...and then you see this

[zanilu]

Dear All

 

This post is mainly due to the pit of ignorance I have found myself in all of a sudden.

 

When I found this tsuba listed on Aoi Art website I though, well here it is a nice Heianjo Zogan tsuba worth to be added to my collection regardless of the Washida school attribution reported in its description. At first I considered the attribution to the Washida school a clerical error in the compilation of the web page. 

 

 

This attribution is confimed by NBTHK though, as I got from a quick translation of the relevant kanji in the paper.

 

 

What am I missing here?

 

What is your opinion about it guys?

 

Is this one of the revival pieces made in Heianjo Zogan stile at the end of the Edo period? 

The few information I have found on Washida School mention nothing about Heianjo Zogan and the examples I have found do not look like Heianjo Zogan at all...

If the attribution is right what points lead to it and not to Heianjo Zogan?

 

I need some enlightenment!

 

Regards

Luca

[Guido]

The inlay being more or less flush with the surface, the dote-mimi, and color and texture of the iron indeed point to Washida. IMO a school that is quite underrated, I have seen some great tsuba with that attribution (and own one of them).

[Brian]

I definitely prefer this to your average Heianjo. Think you did well.

[zanilu]

Guido, Brian I do appreciate your comments.

 

What really nags me is the fact that this tsuba looks to me in most aspect not different from other Heianjo tsuba I have seen around or have in my collection. I  will do some comparative study as soon as I find some spare time from everyday life...

 

Guido you mentioned the mimi, the color and texture of the iron and the hira zogan as distinctive point for Washida school. Do you have some reading material available on that school or you can point me to some sources, or it is based on your experience? If you are willing can you post some pictures of yours?

 

By the way I have found this tsuba also attibuted to Washida (http://world.seiyudo.com/product/tu-040517/).

Also from MFA (https://collections.mfa.org/objects/11916).

 

I am really thrilled...

 

Best Regards

Luca

[Guest]

Hi Luca, here's another possible, inscribed Washida Mitsunaka:

 

https://www.alamy.com/stock-image-sword-guard-tsuba-inscribed-by-washida-mitsunaka-19th-century-162362532.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=F19DFD45-1353-429C-AB81-6452E5FB55A1&p=546931&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dtsuba%2520features%26qt_raw%3dtsuba%2520features%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

[ROKUJURO]

After what we see here, it seems that WASHIDA are a lot finer and more detailed than the average HEIANJO TSUBA. The workmanship shows a much higher level. Very nice!

The one offered by SEIYUDO reminds me a bit of UMETADA MYOJU. 

[Brian]

I was also going to say the difference seems to be more care and fine inlay, with more detail. Heianjo seem more "rustic" whereas this seems to be done more carefully and more decorative.
Less "wabi sabi" and more Kyoto tea-taste?

[Curran]

Education post. I've almost never dealt with this school and learned a bit today.

Luca: Thanks for posting it.

[Ken-Hawaii]

I agree. This is an eye-opener for me, too.

[zanilu]

Curran you are welcome! 

 

An eye opener for me too Ken. I have never heard of Washida school before 

 

Regard 

Luca

[John A Stuart]

Washida is part and parcel of Shonai work is it not? John

[Guido]

Information about the Washida-ha is rather sparse – the most I could find is written in Satō Kanzan’s 庄内金工名作集 Shōnai Kinkō Meisaku-shū; as John already mentioned, Washida was part of the Shōnai group.

 

Besides the deep brown, dense iron, dote-mimi, and flush inlay, I forgot to mention another trait: the ura is very often treated as elaborately as the omote. Many Washida tsuba are unsigned.

 

A prominent maker was 光中 Mitsunaka – however, Hagihara-sensei told me that the proper pronunciation of those kanji is "Kōchū". He was very prolific, and actually worked at many places.

 

Here’s a tsuba of mine, signed Uzen Shōnai jū 羽前庄内住 Watanabe Kōchū 渡辺光中 + kaō in gold (tokuho). I have another Washida tsuba, but it’s mounted on a koshirae; I’ll take pics tomorrow.

 

[Brian]

Their work is very attractive, and a LOT of effort went into those. Thanks for the education guys.

[Ken-Hawaii]

That's gorgeous, Guido. From your photos, I get the impression the seppa-dai & surrounding area is relatively thin, right?

[Guest]

Exquisite, Guido 

[zanilu]

Nice piece Guido! 

Thank you for the additional information!

 

Luca

[Ford Hallam]

There was a Washida tsuba, non ferrous, of butterflies, really complex multicoloured hira-zogan, on display in the now closed Tosogu Museum in Tokyo. It was actually unfinished, patinated but lacking any engraved final detailing. Apparently, he died before he could finish it and his son vowed to strive to reach his fathers skill to complete it but it seems he didnt feel up to it. I cant remember which generation it was though.

 

I don't have the catalogue to hand but if someone does have it's illustrated in there.

This one was sold by Ginza Seiyudo

 

And a signed one in the MFA, thankfully not over cleaned.

 

 

[mas4t0]

To my eye these are somewhat reminiscent of extremely high class marquetry, the work of Jan van Mekeren comes immediately to mind.

[Curran]

Excellent thread.

 

Great post by Guido,

and got to see a pretty tsuba with an important signature for academic linkage. I even own 庄内金工名作集 Shōnai Kinkō Meisaku-shū [admittedly a very worn copy] and didn't know the Washida-ha was in there. This is why you need to read NMB a minimum of every few days, so you don't miss something like this. Thank you

[Pete Klein]

https://www.tsuruginoya.com/items/f00205.html

 

I knew I had seen one here some time ago.

[Guido]

https://www.tsuruginoya.com/items/f00205.html

 

I knew I had seen one here some time ago.

 

Thanks for the link, Pete, that's actually my tsuba, I didn't know Tsurugi no Ya had it on their website! It came with the mentioned hozon papers, but I got it "upgraded" to tokubetsu hozon.

[Ganko]

Here is another. This guy did some really nice work. There is a two part article on Shonai Kinko in the NBTHK Token Bijutsu vol 55 and 56/57 in English.

 

 

 

 

 

[myochin]

Very interesting thread, thank you.

For more information on Mitsunaka see: Token Bijutsu n°633, mainly tsuba n°15 to 18

Markus did a translation for the NBTHK members.

 

Thanks Guido for the note on the alternate reading of 光中 as Shigeo does not mention this.

 

Paul

[zanilu]

Wow! This tread is looking better and better at every post.

 

With reference to the first tsuba posted by Ford (on Seyudo site) it looks similar to one in my collection:

 

 

And to others attributed to Yoshiro in in the Sagagawa City Museum's Aozu Yasushi Collection http://is2.sss.fukushima-u.ac.jp/fks-db//txt/20011.002/html/00029.html   

 

 

or at the NSW Art Gallery https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/436.1996/

 

 

Even though the workmanship looks cruder (at least on mine for the others the pictures are not so good to judge).

What do you think? Yoshiro? Not Washida...

 

Luca

[Guido]

Here's my second Washida; a little different from the others in that it has no hira-zōgan or kebori. And I think it was no small feat of the maker to apply the tiny nanako on an iron ground - but Ford will know if it's a lot of work, or kind of a "yeah, do it all the times on rainy afternoons" thing. 

[Stephen]

As always ichiban Guido!

[Brian]

Stunning tsuba!

[Peter Bleed]

I plan to sell a number of dote mimi tsuba this spring, including this one that seems relevant to this thread.

Peter

[Vermithrax16]

Great thread!

[roger dundas]

Just wonderful to see and enjoy what you have and what you know.

And well done.

 

Roger d