Soten character with a ruff collar

[Steves87]

Hello!

I am quite intrigued by this Soten tsuba, there is a character on the left which appears to be wearing a ruff collar. As per true Soten style, the reverse side of the guard depicts the back-end of the front scene, and the ruff collar is still seen. I have just assumed this may be some odd Dutch influence, but does anyone know if the adoption of a ruff was common in edo Japan?

I don't know what the story is, although I thought that maybe the character on the right is Daikoku with a bag (which seems to be connected to the horseback Samurai?)

I'd like to hear others opinions on this if possible?

[Spartancrest]

Tsuba with the Mule/horse of the Taoist Immortal Chokaro Emerging from a Magic Gourd.

This is an illustration of the idiom "like a horse coming out of a gourd," which is used to describe unexpected things. The saying may have developed from stories of the Chinese immortal Chokaro (Ch. Zhang Guo [Chang Kuo]) who carried his magical mule in a gourd.

From the Walters museum.

[Steves87]

Ah! Excellent, thanks Dale! That actually makes sense, and the neck ruff? Well maybe that just goes along with the theme??.... who expects a Japanese person to be wearing an Elizabethan piece of clothing? Expect the unexpected!

[Bugyotsuji]

Ruffs were wildly popular after the arrival of the Portuguese in the mid 1500s, especially with Daimyo or warlord leaders like Oda Nobunaga, and later under Dutch influence. They would have dressed up their Chinese boy servants in Dejima with ruffs too, and with those twin hair buns, it is a fairly common theme.

 

Ruffs in Europe followed certain changes in fashion which may have been reflected back in Japan but perhaps more slowly. You can still see examples of ruff collars and sleeves on old sets of Japanese armo(u)r.

[Steves87]

Thanks Piers, I did not know that, and any search I did (especially for Ukiyo-e prints) never gave any other examples. Would you happen to have an example of the armour with the ruffs?

[Bugyotsuji]

Last summer at Leeds Royal Armouries they had this set in the study room.

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Steve, run a search for Karako Netsuké etc.

唐子　根付

https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=karako+netsuke&client=safari&hl=ja-jp&ei=9slsZKyWDtL8-QaLxqyACg&oq=karako+netsuke&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyBAgAEB4yBQgAEKIEMgUIABCiBDIFCAAQogQyBQgAEKIEMgUIABCiBDoKCAAQRxDWBBCwAzoCCCk6BQgAEIAEOggIABCABBCxAzoLCAAQigUQsQMQgwE6CggpEEcQ1gQQsAM6CwgpEIAEELEDEIMBOgoIABADEI8BEOoCOg0IABAEEIAEELEDEIMBOgYIABADEAQ6CggAEAQQgAQQsQM6BwgAEAQQgAQ6BwgAEIoFEEM6CQgAEAQQgAQQCjoHCAAQgAQQCjoGCAAQHhAKOgYIABAIEB46CggAEAQQHhAPEAo6CAgAEAQQHhAKOgYIABAFEB46BwghEKABEApKBAhBGABQgQpYq11gvWZoA3ABeACAAZEBiAGPEpIBBDAuMjCYAQCgAQGwAR7IAQrAAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp

[Spartancrest]

[Bugyotsuji]

I have a set of sleeves that belonged to the first Lord Hachisuka of Awa and Tokushima. Around 1600. They have ruffs on them too. 
 

Also look for depictions of Oda Nobunaga about 1570. They often show him with a ruff.

 

南蛮屏風

Namban Byobu 

Portuguese fashion in Japan 

 

https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=織田信長 南蛮服&tbm=isch&hl=ja-jp&client=safari&prmd=inv&sa=X&ved=0CBQQtI8BKABqFwoTCIjRorSPk_8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAO&biw=390&bih=664

[Steves87]

47 minutes ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Steve, run a search for Karako Netsuké etc.

唐子　根付

https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=karako+netsuke&client=safari&hl=ja-jp&ei=9slsZKyWDtL8-QaLxqyACg&oq=karako+netsuke&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyBAgAEB4yBQgAEKIEMgUIABCiBDIFCAAQogQyBQgAEKIEMgUIABCiBDoKCAAQRxDWBBCwAzoCCCk6BQgAEIAEOggIABCABBCxAzoLCAAQigUQsQMQgwE6CggpEEcQ1gQQsAM6CwgpEIAEELEDEIMBOgoIABADEI8BEOoCOg0IABAEEIAEELEDEIMBOgYIABADEAQ6CggAEAQQgAQQsQM6BwgAEAQQgAQ6BwgAEIoFEEM6CQgAEAQQgAQQCjoHCAAQgAQQCjoGCAAQHhAKOgYIABAIEB46CggAEAQQHhAPEAo6CAgAEAQQHhAKOgYIABAFEB46BwghEKABEApKBAhBGABQgQpYq11gvWZoA3ABeACAAZEBiAGPEpIBBDAuMjCYAQCgAQGwAR7IAQrAAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp

Wow, thanks Piers, I've been looking in the wrong areas by the looks of it. Thank you for the amour example, it also looks like netsuki are good items to showcase the 'oddity'

[Spartancrest]

On 5/26/2023 at 11:43 AM, Steves87 said:

That actually makes sense

This doesn't - what is Princess Leia doing on a Soten tsuba? This should be over on the similarities with StarWars thread!  

 

[Larason2]

It's not contemporary, but it reminded me of this picture of Amakusa Shiro by  Takato Yamamoto:

 

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/AmakusaShiro

[Steves87]

Nice example there, I have not seen that artwork before, thank you for sharing!