A series of fittings ( or how not to build a collection )

[Bob M.]

Item No. 305   Tsuba in copper with shakudo, silver and gold    8.64 cm x 8.28 cm x 0.44 cm

 

Subject of Fudo Myo-o by Tanabe Tomomasa  - Yanagawa School ? late 18th cent.

 

A commissioned piece with an inscription on the rear ' copied from an old painting of Cho Densu   answering a request. Carved by Tanabe Tomomasa ' .

 

Wonderfully carved and detailed piece by a top artist.

 

 

 

[dimitri]

Breathtaking collection, personally, I am amazed, there are magnificent pieces and in addition the comments that you give more, just like those who interact gives the dimension of the collection of a lifetime. the Tsuba #302 is splendid, for me it is perfect, mountain, waves and animal, perfect.

[Larason2]

I agree it is an amazing collection. It should be a book!

[Tanto54]

Dear Bob, that's a beautiful tsuba!  As you said, the artist is Tomomasa (Haynes 09949) with dates from 1800-1825.  He was a student of Yanagawa Naoharu and was the 2nd master of the Tanabe School.  His son (the 3rd master of the Tanabe School) used the same name and kanji, but the mei on your tsuba matches the father (2nd master) not the son.  Haynes says that unfortunately the artist of your tsuba died very young in the prime of his life.  Sesko’s Japanese Toso-Kinko Schools book says that the great Kano Natsuo said that Tomomasa would have reached the level of Yokoya Somin (one of the greatest tosogu makers of all time) if he had lived longer (VERY mighty praise!).  I can see what Natsuo is saying when I look at your tsuba!

[Brian]

Agree, that is an amazing tsuba. You can see how highly regarded that subtle and less adorned omote was, over the highly ornate ura. That peaceful waterfall scene really is staggering. You have amazing fittings Bob.

[Tanto54]

Hey Bob, I was reading the inscription on your tsuba where Tomomasa was requested to copy an old painting by Cho Densu in making your Fudo Myoo Tsuba.  I started thinking that I’d like to see the original painting because it must be incredible too - so I did a little research.

 

Cho Densu (also known as Kichizan Mincho 1352-1431 - see self-portrait below) was a famous Zen Priest and Painter.  Even 600 years later he is still considered one of the greatest painters of his time.  Several of his paintings are at Tofukuji Temple (where he trained as a monk) and are considered Important Cultural Properties.

 

There is a very interesting story about Cho Densu that is directly related to your tsuba!  When he entered Tofukuji temple to become a priest at an early age, he was constantly in trouble with his Abbot for neglecting his religious studies and concentrating on painting instead.  Once after the Abbot returned from a long trip, he was very angry to discover that Cho Densu had been painting the whole time he was gone.  However, when he saw Cho Densu’s magnificent painting of Fudo Myoo, the Abbot was so impressed that he actually started encouraging Cho Densu to favor his artistic training over his religious duties.

 

It is amazing to me that Cho Densu’s Fudo Myoo painting was so impressive that it continued to inspire people for hundreds of years thereafter.  Your tsuba would have been made about 200 years ago in the very early 1800’s about 400 years after Cho Densu did the painting.  Obviously Tomomasa’s customer was so impressed by the painting that he commissioned your masterpiece tsuba.

 

Interestingly, the story about Cho Densu’s Fudo Myoo painting and its affect on his Abbot is also the subject of an old woodblock print - see photo below (which I am posting here under the Fair Use Doctrine for educational/research purposes).  You can see that the Abbot has just returned from his trip to catch Cho Densu painting the Fudo Myoo painting.  If you look closely, you can see how the depicted painting matches your tsuba.

 

Note that Fudo Myoo is known as the Immovable One - a fierce protector of Buddhist Law.  He was very popular with Samurai.  His sword cuts through ignorance and his rope binds his enemies and those who block the way to enlightenment.  One fang faces up and the other down.  He is usually shown engulfed in fire (including small rings of fire around his nipples - ouch!!!) which symbolizes the purification of his mind by burning away all earthly desires.  He is also often depicted with a waterfall.

 

Unfortunately, I was not able to locate the painting itself.  I could find several references to it in ancient Japanese records, but I could not find any recent references.  I fear that it may have been lost during some of the bombing in WWII.  I’ve written an inquiry to the Head Priest at Tofukuji Temple to see if they have any information about the painting, and I’ll let you know if I learn anything more.

