Discussing The Qualities Of Bamen Tsunamasa

[lonely panet]

Good morning people, I hope you are all well?

 

well the weather is crap today so I decided to start this post,

 

I picked up a tsuba in Ginza at a antique store about a year ago, just on the visual qualities, with the help of Board members they translated it for me ( still any thank to you all) but work picked up and my research was put on the back burner.....until to day DA DUN DAAA ( bad written sound effects ) haha.  

 

I would like to discuss this tsuba in full, to better help me and others understand why this smith is so highly rated, and even if my Tsuba is not gimei .  Im unable to find many images of his other works as to compare workmanship is hard. But Markus Sesko's book THE Japanese TOSO-KINKO SCHOOLS, mentions a smith that signs the same, is one of the most highly rated smiths of the Bakumatsu era, But what made him so highly prized???, yes the metal has a good colour and activity at me rim is attractive to me.

 

so I throw open the door to the blessed knowledge of the true TSUBA CONNOISSEURS, as I normally collect imperial swords and dirks and don't know a lot about tsuba

 

regards Hamish

[lonely panet]

the two examples of BAMEN TSUNAMASA's work

[lonely panet]

more pics

[Marius]

Well, this is very good iron and that makes this tsuba very good. I suppose it feels leasant in hand. I like the fact that it s not overdone, the layers are visible only close to the rim. I am sure it has a very good colour, too. 

 

You have bought yourself a fine tsuba. Unadorned, the pure essence of tsuba - a very well forged plate. You need no more to be happy if you are a tsuba lover. And I guess something made you pick just this tsuba. You must have found it appealing. Try to recall why. BTW, I admire your choice 

 

I guess you might want to read dr Torigoye's musings on tsuba, which you can find in "Tsuba. An Aesthetic Study" written by dr Torigoye and Mr Haynes. The book costs pennies but contains loads of useful information.

[docliss]

This is an opportunity to post an image of another tsuba by Bamen Tsunemasa (H 10825.0). This is a remarkable example, demonstrating extreme metalworking versatility in its creation, but possibly less practicality in its design. It comprises a hollow ring of beautifully, chocolate patinated iron, bisected by a narrow, circumferential aperture, within which are enclosed two metallic beads.

 

An identical tsuba is illustrated on p.96 of Shibata Mitsuo's Tsuba Niūmon.

 

John L.

 

[lonely panet]

so hear comes the tricky part, if this smith is so highly prized, why cant we find anything for sale from dealers or many examples. sounds like he wasn't a prolific smith. 

 

in sesko's book he is mentioned is the same rankings as GOTO ICHIJO and KANO NATSUO, which are very expensive names to buy.

 

 

SSSSSoOOOO why did I only pay $400 for this?? if hes so highly ranked ??  the metal work to me should warrant a shinsa. or am I look at through rose coloured glasses. 

 

 

 

can I please drag curran into this for his advice

[docliss]

Dear Hamish, you appear to be basing your assessment of this artist's ability upon the fact that you were fortunate enough to obtain an example of his work at a knock-down price.  I humbly suggest that you rejoice in your good fortune, and form an assessment of his artistic ability by the study of the numerous available examples of his work.

 

John L.

[lonely panet]

Hi john,

 

I would love to do this but I can only find two examples and both are sukashi in the pony theme.

 

mine shares the same traits of the smith like soft metal inserts in the nakago ana.for aesthetic reasons over function, but there is nothing mentioned about construction of the metal plate. the school did come from a armour making background in the 1500's so is this shown in the steal of my tsuba  (so I know nothing of amour too)

[John A Stuart]

I think as with any artist there are some pieces that exhibit desirable traits and others that are less or out of normal type that have levels of value. Did you see the Picasso that just set the record for a sale, 149 million I believe? Why so much for that one? It exhibited all the bells and whistles associated with Picasso, it is an example of his cubism in the extreme. John

[growlingbear]

Hi Hamish

 

I've had a look through my references and found a few more Bamen Tsunemasa tsuba. Apologies for the image quality on some of them...

