Early Menuki Study Thread: Ezo vs Ko Mino

[kaigunair]

Wanted to create a possible reference thread for early fittings, so here's one on early menuki. Hopefully the selection of informative quotes and papered examples is helpful in this area of study:

 

As far as composition and execution there is a rustic simplicity in very early fittings that appeals to Japanese sensiblities. This quality is generally never equaled by the sloppy work using inferior material done by later artists, that are almost always copies. At first blush they might seem similar. You might miss these Ezo menuki on a table of odd pieces but as has been said a little study goes a long way.

 

 

Early Ezo menuki were primarily shibuichi. This is why when the gilding is worn away (heat gilt gold/mercury technique) the base has a silvery/black tone. If you compare them to Ko Mino menuki you will see similar fabrication techniques which leads to the possibility there was an evolutionary thread tying the 'schools' together. Boris Markhasin has done some quite revealing work on the subject.

 

It is thought that Ezo menuki are an extension of Kyo Kanagushi menuki and appeared in the Kamakura period. They continued on in to the early Edo period. It was also thought that Ezo had some connection to the Ainu but during the later part the 20th century, research found that many of the earlier Japanese sword mountings had Ezo menuki were in those mounts and as a result, it is believed that they did in fact have nothing to do with the Ainu and are probably from the surrounding areas of Kyoto or some other metropolitan city.

 

Ezo fittings: 1st Phase vs. Second Phase:

Ezo fittings are similar in style to Tachi-Kanagushi, Ko-Mino and Ko-Goto work. It was thought that the style originated in northern Japan, however later research points to Kyoto in Yamashiro Province. These menuki reflect the second phase in the development of the Ezo tradition, dominated by animal motifs with little sukashi carving. Prior to this time Ezo artists focused on plants and flowers, often with insects as part of the design.

 

Links:

Ko Mino Info: http://home.earthlink.net/~jggilbert/kodogu.htm

Ezo info: http://kodogunosekai.com/2009/04/10/ezo ... %E8%B2%AB/

NBTHK Juyo Ezo: http://tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/b00114.html

Tosogucollection website: http://tosogucollection.com/2013/05/06/ ... of-shishi/

 

Literature:

KOKUSAI TOSOGU KAI, 2008 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, Nick NAKAMURA et al (2008), "Ezo Tosogu - An Enigmatic Group of Early Fittings" by Boris Markhasin

[kaigunair]

Pics of Ko Mino and Ezo:

 

Ko Mino (39.2mm, JPY450,000 Ginza Choshuya 2008):

 

Ezo (54mm x 17mm, JPY 750,000 Tsuruginoya 2014):

[kaigunair]

Another example of ko mino in gold from curran:

As others probably have said before, it is something you sort of need to see in person.

Attached is an image of a ko-mino menuki with Juyo papers. About 500 years or so old.

On my screen, the image is about 20 times the size of the actual menuki. For relative perspective, see the threads of the silk it rests on.

Putting it under higher magnification, I saw workmanship (undercuts and rounding, piercing of the central penta) that I cannot even see in this photo.

Also, it is nearly as deep as its top to bottom width. If you had an image from the side, it is like the profile of a major city.

 

Most people may prefer something larger and louder.

It might be easy to blow past these in a meibutsu room, only looking briefly at the small things without the help of magnification.

 

As if they menuki weren't small enough,

they were mounted in a smaller than standard box. Of course, inside another standard size box.

Attached should be a macro shot of it in its box at about 3x or 5x?

 

[dirk marshall]

I believe this is an example of recycled ezo menuki. I often see them recycled on Kozuka and saya and have several in the same style. I was once told they originated from armor.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Junichi, thank you for the interesting info on Ezo menuki. Do you happen to have any information on Ezo koshirae? I recently purchased a tachi that was papered as having Ezo koshirae, but I haven't had any luck finding information on the Ezo style.

 

Thanks!

