Umetada Style Sentoku Tsuba with Textile Rolls – Middle Edo Period

Dimensions

70.4 × 66.4 mm

Attribution

Umetada tradition; possibly Kaga Zogan

Material

Sentoku with shakudo decoration and gold details

Surface

Tsuchime

Shape

Mokogata with inome-like recesses

Motif

Patterned textile or brocade rolls

Length

70.4 mm / 2.77 in

Width

66.4 mm / 2.61 in

Thickness

4 mm / 0.16 in

Thickness

approx. 1.8 mm / 0.07 in

Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors · Show original

This unusual tsuba probably dates from the middle Edo period and can most plausibly be associated with the Umetada tradition. Certain aspects of its workmanship also resemble Kaga zogan, however, so an attribution to an unusual Kaga work cannot be entirely excluded. Workmanship and Design The plate is made of sentoku and has developed a deep dark greenish-brown patina. Its outline appears almost circular at first glance, but it is essentially mokkogata. Small indentations at the upper left, upper right, lower right and lower left articulate the four lobes. Small inome-like forms accent these recesses and give the outline a character reminiscent of older tachi tsuba. Dense tsuchime covers the entire sentoku surface. The numerous small rounded hammer marks create a subtly rough texture and give the plate a lively, hand-worked appearance. The cross-section has a lens-like profile. It measures 4 mm at the seppa-dai and gradually thins toward the rim, where it measures approximately 1.8 mm. Both sides show rolled textiles, possibly rolls of patterned silk or brocade. The visible front faces of the rolls are rendered in shakudo, while their reverse sides are sentoku. This restrained change of alloy creates a subtle color contrast against the dark patinated ground. Extremely fine gold decoration forms the patterns on the textiles. The gold appears within very shallow engraved or recessed lines. The appearance reflects a gilding process in which gold applied by keshikomi zogan remained in the recessed design after the surrounding surface was finished. Attribution The sentoku plate, tsuchime surface, alloy contrasts and treatment of the gold decoration point most strongly toward the Umetada tradition of the middle Edo period. At the same time, the materials and decorative approach show notable similarities to Kaga zogan work. The piece may therefore represent an unusual Kaga zogan tsuba, although Umetada remains the more plausible attribution. Details Comes with a custom made kiri box This unusual tsuba is thought to probably be a work of the middle Edo period, and Umetada-kei is cited as the most plausible attribution. However, because similarities with Kaga zogan are also seen in a portion of its workmanship, the possibility of it being an unusual work from Kaga cannot be entirely denied. Workmanship and Design The jigan is sentoku, and it exhibits a beautiful koshoku of deep, dark greenish-brown. The outer shape appears almost circular at first glance, but it is basically mokkogata. By providing small indentations in four places—upper left, upper right, lower right, and lower left—the four projections of the mokkogata are expressed. Furthermore, small inome-style shapes are added to these indentations, resulting in a tasteful outline reminiscent of old-style tachi tsuba. Dense tsuchime is applied to the entire surface of the sentoku ground. Innumerable small, rounded hammer marks create a slightly coarse texture, giving the ground a lively expression unique to hand-work. The cross-section exhibits a lens shape. It is 4 mm thick at the seppa-dai, gradually becomes thinner toward the mimi, and is approximately 1.8 mm at the mimi-giwa. On the omote and ura, rolled textiles are expressed. It is thought to represent patterned silk textiles or rolls of brocade. Shakudo is used for the parts visible as the front side of the rolls, and sentoku is used for the back side. Through this restrained use of different metals, a delicate contrast of colors is born against the dark, koshoku-toned ground. The patterns of the textiles are expressed by extremely precise gold decoration. The gold is applied within very shallowly carved or recessed lines. From its appearance, it is thought that a technique was used in which gold applied by keshikomi zogan remains in the recessed pattern parts even after the surrounding surface is finished. Attribution Synthesizing the sentoku ground, the surface to which tsuchime was applied, the contrast of colors by different metals, and the gold decoration technique, it seems most plausible to view it as a work of the Umetada-kei from the middle Edo period. On the other hand, characteristics common to examples of Kaga zogan work are also recognized in the choice of materials and decorative expression. For that reason, the possibility that this work is an unusual Kaga zogan work can be considered, but at the present time, attribution to Umetada-kei is considered more influential.