Edo Kinko, Tiger and Dragon

[cdrcm12]

Hi,

 

I picked this up recently, I was a bit unsure about it from the pictures from the auction I bought it from, it was a mixed lot along with a set of 200lb scales!, but there was something about it.

 

Having received it and given it a bit of a clean with soap and water, it was pretty dirty, I had a look through the reference books I have and think this is from the Nukagawa Mito school. More specifically I think this is by Yasumitsu, who worked around the 1800, according to Haynes - 11197.0.

 

I came to this conclusion from finding an almost identical, but smaller tsuba in the Carlo Monzino collection catalogue, Lot 345, image below. Both these tsuba seem to be in the style of the Nara school, Lot 116 in the catalogue shows another of similar style attributed to Toshinaga.

 

The tsuba looks like it has been cleaned with polish at some time in the past, given the white deposit on the faces of the nakago-ana and sukashi elements, plus what had built up in the wave and cloud grooves that I cleaned out. I feel it’s lost its patina as well, with the only original bit on the back of the tiger where it’s not been polished, but luckily not too much definition.

 

It still needs a bit of attention and any advice on how to do this would be welcome, I seem to have read somewhere denatured alcohol could help to clean out the awkward grooves?

 

If anyone has any further information on the Nukagawa school or images of Yasumitsu’s work I would be grateful?

 

Tsuba dimensions:

 

Height: 72mm

Width: 68mm

Mimi thk: 4.8mm

Seppa dai thk: 5.5mm

Nakago ana: 24.5mm x 6mm

 

It looks like it’s been mounted at some point, as well as the tagane, one of the clouds below the dragon has been trimmed to accept a seppa.

 

 

Thanks

[Alan Morton]

On 8/1/2022 at 6:43 AM, cdrcm12 said:

Hi,

 

I picked this up recently, I was a bit unsure about it from the pictures from the auction I bought it from, it was a mixed lot along with a set of 200lb scales!, but there was something about it.

 

Having received it and given it a bit of a clean with soap and water, it was pretty dirty, I had a look through the reference books I have and think this is from the Nukagawa Mito school. More specifically I think this is by Yasumitsu, who worked around the 1800, according to Haynes - 11197.0.

 

I came to this conclusion from finding an almost identical, but smaller tsuba in the Carlo Monzino collection catalogue, Lot 345, image below. Both these tsuba seem to be in the style of the Nara school, Lot 116 in the catalogue shows another of similar style attributed to Toshinaga.

 

The tsuba looks like it has been cleaned with polish at some time in the past, given the white deposit on the faces of the nakago-ana and sukashi elements, plus what had built up in the wave and cloud grooves that I cleaned out. I feel it’s lost its patina as well, with the only original bit on the back of the tiger where it’s not been polished, but luckily not too much definition.

 

It still needs a bit of attention and any advice on how to do this would be welcome, I seem to have read somewhere denatured alcohol could help to clean out the awkward grooves?

 

If anyone has any further information on the Nukagawa school or images of Yasumitsu’s work I would be grateful?

 

Tsuba dimensions:

 

Height: 72mm

Width: 68mm

Mimi thk: 4.8mm

Seppa dai thk: 5.5mm

Nakago ana: 24.5mm x 6mm

 

It looks like it’s been mounted at some point, as well as the tagane, one of the clouds below the dragon has been trimmed to accept a seppa.

 

 

Thanks

 

[Alan Morton]

They seem to me to be the same tsuba

Alan

 

[Spartancrest]

Not number 345 in the book - close utsushi but tagane-ato wrong and nakago-ana longer. Collin's one is not signed so it is just an attribution. [guess]

[cdrcm12]

Alan/Dale,

 

Thanks for the responses.

 

I agree Alan that was my first impression when I saw the one in the catalogue but there are some differences as Dale has pointed out. The one in the catalogue also shows the dragons tail pocking out of the waves at about 8 o'clock next to the seppa-dai.

 

They are so alike hence my attribution to the same artist, Yasumitsu.

 

Close up of the tiger who may need to see a dentist at some point!!