Goto Ryujo

[Clive Sinclaire]

Gentlemen

I have recently acquired quite a pleasant tsuba signed Goto Ryujo. Unfortunately, I am ashamed to admit, my literature as well as my knowledge on tosogu is very inadequate and what little I have of both, does not trace this man. If anyone can place this Goto artist within the entire Goto school and share this with me, I would be most grateful.

I am sorry to be such a bore!

Clive Sinclaire

[Brian]

Clive,

never a bore!

A quick search of the NMB pulls up this page: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3047&p=21943 where John says: In mid Edo period is also Mitsusada known as Ryujo of the Goto family, lived in Kyoto, tanjaku mei

Pete also added: ..Goto Mitsusada, Shichirobei Fifth master (aka Ryujo).

see: Kinko Meikan pg. 390 and Studies in Kyo Goto pg. 58

Maybe this helps with the search.

 

Brian

[Toryu2020]

Fifth Master ain't bad man,

Put up some photos when you've the chance Clive old bean :D

-t

[Clive Sinclaire]

Hi Brian and Tom

Thanks for your help

Regards

Clive

[Den]

Very nice tsuba! I love the dragon and clouds theme. Thanks for posting the pic.

[Jamie]

Nice Tsuba

 

 

Jamie

[Bazza]

Nice tsuba indeed. I enlarged the image in my photoapp and there is a lot of "gunge" in the cloud formations, the dragon carving and no doubt in the interstices of the nanako. The gunge is probably an accretion of dust from laying wherever it has been for perhaps a 100 years or more. Looking at the gilt tail of the dragon there is also a slight greenish tinge to the accretion immediately adjacent to the top side of the tail. I'm guessing this is a minute quantity of copper salt that has leached from the metal into the dust accretion.

 

This thread seems an ideal place to discuss cleaning this tsuba. Is this something that could be accomplished, say, with a fine sable brush cut short so the hairs are somewhat stiff, then gently working it over the surface a very small area at a time with a conservator's solution of 50-50 ethanol-amyl acetate?? I particularly ask this question because I have recently worked through a collection of swords in a Government museum. The 21 swords ranged from abysmally worthless to a fine katana by Yamashiro Kunikiyo. They were all in a depressingly neglected state and covered in the wax so beloved of old-age "conservators" (yes, even the lacquer, tosogu and tsukaito...). My white gloves were nearly black after three days... Tsuba were mising, fuchigashira likewise in some instances, and menuki taken out of the binding. Some of these swords have been "around" in various Government departments for well over a hundred years, no one seemingly wanting to "take them on" seriously.

 

My particular concern vis-a-vis this thread is a very nice wakizashi with malachite inlays in a black lacquered saya, the black ground also having finely crushed malachite through it. The tosogu are unsigned shakudo nanako that look very nice, but have that slight lack of elegance that suggests to me either very late Edo or Meiji workmanship. I have attached a couple of pictures that well illustrate the condition. The present curator is serious about bringing some long-needed attention to this collection, but suffers from that "ethnology" condition that appears to want everything left in its original "as found" condition. I understand this from a general ethnology perspective, but we all know Nihonto is different. This museum also has a "science-based" restoration laboratory. I would certainly appreciate opinions on this situation, both for Clive's tsuba and "my" museum's wakizashi.

 

Best regards,

Barry Thomas

aka BaZZa.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello Barry,

 

  Bazza said:

This thread seems an ideal place to discuss cleaning this tsuba. Is this something that could be accomplished

 

Sorry to be somewhat of a spoil sport here, however, strongly suggest that this tsuba be sent to a professional.

 

BTW, would guess the wave chidori fuchi kashira are Mito work.