punch mark

[Rich T]

Hi Brian, sure, what I know anyway. Firstly, a lot of Tosa Myochin tsuba were based on earlier Akasaka and Higo design's so it is easy to mix the 3 schools up.. Towards the late part of the Edo period, the Akasaka works dropped off considerably in quality, with Higo surpassing them. Tosa Myochin were producing guards equal in quality to the late Akasaka works.

 

Sasano was in two minds about Tosa Myochin. In his earlier book, Early Sukashi tsuba, he noted that the Tosa Myochin group did not form until the middle to the later half of the 1800's though later on he changed many of his ideas about sukashi works. However it is now believed that the group worked from an earlier time than that. The NBTHK now verify this as well. Kuniyoshi's worked from the mid 1700's on until his death in 1800 so that would verify this as well.

 

Several Tosa artists went to study under Akasaka's Tadatoki and Tadanori. It is I believe, one of the reasons why the Tosa Myochin group was to believed to have started in the mid 1800's is that they would have had to study with these Akasaka masters in the later parts of the 1700's. Moving back to Tosa would have probably been in the earlier part of the 1800's.

 

So, it can be easy to confuse Akasaka and Tosa Myochin. If kantei'ing an unsigned piece, I believe it would be acceptable to pick either. Tosa Myochin can look very much like Akasaka because they used both their design and work style. Tosa Myochin also copied Higo but mostly in design only, so when in the Akasaka style, they look like Akasaka but in the Higo style, they look like a Higo/Akasaka cross. Traits of Tosa Myochin are Ji sukashi in the style of Akasaka and Higo, as well as Ita-tsuba in the style of Nobuie . Both style of tsuba are of a very high quality. Ji sukashi have finely forged iron, often with fine kebori. There is mostly Maru mimi in the style of Akasaka in the sukashi works. The seppa dai when seen is normal and sometimes slightly elongated. The hitsu are of a standard shape. The designs are light and well balanced.

 

So, tough to kantei. I tend to find when they look like Akasaka but there is something slightly not right, Tosa Myochin is a good guess.

 

These are just my random ramblings mixed with a fair slab of Torigoye

 

Rich

[Ford Hallam]

Thanks for that excellent explanation, Richard. I must admit I had a complete blind spot regarding Tosa Myochin looking like this, I had a mental picture of more "plumpness" assosiated with them. back to the drawing board. :?

 

thanks again, Ford

[Bungo]

Hi all,

 

saw these tagane marks and was wondering if they are "Tagane Mei" too.

 

Happy New Year,

Martin

 

could very well be............ see new message under another heading.

 

http://militaria.co.za/nihontomessagebo ... a61d6287df

 

milt the ronin