Dry Or Dragon Fish?

[vajo]

Is this motif a dragon or dry fish?

 

[Geraint]

Dear Chris,

 

Dried fish for sure but still cool.  Many years ago I saw a pair of menuki with this theme that blew me away, the fact that they live in the memory confirms their quality.

 

All the best.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Dead male salmon after spawning.

[Gakusee]

Hmm, come on guys - look at the massive head and forehead, long protruding jaws and massive teeth on this thing. It looks more dragon than most of the Ryu images on most tsuba. Of course, it is missing some key elements (eg the lateral wide fins and some tentacles) but it seems highly stylised.

[vajo]

First i thought waterdragon now i tend to dreyed salmon.

 

[Guido]

IMO it’s definitely sake no himono 鮭の干物, dried salmon.

[TETSUGENDO]

 

                                                                                the shriveled salmon 

                                                                                the thiness of the acetic

                                                                                In the bitter cold

 

                                                                                -BASHO, December 1690

[vajo]

Great thanks. Very cool.

Any help with the signature?

Masa at the end.

[Gakusee]

Many thanks - that is great imagery and aesthetics and philosophical background!

[ROKUJURO]

Chris,

it is BUSHU no JU MASA X. Last KANJI is obscured by corrosion. There were many  MUSASHI TSUBA makers signing MASA X. (MASAKATA, MASAFUSA, MASANAGA...)

[John A Stuart]

I have a maru boshi himono kozuka similar. John

[vajo]

That looks cool John.

[SteveM]

武州住　正久　　Masahisa. 

 

Just enough left to make out the top part of hisa. 

 

Edit: I see Ray got it on the other thread!　

[nagamaki - Franco]

The tsuba, at least to my eye, is not only depicting a dead salmon, but also the shallow stream bed where these creatures often go to die. Otherwise, would go along with dried salmon. 

 

The program 'Wild Japan,' which just aired the other day, had a segment on these creatures. The mouth agape (as seen in some of these depictions, but not this tsuba) has significance beyond the obvious, which probably didn't escape the thoughts of an artistic mind.

Edited January 16, 2019 by nagamaki - Franco

[Vermithrax16]

I really like this tsuba, and am on board the dried salmon train.

[vajo]

Thanks a lot for all the good input. There where many Masahisa. Any Idea about school and time?

[vajo]

I was searching along the Bushu school but i didn't find any to compare to this smith. I search now in the Bushu-ito school and there a more similarities to this tsuba. The nakago an an the full plate with slight sukashi elements. Could anyone look for a masayoshi in the ito family if there is a overview of the workers?

[suketaka]

Chris,

 

you can find a similar Tsuba in the book "Bushu Ito School" by Koju, Shigeru and Shigeo, page 85. There is a student of the mainline masters named Masahisa. But your Tsuba don´t reach his skill and is not close to his mei.

 

Bushu is the goal.

 

But what kind of Masahisa?

 

If a Masayoshi you will find 2 big guys (4th master and his son), and some later in the mainline. And i think much much more far later.... .But here the same - work in the mainline masters is more skilled.

 

Michael

[vajo]

I found a similar looking tsuba from the same smith on nihontoart that was sold 2011.

 

 

The left one is mine.

[TETSUGENDO]

Fast ein Doppelgänger!

 

Cheers.

    -S-