Ken

[BMarkhasin]

Gents,

 

Regarding Ezo works, please note that my ideas are still developing / evolving, and some of what I had previously posted on the Yamabushi Antiques website is now out of date and not consistent with my current beliefs, my continuing research and collecting. I have now taken the step of removing the remaining pages from the web -- some pieces have sold, and I dont have permission to post images from the current owners. Sorry, but this has invalidated the links posted elsewhere in this thread.

 

I will say that "Ezo" tosogu are grossly over-generalized and woefully misinterpreted. My article in the 2008 KTK book still largely reflects my general views, and I still stand behind the age attributions of the pieces, etc.. If anyone has an interest in Ezo, I suggest they start by reading Tom Buttweiler's excellent article in the Bushido magazine series; Vol. 1, No. 2. 1979. This was a ground-breaking article, since it brought 'Ezo' works to the attention of western collectors. There is a paucity of published material in both English and Japanese. Unfortunately, shinsa organizations have granted high level papers with unacceptable inconsistency in my opinion, and made some obvious and amateurish misrepresentations. This has also negatively contributed to the understanding and valuation of Ezo pieces. Real; good; old Ezo works are extremely rare. The vast majority of what we see termed Ezo, dates as various revivals to the latest Muromachi through middle Edo periods. Authentic, old 'northern' works date to the Heian through Nambokucho, while the tradition lived-on in the Kinai into the mid Muromachi. The 'Ezo' style of workmanship can be seen in contemporaneous Buddhist art, armor and decorative fittings (non-nihonto) in parallel with the actual tosogu. In some cases, what we now view as tosogu, are in fact recycled works in earlier Ezo-style, which were not originally made as tosogu. I have to emphasize, that the only way to understand this group is to commit to handling / collecting the old pieces. One eventually finds (not unexpectedly) that there is a vast difference in quality between the run of the mill flotsam we run into, and the real deal. A perfect analogue is the huge variance in Ko Mino works, from the run of the mill menuki, in comparison to the fine examples posted to this forum by Pete, Curran and others.

 

PS (edit) - the menuki (currently on sale in Japan) posted by Junichi is in my opinion an above-average set dating to the Muromachi. Need to see them in-hand to comment further. The second 'recycled' kozuka example can not even remotely be classified as Ezo. Plum blossom motif somehow has been incorporated into collective belief as being reflective of Ezo - its not. Some Momoyama to early Edo period works by what is now often called ko-Umetada, mass-produced similar motifs as Ezo revival pieces, and unfortunately this stuck...

 

Best Regards,

Boris.

[b.hennick]

Here is another pair of Ezo menuki

 

[kaigunair]

Looks like ezo menuki from the second phase. Are these papered? (Boris has pointed out that NBTHK papers might not be the best in this area, but still, the idea is that the pieces posted here would have some additional confirmation of authenticity, or we end up with a bunch of photos of really unrepresentative pieces, like the flower kozuka posted a little while back....)

[Bazza]

Gentle Ffolke,

 

I cannot add much to this topic except to show a pair of menuki I have with Kanzan hakogaki. I bought them because I liked them. Having read of fake Kanzan hakogaki I do not know if this is a "kosher" pair.

 

Bestests,

BaZZa.

[BMarkhasin]

Bazza,

 

These are 'kosher', but relatively late. They are late Muromachi/Momoyama and are sharing characteristics with the kokinko / ko Mino works of the same period. Some would term these Ko Umetada. These works are typically well made, often of shibuichi (I cant tell by the colour of the photos) and the most successful revival of the old Ezo tradition. The later Edo period Ezo revivals are gilded yamagane, and of lower quality.

 

Best,

Boris.

[kaigunair]

thanks for the additional great info on ezo menuki Boris! turning out to be a very informative thread!

 

thanks for the pic of the hakogaki attributed menuki Bazza - could you post a rear picture?

 

Requests for future examples:

1) please try to post papered/attributed examples for discussion;

2) please post pictures of front and rear.

