What Shibuichi Looked Like When It Was New.

[Ford Hallam]

This is a set I've just restored for one of our members here, Mr Max Bini.

 

He has graciously allowed me to share these before and after images of his pieces so that I can illustrate some aspects of proper restoration and features of shibuichi.

 

Double click on the images to see bigger versions.

 

 This is the kashira. The original patina has darked down considerably over time due to sulphides in the air combining with the silver component of the alloy. Most Edo period pieces in shibuichi have suffered the same fate.

 

 

And the fuchi. Notice how the patina is lighter around the actual inlay. This, as well as the narrow strip protected by the shitodome in the kashira, provides a clue as to the original patina colour.

 

 

 

And this is the kashira after I'd polished out the marks at top right, refinished the surface and brought the patina back. The silver has been treated with a gold salt solution and will, over the following months, develop a more mellow pewter-like patina. Artificailly aging the silver using a more rapid process will result in an ugly black finish in a few months which would defeat the whole object of sympathetic restoration. The characteristic 'nashiji' texture that is the defining feature of good shibuichi is now clearly visible. That soft, almost velvety, sheen is also a result of the silver:copper structure of the alloy and the way it patinates.

 

 

 

A close up of the 'nashiji' ground, looking a bit like grey felt.

 

 

The shitodome were a bit worn out too so they got a spruce up also.

 

[Jussi Ekholm]

That restored set looks stunning. Thank you very much for posting this up Ford. I had no idea about these features of shibuichi.

[ROKUJURO]

Amazing work!

I am so accustomed to see SHIBUICHI in that dark grey that the restored set seems to look almost too new in a way! But I am thankful to learn how these items looked actually when they were made. 

I include samples of that usual dark grey.

[Ford Hallam]

Jean, I think that in the 60's, at least in the UK, blade collectors got used to collecting swords that were in pretty poor polish too. But things improve,thankfully   The same with old master paintings. we now accept that they sometimes need to be cleaned. Having said that not all patina should be redone, imo. Shibuichi is merely a very fragile one that doesn't age well. Shinchu patina is also quite easily lost resulting in a brassy tarnished surface from too much handling.

[Heringsdorf]

You can tell that this is how Shibuichi is supposed to look.

So much more character after the restoration. I think, once the silver darkens a little more over the next year, it will look even more stunning.

[Justin]

Great work Ford. Makes a big difference. The ground was flat and dull and now it looks like a nice marble finish. 'Grey felt' is a good way of describing it. Thanks for posting.

[Ford Hallam]

Thanks Gents, glad you appreciated seeing them.

 

Jussi, it just occured to me as, as I was doing the job, that what I take for granted in my everyday work may be unknown to many collectors of tosogu so this was a convenient opportunity to share a glimpse of what is too often hidden. :-)

 

Restoration of metal fittings is a touchy subject sometimes but I think there are times when intervention is warranted.

 

There is, of course, the appreciation of the appearance of age on the pieces we admire but this is not always all that relevant on every type of work.  I've learned over the course of the past year, while researching my book, quite a bit about day to day life of Samurai on duty in the capital. Numerous personal diaries exist that document day to day activities and expenses. Of note are those entries detailing sword and sword accoutement care. Saya were re-lacquered, hilts re-wrapped, sometimes twice a year, and the finish on tsuba and other fittings had to be maintained. Iron tsuba in daily use needed to be periodically retouched. Kinko work is not very robust so that too needed regular attention. Sincet hese things no longer have a place in daily life they have, ironically, suffered from a lack of maintainace and what we see today is a far cry from how these pieces were understood when they were in use. While we may appreciate a worn and tarnished piece of metalwork it's likely 'back in the day' they'd merely be seen as dirty and the owner as a bit of a careless scruff.

 

Another thought that just occured to me....

 

As we've now seen this dark appearance of shibuichi really wasn't how it was seen in the Edo period at all and in fact the author of the Soken Kishō (1781) tells us that of the varieties of shibuichi it was those with more silver, the paler ones, that were most admired.

