''Umetada'' is a Japanese style of decoration for metal work. It may have been used by silversmiths since the
Muromachi
The , also known as the , is a division of History of Japan, Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially establ ...
period. But in the
Momoyama period Momoyama may refer to:
History
*Azuchi–Momoyama period, the final phase of the Sengoku period in Japanese history 1568–1600
People
* Ion Momoyama, Japanese singer and voice actor
* Momoyama Kenichi (1909–1991), Korean prince and cavalry offi ...
, a certain Umetada Myoju (1558–1631) emerged to become the founder of the manufacture of so-called "new swords," or ''shinto'', and to rank with Kaneie and Nobuie as a great designer and maker of sword guards. Although he is said to have done metal carving for sword mounts, not a single sword guard that can safely be said to have been carved by him remains. Most of the things that do remain are works in inlay, (zogan) in copper, brass, and ''shakudo'' using designs that recall the colorful pictures of the
Ogata Kōrin school. Umetada Myoju established the style and the fame of the Umetada name, which flourished greatly after his time. But he was not the first to make sword guards in the Umetada style. Both nameless craftsmen and a certain Mitsutada are known to have done this kind of work before Myoju. It seems likely that was the case with
Shoami
''Shoami'' (and ''Ko-Shoami'') is a name of an artistic school (style) for making sword-guards (tsuba), mounted on a Japanese sword ('' uchi-gatana'' or just katana). The sword-guard is one of the most important symbols of the samurai.
Etymology
...
guards - Umetada guards were first produced in the
Muromachi
The , also known as the , is a division of History of Japan, Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially establ ...
period. Those before Myoju are based on
Shoami
''Shoami'' (and ''Ko-Shoami'') is a name of an artistic school (style) for making sword-guards (tsuba), mounted on a Japanese sword ('' uchi-gatana'' or just katana). The sword-guard is one of the most important symbols of the samurai.
Etymology
...
ideas and are called Ko-Umetada, or old Umetada.
[Japanese Crafts: A Complete Guide to Today's Traditional Handmade Objects by Craft Forum Japan (2001) p.153]
See also
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katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
*
saya
*
Shoami
''Shoami'' (and ''Ko-Shoami'') is a name of an artistic school (style) for making sword-guards (tsuba), mounted on a Japanese sword ('' uchi-gatana'' or just katana). The sword-guard is one of the most important symbols of the samurai.
Etymology
...
*
Aesthetics
Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
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History of decorative arts
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
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Toreutics
*
Cloisonné
Cloisonné () is an ancient technology, ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with colored material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, but inla ...
References
Japanese swords
Artworks in metal
{{Metalworking-stub