Unaltered "Nanbans"

[Peter Bleed]

Friends,

Please allow me to continue discussion of the margins of so-called "Namban tsuba". My basic inquiry is the degree to which pieces called "Namban" were:

1) "Japanese" creations made to look exotic, OR

2) Japanese modifications of imported pieces, OR

3) foreign creations that sort of involved Japanese aesthetics ... and ended up in Japan.

Since we mainly see stuff that comes to us from Japan, finding unmodified foreign fittings is tough. I have sought out evidence that would support either 2 or 3, but finding unmodified Asian sword fittings is not easy.

Here is a snapshot of a couple of non-Japanese guards that seem not adapted to use on Japanese blades. Do they look "Namban"?

P

[Spartancrest]

An old thread here with some 'odd' nakago-ana.  That first guard looks very roughly finished, perhaps a country blacksmith in China? The one with the undercut scrolls certainly looks namban but that nakago-ana is not for a Japanese blade - Chinese or Korean?

 

[GRC]

Can't comment on the first one... sorry.

 

The second one with the egg shaped form is typical of an early Chinese guard (which I'm pretty sure are called "Hushu"), but has none of the typical "Nanban" aesthetic, so probably made in China and probably never exported to Japan.

 

The third one you posted is definitely not Japanese made or modified to fit a Japanese blade. Likely made in China for a Chinese blade.

 

Here are some more egg shapes made in China for Chinese blades (worn blade edge down like a tachi), with a more typical "nanban" aesthetic. Both were modified in Japan to have a hitsu-ana:

Here's one that is unmodified and mounted on a Chinese Dao sword:

 

Here are some unmodified Chinese guards (except maybe the nakago-ana):

and these three Chinese guards had the design cut through later, to make 2 hitsu-ana to fit a Japanese koshirae:

 

 

 

 

[Peter Bleed]

Glen,

Thanks very much for these comments and explanations. Understanding how, why, and when these guards arrived in Japan is our next challenge. Is there literature on this topic in China? If so, we need to get it - - - if only to look at the pictures!

Again, thanks!

P

[GRC]

Hi Peter,

Here's what I recall from the searching I've been doing on these for a while now.

The dates will range from the Momoyama period (when there were many global influences on Japanese art and culture), all the way till the end of the Edo period.

After the unification of Japan, marking the beginning of the Edo period, Japanese borders were mostly closed for trade (except two ships per year from the Dutch East India Company and an unknown number of ships from the East Asian continent - or at  least "unknown" to me).

During this extended period of Edo period isolationism, I presume it would have been a necessary shift towards making most of these guards in Japan.

The Nagasaki nanban school in Japan had Chinese smiths living in Nagasaki, producing nanban tsuba for the Japanese market. 

The height of popularity of nanban guards in Japan was during the mid to late Edo period.  

 

btw your third one with the very fine "tendrils" that arc over each other like branches in a bird's nest, reminds me of this style of nanban work, which is not very common at all. (This one is from the MFA museum in Boston)

(ttps://collections.mfa.org/objects/15216/tsuba-with-design-of-chrysanthemums-and-daisies?ctx=dde6abbf-785c-46bf-8962-3eaefa1b711c&idx=1)

Interestingly, this one is signed by a Chinese maker (very rare to see that), but unlike the one you posted, this one was made with the intent for sale in Japan because of the shape of the seppa-dai and the purposeful hitsu-ana.

It is also dated by the smith himself, to the late 1600s-early 1700s:

康煕未歳長楽交造　南京寓長楽交造

Koki hitsuji-sai Cho Rakko tsukuru Nankingu Cho Rakko tsukuru

[Made by Cho Rakko (Zhang Lejiao) in the goat year of the Kangxi period (=1667, 1679, 1691, 1703, 1715); Nanjing resident Cho Rakko]

 

Here's two examples of a Chinese guard theme that was later produced in Japan in large numbers:

Later Japanese versions:

 

Here's another egg shape Chinese one, intended to be worn blade edge down, and it has an added shakudo-outlined hitsu-ana (also in the MFA): 

 

 

[Peter Bleed]

Glen,

Thanks very much for these images and interesting insights. I agree that my "tendril embellished guard" sure looks like something made in China - probably for Chinese use. Two factors about it strike me as non-Japanese. Obviously, the first of these is the  square nakago-ana and lack of hitsu. (I bought that guard at a Tampa shows so I can't guarantee it was ever IN Japan). I have two reactions to our observations about the complex, undercut tendrils on this guard. First, I see them as a bit coarser than classically Japanese namban guards. And secondly, this fitting has a coarse, granular texture to the steel than I see on other (ie I assume "Japanese") namban tsuba.

