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Posted

A friend sent me a link to a strange looking tsuba design currently up for auction: 

Super Edo Period Long Sword Tsuba - Picture 1 of 3

 

The image [eventually] sparked my memory of a similar themed guard in the Royal Ontario Museum:  However that description just does not gel [a design of leaves "After the style of Risei of Sadol"]

927.100.53.jpg

 

Having found that image, I found another from Japan with a much more plausible explanation of the design. https://www.seiyudo.com/tu-120519.htm  Bream bones

bream bones.jpg

 

With that clue I found this image which would seem to confirm the fish bone accuracy. What do others think? 

image.thumb.png.77ebf8eb5eb37b618842c54e3c49ab85.png

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Posted

Looks good to me Dale, but why are these bones considered 'lucky'??  They look eminently suited to getting stuck in your throat and inviting whacks on your back!!!

 

Here is my Akasaka Tadatoki V, with thanks to Justin O for selling it to me.  Here is part of Justin's writeup for general knowledge on the Akasaka group:

Hikojuro Tadatoki V was the 8th and last master of the Akasaka school. From the 6th master onwards the guards continue to be influenced by the style of the 4th master period and are in Higo school. This guard in particular is very reminiscent of Higo Nishgaki work. Tadatoki V prepared a genealogy of the entire Akasaka group that is reliable and provides much of the information that we know about this school today.

BaZZa.

AkasakaTadatokiVtsuba.jpg.61f5edff4243aa2886ffba035b088811.jpg    AkasakaTadatokiVtsuba-mei.thumb.jpg.f8125820f472b2609ae60656684b7388.jpg

  • Like 8
Posted

Interesting. I've never heard of this before, but there are three bones in the head of a snapper that resemble farm implements, hence the name "Three Tools" that are circled in red in the picture that Dale posted. They are supposed to resemble a hoe, sickle, and rake. May also have been used in some kind of fortune-telling. 

 

Anyway, I found another example of a tsuba with this theme, so I think Dale hit the nail on the head with this. 

https://issuu.com/kogire-kai/docs/109_____

 

image.png.f467d6a16c84618fa684691f927e6b3c.png

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  • 1 month later...
Posted

Victoria and Albert museum has a "fish bone" tsuba as well. https://collections..../item/O466388/tsuba/      A marked decline in the number of bones in this one.

Tsuba top image   Accession number: M.168-1911  Tamba/Sado/Kiami [looks like they are not sure who made it]

 

The museum also has a sukashi type with three bones in negative silhouette 

 

Tsuba top image   https://collections..../item/O466561/tsuba/     M.461-1931  Bushu

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