[Brian]

Fantastic info George! Thanks so much for sharing it.

[Bob M.]

Item No.  306  Tsuba in shibuichi with shakudo, gold and copper   7.02 cm x 6.65 cm x 0.38 cm

 

Subject of a tiger with bamboo signed Hagiya Katsuhira, late Edo/Meiji.

 

Superb workmanship, obviously made to order for a wealthy client ; the subtle treatment of the tiger's stripes and fur yet again are far better appreciated when held in hand.

 

Possibly familiar to some, this is a tsuba I bought from the late, lamented Darcy Brockbank some seventeen years ago.

 

It was bought as a ' stand alone ' piece although it was subsequently found to be one of a pair that had been split up. If any one has a copy of the catalogue for the California exhibition held in the early to mid sixties, the pair are illustrated in black and white. It would be good to have a copy scanned through for reference if possible.

 

The story of the making of a replica of this tsuba's companion will be expanded upon when the next item is posted to this thread.

 

There is, however, an error in the piece in spite of all the efforts made to depict a realistic tiger... can anyone spot it ? ( not easy ).

 

 

 

 

[rematron]

36 minutes ago, Bob M. said:

 

 

There is, however, an error in the piece in spite of all the efforts made to depict a realistic tiger... can anyone spot it ? ( not easy ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it that the tip of the tail should be black?  That seems to be a characteristic of mature tigers.

[Matsunoki]

Tigers only have 4 claws on back feet?

[rematron]

How many errors can we find? This is fun!

[Bob M.]

Re. Item No. 306

 

The error I had in mind was the rear feet ( foot ) being given 5 claws when the cat family only has four , unless they are polydactil .

 

I suppose we could stretch a point and say that Katsuhira's tiger was an example of polydactilism , unlikely as that would be, but I do not think that this in any way detracts from the quality and treatment of the work.

 

Just another talking point...

 

Certainly the vast majority of photographs show tigers with a black tip to their tail - well spotted, sir ! ( should that be striped ? )

[Larason2]

I think I can already predict the next will be the companion made by Ford Hallam! Both of these are gorgeous pieces, but good on you for commissioning the partner from Ford! I watched the video and was amazed. That video was part of the reason I wanted to get into making tsuba!

[Brian]

That video is legendary, and I think brought a lot of people into this hobby. It is an incredible work...the video and the item. And I think changed a lot within the tosogu world. Especially for people who hadn't considered modern work before.
But I guess we are really getting ahead of ourselves here, let's wait for the item itself :-)

[Bob M.]

Item No. 307   Tsuba in shibuichi with shakudo and gold   7.45 cm x 7.08 cm x 0.55 cm

 

Subject of tiger and bamboo by Ford Hallam 2009.

 

An utsushi or respectful copy based on a black and white image from an old Californian show catalogue.

 

The lengthy period covering the research and making of this piece is the subject of the video to be seen on Ford's you tube channel , also linked above in the pinned threads.

 

Subjects including how accurate the copy turned out to be against later acquired images of the original, the reasons behind doing this in the first place etc. will follow on in a few days.

 

 

[Bob M.]

Ref. Items 306 & 307  -  Katsuhira Tigers

 

A bit of background -

 

I bought a number of swords from Darcy Brockbank around 2005/6 . He had also been selling a few fittings , but decided that he was going to concentrate on blades. I bought the last three tsuba that he had, one of which was the tiger licking its paw .

 

Having assumed that this was a 'stand alone' piece, I was very surprised to see an illustration of it with its larger brother in an old exhibition catalogue from 1964. This was the Arms and Armor Exhibition which ran from February 19th to March 22nd 1964 and was Chaired by Dean S. Hartley with Fred Martin and Bob Haynes as Co-Chairmen. 

 

After speaking to Darcy , it became obvious that the pair had been split up with no way of tracking the whereabouts of the larger piece. Having been impressed by and purchasing some of Ford Hallam's work , I broached the subject of making a replica of the missing piece using the very fuzzy black and white image from the catalogue and also the smaller tsuba as a guide.

 

At that time, Ford was living and working in Cape Town, so I flew down to meet up with him and discuss the idea.