 

the thread is going great, so hopefully trying to keep it to very good examples of ezo work (preferably pre-edo works), and not devolve into something with tons of fakes or a conglomerate of hard to navigate posts.

 

anyone have nice early ko-mino menuki to share?

[BMarkhasin]

Junichi,

I will try to post some examples in the coming days. I would strongly argue to avoid getting into papering discussions with Ezo works. As I said, this is a poorly understood group, and you will find that most papers simply provide the wildly insightful attribution of "Ezo Menuki". Occasionally, judges ante-up and state that the pieces date to the Muromachi, and in only a handful of cases, I have seen a very balsy Nambokucho attribution on sub-Juyo papers. When they get it right, Juyo papers can offer some good observations / opinions. On the flip side, I can post Juyo examples which would rise to lofty heights on the wall of shame... where dealers actually apologized before showing them! Papering discussions on any forum usually lead to quick emotional responses, uncontrolled speculation and eventually a locked thread. Instead, I propose to outline some quality parameters which collectors should strive towards, through both published and unpublished analogue examples. The targets will become evident.

 

(Edit) -- Its interesting to note that the majority of top quality examples (individual kodogu and koshirae) I have seen are unpapered. The reason simply is that the quality is intuitively obvious, fully reflected in the ask-price, and papers functionally equate to a red-line cost item.

 

I again encourage members to read the Bushido article, and the KTK article for an introduction to the historic range of theories, problems/uncertainties and opinions on this group -- keeping in mind that these articles have barely scraped the surface. There are also excellent previously unpublished koshirae and bits of Ezo kodogu scattered through the KTK books, where (if memory serves) the 2006 and 2008 books have the best Ezo content.

 

Best,

Boris.

[Bazza]

Dear Ffolke,

 

I have edited my post above to add a photo of the menuki backs. I did not have it at the time so I've just taken some shots. The colour is truer to the silk than the pic of the fronts. I should also have added that these have a NTHK paper to Ezo, Muromachi/Momoyama (I forget which). I'll post that later when I dig it out.

 

Boris, thank you very much for your comments. I have long admired your posts and your website.

 

Junichi, thanks for the PM prompt re a photo of the backs.

 

Bestests,

BaZZa.

[BMarkhasin]

Gents,

 

Below are some pix to ponder. Starting with a compilation which is intended to show a range of well-known, published pieces of 'Ezo' koshirae. 3 koshigatana and two tachi are pictured. The uppermost dates to the Nambokucho-early Muromachi, the second to the early to mid Muromachi, the final koshigatana to the mid-late Muromachi. The two tachi are dated to ca 15th c. Note the variability in the kodogu. Some are clear compilations, but very good ones in the spirit of the original, and I believe all are historic.

 

 

The following compilation are of the latest stage of 'Ezo' works, and date to the latest Muromachi through Momoyama (Keicho). An excellent koshirae is illustrated in the 2006 KTK book of this style, dating to the Momoyama. Many would refer to this as 'Ko Umetada'. As I mentioned, these works are all shibuichi vs yamagane, and display a high level of detail. I consider this period to be a revival, but the best one. The later Edo pieces are all poor in comparison, usually made of Yamagane, and lacking in vigor / interest. The sizes of these pieces are surprisingly large. The dragon menuki measure 6.4cm, but unlike the earlier Ezo works, don't have the depth or weight. The Momoyama koshirae mentioned, as well as the fuchi kashira pictured are also slightly larger than expected for a tanto (large katana size). I believe this is in the spirit of the older style koshigatana which had a narrow, high profile.

 

 

Best,

Boris.

[kaigunair]

Chinese fakes or Japanese tourist pieces!!! j/k!

 

Thanks so much for the pics Boris. Will read through the Bushido magazine and check if I have the 2008 KTK cat. this weekend. Wow, definitely don't have the eye for the ezo aesthetic in koshirae. Definitely looks like old court tachi mounts, if not the fantasy pieces we see coming out of china at first glance. I am seeing why some members of the local club talk about a Persian or Mongolian connection with nihonto...

