A Shinsaku tsuba 2013 NBSK entry

For those of you who may be interested here are some images of a tsuba I recently completed.

This is my entry in the annual Shinsaku competition held by the NBSK.

It was a commission but the theme was pretty much left to me. I titled it, at the request of the client, 'Dragonfly Glade' . Giving them names makes it easier to refer to specific pieces in future too. It's also signed on the back to indicate that it was a commission.

The relief is carved as opposed to being inlaid. The dragonfly wings are ao-kin (green gold) and the seki-gane are silver. The shape of the tsuba is borrowed from Tanaka Kioyotoshi as is the characteristic shape of the seki-gane. The steel was hand made by a Japanese swordsmith to my requirements.

You can see some images of the various influences I drew on as well as a photo essay showing the work as it progressed, here.

If you'd like to see some film footage of the actual carving process you can see some on my YouTube channel,

Thanks for looking,

Ford

Very pleasing scene. The wings truly look diaphanous and the dragonfly body realistically portrayed. The technique of your carving is only getting better. I am sure you will get plaudits for this one. John

Very good Ford; btw, that's the second tsuba you enter in NBSK competition featuring dragonfly, is there any specific reason?

Amazing...stared at the pics for 10 minutes. Love every aspect. The groundwork..and those wings!

Congrats to the new owner

Brian

Never seen it done before, great to see

Alex.

Thank you very much, Gents

John, you've homed in on exactly what my focus was; pushing the carving technique in ways I've not done before. We'll see what the judges feel about it.

Brian, glad you enjoyed it. Funny enough, the new owner isn't even a tsuba collector. He simply wanted a piece of my work after seeing the Utsushi film but he's become a keen student of Japanese art and Japanese metalwork over the past few months as I shared the process of making his tsuba with him.

Jean, I suppose I use dragonflies mostly because I am drawn to the delicacy and complexity of their wings. Trying to capture something of that quality in metal and contrasting it against other textures is something I find very satisfying. They don't embody any specific meaning for me though. On the other hand 'katsumushi' , victory insect, might be a good luck motif in the competition :D

Alex, have you not seen the

I have now Ford, absolutely fascinating, not knowing much about tsuba its answered a lot of questions for me. Great to see how its done, rather than read how its done . It must be great to have such skills.

Alex.

Hi Ford H.,

Great work! :D I hope you do well at the Shinsaku competition held by the NBSK. I didn't see any Shinsaku tsuba while I was in Japan on a two week vacation but I was able to visit three castles, and few museums, temples, and shrines. At some point I would like to add a modern tsuba to my website but in the mean time I need to get back to saving my money. I'll send you a email via your website which I have bookmarked when I'm ready to talk business.

The steel was hand made by a Japanese swordsmith to my requirements.

Who was the Japanese swordsmith who made the tsuba plate? Looking at the linked photographs you provided the hammer work on the plate surface looks really nice.

Yours truly,

David Stiles

awesome! in my opinion best than the previous one!

I find the surface finish and the rim simply excellent. What splendid hammer work!

These are "details" where you can see the difference between a master and the average tsubako. Exquisite!

Ford.. You are so talented.. I wish I could afford to have something made by you.

The closeup shot ofthe dragonfly is great... the body being done in katakiri and the inlaid wings shows tons of style... and good luck in the competition

Ford FWIW, i always feel a great calm when i view your work.

I particularly enjoy watching the sequence of photos in your link (https://plus.google.com/photos/10292032 ... banner=pwa)

Nice to see the tsuba inspirations and to spot the various elements incorporated into this work.

Btw....who did that katakiri grasses tsuba? Can see the influence in your reeds. Next year, you need to go on step further and submit a daisho set maybe :D

Brian

Absolutely brilliant! Thank you for sharing not just the art, but your process as well.

Just incredible and like Stephen said, a very serene atmosphere.

Such a mastery is quite astonishing.

Congratulations,

Ford, you need to update this thread with the news of your award!

Congratulations, Mr. Hallam-san

Ford FWIW, i always feel a great calm when i view your work.

Ford, I agree with Stephen...I viewed your scene not so much in terms of Katsumushi but in terms of summer and the sounds of mushiatsui...just reminds me of a stream behind my daughter's house in Harima.

We are so lucky to have you and to have your willingness to share your art. Thanks.

Regards,

Thanks very much Gentlemen, your kind comments are much appreciated.

George,

the concept in my mind's eye was very much about the stream and the atmosphere. The dragonfly is in a way incidental and fleeting. I'm very pleased to hear that's how it's experienced.

There is a nice contrast between the static elements (the vegetation) and the dynamic elements (the stream & dragonfly) that imbues this piece with a 3 dimensional depth. Very nice work. I loved it at the first glance.

Again, an absolutely masterpiece! For me it's the perfect combination of classic art and modern interpretation! Simply loving it

Ford,

That is amazing!! Keep up the great work.

Regards

Art Torano