Kamon assistance

[Ray Singer]

Hi all, would greatly appreciate assistance identifying the two kamon featured on this koshirae. Photos of the saya and tsuba (nerikawa) are below...

 

Many thanks,

Ray

 

 

 

 

 

[sanjuro]

Raymond.

 

The two principal names attached to this mon are ATAGI and NAKAGAWA. This applies only to the mon where the leaves are depicted side by side. The Kamon with the leaves actually crossed does not come up in the reference material I have to hand, and may have been just a variant used by these two families or a branch thereof. Sorry, thats all I have, but it may help to narrow down your research.

[Ray Singer]

This is very helpful, thank you Keith...

 

Best,

Ray

[Toryu2020]

Ray et al -

The Kashiwa (oak leaf) was used from ancient times as a dish or wrapper for food. In Japan it was used to wrap offerings to the gods so early on it became a design motif for shinto shrines (Ise and Atsuta) and was later adopted as a mon for priestly families. There are Single leaf mon up to nine leaf, though no 6 or 7, the most common being three leaf (mitsuba) mon.

 

Kasai Kiyoshige was rewarded with Governship of Ôshû by Yoritomo in Bunji 5 nen. At the celebration he found that 3 oak leaves had fallen into his sake cup and from this he adopted the mitsuba Kashiwa mon. The first known example of this mon being used by a member of the Buke.

 

The Taisei Bukan of Kaei 4 lists only two lords who used the two leaf kashiwa mon but neither using both mon as seen on this saya.

 

My little Mon dictionary list more than 25 samurai families that used this mon since it was first used in 1189. If its period the fact that you have two mon makes it much more likely that you could pin this down to a single family but without some serious reference material it is still a long shot...

 

-t

[Nobody]

Ray et al -

The Kashiwa (oak leaf) was ..............

Actually, the leaves are Hiiragi (柊 - Osmanthus heterophyllus).

Ref. http://www.otomiya.com/kamon/plant/hiiragi.htm

[Toryu2020]

and so it is!

柊Hiiragi - thank you Moriyama-san - This narrows things down to just nine or ten families, two of which were daimyo, Ôseki and Ichihashi. Neither of which are in my copy of the Taisei Bukan...

-t

[Ray Singer]

Thank you both. I had this koshirae on display at the Morikami Museum (a wonderful museum and gardens here in South Florida) but unfortunately was not able to identify this mon when I was asked about this at the opening.

[sencho]

Hi Raymond,

 

Sorry, drifting off topic here, but....

 

Is it still on display? I am in Japan for the summer, but live during the winter in Lauderdale and have some strong ties with the Morikami.

 

I chatted to the curator there some time ago and she was interested in showing swords sometime in the future in an upcoming exibition....

 

Would be nice if we could get all of the S. Fla collectors together to exhitbit their swords there for a few months...

 

I always thought that combing that, and a sword show, plus with the gardens and Japanese orientated facilities.... and proximity to 3 international airports would be great!

 

Anyway hope to meet you in S. Fla sometime for a beer!

 

Cheers!

[Ray Singer]

Unfortunately it is no longer on exhibit but we recently had another display which included nihon-to. This one covered Yamashiro-den, as part of a larger show on Kyoto in the main exhibition area. It was just a few pieces, a Rai tanto, Nobukuni naginatanaoshi shoto, and a Heianjo Nagayoshi yari, but gave a nice overview on Yamashiro-den from Kamakura through Muromachi.

 

I have also been speaking with them about doing a larger show which focuses exclusively on Nihon-to and hope to see that happen in the next year or so. There are some remarkable collections here in South Florida and we could certainly put on a great show if the local collectors 'combined forces' . Let's definitely get together for drinks when you are back in town, it would be great to invite over a few other local collectors for a sword meet-up...