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Where is the love for cats?


Okan

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Ok this has been bugging me for some time now..Why didn't they use more Cats(strays) in fittings? I mean we see chickens, mouse, hare, plants, more plants, flowers, dragons etc..But why no strays?

In Japanese folklore cats have protective powers..they symbolise good luck and fortune. So they would fit to the warrior class, and also Lords..So why not we are able to find more fittings with cats? Any ideas? Are they just too cute to wear?

I'll share some pics that I was able to find. 

 

1112ac7e834dc1f0a0e6cb90fa9f03df.jpg

3149-jp-samurai-sword-rare-cats-design-daito_1_ba666c96e87dd8c58fdeb3b8f485397a.jpg

c614edf48c089a2025e56dde51dfeeb9.jpg

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Okan, I have been wondering the exact same thing.  I scour yahoo for cat related tosogu and never find any. Only the larger variety of cat are depicted (tigers). hahaha.

It does seem logical for the reasons you point out that they would be more commonly used as a theme than they are.

 

PS: I really like your tsuba examples, especially the iron one at the bottom. 

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12 minutes ago, rematron said:

This is purely speculative and something that I just thought of:  Perhaps cats were more of a merchant's animal theme and since merchants were the lowest of the social order, samurai didn't want to associate with them?

 

Take a look at this! :)

 

https://www.senganen.jp/en/2020/11/samurai-cats-of-the-shimadzu-clan/

 

 

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Dale, I didn't see the bokken tsuba but I'm not that attracted to it. I did see the one on the right but there was something that threw me off. I'll have to look at it again. Thanks for looking out!

 

Edit: But now that I've seen a tsuba in the shape of a curled-up cat, how can anything else compare? 

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4 hours ago, Okan said:

Ok this has been bugging me for some time now..Why didn't they use more Cats(strays) in fittings? I mean we see chickens, mouse, hare, plants, more plants, flowers, dragons etc..But why no strays?

In Japanese folklore cats have protective powers..they symbolise good luck and fortune. So they would fit to the warrior class, and also Lords..So why not we are able to find more fittings with cats? Any ideas? Are they just too cute to wear?

I'll share some pics that I was able to find. 

 

1112ac7e834dc1f0a0e6cb90fa9f03df.jpg

3149-jp-samurai-sword-rare-cats-design-daito_1_ba666c96e87dd8c58fdeb3b8f485397a.jpg

c614edf48c089a2025e56dde51dfeeb9.jpg

That latter cat is it gorgeous tsuba.

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A sentoku tsuba Attributed to Nakajima Toshiharu, Tanaka School, 19th century

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20493/lot/34/

A SENTOKU TSUBA

Attributed to Nakajima Toshiharu, Tanaka School, 19th century
Of rounded rectangular form with raised rim, carved and inlaid with a seated cat beside a gutter and downpipe, with details of silver and shakudo takazogan and a brushwood fence engraved on the reverse, signed Rakusei no ju Toshiharu with kao. 6.7cm (2 5/8in).

6 Nov 2013  Sold for £ 1,750

 

Sublime to the ridiculous! :rotfl:

 

image.png.778d87d6702901a9fe9763944e6b043b.png

 

 

 

 

 

cat netsuke.jpg

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10 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

What happened to the other thread with cat tosogu on? (I posted a yellow metal cat tsuba there, from an Osafune artisan.)

Hi Piers. You posted it in 'NMB Cat Corner' in the Izakaya. It's a very nice tsuba btw.

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Coincidentally, I spotted this three days ago and ended up winning the bid. I have no idea how old it is or if it’s ‘real’ but it was inexpensive for a tsuba and I like it.  I’d of course like to think it’s Japanese at least and not a Chinese fake.
 

 

7A6747AD-EFA4-42A8-99B7-A47CA7A751BC.jpeg

5052FE1D-98D9-47BA-B64D-D036F588A130.jpeg

9D6D52AD-E1AE-44E9-B8C9-9C5855B71C10.jpeg

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