 

The education is much appreciated!!!

[Pete Klein]

Boris -- when I see these koshirae, they remind me of the Alhambra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

[BMarkhasin]

Make no mistake, this style is pure Japanese. The origins of the Ezo tradition did have its roots in Dewa and Mutsu, but in the early Heian. By the time these were made, you are seeing a purely Japanese aesthetic. Alhambra reference to me, suggests numerous modifications through time, to create a unique, vibrant style.... thats also what I see in Ezo works. The koshirae are simply awesome in-hand... my favourite without contest.

 

Best,

Boris.

[Pete Klein]

Boris -- I was referring to the basic design - filigree if you will -- concept. If one looks at the lattice work of the Alhambra and then Ezo works there is a bit of resemblance, at least to mine eye. I know there is no direct relationship but then again how often do we see this happen through time where things happen across the earth, about the same time and yet without contact? Makes one wonder, no? LOL

[kaigunair]

thumbing through a book purchased a while back but alas, not really read through till now:

Koshirae Japanese Sword Mountings by Markus Sesko.

 

Some really great info on early mounts. Pics are adequate (black and white scan quality). I know I've seen the photo quality versions in various Japanese publications here and there, but this is probably the most comprehensive English language book I know of (please tell me if there is any other!).

 

Lots to read, so little time....

[John A Stuart]

I had always considered Ezo tosougu as being later holdouts of tachikanagushi style which had it origins in copying Chinese ornamentation which then slowly matured to a Japanese aesthete. This Chinese stylisation shows definite influence of Persian, Arab, Indian art. As style changed in Nara and Kyoto, the outlying provinces, the frontier, maintained the style for some time subsequent. I liken it to Parisian tastes slowly effecting change with the far flung colonies being always out of step due to distance. Doesn't the Ezo designation come from the fact that as change occured these out of fashion tosougu were traded even further northwards? The last hold outs of this stylisation in Honshu being the Michinoku (and to some extent Mino-bori) artists. These northern areas (Mutsu and etc.) were only being newly developed by the Japanese and were quite isolated from court trends, independent almost and in fact to the advantage of the land barons nominally under contract with the court. John

[BMarkhasin]

John,

I dont think anyone can point to a time and place of influence, or for that matter exact paths of migration of style, but I would not attribute much direct influence to China (more to the Mongolian and various far eastern Russian cultural groups). China was far more influential in the southwest during these times. What we can say with some definition, is that from the Kofun, the northeast (Mutsu/Dewa and northern Kanto) were culturally distinct from the Kinai, and integration lasted centuries. The peoples in this area were aggressive/militaristic and contrary to popular belief had developed iron technology and a soft-metals industry (they brought us the Warabite-to for instance). During this long process these areas developed distinct styles, which with the input of imported craftsmen from the Kinai developed to the same level (some would argue surpassing) of Kyoto craftsmanship. This northern style which we now refer to as Ezo (terrible term), became highly fashionable in the Kinai and Kanto during the mid to late Heian. The military aristocratic families/clans which controlled these regions became fabulously wealthy and powerful (Abe, Fujiwara). Dont forget that before Yoritomo could solidify control of Japan, he had to conquer and destroy Hiraizumi, the primary northern city. Hiraizumi by contemporary Heian accounts rivaled or exceeded Kyoto as cultural and religious center, and greatly exceeded it in wealth, built largely on metal extraction (gold, silver, lead and iron), and secondary trade with Ezo (Hokkaido) and the continent (Parhae etc.). I think it a testament to this influence and power that the military aristocracy continued to patronize the Ezo style for 4oo years following the destruction of Hiraizumi. Dont overlook the fact that this was not a fringe style (Michinoku carries a bit of a redneck undertone, and is the wrong term), these items were extraordinarily expensive, incorporating imported exotic woods, gold, silver, tin and minerals. The finest old armors in existence in Japan share very close affinities to Ezo, and there is solid evidence of swapping parts between Ezo tosogu and armor (anyone visiting Oyamazumi should keep an eye to the kanagu on the Heian / Kamakura dou for these affinities). Your statement of out of fashion tosogu being traded northwards, is actually the opposite of what happened. It is well documented that as Muromachi trade missions went back into the north, they kept encountering preserved very high quality nihonto of the old style. They traded/bought and repatriated them during the 15th and 16th centuries, and I think this is why we see these occasional revivals, where southern artists created a 'fusion' style of koshirae, based on old traditional 'Ezo' characteristics and more modern southern tastes.

