PietroParis Posted June 22, 2019 Report Posted June 22, 2019 Hi All, I was checking items at an auction and my attention was drawn to a tsuba (not exactly my kind, but it seemed one of the nicest on show). When I flipped it, I was surprised to see that the ura side was completely blank! Is it something known to happen or it denotes an unfinished work? Thanks in advances for your comments (to be clear, I am not planning to bid on this tsuba anyway). Cheers, Pietro Quote
christianmalterre Posted June 22, 2019 Report Posted June 22, 2019 i would definitely not bid on this Tsuba Dito! and yes, such is rather very untypical -especially on rather out "of the bunch" Tsuba.... this is definitely not a high quality work...LOL! ( of course...such extravagances do certainly exist...such extravagances but equally are rather preserved to the very latter Kinko-Tsubashi only...) Hmmmph...who knows what happened here ??? Maybe a decoration for furniture like it was traded in the 1860´s to Europe ???? Christian 1 Quote
TETSUGENDO Posted June 22, 2019 Report Posted June 22, 2019 As Christian said it could have been made as a decorative inclusion for furniture, smaller lacquer articles, etc....this was popular in the Meiji period. Or it could have been altered later, I have, on ocassion, seen things like this mounted on swords with a couple of additional loose plates......why I have no idea. -S- 1 Quote
PietroParis Posted June 22, 2019 Author Report Posted June 22, 2019 Thanks for your replies! On a second thought, the blank side is the one facing the opponent, so maybe it was meant to make him depressed and less likely to counter the attack... 3 Quote
TETSUGENDO Posted June 22, 2019 Report Posted June 22, 2019 Not a bad thought......simply bore them to death! -S- 3 Quote
Grey Doffin Posted June 22, 2019 Report Posted June 22, 2019 I have been told, according to Robert Haynes (I didn't get this direct from Mr. Haynes; it came second hand) in Late Edo time, when a student in a kodogu shop was ready to head out on his own, he would make a tsuba to demonstrate his proficiency, satisfy his master. The tsuba was finished one side only. If this is so (who am I to doubt Robert Haynes?) that could be what we have here. Grey 3 Quote
christianmalterre Posted June 22, 2019 Report Posted June 22, 2019 read and thought about.... sounds nice- is but not workable....( in theoretics yes- in practice no way- as you do loose forcefully clients to pay you if working this way...) Christian Quote
Stephen Posted June 22, 2019 Report Posted June 22, 2019 Actually it was for Guidos in the disco era...open polyester shirt hairy chest you get the picture. Not our esteemed teacher the Goomba type 2 Quote
PietroParis Posted June 22, 2019 Author Report Posted June 22, 2019 I really appreciated when a few days ago somebody reminded a new member that "Japs" is a derogatory term which should not be used in this forum. How are "Goomba" and "Guido" considered acceptable? Having said this, I do get the picture 1 Quote
TETSUGENDO Posted June 22, 2019 Report Posted June 22, 2019 Pietro, both terms are, no doubt, politically incorrect...as are just about all things nowadays. As for the students 'graduation piece', an interesting thought, I'd like to hear Ford Hallam's take on this.....if this was a common practice he will certainly be able to enlighten us. -S- Quote
Guido Posted June 23, 2019 Report Posted June 23, 2019 Actually it was for Guidos in the disco era...open polyester shirt hairy chest you get the picture.I don’t have a very hairy chest, and never wore polyester shirts. Btw, how would you like waking up with a horse‘s head in your bed? 4 Quote
PietroParis Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Posted June 23, 2019 I must assume Stephen means that he is of Italian heritage himself. And I had not noticed before that the line "Interests" in his profile reads "staying alive"... Cheers, Pietro 1 Quote
PietroParis Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Posted June 23, 2019 P.S. I guess that, in this community, the "horse head" scene would play out differently... 2 Quote
Brian Posted June 23, 2019 Report Posted June 23, 2019 You guys are all nuts. Clinically nuts 1 Quote
Brian Posted June 23, 2019 Report Posted June 23, 2019 I sense an English lesson coming...the difference between your and you're.You're nuts....Your nuts... 1 Quote
PietroParis Posted June 24, 2019 Author Report Posted June 24, 2019 For the record, the tsuba was sold to a phone bidder for 375 EUR (including fees). The auctioneer’s description did not mention the blank side at all. I hope the buyer had examined the tsuba in person, otherwise they are in for a surprise... Cheers, Pietro Quote
Kurikata Posted June 24, 2019 Report Posted June 24, 2019 Therefore a double side tsuba would cost € 750 ($ 850)? Expensive no? Quote
TETSUGENDO Posted June 24, 2019 Report Posted June 24, 2019 'In for a penny in for a pound'? -S- Quote
christianmalterre Posted June 24, 2019 Report Posted June 24, 2019 they had no Euro those days! only Reichsmark! ....LOLOLOL Quote
Mantis dude Posted June 26, 2019 Report Posted June 26, 2019 Chopping head of horse would obviously be a great thing to document on The sword. Would raise the value. I am thinking of calling Brooklyn and starting a horse head chopping service for nihonto. As for this tsuba,I have never seen a 1 sided tsuba. I have read about students creating pieces for their master. I have seen student work but they have always been finished pieces. I might be mixing up some comments with sword smithing but I thought there has been debate with older smiths that would add their name to pieces that their students did (if the quality was there). I'm pretty sure that tsuba exist signed by the student but with their masters name. These student signatures can be identified (goto school comes to mind). There are multi Smith made tsuba and maybe the 2nd Smith never got to it. I think these are usually higher quality items. Could be so many things but No matter, I think this has to be an outlier. This is an offer I could easily refuse. Forget about it !! 1 Quote
Brian Ayres Posted June 27, 2019 Report Posted June 27, 2019 Maybe because it’s a dragon in the sky it is Kū(void) and the blank was intentional. Considering it has sekigane for mounting I would lean towards a purposeful intended blankness. Quote
Ford Hallam Posted June 27, 2019 Report Posted June 27, 2019 Occam's razor perhaps suggests the simplest answer... 4 Quote
Barrie B Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 I have a one sided Tsuba - if you want to call it that. I think mine is 'finished' on the back, (as in the Jigane) but simply has no design. (intentionally left blank). Mine is papered to Aizu Shoami by the NBTHK. Barrie. 2 Quote
Ford Hallam Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 The 'so called' masterpiece of work made by a journey man apprentice in the European tradition was always a complete work, ready for sale, and in fact often then a useful sale in terms of capital with which to set up independently. It would have been adjudged by the Guild of the apprentice's home city, and if considered good enough the applicant would be admitted to the guild as a fully fledge master himself. I've not come across any such similar customs in the Japanese traditions. What was sometimes done was that after the prescribed or agreed term a, now competent, worker would stay on with their master for a few more years as a 'thank you'. But merely perusing the careers and travels of many of the more well documented artists of the tradition reveals that time spent with masters varied quite a bit. There seems to have been much more flexibility in Edo Japan than in Europe at the same time. Quote
Pete Klein Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 So, Barrie - is the paper white, green, Hozon etc..? Quote
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