Tsuba with a ladle ?

[Kurikata]

I have this copper tsuba signed Masayoshi (Iwama?) who made it at 61 years old. But what about the design? Is it a ladle with radish and pepper? What could be the meaning or the story ? Thank you for your views.

[obiwanknabbe]

Well, radishes were used in the process of making tsuba... Other than that? I do recall reading (needing citation) that many samurai would have themes or designs on their swords that were a bit of an inside joke or a reference to a story/poem.. Hard to say .  Nice piece though. 

[Brian]

That is a very nice tsuba! The way that ladle is carved, it appears to be wood. Like it a lot.

[Ford Hallam]

Daikon (possibly) hidden by a wooden spoon and chestnuts one the back, a culinary reference or possibly a pun.

[Tanto54]

I think that Ford is correct - this is definitely dajare (Japanese wordplay).  You should look for Japanese puns, legends or proverbs that use shakushi (the wood spoon), daikon, etc.  Keep in mind that the items on the back might not be chestnuts (they are usually not depicted this way in Japanese art).  Finally, notice how the "bowl" of the shakushi (spoon) has the exact same texture as a daikon, but usually the "bowl" of these spoons are smooth (so, perhaps, the "bowl" of the spoon is being "transformed" into a daikon, instead of the daikon being hidden behind it - see how the roots come out of the bottom and the leaves come out of the top?).  

 

[TETSUGENDO]

Fine tsuba Bruno, very handsome.   Ford's Daikon call looks spot on to me.  On the ura looks like chestnuts, not certain but probable, and the final missing ingredient is Sanchō pepper.  Wordplay or literary reference is likely.

 

-S-

[Kurikata]

Dear all,

 

a great thank you for such hypothesis and the Japanese pun makes sense to me (but which one?) If I summarize we have on this tsuba :

 

• a shakushi (杓子) or a shamoji (杓文字)
• a daikon(大根)
• Chesnuts (栗) and more probably sancho pepper (山椒) (please refer to the picture)

I have now to investigate the meaning of such an improbable collection of articles....

[TETSUGENDO]

Bruno, a slight adjustment to your list:

 

 

Omote- Shakushi/Shamoji AND Daikon

 

Ura- Sanchō pepper AND Chestnut(?), as your photo shows it is the husk of the pepper that is used and not it's contents, the two items on the lower left are probably unrelated to the Sanchō...Chestnuts are, at this point, a reasonable guess.....best of luck in your search, this is quite the riddle.

 

-S-

[Brian Ayres]

A wooden spoon that looks like a daikon. All is not as it seems.

 

This is an old saying about Sansho pepper. It says "sansho pepper may be small, but it gives you sharp, tingling sensation". As the pepper is on the URA this fact would be revealed upon the sword being drawn.

Then the chestnut we all know is a tough nut to crack. And is also known to be painful to tread upon....

Between the 4 items I would guess it’s more of an Omote/Ura before/after type theme like a frog on lily pad on Omote and a rippling pond on the Ura.

In Japan it is boiled not roasted traditionally. Perhaps the spoon has significance here?

 

All conjecture of course.

[Kurikata]

My researches have driven me to a potential explanation:

 

"Shamoji are  used to crush vegetables, such as garlic and cucumbers, as cleavers are used in Western cuisine. 

 

The shamoji has also been a symbol of unity between the mother and wife in Japanese society. In one tradition, it was passed down from one generation to the next to symbolize the family duties that were handed down."

 

But why on a tsuba for a Bushi?