the Tea aesthetic), and, at 6mm thick, is a substantial tsuba, even at its otherwise smaller dimensions. It also appears to have a much better patina, though of course, such judgments always come with a caveat when they are made via photos, only. #1 to me appears stiff, dry, lacking the vibrancy that #2 has. I'm not a fan of the "tokei" motif, personally, but setting that aside, I can see why #2 would be valued at several times what #1 would be. Wakeidou's price (280,000 yen) actually makes sense to me ($5,000+ would not, however). Cheers, Steve

Shocking news. Very, very sad. Rest in peace, Thierry.

That mei was scratched in the day before yesterday...with a paperclip.

Thanks for that, Pete. Excellent.

Guido, My comment on objectivity really was made with a wink: even in the endeavor of objectivity with regard to technical skills, all one can arguably achieve is to observe and identify. As soon as one begins to evaluate, objectivity must fade away. What is fascinating to me, though, is that, given how personal one's response to art is, we might expect no such thing as consensus in what constitutes "the greatest" art/artist. Ford, I definitely take your point regarding the impact of "Sensei-ism" in Japanese culture, but consensus on the greatness of certain artists and/or works is not limited to Japan, of course, so the phenomenon of Sensei-ism can't explain it completely. How is it that so many agree that Hon'ami Koetsu's "Fuji-san" chawan is among the greatest ceramic works in history? I mean, there have been millions of tea bowls made; why does that one, particularly, rise to the top? Of course, we could go straight to Leonardo's Mona Lisa here, too. Among tsuba, what exactly accounts for Kaneie and Nobuiye having been "recognized" as the two greatest names in tsuba? Why those two? Why not three, or four? Or only one? In other words, precisely what separates those two names from all the rest? I fear, though, that I have steered the discussion away from Sebastien's inquiry again. Sorry. Back to that, then. Sebastien, it looks like three publications have been mentioned: 1. Shinsen Kinko Meikan. 2. Noda Takaaki's Banzuke (Tohken Tsuba Kagami). 3. Kokusai Tosogu Kai (KTK) 2016 catalogue (Nick Nakamura's rankings). I have heard that Tsuneishi Hideaki's Tsuba no Kantei to Kansho also presents a sort of ranking list, but I haven't had the book in hand yet, so I can't be sure. Any else know of others? Cheers, Steve

Interesting stuff, guys, but I think Sebastien is really just asking about publications (whether in print or online) that identify first-rank tsuba artists, second-rank, third-rank, and so on. Does anyone know of any other publications that make such identifications? I believe the 2016 KTK catalogue includes such a ranking list toward the back, though having seen it, I find aspects of it problematic. It is, incidentally, heavily weighted toward kinko. And as I hinted at in an earlier post in this thread, knowing the specific criteria by which high(er) rankings are achieved would be useful, to say the least, even more so if there were some objectivity involved (but that might be asking too much... ). Cheers, Steve

Just as an example of potential discrepancies: Not having the Shinsen Kinko Meikan, I can't reference this myself, but Noda Takaaki in his Banzuke essentially has an equal ranking for Hayashi Matashichi and Owari (shodai, I presume) Sadahiro. He also has an equal ranking for Yamakichibei and Choshu Mitsutsune. I find both of these surprising, personally. In the former case, not because of any significant qualitative differences between the two, but because Sadahiro does not seem much appreciated in tsuba circles these days (certainly not in the same way Matashichi is revered). And in the latter case, my surprise comes from what I see as a rather wide gulf between the strength of artistic expression (what Kokubo calls "haki," described as "power, ambition, unbridled spirit") in Yamakichibei guards, on the one hand, and (the lack thereof) in any Choshu work, on the other. Choshu tsuba, for me, are simply much too "pretty" to possess or express haki. Noda has his top two tsubako (this is for steel tsuba, not kinko) as Nobuiye and Kaneie as a pair, followed by Yamakichibei and Choshu Mitsutsune, followed by Sadahiro and Matashichi, also in pairs. So Noda is saying that these are the top six smiths working in iron/steel whose names are known. As suggested above, I am amazed at Mitsutsune's ranking, especially given that Kawaguchi Hoan is nowhere to be found among the top six. Who does Kokubo have, then, in his top six (or top ranks)? I realize that such lists are of course quite subjective, but they can still be interesting and suggestive, too. And given that value/financial considerations are often attached (if only loosely and informally), they are not entirely unworthy of our attention. Cheers, Steve

Thanks, Guido. I'm not surprised. It would be interesting to compare Kokubo's rankings with Noda's in his Banzuke, to see where discrepancies between them lie.