Is this a 'Baku'?

[Aldwin]

I'm not sure what the animal on this tsuba is, but it looks like a Baku, the Eater of Nightmares?

 

Also, is this a genuine tsuba? What does the signature reads?

 

 

Thanks!

[Guido]

"Tomonaga". The animal could be a regular elephant, Edo period Japan style.

[Bugyotsuji]

The tsuba is either in exceptionally good condition, or it's a recent creation.

[Brian]

Looks cast to me, all in one, complete with sekigane?

Am I seeing things?

 

Brian

[Aldwin]

I see. Thanks for your replies.

[Bugyotsuji]

Don't give up too soon, Aldwin! Your message has only been here for one day and there could be some more ideas posted soon. Gentle probing questions so far. Nothing definitive! Give it just a little more time, I reckon!

[Aldwin]

Thanks Piers. The reason I thought the animal in this tsuba is a Baku is because of this page:

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/fittings45.html

 

For this tsuba, how can you tell if it's genuine or a cast/reproduction? Sorry, I don't have the eye to tell the difference yet.

 

Thanks!

[Thierry BERNARD]

Hi

 

for me it seem to be cast iron, but cast iron don't mean newly made reproduction but more surely mass product tsuba

[docliss]

Dear Aldwin

 

I agree with previous replies that your tsuba is a late one, depicting an elephant with two Japanese figures wondering at its appearance. Haynes lists no fewer than eight artists who used these kanji, but none of these appears to refer to the artist of your tsuba. He was thus a relatively unknown artist and, while sharing the suspicion that your tsuba may be a late copy, I am rather puzzled as to why anybody would bother to reproduce the work of such an unimportant artist. One question – is the face of the lower figure inlaid in silver, or is this effect just a light reflection on a rubbed area?

 

The elephant is not, of course, native to Japan, and most early depictions of this animal are based upon the famous Yasuchika tsuba commemorating the gift of a white elephant to Japan by the King of Siam in the Kioho period (1716 – 1735).

 

In reply to your query ... no it is not a Baku. This is a mythical animal with a hairy head, a long proboscis like an elephant's trunk, two tusks, a spiny backbone, a spotted hide and an ox tail. It is supposed to have been inspired by the appearance of the tapir (Henri L. Joly Legend in Japanese Art).

 

Regards, John L.

[Aldwin]

Thanks for the additional replies.

 

John, I really can't tell if the face of the lower figure is inlaid in silver as I don't own this tsuba yet. I am just planning on buying it or rather win it in an auction. But if the face of the lower figure is indeed inlaid in silver, will there be any difference being a late copy? I'm not really sure how much this tsuba is worth, but I'm making sure it would be worth the money I'll be paying for it.

 

Thanks.

[docliss]

Dear Aldwin

 

My question regarding the presence of silver inlay on the face was based on the precept that its presence would make the copying process a great deal more complicated/expensive and therefore less likely.

 

As a general aside, Yasuchika’s famous elephant tsuba could well have been copied from the animal, since the artist’s dates (1670-1744) coincide with the arrival of the first elephant into Japan. But on p.79 of the Catalogue of the Kokusai Tosogu Kai 2nd International Convention and Exhibition there is illustrated a tsuba, described questionably as being ‘a very abstract rendition of an elephant’ and dated ‘circa 17th century’. Since the elephant was unknown in Japan until the early 18th century, this is a very flawed description.

 

Regards, John L.

[Aldwin]

Hello John,

 

Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate it.

 

Best regards.

[Ford Hallam]

In my opinion this is a modern cast fake/reproduction. The shape of the nakago ana is completely unconvincing and appears to be as originally shaped. the sekigane clearly have never actually held a sword, particularly obvious is the top bit of copper. The mei looks as though it was cut by someone who has only very recently picked up a chisel and there is what looks like a casting flaw in the form of a gas bubble hole on the edge of the nakago ana.

 

I wouldn't buy this with your money

 

regards,

 

Ford

[Aldwin]

Hello Ford,

 

Thanks for pointing out those things.

 

It's a good thing I asked here first. You guys saved me!

 

Cheers!

[Nobody]

The reason I thought the animal in this tsuba is a Baku is because of this page:

http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/fittings45.html

The animal on your tsuba seems to be an elephant as others already said.

However, actually it is not so easy to distinguish between them.

 

The attached picture shows statues of a Baku and an elephant for structures of shrines/temples.

One point you can see to distinguish between them is the appearances of their ears.

 

Ref. http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~naruhiro/syaji.htm

[Bungo]

Ford,

first impression on the tsuba............. could it be one of those " mirror-maker " tsuba, that type always looks " cast " to me.

p.s. while the tsuba is Japanese, the two characters are definitely in Chinese clothings ( being an out dated fashionista as my kid calls me........ )

Milt

[docliss]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I had assumed that Alwin's tsuba is of iron and Kagamishi tsuba are, of course, by definition of cast bronze. It would be nice to know if this tsuba is magnetic in order to resolve this question.

 

Regards, John L.

[Guido]

It would be nice to know if this tsuba is magnetic in order to resolve this question.

To me this Tsuba doesn't look even remotely like a Kagamishi-Tsuba, no matter what material it's made of.

[Guest reinhard]

Hello Moriyama-san,

 

I can see the difference as far as the ears are concerned. There's another one in that the BAKU has a curly fur, whereas the ZO (elephant) has not. On the other hand, BAKU has two tusks properly protruding each side of proboscis, whereas the ZO has two tusks on the left side of proboscis, which make it look mythical and unreal.

As you said: They are quite tricky to descern. This makes me feel as if there has never been drawn a precise line of distinction between mythical BAKU and real elephants. "Real" ZO always had mythical qualities to Japanese people during the old days. Illustrating what I mean, I would like to show you a detail of a picture scroll dating from late Heian/early Kamakura period. It is depicting the "Hell of the fiery elephant" (Kazo Jigoku). The creature shown there, though called (Ka-)ZO, doesn't have much in common with any real elephant.

Just an amateur's theory. I hope you don't mind.

 

reinhard

[Nobody]

reinhard,

 

Thanks for the interesting picture. I did not remember the exact image but I think I saw the picture sometime somewhere. Your theory may be right. But I do not know the correct answer.

 

Since elephants were important animals for Buddhism, their real images seem to have been well know from old times. The attached picture shows examples of statues of elephants in Heian period. However, I suspect that the public might not know them. If the image of an elephant of later period does not look real, it might be an intentional stylization. Or that is simply because the artist might not know an elephant.

 

The Kazo Jigoku (ç«è±¡åœ°ç„) may show a fiery elephant as you say, or a mythical Baku. I really do not know. But I also suspect as an amateur’s theory that Kazo (ç«è±¡) does not mean fiery elephant but only fieriness. Zo (象) in that usage might not mean an elephant but something like image or phenomenon.

[Paul Martin]

Maybe the difference is Indian and African (looking at the ears that is)

[Guest reinhard]

Moriyama-san,

 

Thank you for sharing these pictures. The one I posted belongs to the Goto-museum, Tokyo, and was formerly in the possession of Baron Masuda Takanashi. The uncut handscroll consisted of seven sections. Unfortunately the parent scroll, together with another emaki in his possession (also depicting hell scenes), was cut into pieces and following WWII, they dispersed among a number of collections. Some are in the Setsu collection in Japan, others went as far as the Seattle Art Museum.

 

reinhard