 

Ford told me about his background and love of Japanese art and particularly sword fittings, against the situation of almost complete loss of the art metalworking tradition within Japan. The making of swords etc. although much diminished, is still widely practised but fittings making, on a professional basis, is practically extinct. We were keen therefore to document the making of the Utsushi so that some record should remain of the processes and skills involved.

 

At first we thought about photographs taken at various stages together with a written explanation , but we soon realised something more was needed . We tried setting up a video camera to record ' live action ' but it was too awkward to change settings , positions etc. and impossible for one person ( Ford ) to both operate the camera and work at the same time.

 

Through a friend of his , Ford got in contact with Brad Schaffer, a full time film maker. He agreed to meet and discuss the idea, then becoming enamoured with the project. Brad was able to get involved from day one of the making of the piece with the result being a unique video documentary now viewed in all its parts nearly 750,000 times.

 

More to follow....

 

 

[Bob M.]

Ref. Items 306 & 307   Katsuhira Tigers

 

Background continued -

 

The question of authenticity of the original piece was raised .

 

When I bought it from Darcy , he was most unhappy that the tsuba , having been submitted for papers with, I think, one of the travelling NPO or NTHK shinsa teams, had been knocked back as gimei. This was one of the main reasons why he abandoned fittings for many years, preferring the greater certainty of high end blades with NBTHK papers.

 

See Darcy's original sales ' flyer ' below.

 

As usual with this quality of workmanship, the tsuba looked even better in hand than in his excellent pictures. Once I was able to study the tiger , the more I looked at it, the more I convinced myself that the shinsa verdict was incorrect . It was as if confirming an attribution to Katsuhira was ' too big a call ' for the judge to make. 

 

When Ford first saw the work close up, he was able to reference the piece against other examples of Katsuhira's work shown in his extensive library and was also convinced that the tsuba is sho-shin.

 

I decided to proceed with the making of the Utsushi of the missing piece, hoping that I was not taking too big a risk that we were not just making a replica of part of a gimei dai-sho set.

 

Looking back on it now, the authenticity question seems almost irrelevant. We set out on a path which, in the end, has much more to do with the continuation of the Japanese Metal Working tradition ( even if more so in the West than in Japan itself ) and ultimately that is more important than an opinion on a signature.

 

In a sort of sideways corroboration, a few years later, we were provided with documentation concerning the sale of the ' missing ' piece at a well known and reputable auction house. They do not seem to have had any real concerns about whether the tsuba was authentic - although, as all auction houses do, they covered themselves by describing the tiger as ' marked Hagiya Katsuhira '.

 

The fact that it made the money it did, also seems to point to the purchaser being happy with the attribution.

 

More to follow...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tanto54]

Bob, I believe that your commitment to commissioning the Katsuhira Tiger copy and the accompanying video has done more for tosogu than anything in the last 20 years!  So many of the collectors that I know either got their start, inspiration or at least a much deeper understanding of tosogu-making from this momentous project of yours - Thanks!  I also appreciate your dedication to sharing your collection with us over the past couple of years.  Can’t wait to hear more….

[Brian]

Was going to say exactly what George said. This was such an important project for so many collectors, from novice to advance. It is such a valuable item in terms of education and appreciation, far moreso than it's monetary value. And we are talking worldwide too.
Kudos to you and Ford.

[Teddy2808]

On 6/17/2023 at 11:06 AM, Bob M. said:

Looking back on it now, the authenticity question seems almost irrelevant. We set out on a path which, in the end, has much more to do with the continuation of the Japanese Metal Working tradition ( even if more so in the West than in Japan itself ) and ultimately that is more important than an opinion on a signature.

I would just like to say thank you. That film along with yugen has helped to significantly change my life for. The better. It sparked me to recently begin my journey in to producing fittings and although I have only made around 5 but after each one I can tell my skills are drastically improving. My goal is to one day produce a similar film and tsuba if I can get someone to film me or attempt to do it myself. I can not emphasize how much I appreciate the Katsuhira’s Tiger film and the project as a whole!

[Bob M.]

Ref. Item Nos.  306 & 307 Katsuhira Tigers

 

The tiger was finished in Late October and was presented by invitation at the 5th International Convention and Exhibition of the KTK ( Kokusai Tosogu Kai ) on 30th October 2009. A rough draft of the documentary film was also shown , both receiving a positive reaction from the delegates and visitors to the Convention.

