NEW PURCHASED TSUBA FROM ISSHIN MASATATSU

Hello All, :D

I purchased recently this nice tsuba from ISSHIN MASATATSU and dated BUNKYU 2

I must admit that I didn't decyphered the other kanjis.

Would need some help ?

Thanks by advance

Marc

Unfortunately I can´t decipher all of the mei. Maybe you can take a bigger picture of the omote-mei:

一真政龍　　

Isshin Masatatsu

？？山春秋

??-san shunjû (meaning might change in connection with the rest of the kanji)

南陽軒？製之

Nan´yôken ? kore o sei (the latter parts means "made this", meaning might change in connection with the rest of the kanji)

文久二壬戌歳冬日

Bunkyû ni, mizunoe-inudoshi fuyu no hi ("fuyu no hi" reads also as "tôjitsu")

("on a winter day in the second year Bunkyû, year of the dog")

...............................

？？山春秋

??-san shunjû (meaning might change in connection with the rest of the kanji)

.......................

The part may be;

高雄山暮秋 (Takaosan/Takaoyama boshu) - late autumn at Mt. Takao

Hello, :D

Many thanks for your help so precious to both of you.

Friendly. :D

Marc

Hello, :D

Just as per the request of Markus, find herewith an attempt to better pics of signatures.

Friendly,

Marc

Hello, :D

Did you find this strange kana in the middle of the left signature ?

""" 南陽軒？製之

Nan´yôken ? kore o sei (the latter parts means "made this", meaning might change in connection with the rest of the kanji)"""

What is NAN'YOKEN ? It looks like a surname ? but it doesn't figure in ISSHIN other artistic names.

Dear Morita San, could you add your feeling ? :D

Thanks by advance!

Friendly

Marc

I think it is 南陽軒下製之 Nanyo Nokishita Sei Kore, perhaps, made this in the southern sunshine under the overhang of the roof??? John

I just want to add, how this tsuba has one of the most descriptive inscriptions I have seen. It explains where, who, the weather, the only thing missing is what was had for breaking fast. Detailed and interesting for that alone. ohn

breaking fast.

Fish and Chips, John, fish and chips (unless it was rice) :D

And - lovely to behold at the same time

Sorry for returning too late to this thead.

With the bigger pics, I am with John, because the locations make perfectly sense.

Takaosan is a mt. in Yamaguchi prefecture, and Nan´yô was a town in the very same

prefecture. So "nokishita" has IMHO to be taken literally as John suggestet, i.e. "made

under the roof".

I will therefore take the liberty to summarize:

Isshin Masatatsu (一真政龍)

Takaosan boshû (高雄山暮秋) - late autumn at Mt. Takao

Bunkyû ni, mizunoe-inudoshi fuyu no hi (文久二壬戌歳冬日) - on a winter day in the second year Bunkyû, year of the dog

Nan´yô nokishita kore o sei (南陽軒下製之) - made under the eaves at [my workshop in] Nan´yô

One little thing what bothers me a bit is how "boshû" (late autumn) is compatible with "fuyu no hi" (a winter day).

Hello Markus and John, :D

Many thanks for your precious help, first. But let me add some comment about Markus doubt :

""""One little thing what bothers me a bit is how "boshû" (late autumn) is compatible with "fuyu no hi" (a winter day)"""

I have perhaps an idea of this divergence between end of Autmn and Winter day :

We can perhaps understand that at the end of autumn, ISSHIN visited the vicinity of Mount TAKAO, made some sketch drawings to prepare some carvings, and only some days or week later after having found the good design, he carved the tsuba.

When you look at the serial of 8 books about NATSUO, of which 7 are devoted to preliminary drawings, you undertsand that behind the carving work there is a lot a preparation and pre-drawings.

So it is not completely stupid to think that ISSHiN having observed the mount TAKAO in late autumn, could have carved the tsuba in Decembre or January, for example. Don't you think ?

So on one side he carved what he saw and the period of his visit and on the other side the total description of when and where he carved it.

Any comments whished...

Best

Marc :D

I can only comment considering the comments with the mei he must have either really been proud of this particular tsuba ( as he should have been) or particularly fond of where he made it. All in all an excellent original provenance hard to beat as done when made.