First Papered Tsuba...

[Soshin]

Hi NMB Members and Guests,

 

My first papered tosogu by the NBTHK is currently waiting at the post office as today is a holiday in the USA. I think this is sigificate as I have been a member of the NBTHK since 2007. It is a tsuba posted originally on the message board on a discussion of Edo Period coins and their use as motifs on tsuba awhile ago. Once I get it tomorrow I will post photos of the hozon tosogu shinsa origami. As a starter I will post photos of the tsuba I did before sending it off for shinsa back in December 2010. Enjoy and all comments and questions are welcome and thanks for looking.

 

 

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David S.

[christianmalterre]

Dear David ,

 

Yes!-an Yagyu Tsuba!(and an very nice one,too!)

Very well done!

Keep on going in this diriction

 

Cheers

 

Christian

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

Here is a collection of scans of the NBTHK hozon shinsa origami I pick up at the post office today. The attribution for the mu mei tsuba is to Futagoyama (二子山). Futagoyamam is a location in Owari Province. During the late Edo Period the school was well known for making high quality Yagyu and Yagyu like copies. Not sure what the remainder of the origami says about the motif but at some point I will take the time to translate it. If anyone can offer a quick translation to quicken my research I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again for taking to view my first tosogu shinsa origami thread.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Henry Wilson]

Hi David

 

Well done. The papers state

  Reveal hidden contents

銭透鍔 which translates as "round coin with hole in centre cut-out tsuba". The other information describes the tsuba characteristics.

 

[Soshin]

Hi Henry and Christian,

 

Here is what I have of the translation/transliteration so far. I find it interesting that for a mu mei tsuba the attribution isn't in brackets like I have seen on other papers. The Kanji without writting by it I have not been able to translate so far.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Henry Wilson]

From my experience with tsuba papers, the only info that is placed in brackets is outstanding features. I had a kokinko tsuba once with a lead plug that was describe in brackets.

 

This site might help translating the standard paper text:

http://www.nihontocraft.com/japanese_sw ... se_sword_4

 

These also might help translate the info specific to the tsuba:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

変り形

鋤出彫

 

 

Finally, I find this page really useful looking up kanji. It enables you to search by selecting the radicals that makeup each character. It takes a bit of getting used to at first:

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi- ... dic.cgi?1R

[Soshin]

Thanks Henry,

 

I found all of the website and Kanji characters very helpful and I was able to translate the remaining sections. I will post what I found out this evening when I get back from work.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David S.

[Soshin]

Hi Everyone,

 

Here is more of the translation I did. The Futogoyama school based in Ono of Owari Province was a major center for Yagyu and Yagyu style tsuba production for the third and final period of Yagyu tsuba production during the late Edo Period. The school was headed by two generations of Norisuke (則亮) from around 1797 until about 1883. The date of 1883 I am using as it was the year of death for the second generation Norisuke. Additional informaiton can be found at the following website: http://kodogunosekai.com/2009/07/04/amida-yasuri-no-zu-%E9%98%BF%E5%BC%A5%E9%99%80%E9%91%A2%E5%9B%B3/. Feel free to comment and discuss. If anyone has an questions please let me know.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

I came across this similar tsuba to my recently papered tsuba: http://www.tsubanomiyako.jp/SHOP/T-069.html. The iron, patina, size, and general craftsmanship is very similar to my tsuba. The presence of tekkotsu on the mimi are are also very similar. The tsuba in the link is not papered.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[Soshin]

Can across this on a another Japanese sale site: http://www.e-sword.jp/sale/2010/1010_6020syousai.htm. The craftsmanship which is a good attribution point looks very similar to my tsuba even when some of the techniques are different. For example the type of "iron bones" along the rim and color of the patina are very similar. I really like Owari tsuba! :D

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[christianmalterre]

Dear David

 

so in helping you with your´s questions you still do have in mind...

It´s for a Yagyu Tsuba(what the your´s personally one is definitely) always better to get an attribution/certification to either Kodai-and if not this-then to the forge it was most probably done(so here-like talking of your´s personal one again)to the Futagoyama-Ko.

So-you see-much better than just Yagyu-Den!

 

The "Wheel" one you did gave the link-is an reminescant and common used symbolism which was equally found very common in the Yagyu stilism,is but much much older and does symbolise the principles found in many(well-those earlier times there but were not so much Ryu-Ha as Per Se extant like in earlier Edo and further times of Edo...)-called by some as the principalisation of Kion and Onkai(the main expression(s) for understanding the principles).

Such is regularely used by YKB,Hoan,Shoami,Yagyu-Kodai and Ono(those just for example)-but also to be found already in Heianjo(as i just did learn myself-Laugh)...

From kind of manufacturing-school you do see equally an parallel again to the Futagoyama who in fact did use the older principles and symbolism again...

 

Very nice Tsuba-you did post an perfect reference!

Attached one of mine...

Christian

[Soshin]

Hi Christian,

 

Nice tsuba Christian! Here is a link: http://www.e-sword.jp/sale/2010/1010_6055syousai.htm to a Yagyu, Ko-dai tsuba displaying a classic design motif (i.e. moon reflection below ocean waves). In terms of the iron including tekkotsu, visible lamination, patina, and even the technique used to carve the design (i.e. Sukidashi-bori) it is the same as my tsuba. Basically what I am saying is that this Yagyu, Ko-dai tsuba was made in Owari by the Futogoyama school it is only Yagyu, Ko-dai on the shinsa paper because the motif can easily associated with the known (by outsiders myself included) principles of the swordsmanship school. This is going back to a comment I remember hearing at the Florida Token Kai this year when showing photos that basically the Yagyu Shinkage ryu being samurai wouldn't have coins designs on their tsuba. Showing my tsuba to someone who had practiced Yagyu Shinkage Ryu swordsmanship since the mid 1980s he was able to understand motif and how it related to the principles of the swordsmanship school. Could my shinsa result be of the NBTHK shinsa panel just trying to identify the maker and time period of the tsuba without trying to understand the design motif and how it relates to principles of the Yagyu Shinkage swordsmanship school? Either way I am not in anyway upset with the outcome of the shinsa and am really happy but just trying to deepen my understanding.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles

[christianmalterre]

Dear David,

 

i would wonder a very hard-also this is not in the spectrum of Shinsa-you do answer your´s question already yourself-manufacture,object relating significances and time-period of production...(that´s already hard enough i think)...and finally you do get an certification which shall be correct.

It´s O.K.-Not?

(all the "rest" does not play significances in estimating an antique art object-at least so to get Hozon...)

 

Christian

[Soshin]

I would agree completely with your point. At the Hozon level for Nihonto and tosogu the primary goal is authentication following by attribution to a specific person or group of artisans that were active during a specific time period. Anything beyond that is a bit outside the scope of the shinsa. Thanks for the discussion.

 

 

 

Yours truly,

David Stiles