 

Best,

Boris.

[Henry Wilson]

This is becoming very interesting thank you all.

 

The notion of "pure Japanese" kind of bothers me in this discussion. It suggests that art develops in a vacuum and that the Ezo style we are discussing has no derivative, which could be the case.

 

What John says has enough weight that I think should be discussed, if only to let other readers see a different side of the topic.

I had always considered Ezo tosougu as being later holdouts of tachikanagushi style which had it origins in copying Chinese ornamentation which then slowly matured to a Japanese aesthete. This Chinese stylisation shows definite influence of Persian, Arab, Indian art. As style changed in Nara and Kyoto, the outlying provinces, the frontier, maintained the style for some time subsequent. I liken it to Parisian tastes slowly effecting change with the far flung colonies being always out of step due to distance.

I find the Silk Road and its connection to the Yamato plain (Nara) very interesting. The Shoso-in, which dates back to 756, when Empress Komyo dedicated over 600 items to Todai-ji to express her love for her deceased husband, has lots of examples of items from India, Iran, Greece, Rome and Egypt as well as Chinese Tang items and domestically produced items that exonerate these regional styles. The mother-of-pearl inlay technique seen in Japanese lacquer work is found in the depository and is traced back to Persia. This technique seems to be the only thing that Japan absorbed directly from the Silk Road and all styles and designs from Persia disappear after a few generations.

 

The beginning of the Heian Period (890 to 1185) coincides with the decline of the Tang dynasty staring from around 890s and at around this time the Heian court ended diplomatic missions to China starting a period of isolation. Beforehand the Japanese court in particular had been quite cosmopolitan and Japan had absorbed over centuries a mass of spiritual and visual stimuli from China, Korea, Central Asia, India, Europe and Arabia.

 

Considering this, if Ezo style as Boris states is an example of north eastern Japanese art and regarded as pure Japanese, I feel that this unique artistic cultural indigenous identity must have come from somewhere, considering the volume of outside art and ideology that was warmly welcomed before. What I mean is that as examples, the Chinese produced ink landscape, the Japanese produced Yamato-e. Also the Heian Japanese mastered a calligraphic form of Japanese hiragana or the onade style. These arts are all identified as secular Fujiwara art, but the very basic roots to an outside source is hard to not notice.

 

Could it not be possible that this phenomena could have happened to Ezo style fittings? That is, put very simplistically, an example of Persian designs, imitated over centuries, possibly disappears and emerges a few generations later and regarded as a pure Japanese art form. This would not change what Ezo fittings are but, as I understand it, could be an explanation for why the style is so distinct and seemingly comes from nowhere, or in other words pure Japanese. Sometimes I can’t help feeling that what is purely Japanese artistically is how the arts are responded to and the Japanese aesthetic values that have evolved over the centuries. The ideas of "mono no aware" and the like to me seem to be all that is really 100 percent Japanese.

 

As other members have suggested or stated, I also feel that there is an outside influence to the Ezo style and I hope my post illustrates key points that make me think this.

[BMarkhasin]

Henry,

Good points, so let me clarify. Ezo has had outside influence, since we know the cultures which influenced the early tradition definately had outside contact via direct trade and travel, and its hard to imagine something not filtering in through cultural exchange. But the roots; clear lines of influence are hopelessly obscured by time and integration with the Japanese mainstream. Arguably, post destruction of Hiraizumi (lets say mid Kamakura), the strong northern influence would have been supplanted increasingly by a southern influence - Kanto in this case. Another century, and the Ashikaga in Kyoto would have been guiding the aesthetic.

