著者

南 明日香

出版者

相模女子大学

雑誌

相模女子大学紀要. A, 人文系 = The journal of Sagami Women's University (ISSN:18835341)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.76, pp.1-14, 2012

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Sword guards (tsuba) are one of the types of objects d'art collected by Westerners since the 19th century. However the criteria used for expertise at this time were unclear. In France art dealer Hayashi Tadamasa proposed a model for these procedures in a catalogue of his collection dated 1894. Soon after Hayashi's own expertise was called into question when connoisseurs started to notice mistakes in his comments on the objects of the collection. In Japan, starting in 1900, Akiyama Kyusaku became known for his observations on swords and sword guards thanks to the articles he published in the Journal of the Sword Society (Tokenkaishi). Georges de Tressan was searching for new scientific criteria and new methods of cataloguing based on documents published in Japan and in Europe. Moreover his writings as well as the letters he exchanged with collectors of sword guards living in three cities: Tokyo, London and Leipzig. show how he classified manufactures and swordsmiths and tried to perfect his criteria. We may use as an example a group of sword guards including one which belonged to Alexander G. Mosle's collection. They reveal the difficulties which arise in carrying out an expertise of Kaneiye sword guards. The debate between Tressan and Henri L. Joly concerning the masters of Kaneiye's groupe clearly shows the problems involved in a chronological study of swordsmiths. They examine the name inscribed on the object as well as various swordmaking techniques. Tressan's classifications were improved by Akiyama who responded to his questions with several letters. Moreover Tressan's method for the analysis of the pictorial decorations of sword guards made by Kaneiye's groupe allows us to see that he tried to appreciate them by means of his knowledge of the history of Japanese painting ; he also wanted to reveal the artistic value of the swords and the artistic qualities of their makers.