Clearly the big challenge - and my main uncertainty - is telling the differences between guards made In China that ended up in the Japanese market AND pieces made in Japan, for the Japanese market, but using Chinese styles. That difference matters to those of us interested in Namban fittings as historical reflections of the Age of Exploration.

If it were a bit later in the day, I might want to consider how foreign ideas have blossomed in Japan by sipping on a wee dram of Japanese Scotch!

Peter

 

[Geraint]

Dear Peter.

 

In answer to your first point here is a tsuba that I believe to be of Japanese manufacture.  There are slight asymmetrys to the design in that the dragon on one side seems to have a pearl in it's mouth and the tendril that forms the inner mimi  turns into the body of the tsuba.  The material is shinchu or sentoku, the seppa dai is the classic Namban design and the ryo hitsu are original to the tsuba.  The stylistic features and the undercutting on the lower half of the tsuba are quite typical.

 

 

All the best.

[GRC]

I have one other on file like Geraint's, but it's signed by a Japanese smith (Yamada Gensho), living in Nagasaki ("Kiyou").

Both are almost certainly work from the same school in Nagasaki. 

 

 

Here's one of my Japanese-made Nanban, with very finely, vertically chiseled tendrils (rather than rounded).

It's also made of non-magnetic soft-metal that has a slight greenish-khaki-grey colour.

It's the only tsuba I have that is even remotely close to this color. I suspect it's some form of shibuishi maybe?

 

 

 

 

[GRC]

I had one more example on file...

I've got roughly 1500 Nanban tsuba images I've been building up and trying to sort/classify: 

OK, I know that's a little obsessive... 

[roger dundas]

Sounds to me a great project Glen and would love to see the end result.

It just is intriguing to see the amount of patient intricate work that goes into the making of some of these such as you show above. Maybe the mainland Chinese influence is a distraction for some but the overall amount of skill and time it must have taken (I don't see how it could be otherwise) is what is so impressive to me.

Roger j

[Geraint]

Glen.

 

That last one you posted is pretty much a dead ringer for mine; seppa dai, shape of the ryohitsu, tendril design and so forth.  Also the first one, having signed examples is interesting and from what I gather rare.  Thank you for posting these.

 

All the best.

[Bugyotsuji]

This thread is tapping at my shell, but it sounds like a complicated world out there.

It is tempting to put my Namban together in one place and force my brain to try and categorize them.

 

Many thanks for the patient teaching so far…

[GRC]

I came across two great examples of Chinese vs Japanese versions of that same double dragon themed tsuba I posted above.

The images were also detailed enough to catch a glimpse of the 2-directional Chinese nunome vs 3-directional Japanese nunome.

 

The 2-way pattern is definitely Chinese.

However, I don't know if the Chinese smiths ever adopted the three-way pattern outside of the Chinese smiths who ended up living and working in Japan. So I can't say with certainty that the presence of the three way pattern is an absolutely certain sign that the tsuba was made in Japan, although it'll still be a very "safe" assumption.

 

As with most tsuba, there gets to be this grey area of crossover in style and technique amongst different smiths in the same and/or different areas, and even in different time periods.

Often those "mysteries" are part of the fun... but sometimes they can be a frustrating nightmare, and you just have to accept that you might never be able to find a clear answer 

The result is that you'll always find examples that become a "toss-up" in terms of classifying and you just have to throw yours hands up 

 

Chinese (again, note the cutout hitsu-ana and the added hitsu-ana ring):

 

Japanese (original hitsu-ana):

 

[roger dundas]

Glen, the last tsuba you have just shown above has what you probably noticed, in that the two dragons face a Christian orb surmounted by a cross rather than a "jewel". With gilded crosses at just above three o'clock and also just above 9 o'clock. This seems to occur with tsuba having castellated nakago-ana area. Piers  pointed this out in a discussion early last year. Another point for Japanese manufacture ?

I think I got that right ?

Roger 2

[GRC]

Roger, I think you and Piers are 100% correct.

Every one of the this style of of double dragon with the castellated seppa-dai (with the wider, more square rather than slotted indents) has the cross instead of the typical pearl.

