Rare Kazunori Obu-ju (尾府住一則), Norisuke School Tsuba with Complete Mei done by Small Chisel Technique

[Iaido dude]

With the help of Curran, I have been studying the only tsuba I have that has a mei. It is made by Kazunori, who was a likely student of Shodai Norisuke and a contemporary of Nidai Norisuke based on Curran's expert speculation. The masters of this school were renown for their utsushi-mono of Nobuie, Yamakichibei, and Yagyu, as well as tsuba in their own distinct style. There is only one other that I have seen with a mei that has Kazunori (一則) engraved on the left side (Owari To Mikawa No Tanko, page 59). Mine has additional engraving on the right side to complete the name Kazunori Obu-Ju (尾府住一則), which clearly identifies him as a smith working in Owari Province. This piece is circa 1830s or 1840s when Shodai and Nidai were making tsuba with carving that wrapped over the mimi (so-called daki-moyo stye). My full write-up is attached.

 

 

Owari To Mikawa No Tanko (page 59)

 

Norisuke school Kazunori Obu Ju (Arabesque and Wickerwork.pdf

[Iaido dude]

What I would like to focus on in this section is an unexpected finding that I made when I examined, in detail, an apparent "texture" to the chisel technique in the execution of the mei that stood out when photographed in sunlight. Now, it may be a known technique, but it certainly surprised and delighted me. Rather than describe the finding, let's take a look at some pics, which also reveal that the surface appears to be covered with very fine tekkotsu that give the appearance of rust in direct sunlight.

 

In sunlight, it appeared that the chisel technique for the single horizontal stroke of the kanji "kazu" was serrated.

 

 

Under stereomicroscope (Fisher Stereomaster) the kanji in the mei look like they were chiseled with a very fine tool oriented in the direction of the stroke with very fine chiseling to achieve removal of iron in a sequential manner, but with a constant depth. What kind of control would this require. How remarkable. Has anyone else seen such a technique used in the carving of mei? I don't even know what this is called.

 

[1kinko]

You get the same results when you hit the tagane slowly. It stops at the end of each hammer stroke, whereas if you hit it quickly the metal flows evenly. One gets quicker with practice and confidence.

[Iaido dude]

Thanks, Darrel. Was this technique widely used for mei?

[myochin]

Hello Steve,

 

This is a very nice tsuba, congratulations !

I noticed that Markus translates 尾府 as 'Bifu' not Obu...

 

Paul

 

(I tried to download your PDF write-up but seems like it is not working for me )

[Brian]

That’s the standard method of cutting mei. 

[Iaido dude]

I may be a victim of AI-generated translation in this case. I absolutely defer to Markus, although Obu is a city in what is modern day Aichi Province (Owari in feudal Japan). Here is the content of my PDF with the correction. 

 

 

 

[Iaido dude]

Thanks, Brian. I had a discussion with Steve Waszak recently about the fact that there has been little importance paid to mei on tsuba other than for attribution, and that it is possible that they stand as an art form on their own. The example we were discussing is the fact that Hoan's austere tsuba bear a rather flamboyant mei. Of course having only one signed tsuba in my small collection puts me at a disadvantage, but I am intrigued by the idea of this kind of study focusing on the art of the mei. Now I encouraged to acquire Hoan tsuba. Long before I started collecting tsuba in March, 2024, I have been a long time collector of museum quality zen painting and calligraphy. So, my primary experience was in two dimensional Japanese art in which the power instilled in the dynamic rendering of calligraphy by notable Zen masters is paramount. Here is an example from my collection. My website link at the bottom showcases all of my art collection including tsuba along with essays about Japanese aesthetics, Zen, and Zen practices including martial arts, and a photojournalistic celebration of the natural world that my family enjoys.

 

 

Self Revealed

Tetsugyu (1628-1700). Chinese Obaku sect Zen master who studied with Teishu, Ryukei, Ingen, Mokuen, and Sokuhi. The last three were leading Zen masters and noted calligraphers of his time. "The two characters of this bold and dynamic calligraphy in cursive script can mean 'solitary dew,' but they are part of the Zen phrase 'Self revealed among the myriad of things,' representing the state of enlightenment. According to Buddhist belief, the life of an individual is no more than a single drop of dew, but within this impermanence exists the inherent Buddha-nature, which needs only to be awakened and brought forth." 

[Published in: The Art of Zen: paintings and calligraphy by Japanese monks 1600-1925. Stephen Addiss; publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York (1989)].

[Steve Waszak]

Love that work of calligraphy, Stephen.  Very powerful.  And thank you for the history on Tetsugyu.  As you note in your post here, I really think that the calligraphic connections, so to speak, that may be made between the signatures/inscriptions on tsuba and other features/aspects of the work is a significantly under-studied area.  Moreover, the various and specific meanings of the kanji used for (different parts of) the names of the smiths (and/or their ateliers) merits much more attention than I have seen given to that, at least in Western literature (or even in translated Japanese literature).  An example of what I mean here may be seen in the notion of "good luck" associations between the way one part of a name is written and alternative ways it may be (or may have been) written.  I know that in the Azuchi-Momoyama years, for instance, a considerable amount of serious weight was given to things like omens, luck, premonitions, and so on.  How, then, this may have been manifest in the determining of "art names" for smiths, and for the particular kanji used for those names, is worth looking into with some serious effort, I think.  I will be pursuing this some going forward, but also think that the actual calligraphic expression in the way some tsuba are signed/inscribed is itself a worthy pursuit.  

 

By the way, the flamboyant mei you mention regarding Hoan tsuba is, in my opinion, really seen only in works by Hoan Kanenobu, whose mei is quite distinctive owing to his "exuberance" in the rendering of it.    Other Hoan smiths are more sedate in their signing of their works.  

[Iaido dude]

Well, this gives me encouragement to grow a Hoan collection. I'm also going to start a thread on what the microscope can reveal about the surface treatment of the iron plate to achieve the desired effect of the masters of the Momoyama and Early Edo periods. I think that this can be a new tool.

[1kinko]

Check out Ford's mei. Certainly way above average.