Anyone Seen Cucumber Menuki?

[chuck]

Just made a trip to the city and picked up this tsuba at the Flying Cranes gallery (nothing but nice things to say about those folk):

 

http://www.trocadero.com/flyingcranes/i ... store.html

 

I would looooovvvveee to have a set of cucumber menuki to go along with this unusual tsuba. I'm not sure they even exist. Anyone ever seen a pair?

 

peace.

[Lorenzo]

I think I have seen one on the volume Rokusho 34.. you have to find one for sell :D

[ububob]

Would that be a sea cucumber or the vegetable variety?

[sanjuro]

Silly question perhaps, but why cucumber menuki? either vegetable or Umako (I think thats what they call sea cucumber). Are we striving for new heights in wierd? (just kidding). The combination does puzzle me however. I may just be missing the relevance of the association of these two motifs. :D

[Ford Hallam]

The favourite food of Kappa is cucumber, apart from small children that is. This is why cucumber rolls in sushi-ya are known as kappa-maki. I'd suggest the menuki would ideally be of the fresh vegetable variety.

[sanjuro]

Thanks Ford.

 

See....... I was right.........It was a silly question! :lol:

[Henry Wilson]

Kappa Zushi:

 

http://www.sushi-tsu.info/recipes-sushi.html

 

I think this thread will be locked soon

[Marius]

Very nice tsuba! Congratulations

 

I wonder if the frog on the bridge (cute little fellow) is really a Kappa. I am not quite sure that a Kappa would have a lilly leaf as an umbrella.

 

Please, have a look at the Chōjū Giga with its many frogs and other anthropomorphous animals:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Dj% ... butsu-giga

 

It might turn out that what you really want is not menuki with a cucumber (or a child, for that matter), but rather with some anthropomorhised rabbit

[Baka Gaijin]

Morning everyone,

 

There's a tsuba ascribed to Musashi Miyamoto which is based upon two namako sea cucumbers.

 

cheers

 

Malcolm

[Lorenzo]

Here is a kappa with his cucumber:

 

[chuck]

Very nice tsuba! Congratulations

 

I wonder if the frog on the bridge (cute little fellow) is really a Kappa. I am not quite sure that a Kappa would have a lilly leaf as an umbrella.

 

Please, have a look at the Chōjū Giga with its many frogs and other anthropomorphous animals:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Dj% ... butsu-giga

 

It might turn out that what you really want is not menuki with a cucumber (or a child, for that matter), but rather with some anthropomorhised rabbit

 

Thanks! I love it. And I'm pretty convinced it's a kappa. The pictures are really magnified. The actual kappa carving is tiny - about a centimeter in length. For that size, it's really detailed.

 

Initally, I was thinking of looking for "small child" menuki, but then I decided that would be too morbid. Cucumbers I think will be the way to go. Even if they take me years to find, if they exist, I will find them.

 

Peace.

[Marius]

Morning everyone,

 

There's a tsuba ascribed to Musashi Miyamoto which is based upon two namako sea cucumbers.

 

 

Malcolm,

 

sea cucumbers are animals, not plants :D And, judging by how they look, I don't think Kappa would like them

 

Chuck, Lorenzo,

 

thanks for your replies. I have to agree - this is definitely a Kappa and not a frog. The hair is there, and the face is more ape-like than frog-like. A wonderful motif, thanks for sharing Chuck :-)