Namban - Hands Up If You Like Namban Tsuba

[kissakai]

Hi again

John, it's just my opinion but I do not see this as Canton trade

Has anyone comments re the Spanish guard or who can pass on these details to some who has

To me it seems one of the most direct examples and should be pursued if possible as a way of gaining a bit more insight into Namban tsuba

 

 

Grev UK

[Bazza]

A very interesting thread.  Here is my Namban tsuba that has an old NBTHK green paper.  It has been presented in an earlier thread (2013), but for those new to Namban tsuba I add it here to augment the contributions.

 

Bestests,

BaZZa.

 

 

[kissakai]

Thanks Bazza

Nice to see a papered example. My usual question: Do they give a date that is closer than 200 years!!!!!!!

Still looking for comments re the Spanish design

 

 

Grev

[Bazza]

Hi Grev,

 

The tsuba was papered perhaps 40+ years ago and I think the date was ca1680, certainly "early Edo".  A polisher visiting from Japan 30-ish years ago held it and said "A real one"...

 

BaZZa.

[Greg F]

Hi guys,

 

BaZZa thats a very nice tsuba, I dont know if ive seen better namban tsuba than the examples shown in this thread. Thanks and all the best.

 

Greg

[kissakai]

Hi

When Greg remarked about nice tsuba I felt I should put a few of the Museums Namban tsuba

As with quite a few of these tsuba they need some TLC

 

 

 

Grev UK

[Greg F]

Hi Grev,

They're nice examples too, which museum are they from? Thanks.

 

Greg

[kissakai]

Greg

These are from the Birmingham museum in the UK but they are in storage

 

 

Grev UK

[Ford Hallam]

Grev

 

That last one is a pretty classic Chinese, probably Ming period, sword guard. The original rectangular tang opening (plugged to allow a more suitable nakago-ana to be cut) and two opposing dragons are dead give-aways. Kogai hitsu cut later. I think that as an example of a converted Chinese guard it's a significant piece of the puzzle.

[Kurikata]

Spanish influence, Chinese influence ? your guess?

[kissakai]

It's like a slippery eel

I've looked at some old Namban posts and apart from a couple of insights and seeing some nice tsuba I'm not much wiser

Maybe that collectors can look at these in a new light and add the odd example

Do be very wary of cast replicates (I have one) so if you see one you like ask for images of the inside faces as the seam line is usually quite defined so easy to see

 

 

Grev UK

[Brian]

Dr Lissenden would have enjoyed this thread, and no doubt been able to add a lot

[Ford Hallam]

Indeed. Very sad to hear of his passing. He was always a gentleman.

[Jim P]

My Namban, It has a NTHK paper to namban not that it means much it has a fukurin somthing you don't see much on Namban. I have seen BaZZa,s namban in hand

and it is a good example of the namban school the condition is excellent. 

[IanB]

Whilst never having worked with the European sword collection at the Royal Armouries, I passed the racks that held Spanish rapiers in store almost everyday and you can't help looking. Yes some are pierced with swirling mass of tendrils, but cut in quite thin metal and chiselled to look as if the tendrils pass over each other. If memory serves, one or two had holes in the cup where over-enthusiastic chiselling had weakened the metal and sections had broken away. The pattern on these rapiers differs from namban tsuba in being just tendrils whereas the design of the latter almost invariably consist of dragons or lotus blossoms with the tendrils simply filling in the spaces between. You get a similar design to that on the rapiers engraved on 19th C. shotguns - just a mass of scrolls to fill the space. I suggest you type in 'Tibetan saddles' into Google and look at the images - I think you will see similarities..

Ian Bottomley

[Jim P]

Hi Ian, Thanks for your thoughts    looking at the Tibetan saddles I can see the similarities,

[Ford Hallam]

I'm not sure this belongs here but as there is often mention of Nagasaki, and Deshima in particular, as a possible port of origin for foreign wares that may have inspired Namban styled tsuba I thought this painting of the island dating from 1634 might be of interest.

It's just one of the many fascinating bits of historical material to be found in Japanese archives.

 

The area is today part of a large section of reclaimed land but a project has been started to recreate the trading station as it was in the Edo period.

 

[parfaitelumiere]

I just won this one at auction, the work looks quite good and there are no hitsu ana, I like it.
It may complete my goto style dragon tosogu f-k and menuki set.

[Surfson]

Here's one that I had along with some nice Goto fittings.  

[parfaitelumiere]

About what I want to make, I already jave the fittings and tsuba now.

[TETSUGENDO]

Robert,

 

That's an outstanding example, beautifully made, makes the perfect ensemble.

 

-S-

[Iekatsu]

An early Namban Tsuba from my collection, imported and then modified. The motif is items of the eight immortals and phoenix.

 

 

 

 

[kissakai]

Another nice and unusual example

[Peter Bleed]

Please let me share a tsubu - or three - that may be of interest here

[Peter Bleed]

Here's another

P

 

[vajo]

An early Namban Tsuba from my collection, imported and then modified. The motif is items of the eight immortals and phoenix.

 

Namban01.png Namban02.png

Great one i like it very much!

[Peter Bleed]

Another couple that I hope are worth a look

P

[Bazza]

Peter,

 

A very nice group of most interesting and unusual Namban tsuba.  Even though the last group of three are in less than pristine condition they would be worth a place in my collection.  Likewise Tom Sinclair's tsuba.

 

BaZZa.

[Soshin]

The collective's hand is up they like Nanban tsuba.  Here is my most recent addition to my collection in this very broad category.      

[JohnTo]

I’m a bit late coming into the nanban discussion, but here is one of my examples.  I can’t say I particularly like nanban tsuba, but I seem to have acquired at least 5 by default in job lots.  I’m posting this one as it differs from the more common designs.   This one came attached to a wakizashi, the blade dated 1811. It shows a foreigner.  I’m not sure if he is supposed to be a Chinese or European Southern Barbarian.  The question that arises in my mind is ‘Why would a Japanese want an image of a barbarian foreigner on his tsuba?’  Even accepting that it is probably a non-samurai wakizashi.  Perhaps it represents some famous Chinese sage, but it looks a bit like an insulting characterisation to me.

The tsuba is iron and the gilt nunome decoration appears to have been done with two types of gold, one with a more silvery colour.  Sorry, but I have neglected to record the dimensions, but it is wakizashi size.

 

Best regards, John

 

(just a guy making observations, asking questions, trying to learn)