What are the known (11?) choshu tsubako schools?

[kaigunair]

Was trying to find out what tsuba/tosogu school are considered to be from Choshu/Nagato. I kept reading about the "11 choshu schools", so went about looking for a list of these schools.

 

One list I came accross has 11, another has 8, but even here there are a few between them don't match. Maybe there are some alternative readings of the same kanji or the same school known by different names?

 

Any clarification would be much appreciated.

 

List 1 from 'Tsuba, An Aesthetic Study'

1. Kawaji,

2. Nakai,

3. Okamoto

4. Itoga,

5. Okada,

6. Kaneko,

7. Nakabara,

8. Inoue,

9. Fuji,

10. Yaji,

11. Tomohisa (branch family of Kawaji)

 

List 2:

1. Kawaji

2. Nakai

3. Okamoto

4. Okada

5. Nakabara

6. Inouye

7. Yaji (not Hachido)

8. Kaneko

9. Umetada

10. Fujii

 

thanks in advance.

[John A Stuart]

Right below the Kawaji Choshu tsuba is the list of eleven schools of Choshu I compiled some time ago as per Torigoye sensei. John

http://www.johnstuart.biz/new_page_6.htm

[kaigunair]

Thanks John (your page was the source of the initial 11 :D ). So is Umetada not considered one of the 11?

[John A Stuart]

No. Seperate lineage altogether. John

[kaigunair]

thanks !

 

Some interesting info from http://tsuba.jyuluck-do.com/ChoshuTsuba.html:

The early schools were ko-shoami smiths.

The Okada came from the Umetada.

In the middle part of the Edo period, most of the all schools in Choshu Province started interacting with craftsmen of the Ito school in Edo Metropolis.

 

 

They list 9:

Kawaji, Nakai, Okamoto, Okada, Kaneko, Nakahara, Fujii, Inoue and Yamichi.

 

Ito/Itoga=Edo school (is this more of a style?)

Nakahara=Nakabara?

Yamichi=Yaji?

Tomohisa?

[kaigunair]

Any info on well known choshu kinko smiths?

 

Found a couple listed from http://world.choshuya.co.jp/tousougu/ :

Nakai Zensuke Tomotsune (Nakai School)

Okada Nobumasa (Okada School)

Taira Tomokiyo (Yazu/Yaji School)

[John A Stuart]

The Umetada name pre-dates the swordsmith(s)/ tsubako we are aware of being metal-workers of an other ilk earlier. These ko-shoami artists were the progenitors of many schools. The Edo Ito school influenced many schools later on as it was centered in an influential capital much like kyo-kinko did in the West. I will stand by my belief from the more learned than me that Umetada school can not be considered defined by the Choshu group. John

[kaigunair]

Thanks again John and appreciate the comments. No hard stances on my part, just fishing for information and posting what I find. Trying to figure out a possible direction in my collecting is all.

 

Was also reading that the founder of the tetsugendo school came out of choshu into Edo, which might be a nice avenue for me to pursue. http://www.shibuiswords.com/bushuchoshu.htm

 

Thanks again.

:D

[Soshin]

Hi John and Junichi

 

The Umetada school was based in Kyoto originally and was started by Umetada Myoju. It emerged from the Ko-Umetada school which developed from Muromachi Period Ko-Shoami group. The school latter had branchs in Choshu as well as other Provinces such as Musashi in the capital Edo. They often copied designs that were popular in the area using Umetada techniques. Umetada was never a formal branch of the Choshu school. The basis of my information is the NBTHK Tokenbijutsu monthly magazine which had four issues focus on the Umetada school. They had about ~15 issues focused on the Choshu school. I can lone them to you Junichi if you pay for postage both ways.

[kaigunair]

Hi David,

Thanks much for the info on the umetada school and the generous offer! I will see if I can source the NBTHK journals locally, but it is appreciated.