MITO SCHOOL

[Jean]

I don't know anything about this kinko school, this one is Hozon.

 

Can someone tell me more about the school (or send me some scanned information through e-mail) and is the subject meaning something special?

[John A Stuart]

Hi Jean, The Mito kinko school is a fairly late tousogu school to develop. Example schools are Koami-Gunji, Ichiryu, Oyama and Tamagawa. The tsubako known to have started the strong Mito tradition were Yogoro Gunji (died 1681) whose father had studied the Goto tradition under Sekijo and Michitoshi Yatabe (died 1768) who studied under Goto Tsujo and Goto Jujo and then Nara school with Toshinaga. Michitoshi also studied with Yogoro Gunji in his Koami-gunji school. You can see the strong influence of Goto school with Shoami, Koami and Nara schools in their work. Yoshihisa Tamagawa (d. 1775) studied under Michitoshi and started the Tamagawa school. Another renowned artist was Hirotoshi Uchikoshi (d. 1800) who also studied under Michitoshi. John

[Jean]

Thanks a lot John forthe answer, here are two more, both fantastic in their own way. One is a kinko, the other one is a an incredible iron inlaid tsuba, is there any possibility to kantei them to a school, apart Kyo Kinko for the first one.

[John A Stuart]

Hi Jean, The first tsuba is a hamadashi style nice basket weave plate with floral motif (morning glory?). I don't know if it has any special significance other than a purely artistic one. It is attractive. When you mention Kyo-kinko as to the left tsuba, it is a huge group of schools and artists, a blanket attribution. The main thing about this group is that they originated in the Kyoto area or were influenced by artists coming from there. Again, there was a huge Shoami and Goto influence in these schools. Kyo-kinko can be thought of as the Western Kinko with important smiths like Myoju, Nagatsune (Ichinomiya), Tetsugendo Shoraku etc. etc. while Eastern Kinko includes the Ishiguro, Omori, Hamano, Tsuchiya etc. etc. with artists like Konkan, Goto Teijo etc. etc. Most of these artists studied in Edo, but, what is interesting is that the Eastern Kinko had influences from the west such as Nara. This is how I order them, in my mind anyhow. Of course it isn't so definitive in reality. For kantei, books, books and familiarity with actual examples is the way for me to even hope to differentiate the schools, but, I must say that a signature that can be looked up is usually the only way I can be even sure I'm really in the ball park. Anyhow those are great tsuba. John

[Jean]

Thanks a lot John, I understand that, more or less, a Kyo Kinko kantei = a shoami Kantei for some tsuba (meaning: "by default")

[Jean]

If I have time, I shall post my small tsuba collection, about 13, very diverse (that's an understatement), I buy tsuba on impulse. :lol: :lol:

[John A Stuart]

It is certainly not an easy river to navigate. Shoami can be a very definitive kantei, but, pinning them down to Aizu, Kyo, ko- or Akita etc. helps a bit. Kyo-kinko, I think, is an even more tenuous attribution than Shoami. I am sure there are better ideas about this than I can express. John

[Jean]

Hi John,

 

As promissed, here are my few tsuba and a kozuka. As you see, bit and odds

[Jean]

Forgot this one

[docliss]

Could we please see a more detailed/larger image of the copper tsuba with the horse theme?

With many thanks, John L.

[Jean]

Hi John, it has already been discussed in a Topic by Bungo, I think Brian can find it in the tososgu section, the link indicated by Milt doesnot work anymore :

 

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4236

 

 

If not I try to scan it tomorrow

[John A Stuart]

Excellent Jean, and do I see a theme developing? I like especially the tsuru tsuba. John

[Brian]

Jean,

Because it was a sold item in the For Sale section, I may have deleted it

Please do post another pic when you have the chance.

 

Brian

[Curran]

Mito School

 

-see below scan from Baur Collection, for academic reference:

 

Scan 1: Viewable for NMB

 

Scan 2: Downloadable and much more readable.

 

Mr. Stuart mentioned Uchikoshi Hirotoshi. Several years I found and papered a tsuba to him. Hirotoshi is one of those signatures like Shozui (aka. Masayuki, founder of Hamano school) that was a popular target of gimei.

[Jean]

Thanks a lot Curran for the info, I did'nt want to bother you ,

 

John, n fact, I buy by impulse, I like the tsuru, but I also like the Kinko, the Ume or the Yoshiro.

One of these I'll go for one like the vatar of Koichi san

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

I like the one which bears the JAL Emblem (same as the Mori clan).

[docliss]

Thank you, Jean, for posting the images that I requested of the tsuba. I do now remember it and the correspondence regarding it. At the time, I 'passed' on it, fearing that it needed as additional £100 for repatination - a decision (one of many) that I now rather regret!

John L.

[Jean]

You are welcome, John

[Mark Green]

Thanks Jean,

Nice collection. I love the Samurai in the pines wak tsuba. That is great looking!!!

I would love to have a Daisho set of those

Mark G

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

I should visit more frequently the Tosogu section...

Thanks for sharing, Jean.

[Marc BROQUIN]

"I don't know anything about this kinko school, this one is Hozon.

 

Can someone tell me more about the school (or send me some scanned information through e-mail) and is the subject meaning something special?"

 

 

Hello Jean,

Have a look in the Baur Collection to the work of SEKIJOKEN MOTOZANE (MITO) # 1210.

There is an FK having this type of base design of woven basket. But also you may find that type of base in ITO SCHOOL

Best

Marc

[Jean]

Marc,

 

Just scan the page and e-mail it to me.

 

For NMB members, Marc was my bestman at my wedding and my flyfishing partner :D

[Bazza]

Hi,

 

I like the one which bears the JAL Emblem (same as the Mori clan).

Here is a nice "JAL" logo tsuba that was on koshirae auctioned here last year (if I can attach it OK!!!)

Regards,

Barry Thomas.

[Jean]

And an other one :

 

http://www.owazamono.com/TB-026.html

 

FYI : I never pay this price even with the discount

[Bungo]

Secret Agent man,

I am glad you bought the morning glory tanto tsuba , was one of my favorite, the shakudo color is incredible, ja ?

 

I am having fun in the Hermit Kingdom ............

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id= ... ef=profile

 

Not too many Japanese antiques here, the only gunto I saw was an obvious fake.

 

Milt, serving the US Army in the proud tradition of Cpt. Hawkeye Pierce

[Curran]

Miltie,

 

You crazy kiltie, we miss ya'h. How is the local food?

Glad to trade places with you if they'll permit.

 

Curran

[Jean]

Try not to MASH your patients, Milt

[kotachi]

I have a very similar tsuba to this one signed in the same fashion. I am trying to translate the name because the listing said it was Masayoshi but the I am having a hard time matching the second character to a yoshi kanji.  I also don't see a Masayoshi in the school lineage posted here. Here is the link to the similar tsuba I found online: https://www.worthpoi...uba-with-nthk-papers

 

[SteveM]

Wakayama lists 4 smiths using 正美 (Masayoshi), but none of them are linked with the Mito school. That calalogue entry from Worthpoint might be mistaken. 

[Spartancrest]

An older thread here might have something but the signature doesn't really match IMHO