 

My comment of pure Japanese was meant to imply that by the Nambokucho, any outside or direct northern influence was not a direct factor in shaping the art. The choice of materials, subject matter, etc.. was following a mainstream Japanese aesthetic (whatever that is at any give time, and including all complexities). It was I think still rooted in the old tradition, of which there must have been numerous extant examples to draw from. For instance, the classic koshigatana shape was maintained (slender, high profile), with a tsuka often partially encased in ornamental metalwork. The wood however is often a hardwood traded through Korea/China, as was fashionable in Kyoto during that period (note that in many koshigatana, the kashira-end is purposely left exposed to showcase the wood). The earlier style of encasing the saya in metal foil was replaced with the more popular same (or equivalent). The northern fruit motifs such as akebi and vine motifs, gave way to peonies, seasonal motifs, dear, rabbits, insects, etc.. The koshirae still adhered to the old established Ezo form of antiquity (likely influenced by outside contacts), but the finer decoration reflected the ideas and tastes of the mainstream Japanese aesthetics of the time (whatever those were at any give time).

 

I think we are delving into esoterics here, while saying the same thing.

 

Best,

Boris.

[BMarkhasin]

Some more images, grouped by relative age. I have gone out on a limb here, and am showing a few pieces which now belong to others. If anyone prefers an image removed, please PM me.

 

 

Below is Kamakura to Nambokucho. Worthy of mention is the size of the early pieces. The second set of menuki measure ~9cm. The central panel of the kozuka is silver and executed in repousse. It seems to have been trimmed to fit the new housing, which is made of shibuichi. It is a good example of reuse of likely older bits into kodogu.

 

 

 

Nambokucho to Early Muromachi. You start to see more sukashi, and increasingly a similarity to the early ko Mino works. There is a increase in diversity of shapes, but the depth of the menuki start to decrease.

 

 

There is a subset of Muromachi Ezo menuki which are nearly devoid of sukashi. It is possible that at least some of these could have been used for other purposes, such as ornamental metalwork additions to maki-e boxes. These pieces range in size from about 6 - 9cm.

 

 

By the late Muromachi, we see the last gasp of Ezo works. They are supplanted perhaps by popularity, perhaps due to cost of production by the ko kinko and ko mino works we are used to seeing. Revivals occur in the Momoyama/Keicho, such as the ko Umetada mentioned earlier in this thread. By the early 1600's the quality of revival work craters, and is not worth talking about here.

 

 

Best

B

[Darcy]

Awesome Boris! Very educational.

 

I love these.

[BMarkhasin]

I'm not a ko Mino collector, but here is a favourite.. Its not very old - Momoyama/Keicho in age, but well executed.

 

 

 

Best,

Boris.

[John A Stuart]

There was a contact with western metalcraft by a different vector, alternative to the silk road. It is the same vector that brought iron smelting and steel making through northern Japan. That is to say, the Eastern Scythians by way of the Saka that communicated with and had cultural connections with the Scythians around the Black Sea and Don valley. What we see with the early Ezo fittings with the animal and plant themes are almost identical with Scythian metalwork in gold and even lead. These same Scythians as a whole were of the same cultural group and had contact throughout eastern Europe, the Levant, Asia (the steppes, northern eastern Asia-the Altai etc.), Siberia. This cultural impact predates and circumnavigate the what was to become Mongol tribes although there was some subsummation by both on the frontiers. It is by this manner we see the western influences in Chinese and ultimately via Korean and northern routes Japanese art of the type. I won't even get into the controversial theory that nomadic horsemen from these groups travelling through Korea were the origin of the Yamato polity. Anyhow, grist for the mill. John

[Henry Wilson]

I think the Scythians (Iranic equestrian tribes for readers who are not familiar with the term) could be the connected to the Iranian items found in the Shoso-in. I looked through some books in my library and I found some items that remind me of Ezo fittings.