I actually had to look up "castellated", so thanks for the new word 

 

here's just a few of the Japanese ones of this type:

 

The longer, more slotted indents only show up on the Chinese ones, which don't have the crosses, and have a lot more variation in their dragon head shapes.

 

[Rivkin]

It's probably the first post on Namban work where I actually agree with what is being stated. If I understand it correctly.

 

Yes, there are Chinese tsuba of the style, they tend to be distinctive, iron ones can be somewhat simplistic, soft metal can be quite nice. The shape, the rim has certain tendencies which should not be ignored.

99.9% of what comes out of Japan are Japanese Namban tsuba.

 

I think among Hizen tsuba there is a portion of Chinese ones.

There are also 16th-17th century continental tsuba made to look Japanese.

 

How would you attribute this one?

[Bugyotsuji]

Just looking for some of my Namban images…

1.

 

2. Amber inserts, silver fukurin

 

3. Fishes

 

4.

 

[roger dundas]

Glen, you had me wondering if I had made up the description "castellated" whereas "crenellated" was instead the correct word .On checking it appears either would do the job (I think).

Enjoying the information about these sometimes enigmatic tsuba .

Roger j

[GRC]

Kiril,

I have never seen anything quite like the one you posted, so i'm not too sure what to make of it.

It also looks like something that was dug up from an ancient burial mound somewhere...

 

Guess number 1:

It originated in Continental Asia because of the rectangular nakago-ana and slightly egg shaped profile, and it was never intended for use in Japan. 

 

and now for something completely different...

 

It does appear to have been made in the Japanese "katchushi style", with the raised, rounded rim.

That guruma (wheel) sukashi motif was also very popular in the Momoyama period of Japan.

 

So guess number 2:

Maybe it was originally a Japanese made katchushi style tsuba with a plain plate and no hitsu-ana, then exported to continental Asia, where it was roughly chiseled into a guruma sukashi pattern, and the nakago-ana cut into a large tapered rectangle, and two tiny unuseable "hitsu-ana" were added in to give the plain katchushi tsuba a slightly more "contemporary" and updated Japanese look.

Just running with the idea, but I could be completely off base on this one... 

 

I've got several image examples of Japanese katchushi style and tosho style tsuba that were presumably exported, then modified in continental Asia.

But, they are usually modified with extensive nunome overlays, so this would be the first one I've seen with added sukashi elements.

The sukashi does look pretty roughly done, so more likely to have been done by an amateur after the tsuba was originally produced.

 

In terms of where in Asia:

I'm leaning more specifically towards a Vietnam because of the wide rectangular, tapered nagako-ana, but with a fairly large rounded seppa-dai area surrounding it.

Here's an example of a carved soft metal one with these 2 distinct attributes:

 

Anyone else want to weigh in on this one? 

 

[GRC]

Piers, thanks for sharing 

 

The first one you posted has some really distinct (unusual?) features that are strikingly similar to this tsuba with a solid plate.

1-the dragon head

2-the dragon tail

3-the multi-ridged outline along the rounded mimi

4-the flat oval seppa-dai that has a purposeful outline just inside its outer edge

 

I don't have any other examples with that specific dragon head...

Interestingly enough, the solid one was attributed as being a "DUTCH EXPORT GUARD made in GALLE SRI LANKA" (for the VOC), by James McElhinney

[GRC]

Piers, your number 2 guard looks like a Japanese made tsuba that is paying tribute/homage to the earlier Chinese guards that had gemstones inlayed into them.

I haven't seen another like it 

 

Here are some Chinese examples that have the stones missing:

The Chinese ones always have some type of scrolling karakusa pattern, and never have carved dragons like yours does.

and one with:

  

[GRC]

Piers, your #3 looks like the myth/legend of the carp that swim through the "dragon gate" which then transforms them into dragons.

typical fish at right, gate at bottom, fish becoming more dragon like at left, full dragon at the top.

Cool motif

 

And your fourth one is nice example of that Japanese version of the castellated / crenellated seppa-dai tsuba.

I like how sharp the contrast is from the focused use of the gold nunome.

