Goami/Kiami Design

[Tsuba gardener]

A bit late, but David Stiles in 2012 stated he was looking for references to Goami/Kiami tsuba.  I too am researching this school , frustrating because there are few correctly referenced examples. What's intriguing me is the sukashi which appears uncharacteristic. To me it appears to represent a pagoda roof or another form of roofing. But it also indicates movement. I am also researching the possibility that kanji is represented in within the design (possibly magari kawa or river).  I also wonder whether the sukashi was added later. 

[DirkO]

I have this one on file - hope it helps!

Additionally - there seems to be some nice info here (easy enough to translate with Google translate)
https://www.librirar...6%E9%98%BF%E5%BC%A5/

[Tsuba gardener]

1 hour ago, DirkO said:

I have this one on file - hope it helps!

Additionally - there seems to be some nice info here (easy enough to translate with Google translate)
https://www.librirar...6%E9%98%BF%E5%BC%A5/

Hi Dirk thanks for the link and your tsuba. It appears that there is a wide variety of design with in the school.

[DirkO]

Just to clarify - it's not mine! I just keep quite a few tosogu/nihonto on file so I can use them as information source if ever needed. The one I posted was sold in 2019.

[Spartancrest]

One of Gary Murtha's Goami pieces    https://www.worthpoi...goami-mon-1782814008

   

 

[Soshin]

On 11/21/2023 at 6:01 AM, Tsuba gardener said:

Hi Dirk thanks for the link and your tsuba. It appears that there is a wide variety of design with in the school.

 

@Tsuba gardener  Neil Bolden Yes, wide variety of designs and techniques used by this school (ryuha 流派) it was as varied as any of the regional (Shōami-ryuha 正阿弥流派) ex. (Kyōto-Shōami 京都正阿弥). 

[Tsuba gardener]

On 11/22/2023 at 3:44 PM, Soshin said:

 

@Tsuba gardener  Neil Bolden Yes, wide variety of designs and techniques used by this school (ryuha 流派) it was as varied as any of the regional (Shōami-ryuha 正阿弥流派) ex. (Kyōto-Shōami 京都正阿弥). 

Thankyou David. So are there any definite signs which single out Goami /Kiami from other schools?

[Soshin]

15 hours ago, Tsuba gardener said:

So are there any definite signs which single out Goami /Kiami from other schools?

 

No not really, sorry. I remember the sukashi tsuba that I had with Goami attribution came from Skip Holbrook old collection with a Goami attribution made by the previous owner arrived at from his own personal research.  I later submitted the tsuba to the NTHK-NPO at which time it was given a more formal attribution to Den Kyō-Shōami (傳京正阿弥), which I aggreged with. I later sold it back in 2015.  Here is the tsuba for your reference and educational purposes only. I hope you find this additional information helpful.   

[Tsuba gardener]

On 11/24/2023 at 12:22 PM, Soshin said:

 

No not really, sorry. I remember the sukashi tsuba that I had with Goami attribution came from Skip Holbrook old collection with a Goami attribution made by the previous owner arrived at from his own personal research.  I later submitted the tsuba to the NTHK-NPO at which time it was given a more formal attribution to Den Kyō-Shōami (傳京正阿弥), which I aggreged with. I later sold it back in 2015.  Here is the tsuba for your reference and educational purposes only. I hope you find this additional information helpful.   

On 11/24/2023 at 12:22 PM, Soshin said:

 

No not really, sorry. I remember the sukashi tsuba that I had with Goami attribution came from Skip Holbrook old collection with a Goami attribution made by the previous owner arrived at from his own personal research.  I later submitted the tsuba to the NTHK-NPO at which time it was given a more formal attribution to Den Kyō-Shōami (傳京正阿弥), which I aggreged with. I later sold it back in 2015.  Here is the tsuba for your reference and educational purposes only. I hope you find this additional information helpful.   

On 11/21/2023 at 9:48 AM, DirkO said:

I have this one on file - hope it helps!

Additionally - there seems to be some nice info here (easy enough to translate with Google translate)
https://www.librirar...6%E9%98%BF%E5%BC%A5/

 

[Tsuba gardener]

On 11/24/2023 at 12:22 PM, Soshin said:

 

No not really, sorry. I remember the sukashi tsuba that I had with Goami attribution came from Skip Holbrook old collection with a Goami attribution made by the previous owner arrived at from his own personal research.  I later submitted the tsuba to the NTHK-NPO at which time it was given a more formal attribution to Den Kyō-Shōami (傳京正阿弥), which I aggreged with. I later sold it back in 2015.  Here is the tsuba for your reference and educational purposes only. I hope you find this additional information helpful.   

