Tsuba: bird on a swing

[rematron]

I just got this tsuba. Another yahoo auction (my main source). I love the subject matter and the composition as well as the sheer size and realism of the little bird. I think this one is brass maybe? The ura side of the bird has less detail and the whole of the ura has a blackish finish making me wonder if it was lacquered. I would love to hear any opinions or insight on this piece. I’m also wondering if this is supposed to be a specific species of bird. 
 

7.6x7.5x0.4cm

 

 

 

 

[Spartancrest]

Japanese Nightingale would be my guess. The birds call was thought to be very pleasing. I think the swing is a form of birdfeeder perch - [wish I had one like it myself]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KvMaZfSVoM   Not so popular in England apparently as it has become invasive - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10892023/Loud-chirp-new-invasive-Asian-songbird-threatens-dominate-Britains-dawn-chorus.html   [sorry but it serves them right for bringing a long list of invasive pests to the colonies!]  Nice guard - I had my eye on that one also!

[rematron]

Thanks for the links, Dale! Beautiful song indeed. I showed my wife the photo you posted and she said: “Well that’s a lovely little bird… Why do Japanese animals always look Japanese?” 😄

[rematron]

Well, I've had a little time to research what kind of bird is portrayed on this tsuba and it was a bit of an educational journey.  My theory is that this is an UGUISU (Japanese Bush Warbler).  Here's a Wikipedia link: Japanese bush warbler - Wikipedia .  It turns out that the uguisu was nicknamed 'Japanese Nightingale' by the English because of its song but it actually has no relation to that species (Nightingale).  But, like so many other English attributions of old, the name stuck.  More confusing is that there is actually another bird more commonly called a Japanese Nightingale with its real name being Red-Billed Leiothirx and this is the bird that comes up when you search "Japanese Nightingale".  However, this bird (the one @Spartancrest has pictured above) was not introduced to Japan until the 1980's though it IS a popular caged bird in Japan currently.  The uguisu, on the other hand, has a very long history of being a popular caged bird in Japan with poetry and art dedicated to it.  The Wikipedia article speaks to this and also offers a few other related interesting factoids intersecting with the modern culture.

 

On a side note, this is one of the reasons I got into collecting tsuba and other tosogu.  There is so much Japanese history to learn while researching motifs.

 

 

 

[Spartancrest]

1 hour ago, rematron said:

(Japanese Bush Warbler)

I think the bush warbler came up in the searches and that is the birdsong link - You really can't trust Google to get it right everytime - I should have known better!

Looking at the Red-billed leiothrix I can see how it would do well in Japan, it is native to India, Bhutan, Nepal, Burma and parts of Tibet.  Looks like the wildlife are swapping countries all around the world! 

[rematron]

Well, Google (or Bing, as is the case with the computer I'm using right now) can easily get confused when there are two different birds going by the name 'Japanese Nightingale'.  

[rematron]

@Spartancrest Ever seen another tsuba like this? I’m guessing this is Edo period? Maybe late Edo? But honestly I have no real idea. 

[Spartancrest]

20 minutes ago, rematron said:

Ever seen another tsuba like this?

No I haven't - -  there goes my reputation! 

But you can bet I will notice if I ever do!

[Matsunoki]

19 minutes ago, Spartancrest said:

No I haven't - -  there goes my reputation! 

I don’t believe it. I must be dreaming.🙂🙂

[Matsunoki]

I think the bird is sitting on a Chinese songbird “swing” …..quickest image I could find……

And I think the head shape etc is wrong for the Nightingale. More likely canary? But who knows 🙂

[Matsunoki]

On 5/15/2023 at 8:54 PM, rematron said:

My theory is that this is an UGUISU (Japanese Bush Warbler)

Jeremy…..have a closer look at the beak!…🙂

[rematron]

Colin, I realize the beak is not a perfect match but in Japanese art there is quite often a bit of artistic liberty, especially when it comes to animals.  I've seen many heron with beaks that didn't look like heron beaks but they were obviously supposed to be a heron or egret.  Same goes for swallows and other birds.  You know it's supposed to be a swallow because of the tail but the head doesn't look right.  Sure, it could be a different kind of bird, but the size of the bird and history of the UGUISU in Japanese culture lead me to that best guess (for now, anyways)  

 

I mean, it could be a canary but I'm having difficulty finding when those were introduced to Japan.  Learning that could help date the tsuba as well.  Also, the beak doesn't look much like a canary's either.  'Canary' in Japanese (canaria) is written in katakana as opposed to hiragana, which leads me to believe that canaries haven't been there all that long.  Who knows, indeed.