[Brian]

Looking at the results, I can only see the positives of having had these cleaned and lightly restored. The transformation is remarkable.

To be able to see them as the maker intended is the main benefit I think. I know on the tsuba Ford did for me, there was no benefit to keeping it in the original messed-with state. We restore swords, and I think fittings are appropriate too as long as the restoration is done professionally and sympathetically.

If I had anything in shibuichi I would gladly do what Max had done.

[Guido]

This is a very interesting topic.

 

While a nihontō is supposed to be in full polish, most collectors of tōsōgu expect that their items show some wear and/or rust, at least in the sukashi and nakago-ana. But the wear and corrosion must be slight and not so far advanced as to suggest imperfection. In other words, the signs of use must stop at the stage that supports authenticity, and go no further. My point is that perfect condition in tōsōgu is not the same unused and unworn state as perfect condition in lacquer, prints, and other categories.

 

I would be extremely interested to learn if a professionally restored fuchigashira – like the one Ford showed us – would paper; and if two identical items are submitted to shinsa - one as is, one restored - which one would get the higher papers?

 

I know that the NBTHK generally doesn't paper koshirae with restored lacquer of the saya, or new tsukamaki.

[Ford Hallam]

Guido, in about a month's time these f/k will show no evidence of having been 'revived'. And in fact pieces I've done, both iron and soft metal already have papered, many times   The point being, a good job becomes invisible so to me it's something of a moot point.    On the other hand, some of the metal restoration work I've seen that was apparently done in Japan might be too obvious to pass shinsa. Maybe they're more 'honest' then me.

[Isocyanide]

These f/k already had Tokubetsu hozon, I don't think the owner has to worry about papers.

[Guido]

@ Ford: I'm delighted to hear that, I assumed that the NBTHK only papers mountings and fittings in original period condition. But if they can't tell the difference because of the quality of the restoration, it's a moot point indeed.

 

@ Steve: well, that wasn't exactly my point, I wasn't talking about altering an item *after* papering. I've seen a couple of koshirae that received papers with worn and frayed original tsukamaki, and that had new, crisp tsukamaki done after that; the small b/w photos of the papers wouldn't give it away anyhow if it's a dark ito color. It's still kind of cheating, though, if sold to someone without telling him about it.

 

Personally, I wouldn't have any problem with restoring the hilt binding, or the restoration of the fittings Ford did. However, it's not easy to draw a clear line.

[kusunokimasahige]

That simply looks gorgeous Ford !

 

[paulb]

Ford

Thank you for this, I have found it very thought provoking and have managed to contradict myself in my mind regularly. I think the restored pieces look beautiful and if I understand you correctly this is what they would have been like when new.

With sword blades it is true that the market has come to expect blades to be in prisitne polish. However I think there is a difference in terms of acceptability. What and what is not acceptable depends on the individual but I have suggested one point of view below;

In the case of a sword polishing is aimed at enhancing or at least making apparent the craftmanship of the swordsmith. It is possible, of course, that as a result of necessary repair or even incompetence, a polisher could drastically effect the shape and features of a blade, but in normal circumstances you will see the features the smith has built in to the blade.

On the other hand if a damaged blade is re-hardened the value is greatly deminished (there are exceptions but they are few and far between) this is because a key feature of the blade and a smiths work has been replaced by someone else. It is no longer representative of the original artist.

I am not a fittings collector but perhaps those that are can answer this but would the patination of the fitting not be considered as part of the original work and therefore repatination, regardless of how well it is done be seen as negative?

In most other areas of art that I am interested in restoration that replaces original finish usually devalues the work. I am guessing with the NBTHK and papering the same would hold true, it would be regarded that you are no longer looking at the original work.

