Tsuba Kantei

[cccthoth]

Pete ownnnzzz.

 

As Guido says, the tsuba is Ko-Kinko Momoyama jidai but is atypical for the school. The work is definitely from the Kyoto tradition and is constructed from a solid plate as opposed to sanmai. That type of style tsuba and work would more than likely had to have been specially commissioned by a fairly wealth-off Kyoto noble and, despite opinions to the contrary, a tsuba worthy of its own merit for the well preserved condition it is in, the unusual nature and quality of this "Ko-Kinko" work, and all in all a pleasing depiction of the theme. Is is a battlefield tsuba from Muromachi that slayed a 1000 men? No, but no one said otherwise.

 

And dude, English or no English, no one has a problem if you don't like the tsuba for whatever reason. The problem is you basically were a rude a** about it and decided to point out whatever flaws you felt existed in the tsuba when 1. this was a kantei post and 2. Someone put it up out of his generosity and you decide to stomp all over it.

 

How many people you think will continue to post stuff up for the kantei if everyone decides to go on to flame mode and burn every sword and tsuba in sight?

 

Sigh, back to troll mode,

 

Cyrus

[Bungo]

How many people you think will continue to post stuff up for the kantei if everyone decides to go on to flame mode and burn every sword and tsuba in sight?

 

Sigh, back to troll mode,

 

Cyrus

 

that never stopped me

 

milt

[Brian]

Nothing ever stops you

 

Brian

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

not one of those amazing iron pieces in which one can see the face of the Virgin Mother

Depends on the knowledge of the viewer. In fact mine is so little that I can see the Holy Mary there...

 

Guess I've to read more often the Tosogu section.

This will save me to make more gaffes for not having read the whole story...

[Pete Klein]

Ford - what really strikes me is the working of the bark of the tree limb. It is exquisite. I must agree with your Momo/Kaneiye (analogy) assessment also. Most interesting. Should one wonder what brought about this sudden pictorial influence? Noh? Cha? The shift from Chinese classicism to Japanese fundamentalism? What becomes apparent is that there was a marked shift in thinking after the Sengoku Jidai.

[Ford Hallam]

Here you go, Pete. Some more Kanie to consider in reference to Guido's tsuba.

 

 

 

 

Personally, I beginning to think that the study of tsuba must be accompanied by a pretty broad study of contemporary painting developments. This is after all where the metalworks gained their inspiration, they didn't work in isolation in artistic terms at all.

[Guido]

A potential tokubetsu paper perhaps?

Early this year I indeed got Tokubetsu Hozon papers for this Tsuba, to Ko-Kinkô of course. A recent discussion of the theme - monkey reaching for the reflection of the moon in the water - made me remember this thread, and that my attribution wasn't yet sanctioned by the NBTHK back then.

 

I think it's fun to resurrect this old thread because of all the changes that happened in the meantime:

 

* Although I still prefer Kinkô, I bought a couple of iron Tsuba as well in the last couple of years - I simply couldn't ignore the quality (and that's what it all boils down to in the end, no matter what material we're talking about) of some iron plates and ingenious designs.

 

* Milt seems to have vanished. I guess he's either digging a tunnel to escape from a prison camp, captured at a covert operation the army now denies ever taking place, or he messed up the root canal of a superior officer.

 

* Despite the different views we had, Lorenzo and I are one good terms now and occasionally exchange pretty funny e-mails.

 

* Ford has been quite recently, and I hope to get him back in the game - missed you in Tôkyô this year, Ford, although my liver is pretty thankful for it.

[Ford Hallam]

Hi there, Guido

 

sorry not to have been able to tickle your internal organs in Tokyo...but perhaps at our age we ought to be more gentle on ourselves :lol: I'm hoping to get over for the Tobunkyo competition next May though...if you fancy a belated hanami picnic

 

Great news to hear the tsuba achieved Tokubetsu Hozon although I am surprised the NBTHK didn't confirm my suggestion that it may be by Kanie. ....I'll have to speak to someone

 

best regards,

 

fh

[Curran]

Don't think I read this thread years ago.

 

Looks like a rather nice ko-kinko piece. The theme and fluidity of tree and monkey are what make it stand out. For those reasons, I probably would have conservatively called it earliest Edo.

Wish there were some better texts in english on kantei points of ko-kinko. I've always hoped for a scholarly comparison or explanation of their nanako work vs. what we see in the ko-Mino / early Mino.

 

Hard to imagine Lorenzo fighting with anybody.

Yes, a shame they don't let Milt out of his cage anymore. I suspect he's been kidnapped across the DMZ and doing dental work on the military elite in North Korea.

[Lorenzo]

Curran, I had a bad reaction back then mistaking intention in another thread, and taking my ego out in this one. I later realized my mistake and apologized to Guido in private. He was very kind to me and now times to times we exchange some naughty PM

 

I also hope to meet him in the near future for a good drink.

[Brian]

Guido,

After all this time, I had hoped you had grown bored of this one, and donated it to me :lol:

I still really love it, and I am glad you revisited this thread to update us. I'm also dabbling in the iron nowdays, but still love good Kinko too.

As for Milt...maybe the army finally made a man out of him

I do hope he is still pursuing this interest....I can't imagine all those tsuba lying around neglected for this many years. I have him on Facebook, so maybe time to drop him a note again.

 

Brian

[Ford Hallam]

Hmmmm....our poor hard done by Milt...

 

well let the pictures talk for themselves. I can't say I have any sympathy if this recent photo is any indication of his present "predicament"

 

Winning hearts and minds :D

 

 

I did offer to help....

[Marius]

Maybe the Seppa-Dai (on the second picture) was incised to accomodate the Fuchi... (like in the attached Kiku-Sukashi). But then again it had to be wrongly mounted once... Just a thought...

 

I don't mean to hijack this thread, just wanted to ask Martin about this splendid sukashi tsuba. I just love Muromachi pieces like this one (I like ko-kinko and tachi kanagushi), any comments on it?

[bridgeofdreams]

I'm glad this thread got revived, as I certainly missed it before.

 

1. Guido's tsuba is magnificent, though not my taste, still fantastic.

 

2. I never worry about Milt.

 

3. There was mention of nanako and iron in the same post - I had an iron tsuba, a rather formal tachi tsuba with a great dragon, on approval from Andy Quirt once, that had nanako in iron done just as well as the best I have seen in shakudo. My money, and that tsuba, went elsewhere, but I was glad to have seen it.

 

4. I had a shakudo kiku sukashi guard with a similarly countersunk seppa-dai, but I don't recall now who bought it. Boris probably remembers. If I find a picture of it I'll post it for comparison.

 

- Craig

[Marius]

4. I had a shakudo kiku sukashi guard with a similarly countersunk seppa-dai, but I don't recall now who bought it. Boris probably remembers. If I find a picture of it I'll post it for comparison.

 

No need to look for the picture, here it is...