 

A few months later , the film was edited into its present form and released on Ford's site , with links from the NMB.

 

The question of the accuracy of the rear view was one that we thought would be lost to us but, amazingly, nearly two years later Ford received an email from a Herr Franz Hutzler , a netsuke carver and knife maker based in Germany ( check out his website ).

 

He had seen the Utsushi film on you tube and found a catalogue showing that the original tiger had been sold at auction by Nagel Auktionen of Stuttgart . Their sale no. was 29A , lot no. 2561 , the auction taking place on the 6 - 8th June 2005. This sale had occurred over a year before I bought the smaller piece from Darcy.

 

Herr Hutzler also kindly sent some images ( see below ) from the sale , showing the missing view of the majority of the back of the tsuba.

 

The main deviation between the original and the Utsushi appears to be the bamboo leaves at the bottom of the tsuba. As these were completely hidden from view on the black and white picture , this is not surprising . In fact Ford's version is more complex ,showing the tiger's paws.

 

Otherwise the pieces are not too dissimilar , although Ford did inlay both the eyes and pupils whereas on the original they were mercury gilded.

 

Altogether a great piece of deduction and craftsmanship by Ford.

 

The sharp eyed among you will see that the dimensions given in the auction catalogue are somewhat larger than the size of the replica. This does not scale with the previously available black and white pictures and is almost certainly a typo. The other possibility of course is that this is an entirely different piece made to a different scale by the same artist ! That is not a path down which I wish to travel for the time being...

 

I hope these ramblings about the background of the Tiger Utsushi and how it came about etc. have been of some interest. 

 

P.S. If anyone has a copy of the Nagel auction catalogue featured , it would be good to have a full set of the relevant images- Thanks !

[Larason2]

That's really great. Thanks Bob! I hadn't seen the two back sides before, I think they are both amazing!

[Bob M.]

Item No. 308  Kozuka in shakudo with shibuichi, gold and copper

 

Subject of a pair of mandarin ducks ( symbolising fidelity ) by Hamano Noriyuki II .

 

Once again a piece carved with incredible attention to detail - not easy to properly photograph. There is a copper inlay under the female duck that is practically impossible to see with the naked eye and details such as the pupils of the ducks' eyes, which measure 0.004 inch ( four thou. or 100 microns ) diameter. Water weed is seen under the flowing surface of the water and the bank and grasses are painstakingly depicted.The male duck seems to be encouraging his mate to follow him on their shared journey. The ishime ground is beautifully rendered and the whole piece gives an impression or atmosphere of reverence and respect.

 

Together with an elongated signature translating -At the foot of Toeizan Temple Mountain in the Negishi District at the location of a drizzly village in Autumn, Hamano Noriyuki carved this - the Kozuka seems to have held a special significance for Noriyuki.

 

This kozuka is one of my personal favourites, easy to overlook but greatly rewarding to study.

[Tanto54]

Dear Bob,

Your instincts about this kozuka were exactly correct!  You said it “symbolized fidelity” and it seemed to have a “special significance for Noriyuki” giving “an impression or atmosphere of reverence and respect.”  I found some amazing research that supports your conclusions.

 

Noriyuki II’s parents died when he was still a teenager.  In Sesko’s “Toso-Kinko Schools” book he writes that Noriyuki II’s Mother died in Autumn and that his Father (Noriyuki I also a tosogu maker) forbade his many students from working each year on the anniversary of her death (15th day of the 8th Lunar Month).  His Father (Noriyuki I) followed her in death a few years later also dying in same month.  Note that Noriyuki writes in his poignant mei on your kozuka that it was a “drizzly” atmosphere “in Autumn” (the anniversary of their deaths).  I’ve seen many Noriyuki II mei and none of them have long or poetic mei like this kozuka (usually just a name and date).  

 

As you said, in Japanese culture a pair of Mandarin Ducks symbolize marital fidelity.  Around 1700’s when your kozuka was made, this reference was common and would have been clearly understood by everyone.  I have to believe that your feeling that the ducks on your kozuka are on a shared journey is exactly what Noriyuki II intended and he was thinking of his parents when he carved it.