 

As I said I keep contradicting myself as I try and work out what is right and wrong and I think the truth is there is no right and wrong in this, just preference. If restoration is done sympathetically and with skill, as in this case, then it can really present an insight as to what a piece was originally like.

However we have become used to seeing pieces with the added patina of age and in many cases that seems to enhance the experience.

I would value others opinions/guidance on this

yours in a confused state

Paul

[Isocyanide]

Sorry Guido I understood what you were meaning, I should have constructed my statement better to reflect that.  I was actually thinking about buying these f/k from Aoi art, but someone beat me to it, I just remembered they have TH papers and was stating so.  

[Ford Hallam]

Paul

 

I'm pleased this topic is proving to be food for thought. :-)

 

yes, as the f/k looks now is essentially what they would have looked like when they were made. In essence, alloys like the shibuichi group owe their patina colours to the actual alloy composition. There are ways to alter the result but where we have other alloys and metals like shakudo and silver present then the treatment is pretty much standard. In fact I have workshop records from the period that detail exactly what was done. Needless to say nothing has changed. So I can almost guarantee that this is what the maker saw when he finished the work. The shibuichi alloys are fairly standard compostions too, even among the work of big names.

 

As for whether this devalues the work in this case I leave that up to you to decide. The fact is what was intended by the maker no longer existed. I merely acted on his behalf to show what was lost.   But I'm not all that sure this sort of patina is all that significant in terms of a particular artists work. He may not even have done it himself anyway, it's not particularly complicated.

 

  But lets apply the blade polish analogy. If the original polish is akin to the original patina then why is it ok to redo the polish on a blade but not on a patinated piece where the patina is clearly no longer as the artist intended, not very attractive and in fact obscures the whole point of multi-metal inlay work?  Let's not forget that polishing today is somewhat more sophisticated too (according to the polishers anyway) so the appearance of blades nowadays really is simply a reflection of taste and fashion.

 

If we take the examples Jean posted, (sorry Jean ) we can see that the overall tarnish and state of oxidisation has blurred the destinctions between the alloys and their patina to the point that we can't read the image very well. There are probably a few fine details in there that are now invisible too. From my perspective as a craftsman and artist I think it a shame that so much of the real artistry of so much older work is in fact hidden from us because of an unexamined reverence for the effects of time. It's all well and fine to value wabi and sabi but there instances where rust is just rust and dirt is just dirt

 

This is actually a very major point to come to terms with, I think. Museum collections around the world are full of literally 1000's of pieces of tosogu that are for all intents and purposes utterly unreadable as artworks because they are covered in crud and their patina darkened to the sort of dark blurry mess of grime, old wax and verdigris. Exactly the sort of state that was to be seen on old master oils before the value of proper cleaning and restoration was appreciated.

 

I'm sure there are many more views to hear and there are a number of very good books on the broader issue of conservation and restoration issues I might recommend should anyone feel like think further on the matter.

[paulb]

thanks Ford

Yes I agree wih a lot of what you say and happily bow to your greater knowledge as to what is and isn't easy/standard and unique in the processes. I think my area of concern is whether the application of patina chemically alters or modifies the item. polishing and using different styles can and does alter appearance but it doesnt change the composition of the prodcut.

Again I agree with you about artefacts being stored or displayed under crud and have no issue with judiscious cleaning, agian provided it doesnt compromise the item. I would go a stage further, I have recently been talking to a company specialising in installing light fittings in museums and country houses to simulate the contempory lighting in the space when the painitings were first displayed. It is amazing how such works come to life when clean and seen in the light they were designed to be viewed in.

One key thing I believe to be general policy now is that any restoration or conservation should be reversable. Certainly here we have examples of over zealous Victorians thinking they were doing the right thing using pitch and thick varnishes to restore and preserve work. hopeful we are now on more enlightend times.

Again thank you for the insight and thought provoking topic.

[Heringsdorf]

Steve,

This set actually came with two papers when it arrived.

NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho from 1959 (This was the second highest certificate at that time after Juyo which was introduced in 1958) and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon from 2007.

 

Concerning the patina of this fitting, I'm of the opinion that you can't compare re-lacquering a saya with reviving a patina on a fitting.

When you re-lacquer a saya you are in fact adding new material to the object, possibly covering important features.

This isn't the case in repatination, as you are not adding new foreign material, but actually are bringing out what the piece was supposed to be like. Before the Nashiji surface feature was not visible, now you can really apriciate this, like a blade's Ji-hada before and after polish.

Just my opinion on this. I think that any restoration work, when done right and professionally, like Ford does it, improves the Beauty, value and desirability of such items.

[Ford Hallam]

Hi Paul

 

one point worth making is that the patina on Japanese metalwork, such as we're discussing, is not 'applied' as such. An application suggests something being added and that is a little misleading. The only thing added to the metal is in fact oxygen. That grey patina on the shibuichi is actually caused by very small patches of cuprite in a fine network of silver. The copper particles that are caught up in this silver network form cuprite on the exposed surface by the action of the copper-salt bath the piece is treated. What happens is that one oxygen atom binds with two of copper copper to form Cu2O. This oxide is generally red but the light refelcted back to our eyes is interfered with by the light coming off the surrounding silver resulting in the grey patina we percieve. This is more your field of expertise though :-) There is a microscopic degree of etching during this coversion of copper to cuprite and this is what yeilds the charactristic velvety appearance.  Japanese researchers coined the term 'matrix colouring' to differentiate the way traditional alloys and metals form their patina, this is to reflect the intimate connection between the composition and the patina.

 

With time, and sulphides in the air, the silver is converted to silver sulphide and is then slowly consumed. During this process the sulphides spread over the cuprite and thereby alters the appearance and composition of the metal and patina surface.  Careful restoration reverses this damaging effect and presents anew the original finish. One might even argue that, given the much lower levels of sulphides in the air in our homes today, it would be neglectful not to restore these pieces to their original condition because while they may look stable under all that tarnish and corrosion they are slowly being consumed. Without the impact of sweaty hands and pollluted air the original patinae are far more stable.

 

The story for the other alloys is a variation on the same theme

[Ford Hallam]

and thank you Max, for your vote of confidance.

[Brian]

I am enjoying seeing polite and well thought out debate, wish we had more of it.

In this case, I have no problem at all accepting them as a great improvement over the before state. I see this much like someone finding an antique classic car with dull paint, and instead of repainting it....he cleans and buffs the original paint to bring it back to the original look.

Everyone does agree with how well they look now. I expect restoration will always be a tricky subject to discuss, but the end result is that if you are going to have it done, only use a well trained professional.

[paulb]

Hi Ford

thanks for the detailed explanation regarding how the patination is created. You are right I was tending to think of it as chemiacl application rather than adjusting what was already there. In that light I can understand why repatination isnt as negative as might first appear.

It is always the balance between seeing something as the creator intended or seeing it mellowed with time. My most obvious example is that I realy like to see a well handled tsuka where the Ito has been smoothed and stained by many years of handling.Blades I like to see in perfect polish.

There is much to be said for bringing something back to it's original condition provided we can be sure that the end result truly reflects that.

I have enjoyed the conversation and learnt something new

cheers

[jlawson]

Just another comment here about "cleanup" on fittings and corroboration on Fords comment about them getting papers afterwards. I can confirm also that there are several items that have been cleaned up and have gone through to get very high papers from the NBTHK. There is a delicate balance between cleaning up years of abuse than stripping down and removing all patina. 

I have always been told that there is no substitute for the original patina and that once that is gone that there is no way for it to be re-done. I can tell you that is not the case for all examples. There are some pieces that you can easily see that have been "messed with" and you will know it.  However when done by a professional restorer you will never be able to tell. This is especially true for late edo soft metal works that after professional cleaning and restoration look as though they have been just very well taken care of. 

