Ludolf Richter

Hi Justin,the Mei can be read Hideshige or Terushige.Haynes has 2 Hideshige and also 2 Terushige with that 2 Kanji.The Kao from your pic is not to be found in the books.I have only one of the four in my database,Hyosai Terushige,who has different Mei and Kao.Ludolf

Hi Justin,it's a big-name-mei:Joi,1701-1761,Haynes H 02135.Although the Mei looks similar,the quality of the Fuchi is to poor for him,who was famous for his F.K.and Kozuka.The seal on your pic is hardly to be read,so I could not compare it with the ones in my database.My guess is Gimei.Ludolf

Hi Peter,the Mei reads Soryuken.Haynes has him under Yoshinori,h12021.He lived from1799 (or 1800?) till1870.Ludolf

Gimei!Ludolf

Here is a pic from my Kozuka.Ludolf

I have a Kozuka with identical frontside,but unsigned.Maybe there was a famous painting or a Tsuba from a wellknown Tosogu-Artist,like Haruaki Hogen,both artists used as a prototype.Ludolf

Mitsumasa,who used also other Go,became the 12th master of the Goto-Shirobei-Line and worked mainly for the Shogunate.He was born in 1689 (some other sources:1695) and died in 1747.Haynes has taken him under Jujo,H 02269.A niece pice!Ludolf

Has there ever been a listing of the whole Church-Collection printed?In his book from1914 (with reprints from the last 20 years) only 272 pieces are shown with the remark,his whole collection had "nearly five times that number",e.g.only 4 Tsuba from the Ito-School in the book,but nearly 40 in this online catalogue.Ludolf

"Sennin rides on a pure white crane and plays his harp while flying through the air." from Ecyclopedia of Ancient Deities by Charles Russel Coulter and Patricia Turner.Ludolf

Thanks Brian!So it's Sennin riding a crane.What's the story behind it?Nothing in Jolys Legends...".Ludolf

Thank you for this fine reference.A pity there is nothing about mei and mei-reading/explanation or did I make something wrong in not finding the respective text?!Ludolf

Thanks!Ludolf

I have tried to find out what Tanaka Kiyotoshi has shown on the back or behind the crane,but was not successful.Any ideas?!Ludolf

Hi Mike,I have only one example in my database.Ludolf

There is no fitting-artist Tomokazu to be found in the Japanese and western index-books (and in my database): probably an alternate Go,not yet recorded in the books.Ludolf

Hi,I have checked all my sosho-mei-pics in my database (more than 600!):no result.The same applies to Joly's "List of Names,Kakihan".I believe,the artist used a very special kind of sosho and not the standard one,you may find in certain books (e.g. Part Six of "Japanese Art Signatures" by James Self and Nobuko Hirose,published in 1987).Like with handwriting in western nations,he probably used his own personal style,only readable by himself.That would explain,why none of our Japanese friends did answer your question.I spent a lot of time going through my 60-year-old sosho-dictionary (with 3 examples for each Kanji!),but was not successful.The last 2 characters on the left side may be saku kore (spoken kore saku,the kore always spoken behind the name). Ludolf PS.Can you provide more pics of the Tsuba?

Hi,I prefer "Your" (ex Choshu) Masakata,but others may choose the Ito-artist.Ludolf

The Fuchi-Mei reads Suikyoshi Iwamoto Ikkan: H 01850.The Kao is one of the 2 ones he used.Ludolf

The Tsuba was made by Masakata (H 04070),who went from Choshu to Edo.It's not the Maskata from the Ito-School.Ludolf

Thanks Dick!So he used the image from the work of his (former) master in this Tsuba.Ludolf

Hi,I am interested in a Tsuba from an auction to come.The Mei has 2 Go's.What does the Kanji behind Masayoshi mean?Made by both artists?Ludolf

Hi,its from Omori Terumasa.Here an example from my database.Ludolf

Hi,here is the above b/w Jinbei in colour.Ludolf

I had just checked the Tosogo-Mei-Bible: Iida & Wakayama,KINKO JITEN.There is no entry with this Kanji-combination.I believe in the author of the Japanese booklet,I had used to scan the pic for my database,who has stated that the artist was Yasumasa from Mito/Hitachi.He must have had prior knowledge to come for this solution.Although the quality of my pic is not good,both Mei+Kao seems to be nearly identical.Look at the new pic.Ludolf

I have him in my database,but I can't remember from which source I took the picture and the text: Yasumasa from Mino/Hitach,Haynes H 11174 (there with a different 2nd Kanji),student of Nukagawa Yasunori ( H 11237).Ludolf