Friend's Tsuba...

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I local friend of mine that collects nihonto and tosogu wanted me to take and post some nice photos of his tsuba on NMB for feedback. It is from a Higo style koshirae. The measurements of the tsuba are 7.3 wide by 7.9 cm high. The thickness at the rim is 3.4 mm and thickens toward the seppa-dai at 4.3 mm. The tsuba is nicely inlaid with brass in a pseudorandom dendritic pattern. The two photos of each side are taken under very different artificial and natural lighting. The patina of the iron is very nice in my opinion.

 

My first impressions of this tsuba is that it the work of the Kamiyoshi school of Higo Province. Comparing it to two tsuba in my collection in terms of the feeel of the iron and color of the patina helps confirmed my Kamiyoshi school attribution. I would date to around to the late Edo Period or early Meiji Period. Please feel free to discuss. Thank you.

[docliss]

Higo - ? Suwa Ikuhei

 

John L.

[Pete Klein]

From Ito's book, 'Hayashi and Kamiyoshi':

 

 

[Soshin]

Hi Pete K. John L.,

 

Thanks for the information. The example Pete K. gave is remarkably similar. Another reason to buy Ito's book. :lol: I have noticed similar inlays on a Kamiyoshi school work included a gold inlaid tsuba in this style by Rakuju the third master of the Kamiyoshi school. I looked up Suwa Ikuhei in Haynes's Index and found the the following information. Did the Suwa school developed from the Kamiyoshi school?

 

F: Suwa 諏訪

N: Masatari 正足

W: Kumamoto in Higo Province

D: born in June 10, 1832, died Nov. 7, 1903

NTS: student of Masayuki H 04921, the fourth Suwa master. Ikuhei is considered the fifth Suwa master. The identifiable work of this school is rare, and there are very few signed examples. Some of their better work has passed at that of other Higo school artists. He worked for the Hosokawa Daimyo and received a 5 koku stipend.

[ROKUJURO]

David,

 

interesting TSUBA and good photos, but perhaps not typical fine HIGO iron and smooth surface finish I have seen on many items.

[Soshin]

interesting TSUBA and good photos, but perhaps not typical fine HIGO iron and smooth surface finish as I have seen on many items.

 

Hi Jean C.,

 

Thats something I noticed as well but in hand the iron feels nice. Here is an example of the more smooth refined iron typical of Higo tsuba.

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

Does anyone know what the brass inlay in a pseudorandom dendritic pattern represents on my friend's tsuba? I have seen this pattern on Hayashi and Kamiyoshi school Higo tsuba before. The earliest Higo tsuba I have seen with this inlay design was a tsuba with an attestation to Hayashi Matashichi (林又七). Thanks again for all the help.

 

P.S. I found this other tsuba from Holbrook collection by Suwa Ikuhei: http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/holbrook-tsuba/h299-higo-suwa-ikuhei. It has very similar brass inlays and the patina of the iron from what I can see in Grey's photos is similar.

[Brian]

David,

If by "pseudorandom dendritic pattern" you mean the brass inlay patterns above, then Ito's book gives it as "dead tree"

I would think if on the upper surface only, then it would represent lightning. But I'm happy going with the tree branch theory.

 

Brian

[hxv]

If by "pseudorandom dendritic pattern" you mean the brass inlay patterns above, then Ito's book gives it as "dead tree"

I would think if on the upper surface only, then it would represent lightning. But I'm happy going with the tree branch theory.

My first impression is "lightning."

 

Hoanh

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

I would agree with the lightning theory as to what the brass inlay design represent. The overall shape of the tsuba is a uncommon one in Japanese it is referred to as mutsu-mokko gata (六つ木瓜形) [six lobed mokko shape]. From reading Grey's short write up of Skip's tsuba Suwa Ikuhei often made tsuba with odd kotsuka and kogai hitsu ana shape similar to my friend's tsuba.

[Marius]

David, is that your pics or is the patina dry and uneven? Looks lie it has been re-patinated. I might be wrong, of course.

[Soshin]

Hi Mariusz K.,

 

Skip's old tsuba yes he worked on and re-patinated all of this iron tsuba. Keep in mind this has not stopped them from being papered by all of the organizations (ex. NBTHK, NTHK, NTHK-NPO). My friend's tsuba doesn't smell funny so if it was then they must have done a good job and not used noxious chemicals. Not really sure one way or the other. I do notice some similar patina inconsistencies in the example Pete K. gave of Suwa Ikuhei work in Ito sensei book.