[IBot]

I hope members will forgive me from dragging up ideas I I have aired previously, but this topic has a fascination for me. It would seem to me probable that the vogue for namban tsuba really took hold following the ventures into Korea in 1592 and 1598. No doubt Chinese sword guards were known in Japan before that, but it seems reasonable to assume that some would be brought back as 'trophies of war' and proudly displayed on the wearer's sword  as an indication they had taken part in the conflicts. These tsuba would be of the type with more or less rectangular 'seppa dai', often decorated in some way, designed for Chinese swords that had no habaki or seppa and hence were exposed to view when the sword was drawn. Some of these were modified by having hitsu ana cut in them, occasionally fitted with added rims , that ignores the layout of the original design. Once the fashion had become established, tsuba makers began to make imitations that eventually incorporated a more standard seppa dai and hitsu ana that were integrated into the design of tendrils. It is interesting that these Japanese versions are made to the size of the Chinese originals, being suitable for wakizashi and were only rarely made larger for katana.

Ian Bottomley 

[GRC]

Hi Ian,

I'm sure you're right that war trophies would have been taken from those two invasions of Korean.

That sparked me to do some thinking and some digging about when this nanban influence all started and when the Japanese would have started making their own...

 

Prior to the invasions of Korea, there was extensive trade with China and Korea throughout the Momoyama period which predates the invasions.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/momo/hd_momo.htm

 

Extensive trade was established in the early 1400s:

"A milestone for the subsequent cultural developments was that (Ashikaga) Yoshimitsu appointed himself as a tributary vassal of the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty in the eighth year of Ôei (応永, 1401). With this, three years later the official trade was able to be launched between Japan and Ming-China, which would last until the mid-16^th century. "

That quote is from Sesko: https://markussesko.com/2014/10/11/historic-overview-of-aesthetic-requirements-for-a-tsuba-part-i/

 

Here's an interesting (and relatively brief) scholarly article about international Japanese trade titled "Japan and the World 1450-1770 - Was Japan a closed country?":

https://www.asianstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/Japan-and-the-world-1450-1770-was-Japan-a-closed-country.pdf 

According to that article, mainland art, religion and philosophy was still entering Japan and had major influences throughout the early Edo Tokugawa period. 

 

And just as a side note: Chinese painting had a massive influence on the Japanese aesthetic at the time of the momoyama period.

For example, every Kaneie tsuba landscape scene was inspired by Chinese "sansui" (shan shui) landscape paintings.

So the influences and thirst for Chinese aesthetics was already well established prior to the invasions into Korea.

 

Also Korean sword guards on "Hwando (military swords) from the Joseon Dynasty (15th to 19th centuries)" -Met museum, looked more like these two:

So, they were not of the most common nanban style, which in my observations, is more heavily influenced by Chinese aesthetics.

Korea favored a large oval seppa-dai, not the narrow rectangular seppa-dai.

They also frequently used a key pattern inlay around the mimi, and favored silver, rather than gold inlay. 

Here are two Edo period Korean guards which seem to have taken on a more typical Chinese "nanban style" influence.

(note that for the 2nd one: the thick gold overlay on the mimi and the expanded kogai-hitsu-ana were done later in Japan):

A side note observation: it's interesting that these two have a mimi with a "concavely dished" scallop pattern... which is very rare in nanban tsuba. The scallop-edged nanban mimi is usually made up of convex rounds. 

 

So in summary, from a historical standpoint, the trade-related nanban influence would pre-date the invasions of Korea, and could go as far back as the early to mid-1400s.

Also, I didn't mention it earlier, but there was also a strong culture of "gifting" items (such as tsuba) during all these international trades. That's why the Dutch VOC company had commissioned the production of Asian export tsuba made in Sri Lanka. And the Europeans didn't arrive until 1543, so it was the Chinese who had the longer period of influence.

 

As Ian pointed out, there would likely have been a surge in the influence of continental tsuba aesthetics after the invasions of Korea.

And an increase in Japanese manufacture would naturally follow an increase in the demand from their patrons.

I suspect the increased demand, in conjunction with a more tightly controlled flow of international trade during the Tokugawa period, would favor either the "beginning of" or "increase in" the Japanese production of nanban style tsuba. 

 

Anyone else have some thoughts on the timing of things, and who made what and when?

[Rivkin]

On 7/3/2022 at 7:18 PM, GRC said:

Anyone else want to weigh in on this one? 

 

 

That one is from a body of dugouts of quite a few Japanese-styled tsubas, late 16th to 17th century, which are found everywhere between North Korea, about 500km further north and to the east they are found as far away as Kurils and Sakhalin.

For some reason while katana styled swords never gained particular traction there, hirazukuri wakizashi did, and were carried in huge quantities some as late as the 19th century. The nakago is continental (narrow, uniform width) but the fittings always tend to be Japanese styled. Quite a few have really narrow ana which are obviously useless on a waki which never had kozuka in the first place.

