References for the Kiami School...

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have been actively searching for references for the Kiami School from the Edo Period. I came across little bit of information from auction websites. Starting with eBay all the ways up to Christie's and other fine auction houses. From the very limited information from the auction websites I found that Kiami school made gift tosogu used by Daimyo. This makes me think iebori versus machibori kinko. Their tsuba are often worked in brass, silver, and gold hira-zogan (flat inlays) along with both kage and ji-sukashi. This there any relationship between Kiami School and the Kenjo (presentation or gift) tsuba discussed in Tsuba An Aesthetic Study by Torigoye and Haynes on page 217? It discusses the Kenjo tsuba being produced for the upper classes of Kyoto including Daimyo and were almost always unsigned using some of the above techniques including nunome-zogan. Would love to find some references, examples, or information about the Kiami School in either English or Japanese. Thank your for taking the time to answer my request for references or information about this school.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[docliss]

Kiami (其阿弥) is a family name with the alternative readings of Goami and Sonoami. Listed as Goami, this group is described in some detail on pp.316-7, and illustrated on p.318, of Afu Watson’s translation of Nihon Tō Kōza, Vol. VI, Part I.

 

John L.

[Soshin]

Kiami (其阿弥) is a family name with the alternative readings of Goami and Sonoami.

John L.

 

Dear John L.,

 

Thank you so much for the Kanji of the name which I didn't know and all of the alternative readings of these Kanji. I find it interesting that the last two Kanji is the same as the Shoami (阿弥) which has its origin in the Ashikaga Shogun government of the Muromachi Period as a title given to subjects gifted in the arts. I will do more searching on the internet using these alternative readings and the Kanji themselves. I will check the reference out as soon as I can. If anyone as the reference please reply or PM me as I would like personal copies of these three pages two from the translation and one from the Japanese original text. I will also check my massive collection of the NBTHK monthly magazine for any fine examples of this school work.

Why I am asking is I think I have a new tsuba from this school after reviewing the previous owners notes about the tsuba and wanted to do more research about it. I will post photos of the tsuba in question as soon as I can.

 

P.S. Did a quick Google search for "Goami tsuba" and found this NBTHK Hozon dai-sho example of the Goami (Kiami) school: http://www.sanmei.com/contents/media/tu ... 1788_E.htm. The seppa-dai shape, ryo hitsu-ana and rim style is very similar to my tsuba.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Pete Klein]

http://pages.suddenlink.net/afuresearch/afu/jss.htm $150.00 direct from Mr. Watson.

[Soshin]

Dear Pete,

 

Thanks for the link I didn't know anything about it. Being a JSSUS member I will purchase the translation.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I came across this another tsuba that is signed Goami (Kiami) Masachika Saku here: http://www.silk-road.us/masachika1.html. The current owner lists a Haynes Index reference number 03836.0 and an association with the Kyo-Shoami school. I will check my copy of Haynes's index for that entry and update this post when I get a chance. I hope to be able to take some photographs of my tsuba on Saturday and update this topic. The above example is also consistent with my tsuba as well.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Curran]

Also recommend Sesko's "Generalogies of Japanese tsuba and toso-kinko Artists"

 

p. 129 Genealogy of Goami.

Thought the Silk Road tsuba has a mei that is considered Momoyama-very early Edo according to the genealogy, it seem a late Edo tsuba.

[Soshin]

Hi Curren,

 

Thanks for the additional information. I was going to purchase that book as well soon. It came up in my Google search. Here is the Haynes Index entry for H 03836.0.

 

F: Goami

W: Hiroshima in Aki Province

D: ca. 1700 - 1750

NTS: this artist worked in Shoami style, and family name is read Goami, instead of Kiami, as in the past, also Masachika could be read Masahi. Furukawa catalog pl. 27 #154. A famous design is three seashells on the round within the rim, with gold and silver nunome inlay.