 

Tsuba Shusei (p383):

 

Japanische Stichblatter und Schwertzieraten (Oeder) p65:

 

Lungren collection p23

 

There's also a write up of the Bamen school in Markus' book on the Toso Kinko schools.

 

Hope this is helpful

 

James

[growlingbear]

Lundgren also says:

"Bamen Tsunemasa was a student or relative of Kikuchi Tsunekatsu. An old document states that he was a horsemask maker but this has never been proven. Bamen lived in Echizen and the name was bestowed by Honda. Tsunemasa was an accomplished designer whose skilful sukashi work is closely connected with kaga-e (shadow pictures)"

 

This may explain why so many of the designs feature horses!

 

James

[docliss]

Haynes, on p.2113 of his Index ..., disposes of the myth related to the literal translation of Bamen as 'horse face'.  He states that the family name is derived from Bamen Mura, a village in Echizen where his family had lived for generations.  There is nothing to support the contention that he once manufactured horse armour.

 

John L.

[growlingbear]

Hi John,

 

Thanks for that. As it says in the Lundgren catalogue there is apparently no evidence for the horse armour theory. However, in Markus' book he mentions that the Bamen family were originally a branch of the Myochin and made armour and lived in Maruoka (Echizen). Unfortunately, neither Haynes nor Sesko quote any references for this so it's difficult to know which is right.

 

James

[kissakai]

Bamen tsuba
Design: Three kotoji
Mei: Bamen 馬面 Tsunemasa 序政 + kao
Ref: H10825.0
Size: 76 x 73 x 5.0

 

 

 

Grev UK

[Markus]

so hear comes the tricky part, if this smith is so highly prized, why cant we find anything for sale from dealers or many examples. sounds like he wasn't a prolific smith. 

 

in sesko's book he is mentioned is the same rankings as GOTO ICHIJO and KANO NATSUO, which are very expensive names to buy.

 

 

SSSSSoOOOO why did I only pay $400 for this?? if hes so highly ranked ??  the metal work to me should warrant a shinsa. or am I look at through rose coloured glasses. 

 

 

 

can I please drag curran into this for his advice

 

I think you accidentally quoted the entry for Tanaka Kiyotoshi (p.217)?

This line "Besides Gotō Ichijō and Kanō Natsuo he is ranked among the greatest kinkō artists of the bakumatsu era." is found in Kiyotoshi chapter.

 

The Bamen were indeed armorers, helmets from the Sengoku period for example are extant and the latest kabuto seems to have been made around Genroku (1688-1704).

The place name of Bamen is found in pre-Genroku era maps as being a district of the town of Maruoka, Echizen province, where the school had moved after their original

place of residence, Toyohara, had been destroyed by Nobunaga in 1575. When one branch of the local school participated in the siege of Osaka in 1615 as part of the arms

and armor production and repair unit, the did a good job and were so their lord, Honda, allowed them to use Bamen as family name (they also received a house as reward).

 

The horse mask thing is probably something that was later claimed to give their name some fancy background, for example, one tradition even sees the origins of that name

back in the time of Sasaki Takatsuna (late Heian) who allegedly ordered a mask maker to make him a face mask for his horse. His horse did not suffer a single wound in

the subsequent fightings and each time his horse wore this mask, Takatsuna turned out to be victorious. So the craftsman, his name was Jigo, adopted Bamen as his

family name. In short, the Bamen were for sure armorers or at least blacksmiths (mentioned so in historic documents) and when it was time for the obligatory rewards after

a battle, i.e. Osaka in 1615, they were granted with a family name and probably created this horse mask myth around it because it suggested itself.

[docliss]

Dear Markus, thank you so much for your erudite entry to this thread.  And thank you also for resolving the Bamen Mura/Maruoka residential query.  Kind regards, John L.

[growlingbear]

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply, Markus. All much clearer!

 

James