Fishing in Springtime Kofu Tsuba

[cdrcm12]

Hi,

 

I posted in the Translation Assistant last night the mei of this tsuba and thanks to Steve M for completing the translation.

 

江府住 - Kōfu-jū

逸平義久 - Itsuhira Yoshihisa

 

I've now taken some images (hopefully they have come out okay?) of the whole tsuba which I think depicts fishing in springtime, going by a bit of research on Japanese/Chinese landscape prints. Assuming late Edo period.

I can't find any information on the maker, any insight from the forum would be welcome. Found a couple of similar variations of this theme but unsigned.

 

There doesn't seem to much in the way of literature on Kofu tsuba, but hopefully someone can point me in the right direction?

 

Also interested in if this is the makers full name? Used to seeing two character signatures.

 

 

Fishing in springtime, Ike - no - Taiga (1747)

 

 

 

 

 

Tsuba dimensions:

 

Height: 77mm

Width: 71mm

Mimi: 4.1mm

Seppa dai: 4.4mm

 

Thanks

 

Colin

 

[Tanto54]

Dear Colin,

 

Most tsuba that have this "Chinese Landscape" scene with a solitary person on a mountain path with a temple/pagoda at the top are references to Mount Hōrai (Mount Penglai).  As one of our most scholarly and humorous members (Guido Schiller) taught us years ago in reference to "Hōrai Tsuba": "蓬莱 Hōrai is a legendary, holy Chinese mountain in the Eastern Sea that is often visited by hermits. 鶴亀 tsurukame (crane and turtle) are symbols of a long life. They both can be synonymous for each other, so tsuba that have a motif of crane and/or turtle and/or rocks and/or pine trees and/or bamboo are often referred to as 蓬莱図 (Hōrai-zu)."

 

However, in this particular case, I think your tsuba refers to Dewa Sanzan - a set of three holy mountains in Japan that have been the location of a rebirth pilgrimage for the past 1,400 years.  These mountains were visited by royalty and poets (including Basho), and near the top of one of the mountains there is a famous pagoda partially hidden among ancient cedars and a temple.  At the foot of the mountains there is a lake with an old teahouse that juts out over the water.  That appears to contain all the elements of your tsuba.

 

Your Tsuba:

 

 

 

Mount Hōrai Tsuba:

 

 

 

Dewa Sanzan Drawing (showing slopes that match your tsuba):

 

[cdrcm12]

Hi George,

Thank you for such a clear explanation of the design on my tsuba. I will do some further reading on Dewa Sanzan.

[Babu]

Hi George I've seen that tsuba before. Was it eBay?

[cdrcm12]

Hi Adam,

 

Yes it was on ebay, took a chance as it looked okay, came with a nice padded box.