SCE. W-364-L-1, W-III-180

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

Here is the new tsuba to my now much smaller collection who the former own was thinking it was a work of the Goami (Kiami) school circa the early Edo Period. It is unsigned. Two of the photographs were photographed under different light conditions and angles. I don't have much experience with photographing tsuba with this much inlay work. The size of the tsuba is a large one at 8.5 X 8.2 cm with the thickness at the rim is 4.0 mm. I am thinking it could be Goami or possibly Kyo-Shoami work. Often you see this intermix of ji and kage sukashi is Shoami designs along with inlay work. The design is of the Japanese Chrysanthemum (Kiku) with leaves. Not sure what flower is pictured in the inlay at 12:00. It might be a flower bud but I am not sure. The overall feeling of fine craftsmanship of the tsuba and specifically the quality of flat brass inlays (shinchu hira-zogan) is wonderful. The very dark brownish black color of the iron contrast well with the finally patinated brass inlays. Please feel free to comment and questions are welcome. :D

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I came across this other tsuba that is the same design but not rendered nearly as well and in poor condition in terms of the iron plate: http://www.antiqueswords.com/product-1132-Outstanding-Early-Edo-period-Ko--Hagi-Iron-Katana-Tsuba--ca.-1600.htm#ad-image-0. Lion Gate says that it is a Ko-Hagi tsuba circa 1600. I didn't know this school used brass inlays in their designs but then again I am not familiar with that school. The measurements are similar to mine with the exception of thickness my tsuba is only 4.0 mm thick at the rim. The 4.0 cm thickness might be a typo. Enjoy everyone questions and comments are always welcome.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Brian]

Very striking tsuba, I like it. Has the inlay been polished or just somehow avoided tarnishing? And is there any chance of some gold there..as I see a few different tones of colour there, or is it just my colour blindness?

Anyways...very nice, and unusual.

 

Brian

[docliss]

How, then, are we to label David’s striking new acquisition? Lion Gate have labelled it as Kō-Hagi circa 1600, and this can clearly be immediately discounted. Apart from the incorporation of positive and negative silhouette on a design of chrysanthemum leaves and blossoms, this bears no relation to the work of the Kyō-sukashi school, from whence Kō-Hagi work originates. Surface line carving is acceptable in the work of this school, but not soft-metal decoration. And ‘circa 1600’ – surely not.

 

Holbrook labelled it as “Brass inlay, Kiami School, kiku, early Edo”, and how realistic is this? Goami work, produced in the late C17 to the early C18, is described as being in the Shōami style and extremely simplistic. The profuse zōgan on a ji-zukashi plate is acceptable, as is the kaku mimi, but a mikaki-ji surface would be more ususal.

 

The overlap between the Shōami and Goami schools is a very strong one, but the very high quality of the zōgan, and the rather broad ryō-hitsu make me rather favour a C18, Awa-Shōami provenance rather than a Goami one. This former group was renowned for its elaborate use of nunome, which reached a peak in their Kenjo, or presentation, pieces.

 

John L.

[Soshin]

Very striking tsuba, I like it. Has the inlay been polished or just somehow avoided tarnishing? And is there any chance of some gold there..as I see a few different tones of colour there, or is it just my colour blindness?

Anyways...very nice, and unusual.

 

Brian

Hi Brian,

 

Glad you like the tusba always good to keep the administrator happy. This tsuba was the replacement from Grey Doffin for this tsuba discussed on the NMB: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13376. The tsuba while showing some evidence on the seppa-dai of being mounted on a Nihonto for a while at some point displays all of the characteristics of a tsuba that has been very well taken care of by all of its former owners and have avoided excessive tarnishing of the brass and rust pitting of the iron. I am always happy to see this on a tsuba. :D In regards to your second question to the best of my knowledge the inlays are brass and not gold but I can do more research on this. Does anyone know what low alloy gold look like mixed with brass?

 

Hi John L.,

 

Thanks for the reply I agree with you analysis of the similar tsuba listed on the Lion's Gate website. Looking at my tsuba I also would agree with the middle Edo Period age as the iron looks very well forged but homogeneous in character and lacks any tsuchimei-ji or tekkotsu on the surface or along the rim typical of Shoami tsuba from the early Edo Period. One quick question about the Awa-Shōami school did they also use brass flat inlays (shinchu hira-zogan) techniques with their inlays in addition to the normal kin nunome zogan type often seen on Kenjo tsuba? Thank again for taking the time to answer my question.

