A lesson on 'mokume-gane' from an unexpected place

[Fuuten]

Good evening kind ladies & gentlemen,

 

Lately I haven't been so active on the board but I'm happy to say it is no reflection of my interest on the subject and I thought this was worth sharing.

 

After deliberating for a minute or two I decided to post it in general although it is largely about tosogu artists and background information on a specific technique and related history. Combined, I think all chapters add up to a thought out, finely presented lesson on a subject broader than just tosogu and that here more people will see it. Please move if deemed necessary.

 

From a company that offers wedding rings—of all places! Informative and thorough, a number of posts include experiments in which they recreate old pieces that are illustrated to a tee and clearly described in flawless English. 

 

https://www.mokumeganeya.com/e/mokumeganetour/2018/09/21/find-mokume-gane-chapter-9/

 

Near the bottom of the page are links to all chapters.

 

Attached an example of the practice that I think is extraordinarily beautiful (and which is now my background 😎). Visually tricky, confusing me when seen at first, followed by becoming enchanted with the design.

 

 

From the Ashmolean collection. 

 

Hope others enjoy as well 👍

[ROKUJURO]

Thank you, Axel,

very interesting report! And the above pictured TSUBA seems to be GURI-BORI - very nice!

[Fuuten]

17 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said:

And the above pictured TSUBA seems to be GURI-BORI - very nice!

Dear Jean,

 

Correct, which kind are almost always beautiful and in demand. The plate with the mixed metal is kind of subdued in the one shown but differs from the normally seen single color top layer (in conjunction with the guri-bori carving), anyway I thought that one was particularly good. 🙏 

 

Glad you found it interesting as well!

[EdWolf]

Hi Axel, 

Thanks for sharing. I have a wakizashi with mokumegane fuchi-kashira. 

 

[Fuuten]

Dear Ed, 

 

Looks great! And the tsuba, is that turtle shell (tortoise?). I'm not sure if the material is actually the shell. I see it more often in combs and the like. A tsuba might be a first for me if it is👍👌

 

The f&k! perhaps a mix of shakudo, shibuichi and copper? Definitely not  a run of the mill koshirae! Thanks for sharing. 

[EdWolf]

Axel, 

Don't think tsuba is made turtle shell, maybe some kind of horn.

mokune-gane is definitely something you don't see frequently. I'm still searching for a matching kozuka.

[EdWolf]

The only kozuka that I found so far is at the Met Museum. Not in the exact style but close.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/29708

[Bugyotsuji]

I have a sembei Netsuké that is made with something similar. I showed it to some metalworker artisans and it had them puzzled. Some kind of toffee copper?

 

[Matsunoki]

3 hours ago, Fuuten said:

Looks great! And the tsuba, is that turtle shell (tortoise?). I'm not sure if the material is actually the shell.

 

3 hours ago, EdWolf said:

Don't think tsuba is made turtle shell, maybe some kind of horn.

The tsuba above is multiple layers of different alloys which are revealed when carved deeply in guribori style.

See this link

https://www.mokumegane.org/e/guribori.html

Edited January 13, 2023 by Matsunoki
Added link

[EdWolf]

1 hour ago, Matsunoki said:

 

The tsuba above is multiple layers of different alloys which are revealed when carved deeply in guribori style.

See this link

https://www.mokumegane.org/e/guribori.html

Colin,

Axel was asking about the tsuba of the wakizashi I was showing.

[Matsunoki]

Gotcha! I really should pay more attention. Now I feel even more stupid than usual 🙂🙂

[Fuuten]

Good evening,

 

Unsure if it's the visibility or subject matter as I had expected the numerous show and tells on their site would've garnered more interest (given the what I thought was excellent presentation). Might I request one of the mods to move topic to the tosogu section, perhaps that is the better place after all Thank you kindly. 🙏