Yanagawa

[kissakai]

Hi
Having a bit of spare time I'm trying to get to grips with my 'papers' which I assume this is obvious due to my last two post
Can I ask for a translation for the boxed area
I made a hash of my last attempt at dating the papers so I wonder if I have it right this time

 

Details
School: Yanagawa 柳川
Mei: Naomitsu 直光 + Kao 花押 (H06717)
Tokubetsu Kicho - Dated 12th Sept 1982

 

 

Grev UK

[Ask]

top to bottom right to left, i get :-

 

銘　直光　花押　　めい　なおみつ　はなおし

 

朧銀　磨地丸　形　毛彫　　ろうぎん　とぐちまる　かたち　けぼり

 

im at work and on the phone sorry i cant spend too much time but im sure some of the more learned guys will help out soon enough.

[John A Stuart]

Rogin (alloy), polished surface, marugata (round shaped), kebori (line drawing). Mei, Naomitsu w/ kao. John

[Ask]

John i think rogin could be an dim or not polished silver.

 

Ford would be the right person to ask, for me.

[kissakai]

Again many thanks for your help

I was looking for the term Oborogin on the internet and my tsuba popped up on ‘worth a point’

This is the link followed my the description:

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/b1174-j-p-edo-nbthk-tokubetsu-kicho-signed

 

B1174 Japanese Samurai sword

Edo NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho

Yanagawa School

Yamabushi, Buddhist monk

Special treasured Signed Tsuba

Age: Edo

Certificate of Authenticity, authenticated by NBTHK (The Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai) on 12th Sep. in 1980. Ooops I was two years out again!

Material: Oborogin (silver-copper alloy)

Signature: Naomitsu Kao (Yanagawa Naomitsu)

Technique: Oborogin migakiji, Yellow copper fukurin, Kebori

Decoration: Yamabushi zu (Ascetic Buddhist monk)

This great piece has been authenticated as a special treasured Tsuba of Yanagawa Naomitsu, best Kinko of famous Yanagawa family in Edo era. This is a truly artistic and beautiful Tsuba depicting popular motif, Buddhist monk by kebori with touch of graceful Japanese painting. The Kogaihitsu is gorgeously filled with gold on the very shinny silver-copper alloy surface.

 

If anyone is a member of 'worth a point' I would be interested in the price paid in 2008

Is Yanagawa actually stated on the papers?

 

 

Grev UK

[SteveM]

朧銀 

 

Yes, "rogin" or "oborogin" as John above says. Both are correct, apparently, but in my experience I have only heard "rogin".

 

It shows up in the Japanese wikipedia entry under the shibuichi entry. Shibuichi is an alloy of (typically) 1 part silver to 3 parts copper. The linked chart indicates also 1% gold. I think rogin may have more silver than is typically found in shibuichi, but I am out of my depth here.

 

http://www.geocities.jp/atelier_hogaraka/shibuithi.html

 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9B%9B%E5%88%86%E4%B8%80_%28%E5%90%88%E9%87%91%29

 

Note there is an English entry for shibuichi as well, but it makes no mention of "rogin". And, I'm also wondering if the kashira in the picture used in the English entry wouldn't be greatly improved if that kashira were restored to its original lustre, as shown in another thread by Ford Hallam.

[kissakai]

Hi
Just to close this post can I come back to two outstanding questions?
Bearing in mind the post "What Is Happening To Nihonto Message Board?" I have answered my first request.

It was only asked in case there were alternative kanji for Yanagawa

Is Yanagawa actually stated on the papers?
I do not believe it is and Yanagawa is implied due to the mei

 

If anyone is a member of 'worth a point' I would be interested in the price paid in 2008
Anyone?

 

Grev UK

 

 

 

 

[SteveM]

Yanagawa is not part of this mei, so it is not mentioned on the paper. However, as you surmised, Yanagawa can be inferred from the Naomitsu signature. 

 

Naomitsu was apprenticed at 18 years old to Yanagawa Naomasa (1750).

 

Anybody who has 刀装金工銘収録 (published 1970) you will notice a typo on page 61 that says Naomitsu was apprenticed in 寛永3年, when the actual apprentice year is 寛延3年.