 

 

[Matsunoki]

1 hour ago, rematron said:

it could be a canary

Jeremy, hello, this is fun yes?🙂

I think there are many different canaries that all look a bit different…….just to add to the speculation! I was just thinking that as it is depicted on a domestic (Chinese) bird apparatus together with its little water bowl it was more likely to be a domestic songbird than a wild one. But maybe it’s just any old bird, could even be a sparrow! I sometimes think I think too much…..

[rematron]

I actually do really like the conversation, Colin.  I don't think you think too much.  hahaha!  I'm not rooting for any particular bird species.  I think you could be right about a sparrow.  My initial search shows that they are widely depicted in both Chinese and Japanese art so that would follow with the Chinese style perch, however there isn't the same convenient connection to it being a popular caged bird as is the case with the uguisu.  Most of the art depictions have sparrows in the wild. 

 

Based on looks alone, though, the sparrow... wait for it... FITS THE BILL.  *knee slap*

Eurasian tree sparrow - Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

[Matsunoki]

……..and the winner is…….the humble sparrow (maybe)

[1kinko]

Sparrows were not appreciated by Japanese farmers because they ate their rice. Remember, wealth was accounted by a years worth of rice.

[Stephen]

Don't get me started on sparrows, biggest pest ever.... Except of course raccoons. 😎

[Spartancrest]

3 hours ago, Stephen said:

Don't get me started on sparrows, biggest pest ever....

. . . Except of course PEOPLE ! 

 

Stephen people all around the world love raccoons - [they are native to the US. ie they belong there!] - - but we don't have to live with them.

 

I got into an argument with a guy here who said the Wallabies/Kangaroos were vermin and a real pest - not true - they belong here, we humans are the invaders, the destroyers of the enviroment and as Anthony Hopkins said in 'Instinct'  - "the Takers". Much like America, we here in Australia can now buy our wildlife served up on a plate - I won't touch it! Not when it is 'mined' - maybe if it was farmed, which ridiculously is not allowed! I'll get off my soapbox now. 

PS. Australia got lumbered with so many feral animal imports you wouldn't believe.

The largest population of camels in the wild, estimated at more than 1 million individuals as of 2023 are in Australia!

Australia the land of the hoppers and the humps 

[Stephen]

I can't read your name without thinking Spartacus I am Spartacus no I am Spartacus no I am Spartacus we all are Spartacus!

By the way don't try that love crap on me about raccoons or youll lose me for good 😉😎🙏

[Spartancrest]

Spartancrest is actually from the Spartan helmet - transverse crest, I think it looks the best.

Spartacus stole the name from the Spartans, he was Greek speaking but born in what is now Southern Bulgaria nowhere near Sparta. 

 

Hey who didn't like Smokey and the bandit! 

[Stephen]

The fancy tail (who was twice big) old pic, many hours of pleasure watching him lazy swim back and forth over 15 years, (very Zen) was sick last week head down struggling to breathe so I had to put him down I read the quickest way was to sever  spinal cord, I used garden shears.

Wrapped him in paper towels and buried in the old tree stump to have flowers planted on top later.

I went out to do the planning and I seen something on the ground thought it was a dead Robin turned it over it was fancy tail dug up by raccoons.

Of course it's not their fault it's part of nature but why you insist I'm making them cute little cartoons is beyond me their predators plane and simple not everybody loves them so all I can say is STOP 🛑!

 

 

[rematron]

Miscellaneous bird identification > sparrow > pest > raccoon > koi > strong opinions...  This thread is a roller coaster!

 

Beautiful koi, Stephen.  I'm sorry for your loss and salt in the wound via grave desecration. 

[Stephen]

Jeremy I apologize for the extreme off topic....started with those damn sparrows again I'm sorry

[Spartancrest]

Stephen - Sorry for your loss, all pets are precious.

[Spartancrest]

On 5/15/2023 at 9:39 AM, rematron said:

I would love to hear any opinions or insight on this piece.

Well as we should know by now it is a rare thing to find a design that hasn't got a copy somewhere!  [I think the detail of the bird's beak is better on Jeremy's]-

The description "Illustration of a birdcage and a nightingale, Mumei (perhaps by Shoami)"

   https://www.jauce.com/auction/j1108926751  or  https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/j1108926751

 

[rematron]

15 hours ago, Spartancrest said:

Well as we should know by now it is a rare thing to find a design that hasn't got a copy somewhere!  [I think the detail of the bird's beak is better on Jeremy's]-

The description "Illustration of a birdcage and a nightingale, Mumei (perhaps by Shoami)"

 

Dale, you found one! But of course you did! Interesting. And that one appears to be made of iron as opposed to my kinko example. 

[Spartancrest]

On 10/7/2023 at 2:17 AM, rematron said:

you found one! But of course you did!

x2,  Long, long time coming but I don't forget a face. https://www.bonhams....17th-19th-century-5/

By the auction account Akao school.