[b.hennick]

Hello David:

Did you confirm with Skip? "Skip's old tsuba yes he worked on and re-patinated all of this iron tsuba." I can't believe that Skip repatinated all his tsuba.

[Soshin]

Hi Barry H.,

 

You are correct. I should correct and say all the iron tsuba I have seen which is not all of them I am sure.

[b.hennick]

David:

I have seen many os Skpi's former pieces as I have bought a number from Grey. I do not understand how you came to that conclusion. Please tell me so that in future I too will be able to recognise the tell tail signs that Skip leaves on the work he restores.

[Soshin]

Hi Barry H.,

 

I will send you a PM as this is off topic from my friend's tsuba which was purchased from Japan about four years ago.

[Marius]

edited.

[Toryu2020]

I would go with "withered" tree and see these as empty branches as Ito Sensei has suggested,

-t

[Michael 101]

Hi David,

 

Interesting tsuba.

 

The inlay is called Koboku zogan and represents a dead trees branch.

 

this tsuba doesnt have the highly refined finish of the kamiyoshi school and isn't even up to the standard of Suwa Ikuhei - my personal opinion is a Tsuboi workers copy of a Hayashi school tsuba.

 

The iron may well have been rust damaged and restored but I suspect its finish was not that great from the time of its manufacture.

 

Kindest regards

 

Michael

[Soshin]

Hi David,

 

Interesting tsuba.

 

The inlay is called Koboku zogan and represents a dead trees branch.

 

this tsuba doesnt have the highly refined finish of the kamiyoshi school and isn't even up to the standard of Suwa Ikuhei - my personal opinion is a Tsuboi workers copy of a Hayashi school tsuba.

 

The iron may well have been rust damaged and restored but I suspect its finish was not that great from the time of its manufacture.

 

Kindest regards

 

Michael

 

Hi Michael,

 

Thanks for the feedback and your observations as someone more knowledgeable in Higo tsuba then myself. Comparing this tsuba to the two Higo tsuba I have in my collection I agree with your observations about the iron and the patina. I have never seen "Tsuboi" on a attribution by the NBTHK or NTHK paper. Is it a school or group in Higo Province? Would they paper this type of tsuba to just "Kodai Higo"?

[Henry Wilson]

The motif is described as 枯木　or kareki which translates as withered tree. If this not enough for any skeptics, the inlay looks organic in style and reminds me of the type of brush strokes seen in sumie that depict trees in winter.

 

 

Read all about it here:

"On the Laws of Japanese Painting" by Henry P. Bowie

 

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/35580/35 ... 580-h.html

[Michael 101]

In Higo metal working terms its referred to as Koboku (ko or kareru - dead ) ( boku, moku, ki - Tree) as explained by one of the leading modern scholars on this subject Ito Mitsuru.

 

Tsuboi is a district rather than school or family, its where numerous metal workers lived, many of which specialised in producing affordable copies of famous makers for less well off samurai. It was also the home district to several masters such as 3rd Kamiyoshi master.

 

Think of it in a similar way to Hong Kong providing copies of Rolex watches for the masses.

 

Main Higo school works by the masters would have been largely restricted to the Hosakawa and senior retainers and way above the pocket of the average samurai - who wishing to stay in fashion would purchase a more economical copy. Some workers were incredibly skilled and it is believed that many of their works get papered to main school.

 

Kindest regards

Michael

[Soshin]

Hi Micheal,

 

I now agree on what in inlay design is dead tree branches. So Tsuboi was a district of Kumamoto city where many of these independent artisan and likely members of the merchant class worked. Do you or anyone know if they made whole Higo style koshirae? As my friends tsuba is part of a matching Higo style koshirae. Can anyone provide any other documented examples of thier work? Thanks again for taking the the time answer my questions. I am sure other including the owner of tsuba is learning.

[Michael 101]

Hi David,

 

Im certain that they would have.

 

Ito quotes some of the leading Tsuboi makers as Yoshida Noriharu, Sakamoto Yaichi, Sakanashi Gorobei, Miyazaki Kanzo, Miyanaga Nenokichi and Tanabe Yasuhira.

 

Makers such as Noriharu specialised in Jingo utsushi.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Kindest regards

 

Michael