I suspect they might be of continental origin. They are not too common, but among the collectors of such stuff they are quite popular. Also they often do not match very well the blades with which they are dug out, so must have been made some distance away.

 

I don't put much stock into Sri-Lanka-VOC stuff, all these tsubas today are bought from Japan... Show us a Sri-Lankan dig.

 

I think this one is Chinese, reworked in Japan.

[Rivkin]

Regarding the photographs in the very beginning... Here is an early 17th century dugout find from the same region. Again, hirazukuri waki is the likely client.

[Rivkin]

On 7/3/2022 at 7:55 PM, GRC said:

  

 

Yeap, a common dugout guest but with long swords.

 

[Rivkin]

22 hours ago, IBot said:

I hope members will forgive me from dragging up ideas I I have aired previously, but this topic has a fascination for me. It would seem to me probable that the vogue for namban tsuba really took hold following the ventures into Korea in 1592 and 1598. No doubt Chinese sword guards were known in Japan before that, but it seems reasonable to assume that some would be brought back as 'trophies of war' and proudly displayed on the wearer's sword  as an indication they had taken part in the conflicts. These tsuba would be of the type with more or less rectangular 'seppa dai', often decorated in some way, designed for Chinese swords that had no habaki or seppa and hence were exposed to view when the sword was drawn. Some of these were modified by having hitsu ana cut in them, occasionally fitted with added rims , that ignores the layout of the original design. Once the fashion had become established, tsuba makers began to make imitations that eventually incorporated a more standard seppa dai and hitsu ana that were integrated into the design of tendrils. It is interesting that these Japanese versions are made to the size of the Chinese originals, being suitable for wakizashi and were only rarely made larger for katana.

Ian Bottomley 

 

Yes, but I would argue its a bit more complicated.

 

a. Early tsuba most likely came to the continent from Japan or at least appeared there much later and in direct proximity to Japan.

b. ... and they were made by swordsmith who also made habaki. Continental swords did play with habaki for quite a long time.

c. and on the continent for some reason the earliest tsuba were not round at all. but they already had "rim issues" so characteristic of the continental work.

d. and then under the influence of someone (Japanese?) they became round to eggshaped. 

e. Around late 16th century one sees prolifiration of Japanese-style hirazukuri waki on the continent, not spreading though deep into China proper. It comes with Japanese styled tsubas, Vietnam and Korea also start using Japanese styled tsuba more and more often.

f. At the same time very small number of original Chinese tsuba makes it to Japan.

g. Japanese start to imitate Chinese work en masse.

 

So at the same time you have tosho, saotome, myochin imitated everywhere around the continental coastline, often with rounded or extremely narrow (not too functional) hitsu ana, while at the same time Japanese began imitating Chinese motifs en masse.

 

 

[IBot]

There are other factors relating to this topic that are worth commmenting on. Firstly the design of openwork tendrils seems to have originated as the pommel and cantle decoration that are a feature of Tietan and Chinese saddles, as well as items such as Tibetan pen-cases. Some of the more elaborate saddles have several layers of pierced metal giving the panels of tendrils a considerable 3D effect. It is possible that the Chinese guards were inspired by the same metalworking tradition. Secondly, we are all familiar with the Dutch colony on Dejima in Nagasaki harbour, but there was also a large Chinese enclave there that traded in Chinese imports such as raw silk and brocades, ivory etc. It is quite possible that some of what we think are Japanese namban tsuba were made there by Chinese workers who complied with Japanese instructions, or that details of what the Japanese style namban tsuba should have, such as the shape and size of the seppa dai and the incorporation of hitsu ana, were sent to workers on the mainland.   

Ian Bottomley

[GRC]

Thanks for sharing those images and info Kirill 

 

I looked up some info on Ming period Chinese swords (years 1368-1644), and found quite a variety of blade styles and guard styles.

Lots of images and info here:

https://greatmingmilitary.blogspot.com/2015/06/swords-and-sabres-of-ming-dynasty.html

 

Interesting that there were several flat "wan-gata" type guards that have a raised, angled rim, rather than a full bowl shape.

Like the one Kirill posted:

 

And here's a nice article on the Japanese exported swords and Japanese-style swords made in China during that time period.

https://mandarinmansion.com/item/chinese-woyaodao 

It's called the woyaodao (倭腰刀), literally: "Japanese styled waist-worn saber".

Again, thanks to Kirill for the initial info