Iron sukashi tsuba - wild geese and fishing net(?) Opinions please.

[Matsunoki]

Hello from the UK.

I would greatly appreciate any information, opinions and help on this katana (8.3cm)  tsuba acquired as part of a small nice quality collection. I believe it is termed Kyo-sukashi but not sure what that means or how old it is. I think the design is wild geese and fishing nets?
Many thanks . All the best. Colin

[BIG]

https://www.giuseppe...shi-tsuba-wild-geese

[Nobody]

The design is 糸巻雁金 – spool (board spool) and wild geese.

 

Ref. 鍔　無銘　京透　糸巻雁金透鍔(TU-021217)｜刀・日本刀の販売なら日本刀専門店の【銀座 誠友堂】 (seiyudo.com)

 

 

[Matsunoki]

@BIG, @Nobody

Thank you both so much. Would I be correct to think that the board spool is for rope or twine? Could that be a connection to fishing nets or is there no connection to nets? 
I put the description through translation….but I think something got lost in that process.

Best.  Colin

 

[kissakai]

Nice tsuba

 

[BIG]

Itomaki design..

 

https://richardturner.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/owari-sukashi-tsuba-尾張透鍔-2/

[Soshin]

1 hour ago, BIG said:

Itomaki design..

 

https://richardturner.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/owari-sukashi-tsuba-尾張透鍔-2/

 

Dear Peter Reusch,

 

Thanks for the link to Richard Turner's website. I had lost the link to this WordPress website. 

 

P.S. Love Kyo-Sukashi tsuba. Thanks for posting and keep up the good collecting Colin H.

 

[Geraint]

Dear Colin.

 

Lovely tsuba!  You have probably already tapped into this site but here goes, you'll need to scroll down to find the relevant section.  https://www.shibuiswords.com/tsuba.htm

 

All the best.

[Nobody]

8 hours ago, Matsunoki said:

@BIG, @Nobody

Thank you both so much. Would I be correct to think that the board spool is for rope or twine? Could that be a connection to fishing nets or is there no connection to nets? 
I put the description through translation….but I think something got lost in that process.

Best.  Colin

 

 

The spool is used for sewing thread. You should forget about fishing nets.

 

[ROKUJURO]

Colin,

as far as I know, the ITOMAKI spool was often used for silk.

It is a common design with many variations:

 

[Curran]

classic kyo-sukashi

[Spartancrest]

16 hours ago, Matsunoki said:

design is wild geese

A rather rusty example with a solid Itomaki central area - https://www.jauce.com/auction/u1104080818

three birds per section - make a nice daisho if cleaned up?   69.7 mm x 67 mm x 3.4 mm

[FlorianB]

Hi Colin,

 

concerning Your question if it is a net or not, I can’t imagine any connection to a fishing net.
Kyo Sukashi often produced a regular, grid-like design. Yours is a typical specimen from early Edo period.
Like it a lot!

 

Florian

[Spartancrest]

11 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

It is a common design with many variations:

This dealer has three going at the moment  - the first is particularly fine.

https://www.jauce.com/auction/l670421358

https://www.jauce.com/auction/j695040861

https://www.jauce.com/auction/l675304642

 

[Matsunoki]

Many thanks  to everyone for your time and help…….makes this hobby so much more enjoyable…..and educational.

Best. Colin.

 

[Spartancrest]

  This looks familiar, over cleaned I am afraid.  https://www.mutualar...3B1F33C57F9830AB1BAF

 

One of six guards sold back in 2021.

 

Side by side obviously not the same piece but surprisingly similar.  

[Bugyotsuji]

Yesterday at an antiques market I came across two thread spools of this shape, one with some of the original thread still in place.

[Bugyotsuji]

And today I came across this iron sukashi tsuba, which I couldn’t resist. 7.1x6.9x0.55 cm.
 

It looks old…

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

Piers,

a good find! Is that an early OWARI TSUBA ?

[Bugyotsuji]

15 hours ago, ROKUJURO said:

Piers,

a good find! Is that an early OWARI TSUBA ?

Good question, Jean. Actually I have not had time to really pin it down yet but it’s giving me positive vibes!  Maru Mimi. Not even really sure what the design details are. Could they be bobbins? The seppa Dai is distinctively chunky.

 

 

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

Yes, I was also reminded of a small TSUBA of mine which has that kind of SEPPA DAI, but your TSUBA is more elegant.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Your photo is not showing for me Jean. (I’ll double check on the PC in the morning.)

Yes, I have just been looking at examples of Owari and Ko-Shoami…

 

Ah now it’s come through! Possibility of Ōno?

 

*Apologies to Colin and his lovely thread-starting tsuba for threadnapping.

[ROKUJURO]

I was told it is more likely KO-SHOAMI.

[Bugyotsuji]

Similar threads running but it’ll add this for decoration.

 

Personal opinions.

I still think that the idea of those square fishing net lift contraptions (made of string after all) is 50% included in the mental image in Colin’s thread-starter above. Birds would go naturally with nets in the air. (Forgive me Nobody San!)

https://www.google.com/search?q=伝統+漁業+網　四つ手上げ&client=safari&sca_esv=587540083&hl=en-GB&tbm=isch&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjK6cbWxPSCAxUnZvUHHZoSBxMQ_AUoAXoECAYQAQ&biw=390&bih=663&dpr=3#imgrc=KjhsP9fFMSOh4M

And further, to make Ford angry, I can even see a rusu moyo hidden Christian possibility in the crossed threads… or crossed net stretchers…