Kozuka Question

[Oldman]

I have an early Shinto wakizashi which, like many, is missing the kozuka.  It is a decent, but by no means high-end, sword and I'd like to complete the fittings, however cost is a consideration.  The fuchi kashira match and are good quality and in good condition.  The tsuba does not match the other fittings, and is in less good condition. 

 

My question really is whether I should be seeking a kozuka which matches the fuchi kashira or one which matches the tsuba? Or does it matter?  I'd like to be consistent with how such fittings are traditionally coordinated, if possible.

 

Thanks in advance for any help or ideas.

 

Cheers, Michael

[Ken-Hawaii]

Most blades are a rather hodge-podge of components, Michael. Tosogu (tsuba, kozuka, etc.) were quite often swapped out for battle vs. showy. Matching fuchi & kashira is about as far as I go.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Ken

 

[Tanto54]

Dear Michael,

 

I believe that the hodge-podge that Ken refers to is usually the result of uninformed collectors breaking up sets over the years or others who do not know any better putting together koshirae.  In your case (mismatched fuchigashira and tsuba), if you are going to match anything with the kozuka, I think it is more common to match the kozuka to the fuchigashira.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello,

 

Perhaps I'm mistaken but was under the impression that a mitokoromono is made up of kozuka, kogai, and menuki. 

So, it would leave me to believe the kozuka and menuki should match or be very similar. Corrections welcomed.

[Ken-Hawaii]

George, we have a new member here, & I believe he's asking if a new kozuka MUST match the fuchi & kashira, & the answer to that is no. If Michael is trying to create a mitokoromono (unlikely), then, yes, the kozuka & menuki should also match the F/K, & even the tsuba comes into play. However, it's my understanding that tosogu got swapped around fairly frequently by Samurai, regardless of what we collectors choose to do hundreds of years later.

 

Ken

 

[nagamaki - Franco]

For what it's worth a few months ago I looked at a high quality original ~ mid Edo koshirae where the F/K and menuki matched (phoenix), but the tsuba nanako/dragon was different and the kozuka nanako/mon was still different.

[Tanto54]

I think that wearing a suit may be a good analogy.  Yes, you may occasionally see someone wearing trousers and a jacket that do not match (or are not coordinated in the case of a sports jacket).  However, usually the jacket and trousers are matched/coordinated and the shirt, tie, shoes and socks are also matched/coordinated.  (Ken, we'll leave out you Hawaiians who occasionally wear Aloha or Luau shirts with formal jackets...) As we know, the sword was the "soul" of the Samurai, and Japanese throughout the ages have been concerned with appearance and minute attention to detail.  Do you really think that a lot of Samurai (or their outfitters) just chose their kodogu for their most important symbol willy nilly?  Of course, I am only referring to the better swords and koshirae - not the "bundle" swords or stuff that was cobbled together for low rent Ronin or the tourist trade (is that what you want to emulate?).  Please remember that in koshirae, "matched/coordinated" does not necessarily mean the same color, metal, style, nanako, or even subject.  Instead, it could be matching colors/styles with different subjects, or mismatched colors/styles with a common motif or theme (many combinations are possible).  It is even possible that the Edo koshirae that Franco mentioned is actually matched/coordinated.  Here's why: the dragon and phoenix are often depicted together in Japanese art (the dragon representing Water and the Phoenix or Hoo-oo Bird representing Fire).  This paring is often used to symbolize wedded bliss (the combination of Fire and Water - how appropriate...) and is used on many wedding presents.  If you add a kozuka with the new husband's family mon, the matched/coordinated wedding gift sword is complete.  Do I know for sure?  No, of course not...  But I do believe that the traditional norm (not without exception) was to match/coordinate the various elements of koshirae on good swords.  Much of that "coordination" is lost on those who do not know the common Japanese themes, and this has caused many sets of tosogu to be broken up since the late 1800's.  Can you use mismatched/uncoordinated tosogu in putting together your koshirae?  Of course...  But do you really want to be "that guy" with the purple socks???

 

Ken, I think that our new member is seeking guidance about what is the traditional norm, not whether the norm can be broken.  To further the analogy, when a youngster is getting dressed up for the first time for an important event (first job interview, etc.) and he asks how do people traditionally dress for such events.  Instead of saying "you can wear whatever you want" (which is true, but is also bad/useless advice), shouldn't you put your arm around his shoulder and suggest that he might look better in a matching or coordinated suit?  Otherwise, he may end up dressed in overalls, a conservative blue jacket and velvet bow tie, which wouldn't be good (unless he's an extra in the Footloose Movie....)

[jamesicus]

This is a most interesting, and intriguing, subject to me. I do not want to bore everyone with old stories, but I thought a little background information might be appropriate.

 

I lived in Japan (approx 25 miles north of Tokyo) for four years (1960-1963). I spent most of my leisure time visiting Japanese sword shops and various Museums in Tokyo in order to learn as much as I could about Nihontô. It was quite a struggle, especially since I spoke very little Japanese in 1960/1961. The only Nihontô books written in English that were available to me at that time were "The Samurai Sword - A Handbook" by John M. Yumoto and "NIPPON-TÔ: THE Japanese SWORD" by Inami Hakusui. And, Of course there was no Internet available for research in those days.

 

The monetary exchange rate then was 360 yen to the dollar and Nihontô  blades and koshirae were very inexpensive -- you could buy  a nice kotô wakizashi in full polish (in a shira-saya) by a good smith for under $100 -- and services such as polishing or having a tsunagi made were likewise very cheap.

 

But I digress. Sometime around 1961 (I am not sure of the exact time etc. for it was so long ago and my memory is now not good) I bought a nice katana at the Japan Sword Shop in Tokyo -- the blade looked healthy to me with no problems (in my neophyte eyes), but I thought the koshirae could be improved on (ah, the folly of inexperience!). So in a flash of inspiration (?) I decided to have the blade repolished, a new tsuka and tsunagi made and  nice "en-suite"  tosogu installed. Inasmuch as I didn't really have a clue what that meant I asked Inami san (sensei) to select appropriately matched tsuba, fuchi kashira and menuki. I am sure he muttered some choice Japanese utterances under his breath, but the koshirae looked beautiful to me when I got the sword back. I still do not know what criteria he used in selecting those fittings -- or if indeed they were properly matched -- I still do not have a clue as to what correct matching means anyway.

 

BTW. I long since sold that katana.

 

Please visit this page to see what I believe is a wakizashi Satsuma blade in koshirae made up for the Tourist Trade. I wonder how well the tosogu are appropriately matched?

[Oldman]

Thanks, Gents, for the interesting and illuminating discussion.  While this may be my first posting, I have been a devotee of the NMB for quite some time and appreciate the wealth of knowledge in the membership and willingness to share it.  Cheers, Michael

[zburkett]

Speaking as someone who is trying to learn, thank you.  This discussion was both informative and easy to understand.

[Baka Gaijin]

James P (Jamesicus) wrote:

 

 "I do not want to bore everyone with old stories"

 

I would say on the strength of the recollections you have contributed thus far........KEEP IT COMING!!

 

You were in Japan during a very interesting period.

 

Information, names, addresses, even partial, can be very helpful in tracking things down.

 

[jamesicus]

James P (Jamesicus) wrote:

 

 "I do not want to bore everyone with old stories"

 

I would say on the strength of the recollections you have contributed thus far........KEEP IT COMING!!

 

You were in Japan during a very interesting period.

 

Information, names, addresses, even partial, can be very helpful in tracking things down.

 

Thank you for your gracious comments Malcolm. I will try and contribute that kind of information from time to time although I do not feel comfortable doing that very often now. My memory is not good these days and it seems to get much worse with each passing year.  I often find myself confusing names, dates and places associated with long ago events in my life and sometimes have to backtrack, much to my chagrin. But maybe an occasional vignette will be acceptable and of interest to some Board members.

 

Sometimes, when I am a reflective mood, it doesn't seem that long ago that I lived in Japan -- but it is over fifty years since I was last there. That was brought into focus for me when I was daydreaming as I updated my Board Profile the other day and realized that the last ritual Seppuku occurred in Japan over five years after I left there (Yukio Mishima, 1970).

[Darcy]

If you take the lead from the Goto school, you will see that they made far more mitokoromono than tsuba early on. If the early generations even made tsuba at all (there is one Ko-Goto tsuba which is Juyo). But it implies that "mismatching" was common because there's an asymmetry in the remnants left to us now. It's probably unfair then to even call it mismatching, though I would agree with Franco in that you're going to most likely harmonize the mitokoromono first and above the rest. Fuchigashira together match and as long as the tsuba doesn't clash you have yourself a set. 

 

The one thing that I think you really would not want to do is to mismatch the fuchi go the kashira unless it's a horn kashira, and you don't want to mismatch a kogai to a kozuka. For the rest you have some flexibility, you just don't want it to look like patchwork.