Tosogu mei resources.

[Kevin Adams]

It's time to up my game a bit, but I have questions...

 

I'm considering expanding my resource library to include some books illustrating the mei of tosogu artists, and there seems to be a wide range of works available. Near as I can figure, the main ones seem to be the 3-book Haynes Index, Kinko Meikan (with the translation available from NCJSC), and now Markus Sesko's "Signatures of Japanese Sword Fittings Artists". There's also a work called "Kinko Jiten".

 

Could someone please recommend a good "first" book to get, as well as shed light on some of the differences between these works? Or if there are other, better books?

 

Thanks in advance!

[John A Stuart]

Hi Kevin, those are good books. It is just like with swords. You buy the general references and then the books that specialise as you can afford them or as you narrow down your interest. John

[Rich S]

I don't know if this is still available, but it is a great intro/middle book.

 

Nihon-to Koza: Vol VI; Kodogu I & II translated by Harry Watson

 

Rich S

[Thierry BERNARD]

Toso Kodogu Meiji Taikei by Wakayama

 

http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.c ... i-wakayama

[growlingbear]

Hi Kevin,

 

I'd certainly recommend the new book by Markus - cheap and easily available, and you can get it as an ebook which personally I find extremely useful. Haynes is good but don't forget it's just a list of metalworkers with some detail about their life and work, it doesn't contain any images of mei but rather references other books, especially those by Wakayama.

 

Cheers

 

James

[Soshin]

  growlingbear said:

Hi Kevin,

 

I'd certainly recommend the new book by Markus - cheap and easily available, and you can get it as an ebook which personally I find extremely useful. Haynes is good but don't forget it's just a list of metalworkers with some detail about their life and work, it doesn't contain any images of mei but rather references other books, especially those by Wakayama.

 

Cheers

 

James

 

Hi Kevin,

 

I am going to purchase Markus's book next week which is intended to be a meikan. I already have a copy of Robert E. Haynes's Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists. It is only a Index and not a meikan by design which is a reference used to judge the authenticity of a signature.

[Barrie B]

Kevin.

 

Markus Sesko's Signatures of Japanese Sword Fittings Artists and Robert E. Haynes' Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists is a good way to start. Both books are reasonably inexpensive, are readily available and are in English; you will use them all the time. The Haynes references are extremely useful..

 

I have a copy of Kinko Meikan (with the translation available from NCJSC), but I was told it was superseded in 1993 because it was published with some Gimei pieces in it. I guess if you have a copy, then it is still an Ok reference for researching your fittings, but both books are hard to get now.

 

Barrie.

[Grey Doffin]

I have been told that the 3 volume Toso Kodogu Meiji Taikei is the reference of choice for shinsa teams. Not an easy book to find but copies do come available from time to time.

While the newer edition of Kinko Meikan, Shinsen Kinko Meikan, does have corrected listings, bear in mind that it won't correspond with the English translation. The original edition has 4 pictures to a page and the newer has 6.

Grey

[Kevin Adams]

Thank you very much, gents! I realize now that what I was looking for was the distinction between a "meikan" and an index, and which book was which.

 

I think for now I'll get copies of Markus' book and the Haynes index - the Japanese works can wait until later once I wrap my head around those two, and brush up on my Japanese.

 

I really appreciate the input, thanks again.