Pattern And School

[Ken-Hawaii]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tsuba-Japanese-Samurai-Katana-Koshirae-guard-wisteria-to-a-car-pattern-Antique-/263104076882

 

Sukashi come in various patterns, often quite odd, & this one has me stumped. Doesn't look like a car to me. Waterwheel? UFO?

 

Ken

 

[Greg F]

Hi Ken, interesting Tsuba. Waterwheel is what came to mind for me.

 

Greg

[Geraint]

Dear Ken.

 

Looks like you already have this but just to add, Japanese wooden wheels sometimes do not have the inside of the felloes radiused which creates a rather different shape.

 

All the best.

[Guido]

Doesn't look like a car to me.

 

The seller is Japanese, and picked the wrong word from the dictionary: 車 kuruma means "wheel", but is also used as an abbreviation for "car/automobile" (自動車 jidōsha, i.e. "self-moving wheel").

[Ford Hallam]

There are a number of things about this tsuba that make me suspect that it is of fairly recent production. It was probably made in Japan though, by a hobbyist. Those "famous production flow' images are a bit dodgy too and those are definitely not Japanese fingers in that image showing the piercing work being carried out, they're mine 

[IanB]

Ken,  I don't think they are waterwheels. They are depicted as spokes with vessels on th ends that look like 'jars' or 'buckets' on their sides - c.f. the kamon used by the Doi family.  Much more likely, the design represents the wheels of the bullock carts, used by court nobles in Kyoto, having the joints tightened up by soaking them in the water of a river. I remember a news article before the last coronation that stated only one family know how to make these wheels that had special joints so that they squeaked in a special way.  

Ian Bottomley

[Brian]

There are a number of things about this tsuba that make me suspect that it is of fairly recent production. It was probably made in Japan though, by a hobbyist. Those "famous production flow' images are a bit dodgy too and those are definitely not Japanese fingers in that image showing the piercing work being carried out, they're mine 

You didn't know you were a hand model too, did you Ford?

[Lee Bray]

Car = Cart (wheel)?

Maybe typo or lost in translation?

[kissakai]

Sun rays, Genji wheel?

[Ford Hallam]

Brain, a poor model indeed 

 

The wheel might be those representing the Emperor's carriage, a common Heian period motif, sometime also shown in waves or with a mantis. Each referencing different themes/ideas. 

 

 

As a Kimono motif the 'wheel' is simply called 'Guruma' according to this kimono fabric website.

 

 

"A popular kimono pattern since the Heian Era 794 - 1185 AD. The Gengii Guruma was Heian Oxcart that was linked to the wheel of Karma in the Buddhist tale of Genji. Mizu-garuma is a similar motif, but is a waterwheel." 

 

Not so sure about the explanation here though :-p Oxcart, wheel of Karma Buddhist mash up .