Hirado Kunishige tsuba.

[Geraint]

Dear All.

 

Very pleased to have received this one in the post today, much better in hand than the rather sketchy photographs would indicate.  The patina appeared washed out in the photographs but is a lovely deep brown, there are scattered silver and shakudo inlays of shells on the carved wave background and the obligatory dragons and sacred gems. I have long fancied to add one like this to my collection but assumed they would be forever out of reach.  Somehow this one slipped through the auction net and is now mine, just wanted to share it with you as I know some here are interested in this school.  Enjoy!

 

All the best.

 

 

[ROKUJURO]

That is a true beauty! 

[Franco D]

Wonderful piece, most enjoyable! 

 

Tsuba finds the owner.

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

Auguri,

[Okan]

Very nice find, Geraint, very good condition as well..

 

Here is my tsuka:

 

 

 

 

[Jake6500]

This is a cool and unique style of craftmanship I haven't really seen before! Very nice tsuba and fuchigahira, Geraint and Okan!

[davel]

1 hour ago, Okan said:

Very nice find, Geraint, very good condition as well..

 

Here is my tsuka:

 

 

 

 

One should think that the tsuba and this f&k once were a set :)? 

[Alex A]

Very nice Geraint

 

My avatar is from a Hirado Kunishige tsuba, now lives with Ken

 

From memory, read dragons was a popular subject of that school.

[Geraint]

Dear All.

 

Thank you for your contributions and to Okan for sharing his tsuka.  If you are not familiar with Kunishige then this excellent article of Peter Dekker may be of interest, https://www.mandarin...ary/hirado-kunishige

 

Edit to add:  Alex, our posts crossed but I do remember that tsuba well.  As for the dragon theme you are right, an NBTHK article says of him,'For an artist, Kunishige did not much vary his motives (sic) because almost all of his works show this subject of a tamaoi-ryu.' (trans:  Markus Sesko)  Having said that Okan's rather wonderful fuchi kashira show shachihoko, perhaps more suited to the space.

 

All the best.

[Alex A]

Never seen that article, cheers.