Mokume Tsuba

pcfarrar · July 14, 2013

I recently picked up an interesting mokume ji tsuba signed Terumichi.

Any ideas if this is the work of Sano Terumichi? I can't find any examples of his work to compare with this mei.

From Haynes:

Worked : Edo, Died: 1825, Student of Sano Naoteru (H 06794)

Thanks,

Peter

cabowen · July 14, 2013

very nice....

docliss · July 14, 2013

Can we please have a close-up view of the mei? John L.

pcfarrar · July 15, 2013

Better photo of mei.

Ludolf Richter · July 15, 2013

Hi,I have only one example in my database.From the Mei of that Kozuka,yours seems to be Gimei.Ludolf

pcfarrar · July 15, 2013

Is it possible my tsuba is by a swordsmith who signed Terumichi as opposed to Sano Terumichi?

eg. http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/TER26

Ludolf Richter · July 15, 2013

That's not the work of a swordsmith.The Japanese seller ("Katana-Maeda") on Ebay (July 10,US $ 276 plus $ 19 for shipping) had claimed the Tsuba to be the work of Sano Terumichi.If he would have had a proof,i.e.a paper,that it was made by the stated artist,the Tsuba would not have been so cheap. Ludolf

pcfarrar · July 15, 2013

That's not the work of a swordsmith.The Japanese seller ("Katana-Maeda") on Ebay (July 10,US $ 276 plus $ 19 for shipping) had claimed the Tsuba to be the work of Sano Terumichi.If he would have had a proof,i.e.a paper,that it was made by the stated artist,the Tsuba would not have been so cheap. Ludolf

I already agreed that it wasn't that work of Sano Terumichi after seeing your example. I was just asking if there is a possibility of it being by someone else who signed Terumichi. You seem to be under the illusion that I bought it believing it was by Sano Terumichi, I did not. I bought it because I liked it, plain and simple.

docliss · July 15, 2013

Peter, there are two possible alternatives as to the maker of your tsuba. Firstly, that it bears a gimei mei by an unknown maker, intended to deceive a purchaser or, secondly, that it is by second artist who signed Terumichi. Since Haynes lists only one such artist, Sano Terumichi (H 09593.0), using these kanji, he is thus presently unrecognised.

John L.

Brian · July 15, 2013

Signed or not, that's a good price for a nice mokume tsuba. They are not common at all.

Brian

christianmalterre · July 16, 2013

Dear Peter,

did you look into the latter Myochin school of Tsubamakers?

The Myochin are known to have produced Tsuba with that excellent Mokume pattern in latter Edo...

I don´t have the charts of names from them,do but eventually see an possibility to find something out here...?

just an idea so far...

Christian

John A Stuart · July 16, 2013

You may find some of the nanori associated with the Myochin family in this list.

Miyochin. Family of armourers and

workers in metal. The genealogy

of the family extends back to the

second century of the Christian era,

43

CHISELLERS

but as armourers their history may

be said to commence with the six-

teenth representative, Munemichi.

The names are as follows, in chrono-

logical order :

Miyochin. Munemichi. 640 A.D.

Miyochin. Munetsugu. 670. Said to

have forged armour for the Emperor

Tenji.

Miyochin. Munetoshi. 690.

Miyochin. Munematsu. 720.

Miyochin. MunemorL 760.

Miyochin. Munemaro. 800. Armourer

to the Emperor Kwamma and Seiwa.

Miyochin. Muneshima. 820.

Miyochin. Munekuni. 840.

Miyochin. Munetora, 860.

Miyochin. Muneyori. 880.

Miyochin. Muneshimo. 890.

Miyochin. Munemori. 910.

Miyochin. Munetoshi. 930.

Miyochin Munezane. 980. Said to

have forged a shield of gold for Mi-

namoto no Mitsunaka.

Miyochin. Munekazu. 1010.

Miyochin. Munekuni. 1030.

Miyochin. Munenaka. 1060.

Miyochin. Munetsune. noo. Known

in the artistic world as Go-Munet-

sugu, or the " second Munetsugu,"

having changed his name to Munet-

sugu in his late years. Said to

have forged iron armour decorated

with eight varieties of dragons (hachi-

riyo).

Miyochin. Muneyoshi. 1140.

Miyochin. Munesuke (i). 1154 to

1185. Called also Masuda. Had

the rank of Idzumo no Kami.

Worked first in Idzumo for Yori-

tomo ; then in Kyoto, and finally for

the Minamoto in Kamakura. He

is said to have forged the suit of

armour worn by Yoshitsume, and

now preserved at the Kasuga Temple.

