Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-07-01
SATSUMA SWORD GUARDS.
Gems of Workmanship Which F e"
Years Aqo Sold For a Song.

Years Ago Sold For a Song.
Even until comparatively recent
times" says the Japan Magazine,
"Satsuma sword guards were re-
ferred to in a manner which likened
them to a lump of rusted iror, mas
sive and heavy. with oblong torn,
devoid of artistic design or Ornamen-
tation.
This misconception can be traced
to the isolation policy so long In
force in Satsuma, which prevented
travellers from securing free or easy
access to the interior of the Han, and
also to the restrictions in force pro-
hibiting the expectation of things
Satsuma to any place outside of its
own provincial limits. In consequence
of this state Of affairs the productions
of Satsuma artists were almost un-
known in other parts of the empire.
with the abolition of the feudal
system the Satsuma clansmen were
imbued with different views and the
semi-independent power of its provin-
cial lord became a thing OF the past.
simultaneously an imperial edict was
promulgated forbidding the wearing
of swords on pain Of confiscation, and
the public no longer priced in the
same sense the weapon that they had
formerly been accustomed to hold
reverently above their heads with
uplifted hands, and much less dld
they fully appreciate the value OF the
various adornments of the sword.
I'm the meantime articles of for
eign make began to pour into the
country and a mania for everything
Occidental seized the minds OF the
Japansese people. AS a result rare
old suits of armor, spears, sword
guards, ETC., suddenly found their way
into the hands Of curio dealers or
to blacksmith shops, where these
time e-honored treasures were trans
formed for the sake of their metal
into articles of common and practl-
cal use, such as tea boilers, sickles,
fire tongs and nails.
1.-The craze for things foreign was
so great that 1t was not uncommon
for a merchant to exchange antique
lacquered boxes for modern glass pots
that could be easily bought today for
a few sen. Some of these true OBJ
ject dart were mercilessly subjected
to chemical analysis for the purpose
of extracting the gold they contained.
"Tsuba, which are today eagerly
sought after, met with the same fate
as the ordinary one. Even a tsuba
by Kaneiye the Great, the incompara-
BILE specialist, whose productions at
the present command any price, was
laughed at by a collector when a
trader in antiques asked him the
paltry sum Of yen for it.
Fortunately, the tide Of reaction
,onp In u,itb on aWa kape6 and re-
newed interest, and swords, together
with their belongings, more than re-
deemed the credit and high esteem
which they had once enjoyed as OBJ
jects of war and veneraton. Inter-
est in feudal arms and armor has
steadily increased, so that today it Is
difficult, almost impossible, to OBJ
tain possession Of the best specimens.
THE glorious victory gained over
the Northern Colossus (Russia)
brought Satsuma more markedly than
ever into prominence for many Of the
greatest heroes who won immortal
fame during the tremendous struggle
hailed from Satsuma; namely, Ad-
mirals Togo and Kamimura, Marshal
Oyama and Gems. NodZu, Kuroki,
Nishi and Kawamura, along with a
host of stars of lesser brilliancy.
There arose a new interest in Sat
suma. Connoisseurs of tsuba argued
that in this land of heroes and Of
Bushido there must surely have been
great swordsmiths and tsuba crafts
men. especially as the province had
long been noted for it's beautiful
faience.
THE first to introduce the guards
of his native province to artists was
Mr.. Fukushima, a celebrated collec-
tor of swords as well as their ad-
juncts, and since that time the Sat
suma guards have been searched for
and brought from the most remote
and obscure corners of the south
western part of Japan and have OBJ
tanned their due share of appreciation
which was so long denied them"