Christian Ship Tsuba (Is This Really an Ono Kozeho?)

[Iaido dude]

This tsuba has just come on auction. It is familiar to many of us as being attributed to Ono with the motif of a sailing ship. This specific composition with the crucifix on the stern may be a reference to There are numerous such examples with similar attributions (e.g. Walter Compton Collection, Nakamura's Tsuba Shusei, various sellers and auctioneers) that are referring to the Kozeho motif seen in Ono and Yagyu work. However, I am skeptical and am hoping others will weigh in. It is suggested that this is a sailing ship transporting goods (Portuguese?) in the Ise Bay, Southeast of Nogoya. If it is actually a later work of the Edo period, what school can this whole genre be attributed to then?

 

https://drouot.com/en/l/28349546-Japan-ono-middle-edo-period-1603-1868-iron-maru-gata-with-yo

 

 

Mandarin Mansion (sold)

https://www.mandarinmansion.com/item/ono-school-ship-tsuba

 

 

Musees D'Angers (attributed "Owari" workshop)

https://ow-mba.angers.fr/fr/notice/mtc-9025-garde-de-sabre-decore-d-un-navire-ce30b96a-7a07-43b8-b0c2-f8bbe1113315

 

 

[Iaido dude]

Sasano (gold book) has several examples of the Kozeho attributed to Ohno and Yagyu with the original simpler composition and without the crucifix on the stern. It may actually be an Ono design that became popular with Yagyu and subsequently included in the Yagyu design book as Kozeho. The meaning for the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school of swordsmanship was that with sincere effort at practice one can "sail" to victory (something like that).

 

[Iaido dude]

A few more from Sasano (silver book).

 

 

[Jesta]

This came up in an earlier discussion: 

 (see page 3 for ships)

 

It appears that the cross-like shape is more likely to be a capstan or other ship part, rather than a crucifix. Occam’s Razor would indicate that this is a more likely explanation… 

[FlorianB]

The sailing boats in Sasano’s book show not necessarily the same as in the Tsuba at the top.
There have been different types of sailing boats, some smaller for fishing, others were larger cargo boats for coastal transport.

The extrem shapes (especially the stem) of the first Tsuba I can’t assign to a traditional boat form. Maybe these should give the idea a foreign ship?

[Iaido dude]

12 hours ago, Jesta said:

This came up in an earlier discussion: 

 (see page 3 for ships)

 

It appears that the cross-like shape is more likely to be a capstan or other ship part, rather than a crucifix. Occam’s Razor would indicate that this is a more likely explanation… 

 

Thanks, Justyn and Florian. It seems that the capstan was invented in the 14th century and gets its derivation from the Spanish or Portuguese, which would support the theory that the ship depicted is Portuguese. The question is whether a capstan was worthy of being singled out. The careful rendering of this motif is so specific and intentional that I find it hard to believe that it is not in fact emblematic of a Portuguese Jesuit ship. The form of the composition of the sail does seem to take its inspiration from the Yagyu and Ono depictions. The top of the sail is rendered the same way even on the woodblock prints--a stylistic element.

 

What is remarkable is that the many examples of this tsuba composition are nearly identical (if anyone has an image from the Compton Collection or Nakamura's Tsuba Shusei, please post). There seems to be a demand for this image. It was somehow very meaningful.

[Jesta]

My knowledge of nautical history is severely limited, so I can’t say whether it would be a foreign ship or not. 

 

I would say that it doesn’t need to be a capstan: tillers, bollards, and other items on boats and ships of all types also have a cross design. See here as a quick example:  

 

My best guess is that art like this (as with other cultures) adopts a relatively standardised shape to depict a certain type of thing (e.g. a ship) with certain key items that help identify it to the viewer. Given the number of things the cross-shape could represent I’m afraid that I can’t see the crucifix as being a more parsimonious hypothesis. 

 

Happy to have my mind changed on this…

 

I am interested in why the extreme curl on the bow of the ship was included. I can’t think that this is representative of Portuguese ships of the time (or others that I have seen in pictures), unless it was a super-stylised form that had become common for some reason. 

[Iaido dude]

I think you win the argument just for using the term "parsimonious." In medical practice and teaching, we often refer to the rule of parsimony by invoking Occam's razor! The difference here is that in so far as tsuba are an art form and an historical culture-bearer with elements that are often chosen for their meaning and symbolism rather than for the sake of simplicity, I don't think parsimony necessarily applies.

 

I don't know why there is that curled element to the bow. I noticed it as well. I suspect that it is a stylized rendering. What is striking is that this element appears in all of the examples even as some of the other details vary slightly. The one on auction has a rendering of the rope as having coils, which lends texture to this element.

[Jesta]

8 hours ago, Iaido dude said:

I think you win the argument just for using the term "parsimonious."

 

One thing that did occur to me was that if these are foreign ships then the cross might be a symbol to denote that. It could be artistic shorthand for “foreign”, but that is really speculative… 

[FlorianB]

Can’t imagine as a depiction of  Namban ship. 

 

 

Other artworks show a very exact view of those foreign vessels, so I can only imagine, that the Tsuba artists refer to hearsay and imagination - if it is really a foreign ship.

Needs further investigation.

 

Popular designs have been copied dozens of times and I think the workers sticked simply to the model without knowledge of the meaning.

[Bugyotsuji]

Once inside Japan, the missionaries probably moved island to island on Japanese native boats, typically with one main mast and a single broad sail. (Or even rowboats, but a sail image is more evocative of the sea.) For this reason I cannot absolutely dismiss the possibility of a religious image, especially if an artisan thought they could successfully get away with it, just as we still look with doubt upon it (is it, or isn't it?) even today.

[Iaido dude]

Another possibility is that if it is crucifix and these tsuba were made after the beginning of the Christian persecution in Japan as utsushi of the Ohno or Yagyu styles, it would set the date to after the earliest Edo Period for the emergence of another form of disguised Christian expression of faith. This would be just as in the case of Ikenie tsuba as they began to soften and then become disguised. If we can argue about whether the motif is religious or a practical maritime device it seems possible that that argument could’ve been made in a historical context by the faithful. It would be a testament to the enduring power of religious faith and the persistence of personal and political protest—even in the face of persecution and the threat of death. This is why Fred calls these tsuba a sacrifice by Japanese Christians. 

[Curran]

Interesting discussion.

The topic of Christianity on tsuba in Japan is something I have always left to other collectors in the USA.

 

I never thought about the aspect of the boats before. But why not? The Venetians certainly took their religion along as part of their merchant empire. Why not the Spaniards and Portugeuse?