 

First of all, here are some pictures of Scythian gold art (7 BC to around 4 BC) from the Net compared with a Chinese 4th century painting and an Ezo style menuki. To me there are similar characteristics between the Scythian, Chinese and Japanese items. That is, the way the trees are depicted and the arrangement of the people are similar. I wonder if this could be an example of western artistic influence being absorbed in an easternly direction.

More details on the Chinese painting is here. The Ezo style menuki at the bottom dates to Nambokucho to early Muromachi and makes an interesting comparison with the four other images, in particular how the plants and animals are arranged.

The Shoso-in 正倉院 in Todai-ji in Nara consists of three storage houses built between 745 and 752 in which precious pieces of art and the then imperial collection was stored. Nara, being the final stop on the Silk Road, has a lot of items gathered from Persia, Tang China as well as domestically produced ones.

Below is a composite picture of three items from Persia, stored in the Shoso-in that, in my opinion, have similar designs as seen on Ezo style fittings.

The first item is a black lacquered jar that has isolated motifs of animals and plants.

The next is of a textile of about 30 cm long depicted front and back (use unknown). The motifs here are the same animal and foliage theme from the jar, but they are more elaborate and finely done. Also depicted is symmetrical round clusters of foliage which is the bases of a lot of Ezo style fittings.

The final picture of a box, especially the lid, takes these motifs a bit further.

These items, being from Persia, likely depict popular and typical Persian designs from the time.

Next is a composite picture that compares metal work found on Japanese koshirae to imported Chinese items to Ezo style tosogu.

The koshirae below is Japanese but of a Chinese design, hence the name Kara Tachi 唐大刀 or Kara Yo Tachi 唐様大刀. The finger depressions on the tsuka of the tachi tsuka are not found on Tang tachi koshirae and indicates a Chinese style being internalized by the Japanese. (It also suggests functionality as opposed to just being a ceremonial sword, but that is another story).

Similar lattice work, but less fine and sophisticated, is seen in an incense globe from the Shoso-in which is believed to be from Tang China.

Comparing the Tang Chinese textile at the bottom of the picture with other similar motifs we can see how the Persian foliage design has developed. The circular pattern first seen above has become a lot more sophisticated but plants and vines are still arranged in a circular-shape clusters. Such lattice work, seen in the examples above, with prancing beasts is also seen in Ezo style fittings from the Nanbokuchuo period onwards. In the tosogu, foliage becomes weaved together to make a base for objects, such as inlayed stones or carved animated objects to rest on. Animated objects such as animals and mythical monster are depicted in a side profile in Ezo style art as well as in Persian and Tang art as the above and below examples show.

Comparing a pattern on a saya of a tosoko 刀子 from the Shoso-in with that of Ezo style fittings, there are very clear similarities in how the plants are depicted as well as overall compositions from Persia, to China, to Japan. The climbing plant style and the shape of the flower heads can also be seen in the three Persian items above. This could be an example of Persian / Tang designs in fittings being internalized by the Japanese.

Below illustrates the evolution of three similar drinking vessels found in the Shoso-in. This is especially interesting because it depicts generally the same thing done at different times by Persians, Tang Chinese and pre-Heian Japanese.

The first one was made in Persia (マ一ド・イン・ペルシャ). The style of the embossed technique of people and plants, as well as the way the gold leaf has been worn away, reminds me of Ezo style fittings.

The second one was made in China (度) and has the inclusion of vines and birds. Note the nanako ground the birds and vines rest on. The birds and vines seem to be inspired by Persian derived motifs.

The third one was made in Japan (日本). Notice the simplicity of the design and the lack of pattern which the text itself points out. The refining of a design and general simplification of something seems to be a trait of Japanese art as it moves through time.

