Goto Teijo Koto Fittings At Met (Tale of Genji)

[Tanto54]

In the "Other Japanese Arts" Section, BaZZa posted about the current Tale of Genji exhibition at the Met in NY.  Unfortunately, the exhibition has displaced all the regular nihonto and related items (now with the other 95% of their nihonto collection that is in storage and is never displayed...)

 

However, there was a Koto with fittings by Goto Teijo that might interest you.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bazza]

In the second last photo is the border a seemingly highly figured wood or lacquer imitating wood?  Sometimes hard to tell the difference.  If wood, does anybody (or nobody or somebody!!) know the name of the wood?  A friend has a tanto the saya of which is a highly figured dark/black wood similar to the photo in question.

 

Mmmm, shame Nihonto etc have to be shoved aside for other exhibits...

 

BaZZa.

[Tanto54]

Dear BaZZa,

 

I'm not a woodworker (but I hope to be one day...), so this is a complete guess.  It looks like palm that has been cut on a curve showing both the end and side grains of the wood.

 

[Markus]

The Genji exhibition is indeed stunning but I can reassure you, not a single Nihonto had to leave for it  .  The exhibition is held by Asian Art and all Nihonto are with our department, which is Arms and Armor. So there are still swords, fittings, armors, and related objects on display in the Arms and Armor galleries.

[TETSUGENDO]

For anyone interested, much of the collections of the MMA are availble online at- www.metmuseum.org

 

-S-

p.s.- yes George, the wood on the Koto does appear to be some variety of Palm.

[Tanto54]

Markus!

 

You should inform the docents/attendants posted in the Genji Exhibit (where some of the nihonto and tosogu used to be) because they gave me the information provided above (about the items being in storage) when I visited last week.... 

[Markus]

Thanks for letting me know George, and sorry about the confusion. Not sure why the docents were referring to nihonto and tosogu at all as Asian Art does not have any of them in their collection. I am actually meeting with one of the Genji curators tomorrow morning because two of our (Arms and Armor Department) swords (both Rai Kunitoshi), an important armor, and several tsuba (one by Umetada Myoju) will be featured in her Kyoto exhibition, starting July this year. So I will let her know that anyone guiding through Genji should be up to date.