iron shishi fuchi kashia - two sets

[b.hennick]

Happy New Year to all!

I have been playing with a new camera. I have two iron fuchi kashira that Kawabata Sensei of the KTK told me they were Yokoya. Who am I to disagree. The larger set (fuchiKashira-small-1.jpg) was papered to Satsuma. The smaller set has not gone to shinsa. Can any of you help me to place these to a school. I do not know enough about either Yokoya or Satsuma to know... All help will be appreciated.

[John A Stuart]

Hi Barry, I always considered the Yokoya school as synonomous with katakiribori. Flat surfaces with incised portraiture. These are not machibori work I think. Soyo and his son Somin were trained in the Goto school, so maybe earlier works, but, then not yet Yokoya school, wouldn't you say? Funny though, I have open in front of me swords, koshirae and fittings of the Satsuma han, which show some shishi fittings that appear Goto in style. 80% of them have a cross as part of the design, the shishi sets do not. Is Satsuma considered as a school of work? No help, I know, it is interesting these attributions though. Oh, I should mention that Satsuma had a few types of schools so wonder how accurate is Satsuma ryu. John

[John A Stuart]

I researched a little bit for examples of Satsuma works to try and explain what I meant earlier, as to their being an amalgam of other more defined ryuha. There are two prime schools that define Satsuma works, the Oda ha and the Chishiki ha. The tsuba pictured is by Oda Naoka an artist thought of as exemplifying Satsuma style and a student of Ikeda Toshimine and Ataka Isshu, also said to have studied under Kabayama Motonaka who studied with the Goto school. He worked in shakudo mostly while subsequent generations worked in iron plate. It is considered as Mino (Goto?) school work done in sukashibori and nikubori. Naotaka, Naonori and Naokata are of the Oda ha. Chishiki ha with Kanenori, Kanetaka and Kaneatsu, all worked in the Goto style in fact studying with that school. Mostly shakudo, nanakoji, high relief. It explains why I saw such Goto influence in the book I mentioned before, I think. John

[Bazza]

  John A Stuart said:

I researched a little bit for examples of Satsuma works to try and explain what I meant earlier, as to their being an amalgam of other more defined ryuha. There are two prime schools that define Satsuma works, the Oda ha and the Chishiki ha. The tsuba pictured is by Oda Naoka an artist thought of as exemplifying Satsuma style and a student of Ikeda Toshimine and Ataka Isshu, also said to have studied under Kabayama Motonaka who studied with the Goto school. He worked in shakudo mostly while subsequent generations worked in iron plate. It is considered as Mino (Goto?) school work done in sukashibori and nikubori. Naotaka, Naonori and Naokata are of the Oda ha. Chishiki ha with Kanenori, Kanetaka and Kaneatsu, all worked in the Goto style in fact studying with that school. Mostly shakudo, nanakoji, high relief. It explains why I saw such Goto influence in the book I mentioned before, I think. John

Barry, very, very nice pieces (slobber). I can't be any real help here (a blade man!), but let me pass on a story. Twenty or more years ago I sent a wakizashi and tsuka to Japan, the blade for polish and the tsuka for rebinding. I had the menuki and an iron fuchi of a shishi (pretty much like yours Barry, and unsigned), but no kashira so I had a horn one made. The fuchi had that dry-looking, almost powdery (but stable) rust and the "man in Japan" said the fuchi needed cleaning and re-lacquering - it was the done thing. I said yes and when it returned it did indeed look much better.

 

To continue this a little further, even longer ago I had a Shinshinto katana with plain iron tosogu incised with branches and with traces of red lacquer. Being in my early years the tsuba had something on it that to me looked like household varnish. I tried a number of solvents to get it off, but nothing shifted it. A few years later I realised it was urushi and it was no wonder nothing touched it.

 

Regards,

Barry Thomas.

[Bazza]

  b.hennick said:

Happy New Year to all!

I have been playing with a new camera. I have two iron fuchi kashira that Kawabata Sensei of the KTK told me they were Yokoya. Who am I to disagree. The larger set (fuchiKashira-small-1.jpg) was papered to Satsuma. The smaller set has not gone to shinsa. Can any of you help me to place these to a school. I do not know enough about either Yokoya or Satsuma to know... All help will be appreciated.[attachment=1]fuchiKashira-small-1.jpg[/attachment][attachment=0]fuchiKashira2.jpg[/attachment]

SORRY - but I meant to add Barry that your two sets of fuchigashira both look as if they have been lacquered. The surface has an appearance that to me suggests clear lacquer rather than aged and mellow iron.

Regards,

Barry Thomas.

[John A Stuart]

I tried finding examples made by Hokinokami Masayuki and Oku Motonao and his son Motohira. Lots of examples of their swords, but, I couldn't find any tsuba by them, although they made them as a side-line. Maybe someone has examples archived. John

[John A Stuart]

Barry, here are some tsuba from Satsuma I scanned. The b/w are grainey, but, the colour pics aren't bad, Fittings are b/w and too small to scan. I haven't translaed the makers info. I hope this is helping. John

 

 

 

[b.hennick]

Thanks for the info John. I still do not see the connection to Satsuma work. The larger fuchi is certainly very wide. Someone - Brian Tschernaga - I think said that wide fuchi like that are typical of Satsuma work. As for Yokoya work I too thought of Somen and incised pieces. I also have a pair of copper shishi menuki that Kawabata sensei thought were Yokoya work. I will photograph them next year (tomorrow) if I am able to....

Happy New Year to all! If you find any iron menuki or quality iron fuchi kashira please keep me in mind.

[nihonto1001]

Barry,

 

Very nice.

 

Jon

[remzy]

Mr Hennick, i am biased to Shishi theme, both are beautiful but i particularly love the second set, Let me know if you ever grow tired of it, i love iron fittings too!

 

Happy new year to everyone!