KUNIHIRO,NAZEKAKU?

[budodeshi]

Some help would be very appreciated in confirming the makers signature.FYI i got this of ebay for 70$.I'll put it on my new lundemo when i get it...

[budodeshi]

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/t ... -nice-iron

[Markus]

Hi David,

 

The reading of the signature is correct, "Kunihiro", but the other

term should read "naDekaku" (撫角), i.e. "rounded-off angular (shape)".

[Soshin]

Dear David,

 

I just wanted to add something to your old post. I also purchased a Kunihiro Tosho style tsuba from Japan recently (i.e. around April of this year). Here are some photographs of tsuba on both sides after I have performed some restoration work on it to remove a fair amount of active rust. The techiques are discussed here on this forum topic http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8087.

Don't know much more about your tsuba or mine other then it then they likely date to the late Edo period. I also do notice that the mei is different between our two tsuba. This might indicate that there was more then one Kunihiro making Tosho style tsuba in kaku-maru gata or naDekaku shape in the late Edo period. I also came across this website http://home.comcast.net/~colhartley/Oriental/ArmsAndArmor.htm from a notice from my local token kai about a recently departed member of the US Nihonto community. Under the section entitled "Tosho Tsuba": http://home.comcast.net/~colhartley/Oriental/ArmsAndArmor.htm#Swordsmith_(Tosho)_Tsuba_ it states that:

  Quote

At that time many of the famous Shinto and Shin-Shinto swordsmiths turned their hand to the making of tsuba in the popular style of the day or in the Nobuiye revival style.

I know of three different swordsmiths that used the name during the Shinto and Shin Shinto periods. I hope you find any of my additional information helpful.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David S. (Soshin)

[docliss]

KUNIHIRO (H 03588.0)

 

W: Bushū jū

D: 1700 – 1800

NTS: though in most sources this name is listed as a single artist, it is much more likely that it was four or five artists working during the above hundred year period. The difference in the style of the signatures is far too great for it to be but one artist. The fact that in almost all cases they used copper plugs at the top and bottom of the nakago ana has never been explained.

 

Ex Haynes’ Index, p.744.

 

John L.

[Soshin]

  docliss said:

KUNIHIRO (H 03588.0)

 

W: Bushū jū

D: 1700 – 1800

NTS: though in most sources this name is listed as a single artist, it is much more likely that it was four or five artists working during the above hundred year period. The difference in the style of the signatures is far too great for it to be but one artist. The fact that in almost all cases they used copper plugs at the top and bottom of the nakago ana has never been explained.

 

Ex Haynes’ Index, p.744.

 

John L.

 

Hey John, thank you so much for posting the Haynes information for Kunihiro circa late Edo period. Here is a crop image of my tsuba's nakago hitsu-ana area with red arrows highlighting the spaces that once had "copper plugs" (i.e. sekigane). They were removed later at some point before I acquired the tsuba. The sekigane are generally easy to remove if one is determined to remove them. Not sure why David's tsuba doesn't have any signs of copper plugs being used in the nakago hitsu-ana. I also found another website with some information: http://home.earthlink.net/~jggilbert/hoan.htm. Jim's website has a Kunihiro tsuba that is signed "Kunihiro saku" which is different then both of ours on the message board. Cannot see the mei clearly enough to see if the name is stylistically like mine or David's. Also my sekigane were shaped very differently then what Jim's describes as characteristic of Bushu Kunihiro.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David S. (Soshin)

[docliss]

As is to be expected with the number of artists using this mei, the quality of Kunihiro work is very variable. The attached image demonstrates the better quality of work which may be found, and also incorporates the decorative sekigane to which Haynes alludes.

 

John L.

[Soshin]

Thanks again John for providing additional information and a fine example. I think due to the sizable differences is mei and degrees of craftsmanship there were many Kunihiro that made Tosho style tsuba during the late Edo period. Each with a specific signature style and degree of skill.

I do find it also interesting that the craftsmen who made my tsuba seems to be the only one that signed Kunihiro using a grass-script calligraphy style. This style is more common on swords but this is the first time I saw a tsuba singed with a grass-script calligraphy style.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David S. (Soshin)