Commonly he is spoken of as the

first representative of the family, but

the fact is that the art of decorative

forging first became admirable in his

hands.

Miyochin. Munekiyo(2). 1200. Worked

at Kamakura. Had the rank of Gi-

yobu Taiyu.

Miydchin. Muneyuki(3). 1215.

Worked at Kyoto. Had rank of

Giyobu Taiyu.

Miy5chin. Munemasu (4). 1225. Worked

at Katsuyama in the province of

Kii. One of the greatest of the

Miyochin artists. Had the rank of

Hyoye-no-Suke.

Miyochin. Muneyoshi. 1200. Second

son of Munesuke.

Miyochin. Munehide. 1200. Third son

of Munesuke.

Miyochin. Muneyasu. 1200. Fourth

son of Munesuke.

Miyochin. Yoshikiyo. 1220. Son of

Muneyoshi.

Miyochin. Yoshitsugu. 1220. Son of

Muneyoshi.

MiySchin. Munenao. 1230. Second

son of Munekiyo.

Miyochin. Muneshige (5). 1240. Lived

at Odawara. Had the rank of Sak-

yo no Tayu.

Miyochin. Munekane. 1240. Second

son of Muneyuki.

Miyochin. Munesumi. 1250. Third son

of Muneyuki.

Miyochin. Muneto. 1240. Second son

of Munemasu.

Miyochin. Munetada(6). 1270. Worked

at Sano in Mino. Had the rank of

Shin-dayu.

Miy5chin. Shigeiye. 1270. Second son

of Muneshige.

Miyochin. Yoshishige. 1270. Third

son of Muneshige.

Miyochin. Munetsuna (7). 1300.

Worked in Kyoto. Had rank of

Sakon no Tayu.

Miyochin. Muneyoshi. 1310. Second

son of Munetada.

Miyochin. Munemitsu (. 1320.

Worked in Kyoto. Had rank of

Hyobu Taiyu.

Miyochin. Munenori. 1330. Second

son of Munetsuna.

Miyochin. Munemasa (9). 1330.

Worked in Kyoto. Had rank of

Sakon no Tayu.

Miyochin. Muneyasu (10). 1380.

Worked in Kyoto. Had rank of

Hyoye-no-Suke. Made a gold helmet

for the Shogun Yoshimitsu. He re-

ceived large estates in recognition of

his skill.

The first ten generations of the

family, from Munesuke in the twelfth

century to Muneyasu in the four-

teenth, are known as " Miyochin no

Judai," or the " Ten generations of

MiySchin." They occupy in the his-

tory of armour-forging a place some-

what analogous to that occupied by

44

CHISELLERS

the fourteen generations of Goto

masters in the history of sword-

mount decoration. Muneyasu, the

tenth representative, is specially cele-

brated.

Miyochin. Munetoki. 1380. Second son

of Munemasa.

Miyochin. Yoshihiro (n). 1400.

Worked in Kyoto. Had rank of

Sakyo no Tayu.

Miyochin. Yoshitada (12). 1420.

Worked in Kyoto. Rank, Sahiyoye

no Jo.

Miyochin. Yoshinori (13). 1440.

Worked in Kyoto. Called also Goro-

dayu.

Miyochin. Yoshinaga (14). 1450.

Worked in Kyoto. Rank, Shikibu

Tayu. One of the greatest of the

family.

Miyochin. Yoshiari(i5). 1480. Worked

at Kamakura. Called also Shinjiro.

Miyochin. Yoshiyasu (16). 1520.

Worked at Fuchiu in Hitachi and at

Odawara. Called also Samuro-dayu.

The six representatives from (u) to

(16) are known as the Rokudai, or

the " Six Generations." They are

also called Giyoshi, or the " Honour-

able Masters." The names are :

Yoshihiro, Yoshitada, Yoshinori,

Yoshinaga, Yoshiari, and Yoshiyasu.

Miyochin. * Takayoshi. 1450. Sec-

ond son of Yoshinori, and not a rep-

resentative of the main line, but one

of the most celebrated of the Miyo-

chin artists. Worked at Kamakura.

Miyochin. Yoshihisa. 1460. Second

son of Yoshinaga.

Miyochin. *Yoshimichi. 1500. Second

son of Yoshiari. Worked in Kyoto.

Not a representative of the main

line, but a renowned master.

MiySchin. Katsuyoshi. 1510. Third

son of Yoshiari.

