Help, please, with iron tsuba A, B and C ...

[docliss]

As a predominantly ‘kinko man’, I have in my collection a number of iron tsuba about which I should value some advice regarding their attribution from the ‘iron men’ out there. If this request is well-received, perhaps I may repeat it in the future?

 

Tsuba A

This is a large, heavy, openwork guard in a darkly patinated iron. It measures 8.2 cm – 8.2 cm, has a solid and slightly rounded rim, and the design within this incorporates four pairs of linked bracken shoots. Above and below are pawlonia mon of the 3:3:3 form, with gold veining on the leaves and solid gold overlay on the blossoms. Laterally there are pine-bark (triple diamond) mon.

A similar, but earlier, guard is illustrated on p. 62 of Sasano’s ‘Early Japanese Sword Guards: Sukashi Tsuba’. Here it is labelled as Kyo-Sukashi work, but at what stage did such work incorporate gold decoration?

 

Tsuba B

This is another heavy, openwork guard in an almost black iron, measuring 7.5 cm – 7.5 cm. Within a solid and slightly rounded rim which contains linear tokketsu, are depicted, above and below, two straw hats and, on either side, two snow flakes. The straw hats have kebori detail upon them and the snow flakes, with raised rims and textured surfaces, enclose two, broad ryo-hitsu. The nakago-hitsu is much worn, and contains several generations of sekigane.

The broad ryo-hitsu cause me to wonder if this is early Kyo-Shoami work?

 

Tsuba C

Measuring 7.0 cm – 7.0 cm, this is a beautiful example of mon-sukashi work, modelled in a rich, dark iron. Twelve easily identifiable mon, each rendered in a positive silhouette within solid rims, form a continuous ring surrounding the seppa-dai. There are two hangetsu-gata ryo-hitsu, one with shakudo umagane. Copper sekigane are present in the nakago-hitsu, and there are possible tagane-mei on the seppa-dai. This tsuba is ex the Peak and Behrens collections.

Mon-sukashi work, certainly, but please tell me more.

 

With thanks for your help, John L.

[Curran]

Doctor,

 

*VERY* Quick impressions-

 

(A) Shoami Subschool- One of the better ones.

(B) Shoami

© Shoami or Hayashi-

 

 

I've always liked the © tsuba design. I've seen two that I would call Hayashi. The others I would say mostly lean towards Higo work, but they sometimes come out of the NBTHK with Shoami papers. I've seen a few where I agree with more of a Shoami call, but seen one where I think the NBTHK made a wrong call. Aoi arts had one of these tsuba up recently. I own one w/ old lacquer on it.

 

Yours has got some interesting mon in it. Attached should be an image from one of my books.

[Pete Klein]

My feeling on these is:

A) Kyo Shoami, slight possibility to Ko Shoami although the metal looks a bit too smooth to be pre-Edo. The nunome and large seppa dai > Kyo Shoami.

B) Shoami, probably Kyo Shoami, but I have seen these attributed to Owari although I don't understand that attribution. Early-mid Edo jidai.

C) Probably mid Edo Shoami due to the large seppa dai and carving technique. The Higo pieces would tend to be flatter without the extreme rounding to the edges (see Curran's pic). Hayashi Shigemitsu used a similar seppa dai however so I can't rule his out but I also couldn't find an example close to this style of carving in the Higo Taikan. The condition of the metal also makes it difficult to make an attribution. (It can be a problem with Higo as they often did work with fine and polished metal surfaces which any oxidation obscures).

Interesting kantei good Doctor!

[Rich T]

Just spotted these. I think the boys have done a bang up job in their attributions. I would add that for

 

A: I think there may be a bit too much nunome for Ko Shoami, but i definately agree with Pete on the iron, it looks a bit flat so probably Kyo is the better fit.

 

2: There is a tsuba identical to this for sale in Japan (I was holding it yesterday) and it is I think Shoami. There are similar styles that are attributed to Owari and Kyo but this one with it's simple symmetry is to my eye Shoami.

 

C: Higo Kodai. or late Higo work. I think this is a late copy of a much earlier piece which I think tends to make them a bit more generic.

 

Ok, I need another coffee I think, over and out.

 

Rich