 

The location mentioned on your kozuka “at the foot of Toeizan Temple Mountain in the Negishi District” is now the location of Ueno Park in Tokyo.  Toeizan Temple is also known as Kaneiji temple (small parts of which still exist today).  The Hamano family graves are at Eikyu-ji in that area.  At the foot of the mountain is a pond (that is still in Ueno Park) called Shinobazu Pond (see woodblock print) that was famous for its ducks in early times.

 

As Noriyuki II’s workshop was quite far away from that location, I can easily imagine that he was visiting his Parents’ graves on the anniversary of their death saw a pair of Mandarin Ducks on Shinobazu Pond that made him think of his parents’ devotion and so he decided to commemorate it on this kozuka. 

 

You also mentioned the incredible detail and carving mastery on this kozuka that is difficult to see without magnification.  When Shozui (the Hamano School Founder and teacher of Noriyuki I) died, they found several shelves full of different powered spectacles in his workshop.  Remember that at that time, spectacles were very rare and expensive in Japan.  I imagine that Noriyuki II may have also owned a pair or two - it certain shows on this magnificent kozuka!

 

You can see the Temple roof just above the tree tops (center right) in this wood block.

 

[Bob M.]

Re Item No. 308

 

Seems as though there is a poignant back story to this kozuka.

 

I suppose that I should not be surprised, bearing in mind the Japanese traditions and awareness of the transience of time and the ephemera of life itself.

 

In the making of this piece, Noriyuki has poured all his effort into producing an item worthy of the memory of his parents .  

 

The fact that we see it today and talk about him and his relationship to his Mother and Father shows that he succeeded in fulfilling the old saying that no-one is truly dead whilst they are still remembered. ( Even across many generations ).

 

As usual, many thanks to George for his illuminating contributions.

[Bob M.]

Item No. 309   Tsuba in shakudo with shibuichi and gold   7.75 cm x 6.96 cm x 0.36 cm

 

Subject of Irises by Ford Hallam.

 

Image of a ' ballerina of the mist ' with another bloom about to unfurl depicted on the rear.

 

This piece won top gold in the NBSK competition 10 years ago.

 

Irises are a particular favourite subject of mine and I have been very satisfied with the outcome of this commission.

[Brian]

One of my biggest regrets is not purchasing some of Ford's work when it was still available and affordable to me.
Seeing the pics, the videos, and even holding the set in my hands that I am selling....the pictures of all his work really don't do them justice. You are so lucky to have the items you do Bob. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say we are looking at the Kano Natsuo of the 21st Century.

[Larason2]

I agree Ford is the Kano Natsuo of our generation, even as far as inspiring many followers and disciples. We are also blessed that he has put so many years of work and teaching into his videos and work on Patreon. I believe together they form an important patrimony for teaching the next generation of tosogu.

[Bob M.]

Re item No. 309 - Iris Tsuba by Ford Hallam

 

In response to an ' off board ' enquiry,

 

Of all the Hallam fittings ( between 15 and 20 I think ) in my collection, I have only commissioned three.

 

The first was the Utsushi of Katsuhira's tiger , second was the Millet Tsuba and lastly the Iris. All other items were purchased as finished or works in progress.

 

Ford was constrained by the first commission to create a replica and not a completely new piece of art.

 

With the second, I wanted him to make his version and interpretation of millet ( not an Utsushi of one of Tomei's pieces ). This brief was restraining in itself , as shown in the Yugen film, but gave more scope for artistic freedom than the first.

 

For the third, my total involvement came down to nine letters - Iris Tsuba. The design, composition and crafting were all carried out ' behind closed doors ' as far as I was concerned. Indeed I only briefly saw it before it was sent to Japan for the NBSK competition where it did rather well.

 

It is difficult to know at times where to draw the line between suggesting and interference...

 

[Bob M.]

Item No. 310   Tsuba in shibuichi with gold, silver, shakudo and shibuichi   6.68 cm x 6.42 cm x 0.41 cm

 

Subject of flowers and plants after rain signed ( carved by ) Ryumeishi Kazuhide ( Goto Ichijo school ) 19th cent.  Haynes H02984.0

 

Tanto or small Wakizashi sized tsuba, simply but wonderfully decorated with plants and flowers including poppies, chrysanthemums and valerian.