It is also amazing that after a gentle cleaning and in some cases a touch up that the metal itself can heal and become even better after sitting in the safe for a few months. 

[Ford Hallam]

Cheers James :-) yes, the 'post op' recovery period really does allow things to mature nicely.

[kusunokimasahige]

I must agree that in this case restoring an item to the state it had when it was first made is not a bad thing, Where each sword polish removes stuff from the sword making it thinner and when one polishes antique silver to the brink of extinction yes there can be some debate about the necessity of it all,

In this case I see an item properly restored to its forner glory, as I see items in Dutch Museums restored to their former glory also (especially in archaological exhibitions).

So value wise it is of no great concern I think. Ford's work rather adds to than detracts from the value in my opinion.

KM

[Guido]

I'm of the opinion that you can't compare re-lacquering a saya with reviving a patina on a fitting.

 

Again, that's not what I said, I used the words "restored lacquer", i.e. bringing a dull and scratched saya back to its original state, not putting new lacquer on it. IMO that's pretty much the same thing that Ford did with the fuchigashira.

 

There was one case last year I know of when the NBTHK was hesitant to paper a koshirae with restored lacquer because they thought it looked too new, assuming that it was completely re-lacquered. I didn't talk to the owner after that, so I don't know the outcome.

[Guido]

And just in case I'm misunderstood again: I thought I made it clear above that I have no problems with a carefully executed restoration by a professional - I'm more or less only playing devil's advocate in regard to papering by the NBTHK (having a good understanding of how they think, and not being familiar with the other organizations). I'm not attacking anyone's opinion, and especially not Ford's restoration.

[jlawson]

Guido sorry if it looked like I was countering your "devils advocate" comments as that was not the case at all. Just giving some feedback on some of my experiences with getting restoration work done on tsuba and shinsa etc. I was actually pretty hesitant on posting that as I also don't want to be the reason that someone reads this post and decides to strip off the hundreds of years of age and history on that fantastic jingo tsuba that looks a little crusty.

In regards to lacquer work and having it re-done I truly am a neophyte and have no idea how someone would be able to tell if it was older or not or a repair but clearly the nbthk does. I would think that your comment above about the lacquer just being restored but not new would not cause an issue for the nbthk but clearly thats not the case here. It would be interesting to find out what ultimately happened with that one. 

I also find it interesting in the new NBTHK shinsa standards that they mention for Momoyama koshirae that it is acceptable for some repairs and still get papers but they don't list what those repairs are. Also they don't mention this for other periods so does that possibly mean that anything that is repaired after momoyama would not be considered for papers? 

http://nihontocraft.com/2015_NBTHK_Nionto_Tosogu_Shinsa_Standards.html

[Guido]

James, I certainly didn't direct my comment towards you. I'm very much in agreement with what you wrote, especially when it comes to iron. There are a couple of people in the US who manage to ruin every iron tsuba they get their hands on. And it's grotesque that some (well, actually quite a lot) are later sold by the dozens as coming from the famous X-collection. They all have that same greyish, dull surface. The ooh'ing and aah'ing that they get almost hurts me physically. But they are cheap, and never get papered. There's no need for that when you are able to see the face of the Virgin Mother in them, and give the NBTHK a good bashing at the same time for being a bunch of idiots because they don't agree with your superior knowledge.

 

The way it works is like this: you buy a tsuba on the cheap - because you don't have both the taste and funds for decent stuff - and start seeing "things" in it. The tsuba receives unfavorable comments on NMB, being called sub-standard contemporary amateur work. You submit it for NTHK shinsa and it gets pink-slipped. You then try to sell it, saying that the NTHK judged it to be a modern masterpiece.

 

I'm not making this up, it happened right under our noses. Disgusting.

[kusunokimasahige]

 

The way it works is like this: you buy a tsuba on the cheap - because you don't have both the taste and funds for decent stuff -

Change that into and/or please.