 

P.S. Attached is another photograph I did with my iPhone under different indoor lighting. Enjoy.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[docliss]

David, further to your initial request for references to the Kiami school, pp.50-51, #25, of Graham Gemmell’s Tosogu: Treasure of the Samurai (1991) include an illustration of a tsuba that I have always considered typical of the work of this school.

 

John L.

[Soshin]

One quick question about the Awa-Shōami school did they also use brass flat inlays (shinchu hira-zogan) techniques with their inlays in addition to the normal kin nunome zogan type often seen on Kenjo tsuba? Thank again for taking the time to answer my question.

 

Hi Everyone,

 

After reading the Awa Shoami section of Tsuba An Aesthetic Study the answer to my above question is yes. The Awa Shoami school used both inlay techniques using different soft metals on iron around the time of th fifth generation master Masayasu of the Hirata family circa the middle Edo Period. Haynes's index lists in entry for Masayasu (04768.0) a work period of ca. 1750. Would love to see some more examples of his work so I will keep a look out.

 

Hi John L.,

 

Thanks for the additional reference added information about the Goami school.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

Also recommend Sesko's "Generalogies of Japanese tsuba and toso-kinko Artists"

 

p. 129 Genealogy of Goami.

Thought the Silk Road tsuba has a mei that is considered Momoyama-very early Edo according to the genealogy, it seem a late Edo tsuba.

Hi Everyone,

 

Just wanted to let everyone know that after searching my large collection of NBTHK Token Bijutsu monthly magazines I was able to locate a issue that had a small section about the Goami (Kiami) school from Aki Province and provided four signed examples. It is issue number 625 from 02/2009 for NBTHK members. Why I am quoting Curran's remarks above is that in the introduction about Goami school it discusses on page 28 that their were two representatives of the Goami school that used the name Masachika and would sign their work "Goami Masachika" the first being during the early Edo Period and the later which worked in the Tenmei era from 1781-1789 during the later part of the Edo Period.

The magazine also says that the Goami workmanship is artistically Shoami with ita-tsuba done in sukidashi-bori with zogan or sukashi-tsuba done in nukubori ji-sukashi with zogan. All four Goami signed examples have a polished finish or migaki-ji surface this is contrary to John L. comments. Unfortunately no examples they provide have any inlays or zogan of any type.

With this all said I still agree with John L. analysis of my tsuba a begin a presentation tsuba or Kenjo-tsuba of the Awa Shoami school primarily due to it being unsigned with high quality and large amounts of inlay work and the fact that there are places along my tsuba where the inlays have been carved. This is a characteristic of inlay work of the Awa Shoami school who often made Kenjo tsuba. I learned these important facts after reading the Awa Shoami and Kenjo sections in Tsuba An Aesthetic Study. Comments or questions are welcome and thanks for reading.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I just want to updated this topic. Here are some new photos I did of this tsuba using better lighting and focus. They are of higher resolution so you will need to click the link below. This helps with seeing some more of the details of the brass inlays. The photos came out really nice. :D Please enjoy feel free to comment.

Questions about the the Hirata family in Awa Province. Did they have any connection with the famous Hirata family located in Higo during the Edo Period? I just noticed that the reading (ひらた) and the Kanji characters themselves are the same (平田). I know that the Hirata family was directly employed by the Daimyo of Awa Province much like the Hirata family in Higo were directly employed by Daimyo of Higo Province.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

Did my homework this weekend and determined that Higo and Awa Hirata schools are just different branches of the same Hirata family that originated in Kyoto and worked in a Kyo-Shoami style. The branch of the family that worked first in Tango and later Higo provinces was the Tadaoki line and the branch of the family that worked in Awa was the Fujitaka line. Both schools work exclusively for their respective Daimyo families.

The sources of the information is Tsuba An Aesthetic Study by K. Torigoye and R. E. Haynes and Tsuba by G. D. Murtha.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I came across a tsuba with similar the design to mine without the brass inlays on ebay. Here the openwork design which is in a nikubori-sukashi style isn't as nice and it has no brass inlays: http://www.ebay.com/itm/380481830919?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649. This chrysanthemum design must have been very popular in the Edo Period. Tsuba in the auction also looks of Shoami school design as they would often use this nikubori-sukashi technique. I also notice that where details are carved on the brass inlay of my tsuba they are for the most part carved directly into the iron of the eBay tsuba. Comments and questions are welcome.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles