Shachi - Dragon Fish

[b.hennick]

A recent thread had an okimono of a shiachi. They tend to be a quite rare subject for fittings. I thought that you might enjoy some iron shiachi menuki.

 

 

[TETSUGENDO]

Barry, very nice examples of an extremely uncommon subject!

 

-S!

[Vermithrax16]

Never seen anything like it! Thanks Barry!

[MauroP]

Here the same subject in a nice Shōami stuba:

... and one more signed Umetada Munetake:

Mauro

[b.hennick]

Thanks for adding images of these tsuba.

[Guest]

Hi Barry.,

 

It is possible that one depicts a male and the other a female, in the same way as the famous pair of Shachihoko 鯱鉾 which adorn the roof of Matsue Castle:

 

https://www.matsue-castle.jp/

 

[vajo]

I love them Barry. A couple of weeks ago a pair of these kind of dragon was sold on ebay for a high price. A complete fitting on a sword would look very nice.

[kissakai]

I've never seen these before 

[TETSUGENDO]

Hello All,

 

Yes,  probable Malcolm,  Shachihoko are often depicted as male/female pairs like Karashishi!

 

-S-

[mareo1912]

Nice Menuki and Tsuba!

 

Let's throw in one of my pieces as it fits

Sadly no better picture on my phone...

[Kurikata]

Same topic.... Hizen School Tsuba

[Vermithrax16]

This is the best part about NMB; saw a motif I never had seen before and excellent examples provided by the group. Thanks for the pictures all.

[dirk marshall]

dragon fish fuchi kashira

[TETSUGENDO]

Not tosogu but a great example of the motif.

[b.hennick]

I came across this image of a real dragon fish today:

 

You can see the original here: https://twitter.com/rfedortsov/status/877952444105236480

 

[IanB]

These creatures were supposed to be responsible for causing earthquakes I believe. 

Ian Bottomley

[Bazza]

Hi Ian and all,

 

No, that was the NAMAZU, a catfish.  Google it, but here is a direct link:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/history-of-geology/namazu-the-earthshaker/

 

BaZZa.

[IanB]

My mistake. Nevertheless an ugly enough critter to give me the wobbles.

Ian

[Surfson]

I am enjoying this thread.  Here are some poor iphone photos of a fuchi kashira I picked up recently on ebay.  

[Akumake]

I found this one

[Spartancrest]

The designs are found in Chōsen Gafu page 65. 

And this just turned up on Jauce auction. https://www.jauce.com/auction/s761390544

[Spartancrest]

I have collected several images of Shiachi 'dragon-fish' guards - there would appear to be two types of this design.

1. with pearl above the mouth. 2. pearl in the mouth.  From what I have seen those with the pearl above the mouth are likely cast copies or modern fakes. There may be exceptions. Shiachi should not be confused with Shiachihoko, Shiachihoko have the head of a tiger not a dragon or dragon-fish.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

鯱 (魚 fish + 虎 tiger Kanji) can be read either Shachi or Shachihoko.

Meanings:

1. Killer whale, orca. (Shachi)

2. A mythical creature, the symbol sometimes used for warding off disasters.

 

[Spartancrest]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shachihoko

Piers I don't know how the design could be confused with an Orca, the killer whale is a mammal and does not have scales. Not that these facts got in the way of early European explorers. I'll go with your second definition of a mythical creature. 

 

This 'Sea Pig'  or 'Sea Swine' lived in the North Sea on Olaus Magnus’s 1539 'Carta Marina'. There are some striking similarities to the Shachi [or is it Shiachi?]  

I know of only one vertebrate that has more than two eyes [the Tuatara of N.Z.]  I can't imagine what the three eyes on the animals flanks [both sides?] would be used for, or are they something 'different'?.

Watch out this version can come out of the water! 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Dale, it's Shachi (sounds like Shatchi or Schatchi).

 

Old (Victorian) spellings may follow other Romanization systems of しゃち, such as Syati (perfectly readable to Japanese people today as Shachi).

 

I puzzled over the diverse meanings and readings of 鯱 for many years, but at some point I just accepted the split. It is somewhat similar to the real and mythical readings of 獅 which in their Chinese carry the meaning of both a lion and a shishi 獅子, and 麒麟 kirin which means a giraffe but also the mythical creature you see on Kirin beer cans. If that helps at all.... 

[Spartancrest]

That is great information, Piers. It must get confusing when a symbol can mean many things- a bit like English in some respects where you need the context of the sentence, for words like '"seal"
Noun. One of many types of fur-coated sea mammal. From Old English seol.
Verb. To close something so that it cannot easily be opened. Related to the next meaning:
Noun. A design pressed or stamped into a piece of wax to close or authenticate a document. From 13th century Old French seel.'

[Getting very close to being I know]

 

[Ian]

The emblem of Brighton, they are everywhere!

[Spartancrest]

Ian they don't look happy. [neither would I, if I was twisted like that!]

 

I think the Romans liked the design [they probably stole it from the Greeks]

 

A guard going for auction now - https://www.jauce.com/auction/r1036158097

[GRC]

I see this "dragon fish" fairly often in Nanban tsuba... I've got 17 image examples so far:

the last one is papered... what does the NBTHK call it?

[Spartancrest]

Glen the first image from the D.Z. Norton collection. 

The Shachi cast copies have been around for awhile - found one mentioned from 1893 and another from [Tomkinson collection] 1908

 

get your own copy here! https://www.ebay.com/itm/203827909498  A little too pricey for my money.

 

I should point out the Tomkinson image appears earlier in his collection in 1898 and resurfaced in the later article. [1908]

Edited February 11, 2022 by Spartancrest
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