Soshin

I was reading up on the section entitled "Decoration in the Goto Style" in my only book resource on tosogu "Lethal Elegance" by Joe Earle. It said (paraphrasing) that the later Goto style had a interest in motifs from nature and carefully copying them from real life images. This coying from real life images was a western influence on the late Goto tradition. This sounds very consistent with the theme of my menuki being oak leaves intermixed with chrysanthemum flowers. Here is a little bit more information about my set of menuki. I had a few different people take a look at them a said the the base metal is likely Shibuichi with kin-iroe (gold highlights). The base material is much lighter then my other sets of menuki which have shakudo as their base metal.

I have started collecting menuki and how have a few sets. I was wondering if menuki like tsuba and other tosogu can be classified into categories by style and/or tradition. Basically in a similar manner in which tsuba can be classified. Here is a photograph of a set of small menuki that I purchased a few years back from Aoi Art in Tokyo http://www.aoi-art.com/. The only thing I know about them it that they date back to the middle Edo period. They are mumei. I am also looking for on-line or print resources that might also be helpful in my research. Thank you very much for providing any additional information.

Here is a another topic about "Kaneie" tsuba: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4251 On the second page of the topic I posted a photo of mine tsuba which is a 19th Cen. late Edo period Shoami school copy that was signed with a fake Kaneie signature. The signature on my tsuba is in a style trying to fake the second famous Kaneie tsuba-ko. I still like my tsuba but it isn't a lost masterpiece as I was hoping. :lol: I hope you find the topic URL helpful in your study.

Dear Ian, Is the fukurin glided in gold? I can make out what looks like a gold glided fukurin from both photos of each side of the tsuba. A silde veiw photo might be helpful as well. If it is then that's really impressive and it adds a nice contrast to the dark iron patina of the body of the tsuba and matchs some of the highlights. David

Ian, nice tsuba. Do you know what the mei reads? I can't see the mei from the photo you have uploaded. A close-up of the mei area would be helpful. Thanks for sharing photos of your tsuba with us.

I had to fix a few display boxes that were broken in a similar way your photo shows becasue the person selling the tusba to me shipped the tsuba inside the display box. Luckily there wasn't any damage to the tsuba(s) themselves.

Looking at the tusba I think you are correct about the inlay work of the pine needless. It is completely made of silver. Given the fact that for a large part of the medieval period in Japan Kyoto and other parts of western Japan were on a Silver standard it would be very expensive to make inlays of pure silver. In regards to the mei in my original post I was simply trying to say that the mei says the same thing in Japanese as the Kaneie II and Saga School not that my tsuba has a authentic signature of either the Kaneie II or Saga schools. I didn't pay very much for the tsuba in Japan and I wasn't expecting very much in the first place. I just wanted to post the picture for research and discussion purposes. Thank you John for the information about my tsuba was many Shoami style gimei copies of Kaneie common in the 19th Cen.? I still find the idea of a antique fake kind of interesting.

Thanks docliss for information about the Saga Kaneie school. I am new to the Nihonto Message Board I have another Kaneie tsuba obtained from Japan signed in a similar way as the tsuba list in the post and in the same way as the original second Kaneie (i.e. Meihin Kaneie). "Yamashiro kuni Fushimi ju Kaneie" I am thinking it could belong the Saga Kaneie school or if I really lucky made by the second Kaneie. My tsubas is a really nice looking tsuba and it likely the best I have in my small tsuba collection. The color might be a little off because I did the photograph with a scanner. Here is a small photograph for comparison and discussion purposes enjoy.