And finally a comparison of a reproduction musical instrument from the Shoso-in compared with a Ezo fittings. They are very dissimilar but I find the overall artist composition and arrangement of design elements to be interesting and they seem to reflect similar sensibilities.

I think the above comparison of items illustrates quite well the possible migration of styles from Persia to China to Japan, and how the styles have been refined and reworked. To me the pictures reinforce in my mind the notion that Ezo style designs are derived from Persian designs with Tang Chinese designs acting as a kind of bridge. The items also seem to indicate that the main point of entry of these designs to Japan was via the Silk Road. The notion of a northern entry is entirely possible, however considering that the Silk Road was the main route, it would be reasonable to assume that the main bulk of artistic stimuli came that way.

 

Just my pennies worth and I hope it all makes sense.

 

Best regards

[kaigunair]

Finished reading through the KTK and the Bushido articles.

 

Prior to Boris' most recent posts, I was about to say the Bushido magazines and the 2009 KTK had the best pics for study. I hope people realize how precious the photos Boris uploaded are!

Really, thanks Boris.

 

If I could regurgitate some of what I just read regarding the "outside influence (beyond Japan)" of ezo fittings, the bushido articles make the point that it is a mistake to think that Ezo fitting were of Northern origin. The idea is that when the fujiwara side family took over the northern area including Hiraizumi (from the emishi?) and obtained the wealth from trading gold and other natural resources with them, they used that weath to create nihonto adorned with fittings that included the regional flare. I believe the craftsmen were taken from the southern production areas like kyoto & kamakura. So while the early "ezo" fittings had themes which may have been influenced by the northern honshu area, they were fittings made by non-northern, southern trained craftsmen, with local themes. I'm thinking the question would be more towards how much of Emishi art vs Yamato Court art, at X period in time, reflected one outside source, such as persian metal work or buddhist iconography, at least with regards to discussing "Ezo" fittings (with tachi kanagushi or ko-mino or ko-goto having much less northern influence in the design).

 

I am some what unclear if at some later time when these designs when out of favor, these items were traded Northward, and then at some other later time, when they were traded back, they became known as Ezo as associated with the Northern peoples. I am also unsure how the original origin transmission story tracks with idea that certain ezo fittings were repurposed from the old o-yoroi post-mongolian invasions when that style was no longer ideal for the new "mongolian style" of fighting of mass infantry.

 

Maybe I'm confusing this (or have the time periods mixed up), but perhaps there should be two different "Ezo" categories, one reflecting the early Ezo style that is believed to come out of the Fujiwara conquest of Hiraizumi and a second reflecting the style or actual re-purposing of O-yoroi armor elements into koshirae and tosogu. Or I'm completely off because of information overload and its late .

 

Quick question for ezo fittings: I'm trying to see the "silver sheen" that is supposed to be seen in the early phase of ezo fittings, due to the lack of adequate technology to homogenize the shibuishi mixture. Can someone point that that out in any of the pictures posted?

 

Second question: does the black coloration in the backside of ezo fittings indicate anything?

[kaigunair]

Just saw the wonderful post by Henry.

 

I see that "ezo" fittings is being associated with early tachi. I think this may cause some confusion. Some of the examples are brought up in the Koshirae book by sesko but not in relation with Ezo fittings.

 

(the cup comparison from persia/china/Japan is pretty neat. But I can't really see a strong connection between the ezo menuki theme *I forget name of flower* and the layered leaf design on the persian cup. While the overall shape of the ezo menuki flower is also somewhat similar to the overall "lumpy" shape of the drinking cup, I am thinking that wouldn't be a good basis to say the designs influenced one another.)

 

While ezo fittings are "early" and the idea is that they may be the pre-cursors to ko-mino and ko-goto, I think its important to keep them separate from the other early and more extensively studied styles, such as tachi kanagushi. Maybe because its so easy to group them together, that the study of ezo fittings has been overlooked as a very unique and different style from that of the southern court.....