Miyochin. *Nobuiye (17). 1520. Orig-

inally called Yasuiye. Worked at

Shirai in Joshiu. One of the most

celebrated of the Miyochin Mas-

ters.

The three names marked with an

asterisk, Takayoshi, Yoshimichi, and

Nobuiye are those of the " Nochi

no Sansaku," or " Three Later

Masters."

Miyochin. Narikuni. 1470. Worked

at Yawata in Joshiu. Son of

Yoshihisa.

Miyochin. Kunichika. 1420. Son of

Yoshihisa.

Miyochin. Narichika. 1420. Son of

Yoshihisa. Worked in Joshiu. One

of the great Miyochin Masters.

Miyochin. Narishige. 1500. Son of

Narichika. Worked at Yawata in

Kozuke. One of the great Miyo-

chin Masters.

Miyochin. Kunihisa. 1530. Son of

Narishige.

Miyochin. Hisaiye. 1550. Son of

Kunihisa. Worked at Kamakura.

One of the Miyochin celebrities.

Miyochin. Fusanobu. 1530. Son of

Yoshiyasu.

Miyochin. Munehisa. 1580. Grandson

of Yoshiyasu.

Miyochin. Katsumasa. 1580. Grand-

son of Yoshiyasu. Worked in

Joshiu. One of the great Miyochin

Masters.

Miyochin. Yoshihisa. 1630. Son of

Munehisa. Worked at Kamakura.

One of the great Miyochin Mas-

ters.

Miyochin. Yoshishige. 1620. Son of

Yoshihisa.

Miyochin. Sadaiye (18). 1550. Worked

in Odawara and Iga. Called also

Hachiro and Heiroku.

Miyochin. Fusaiye. 1540. Second

son of Nobuiye. Worked in Joshiu.

A great master.

Miyochin. Fusamune. 1550. Third

son of Nobuiye. Worked at Oda-

wara. A celebrity.

Miyochin. Muneiye (19). 1580. Worked

in Omi. Manufactured a celebrated

helmet for Tokugawa lyeyasu.

Called also Kindaro.

Miyochin. Munenobu (20). 1600. Son

of Mnneiye. Worked in Yedo and

Osaka. One of the great Miyochin

Masters.

Miydchin. Munekiyo. 1620. Second

son of Muneiye.

Miyochin. Munenaga. 1620. Third

son of Muneiye.

Myochin. Kunimori (21). 1620. Worked

in Yedo. Son of Munenobu. Had

rank of Nagato no Kami. Called

also Kunimichi.

Miyochin. Harunobu. 1620. Second

son of Munenobu.

Miyochin. Muneshige (22). 1640.

Worked in Yedo. Had rank of

Nagato no Kami.

45

CHISELLERS

Miyftchin. Munetoshi or Kunimichi.

(23), 1650. Worked in Yedo.

MiySchin. Munenushi. 1650. Second

son of Muneshige.

MiySchin. Munemasa. 1650. Third

son of Muneshige.

Miyochin. Munesuke (24). 1710.

Worked in Yedo. Had rank of

Osumi no Kami.

Miyochin. Munemasa (25). 1730.

Second son of Munesuke. Worked

in Yedo, and had rank of Osumi no

Kami.

Miyochin. Munemasa (26). 1740.

Worked in Yedo. Had rank of

Nagato no Kami. Called also

Seijiro.

Miyochin. Munetaye (27). 1760. Had

rank of Osumi no Kami.

Miyochin. Pupils of Yoshimichi. 1500.

Kyoto.

1. Yoshikatsu.

2. Yoshimichi.

3. Yoshiiye.

Miyochin. Pupils of Nobuiye. 1520.

Joshiu.

1 . lyefusa.

2. Nobutada.

3. Nobuyuki.

4. Nobumasa,

5. Nobutsuna,

6. Nobumitsu.

Miyochin. Pupils of Narishige. 1500.

Kozuke.

1. NariyoshL

2. Naritada,

3. Naritsugu.

4. Munehisa.

5. Munetoki.

christianmalterre · July 16, 2013

WOW!!!!!

THANKS JOHN! :D :D :D

i did not have this till yet...

Excellent.

Christian

docliss · July 16, 2013

John’s impressive genealogy of the Myōchin family inevitably references the reader to a carefully researched article by Ian Bottomley. This, ’A Reappraisal of the Myōchin Armourers’, was published in Newsletter 2004, Issue 1, of the Northern Token Society (UK), and casts serious doubt upon the genealogy of this family prior to M. Kunimichi, ca 1700-1750.

John L.

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