 

On 11/24/2023 at 12:22 PM, Soshin said:

 

No not really, sorry. I remember the sukashi tsuba that I had with Goami attribution came from Skip Holbrook old collection with a Goami attribution made by the previous owner arrived at from his own personal research.  I later submitted the tsuba to the NTHK-NPO at which time it was given a more formal attribution to Den Kyō-Shōami (傳京正阿弥), which I aggreged with. I later sold it back in 2015.  Here is the tsuba for your reference and educational purposes only. I hope you find this additional information helpful.   

Thsnk you David. I do wonder whether Goami tsuba have been mis catagorized in some cases. I enclose 2 tsuba from the Carlo Monzino collection sold at Sotheby's 1996. The bottom tsuba has been shown here before.These are similar in quality to yours , a vast difference compared to my example.

[Spartancrest]

https://www.samuraim...hk-certificatet-171/

   Signature: 其阿弥 (Go-A-Mi)

 

   https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4461967   

Muromachi period (16th century), signed Goami, a circular iron plate carved with impressions of coins and flowers.  [Image quality was unfortunately poor 29 Mar 2005]

 

https://sanmei.com/c...tuba_guard1788_E.htm

[Soshin]

16 hours ago, Tsuba gardener said:

Thsnk you David. I do wonder whether Goami tsuba have been mis catagorized in some cases.

 

@Tsuba gardener Neil, that might be a possibility. It is important to study good, signed examples to help establish the characteristics of the Goami Ryuha and how it systematically varied compared to some of the regional Shōami (正阿弥) Schools. My tsuba was unsigned and any type of attribution on an unsigned tsuba is much more difficult to perform. With all due respect, the original owner was just a little off with the Goami attribution in my opinion.   

 

8 hours ago, Spartancrest said:

Muromachi period (16th century), signed Goami, a circular iron plate carved with impressions of coins and flowers.  [Image quality was unfortunately poor 29 Mar 2005]

 

@Spartancrest Dale, I don't think this is accurate information from the Christies auction house. The Goami School dates as early as the beginning of Edo Period and not the Muromachi Period of the 16th century.      

 

[Soshin]

On 11/24/2023 at 7:22 AM, Soshin said:

I later submitted the tsuba to the NTHK-NPO at which time it was given a more formal attribution to Den Kyō-Shōami (傳京正阿弥), which I aggreged with.

 

This sentence should read in my above quoted text: "I later submitted the tsuba to the NTHK-NPO at which time it was given a more formal attribution to Den Kyō-Shōami (傳京正阿弥), which I agreed with.". 

[Spartancrest]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/305214001923    "Masahiro Goami"

[DirkO]

The origins of the Kiami School are rather obscure and authorities, when they mention it at all, seem to differ over the details. The consensus, however, appears to be that their origins lie in the Province of Aki in the south of Honshu and Wakayama even records a tsuba signed Hiroshima ju Kiami, Hiroshima being the capital of Aki Province. Haynes (catalogue no.7, lot 67) states that the school, which he chooses to call Goami, originated with a certain swordsmith called Kai Masanaga who worked in the Hiroshima area and one day "added tsuba making to his art as a sword smith'". Joly, however, in the Naunton catalogue states "The first Kiami, Kanenobu, worked in Aki and is said to have been the second Hoan, but it is probable that Kanenobu was the traditional name (torina) of the family as there are great differences in age, style and technique in the pieces signed Kanenobu." This latter point is particularly valid since, as Joly also mentions, there appear to be three quite distinct groups of work which have come down to us today bearing the name Kiami.

 

The first group is signified by the use of a Tembo-style hot-punched design of mon, calligraphic characters and even flowers. The rather thick iron from which this type of tsuba was made has a slightly coarse grain to it and often nunome work in gold and silver has been used to embellish it. Whilst the nunome work is reminiscent of Shoami decoration, Haynes comments that the kokuin or stamped decoration is usually far superior to that produced by the Tembo. There are some relatively plain, sukashi decorated tsuba that have been given to the Kiami School in the past and Joly illustrates one in Naunton, as no.1127. It is this group that Torigoe refers to in Tsuba Geijutsuko as being "in the Choshu manner".
The last group, characterised by openwork with nunome zogan decoration, is much more in the tradition of some of the Shoami workers, particularly the Awa Shoami whose elaborate use of nunome reaches a peak in the Kenjo or presentation pieces, reputedly made as gifts to be presented to the Shogun by the provincial Daimyos on their semi-annual arrival in the capital.

 

The Kiami pieces are even more decorative as their makers would make excellent use of ke-bori and relief technique which would be used to both emphasise and to counter-balance the abundant nunome.

Extract from "Tosogu - Treasure of the Samurai"