Sekijoken Oyama Motozane Tsuba

[Shirogitsune]

I recently acquired a very fine tsuba from Japan signed Sekijoken Oyama Motozane.  I was wondering if anyone had seen this piece before or if it had been published anywhere.

 

Shirogitsune

[Kurikata]

I have no clue that this tsuba has been published anywhere but as a mater of comparison I also have a motozane tsuba in my collection : 

 

[Spartancrest]

Have a look in the Baur Collection to the work of SEKIJOKEN MOTOZANE (MITO) ?

Goda collection  ?

Both these references have examples by Sekijoken Oyama Motozane. Not sure of images.

Walters Art Museum has some pieces signed by Oyama Motozane I

I will have a look through my books - might take some time 70+ to go through 

[Shirogitsune]

Thanks.  Any comparison images would be appreciated as there really aren’t enough out there.

[1kinko]

Also in the MFA.

[Spartancrest]

On 9/16/2023 at 10:34 AM, Shirogitsune said:

there really aren’t enough out there.

You are not kidding - plenty of tigers and streams or shorelines but so far I have not found a tiger in the waves - what are tigers doing at the seaside anyway? Are they on vacation? 

A link to the MFA -Boston collection of  OYAMA MOTOZANE I   https://collections.mfa.org/search/objects/*/SEKIJOKEN MOTOZANE

And the Walters Art Museum - https://thewalters.org/search/?q=Oyama+Motozane+I#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=Oyama Motozane I&gsc.page=1

[Shirogitsune]

In Bengal there are tigers that haunt the shorelines and they are well known for being able to leap from the shore to a skiff fifty feet offshore.  I imagine that this is generally true for all Southeast Asia, or was true wherever they still had tigers.  But I do agree, this is the first tsuba I have seen depicting a tiger in the waves and I still hope to find a record of it in the literature somewhere.

[Matsunoki]

The design could easily be interpreted as a tiger caught in a raging flooded river gorge. The presence of overhanging rocks, bamboo etc …seems more plausible to me??

[Matsunoki]

Eg

https://www.artfund....ers-crossing-a-river

 

or 

 

[Spartancrest]

https://www.espace4....r-a-cliff-and-waves/

 

Tiger caught in a tsunami! 

[Spartancrest]

Well would you believe I found two "Tiger in the Waves" - unfortunately both are identical and Shiiremono "ready-made article." They are published in one of our own member's book "The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery Tsuba collection V2" by Greville Cooke. There is no image of the ura so you might contact Grev. and see if he has any images relating to 1885M510.11 and 1885M510.12 pages 155 and 156.

Clearly they are not by Sekijoken Oyama Motozane but at least we know it is a relatively rare theme.