For your pleasure 2

[kissakai]

The museum have around 60 Namban tsuba (non signed) and I have selected 7 samples

Just showing the best side

I know a couple really need some TLC but that life

 

Namban is not everyone’s favourite school

It was never a favourite school of mine until I bought two Namban tsuba and thought they were better in hand than I had thought they would be. So not converted but pleasantly surprised and there are two or three here I’d like to own

 

I know lately there has been a great deal of research into Namban tsuba. These tsuba cover quite an important area so can not be overlooked.

 

If any NMB members have examples of really good Namban tsuba then please share especially if any are signed

 

As I said before I not looking for help/advice for these tsuba ( that will be in my next post ) but I’d be interested to know if there are any gems here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grev UK

[Ken-Hawaii]

Very nice examples, Grev. Thanks!

 

Ken

[Curran]

There is both Dr. L's work and the small paperback Namban book in Japanese.

Both apply a taxonomy to the various namban tsuba out there.

 

Non iron seems to be much more rare. I foolishly sold a nice shakudo one I had, only to see it float through 2004 NTHK shinsa with high papers.

I also owned a close cousin to one you shared and seen a similar in both the Japanese book and the Birmingham museum.

I think mine passed via a dealer to Dr. Bleed here on the list?

[ROKUJURO]

Curran,

 

do you have an explanation for the strangely shaped NAKAGO ANA seen in some items? Is it meant to fit a KATANA NAKAGO as well as one of a European rapier?

 

Thank you!

[Jean]

I'll rather say for polearms, Jean

[Lance]

Aside from use on a pole arm as Jean mentioned, I noticed one of the examples Curran posted appear to have the square ana purposely carved as part of the design at time of manufacture, instead of a later alteration (see pic below)

This does give the appearance of originally being used on a European sword/rapier or capable of double duty, making it seem more "authentic" for the person buying it back then with a taste for Foreign goods during the Edo period ?

 

Could this possibly be a reason why these square ana seem to pop up more on Namban guards than other schools?

(guards altered to fit yari tanto not included, as they could be almost any school)

 

 

Thanks for sharing, hope you decide to share more images!

 

Regards,

Lance

[docliss]

I was pleased to see Grev’s recent posting on Namban tsuba. With one single exception, these tsuba are representative of the group, although I would prefer to label tsuba #3, with the manji diaper, as ‘demonstrating a strong namban influence’ rather than of the Namban group.

 

Tsuba #5, with its bilobed form and the taotie at its four poles, is an example of the auriculate sub-group, as are Curran’s two examples, the first of shakudō and the second – 684’30 from the City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery – of sentoku, in spite of its photographic appearance. As a generalisation, one can safely state that tsuba of the Namban group are invariably of iron, while those of the auriculate sub-group are of the soft metal alloys.

 

I have never personally seen an inscription on a tsuba of the Namban group apart, that is, from the Chinese one of the early Ch'ing dynasty, illustrated as #354 in the Catalogue of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. One is tempted to attribute this omission to the frequent presence of decorative serppa-dai, which clearly preclude the addition of any mei, but even those tsuba with plain seppa-dai share in this omission. If any NMB member can post an exception to this rule I should be pleased to see it.

 

John L.

[yogoro]

A few types of Namban guards