menuki school

[Darcy]

Anyone have a guess about what school this menuki might be?

 

I'm quite close to zero knowledge in this area.

[Brian]

Darcy,

Also being a menuki novice, I would however posit that it would be very difficult to put this menuki into any particular school or style, since it lacks any real defining traits. The workmanship on the scales isn't at the Goto level imho, and there are no other techniques or outstanding features that would lead someone to a better attribution? It appears to be fairly generic, and I wouldn't be able to say if it was modern or old, gold or polished brass. I think seeing the back and the construction would be vital to attribute it further.

However, it does have a "chunky" feeling to it, so maybe not thin pressed...and maybe gold? If so..it may be something of high quality and value. I suspect the latter is likely true. Is it paired with a fine blade?

Maybe I am completely wrong, and an attribution is easy for a tosogu expert. I look forward to hearing others' opinions.

 

Brian

[John A Stuart]

You don't see Kirin menuki often. Tough to call school; Haruaki-like treatment of scales from other work by him I've seen, Yokoya school maybe? John

[Brian]

Looking at these again, I think I am probably completely wrong, and that these may be solid gold and high class. Being colour blind doesn't help when trying to identify metals :lol:

Is there any undercutting of the scales, or are they just cut in a diamond shape?

 

Brian

 

http://www.ncjsc.org/item_menuki_shishi.htm

[John A Stuart]

Yes, a shot in the dark. There were many competent artists who could have made these menuki and without seeing the backs and some really critical in hand observation, especially if mumei, really a tough call for a student opinion to matter. I can't see undercutting, some nice Goto work exhibits this, but, Yokoya, (here again in my limited experience) uses a diamond lozenge (pyramidal) that are not just incised lines creating diamond shapes. What do you see Darcy close-up and intimate? What do you think guys? John

PS, I can't tell if they are gold of lower carat or yellow brass either, Brian, and I am not colour blind I'm told. J

[BIG]

Hi

 

I find Egawa Toshimasa (sorin), Egawa School, Late Edo Time, Musashi Province

 

Best regards

[John A Stuart]

Hey, another vote for Yokoya school as Toshimasa and his Egawa school were thus derived. Possibilities, maybe? John

[Marius]

Is the photo so bad, or do I see a cast brass copy? The lack of detail is very surprising here...

[Darcy]

Looking at these again, I think I am probably completely wrong, and that these may be solid gold and high class. Being colour blind doesn't help when trying to identify metals :lol:

Is there any undercutting of the scales, or are they just cut in a diamond shape?

 

Brian

 

http://www.ncjsc.org/item_menuki_shishi.htm

 

I think they are solid gold but didn't get a good long look at them... rest of the koshirae is very high caliber, signed tsuba by Ishiguro Masatsune (shodai) and papered. So I'm thinking these are also high caliber but I'm lacking the education to identify.

[Darcy]

Is the photo so bad, or do I see a cast brass copy? The lack of detail is very surprising here...

 

Mobile phone photo with a mix of incandescent and natural light, throws the white point off.

 

So the photo is throwing back a brassy color instead of the natural deep gold just from the mismatched light sources.

[Darcy]

Yes, a shot in the dark. There were many competent artists who could have made these menuki and without seeing the backs and some really critical in hand observation, especially if mumei, really a tough call for a student opinion to matter. I can't see undercutting, some nice Goto work exhibits this, but, Yokoya, (here again in my limited experience) uses a diamond lozenge (pyramidal) that are not just incised lines creating diamond shapes. What do you see Darcy close-up and intimate? What do you think guys? John

PS, I can't tell if they are gold of lower carat or yellow brass either, Brian, and I am not colour blind I'm told. J

 

I don't have them in hand but will get a shot at proper photos with a proper camera soon.

 

You guys are all right on with your color perception, it's not your eyes it's the photo.

 

Daylight is much more blue than incandescent and when you have a mixed lighting situation a device has to guess about what color temperature represents "white". If you have a camera set to daylight and shoot in incandescent everything comes out extremely yellow shifted, opposite situation, camera is set to incandescent and you shoot in daylight everything comes out very blue shifted. Mobile phone is trying to guess and it's always a bad situation unless your lights are all color matched.