{"id":261,"date":"2019-09-27T17:31:26","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T08:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sakuradayori.net\/e\/?p=261"},"modified":"2023-01-10T11:18:44","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T02:18:44","slug":"find-mokume-gane-chapter-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/2019\/09\/27\/find-mokume-gane-chapter-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Find \u201cMokume Gane\u201d Chapter 22 : Various shapes of Mokume Gane"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The technique of Mokume-Gane came from the techniques for manufacturing tsuba (sword guards).<\/p>\n<p>From the time when swords were used as weapons, through the peaceful world of the Edo period, there was a strong inclination for sword accessories to be seen by warriors as an expression of themselves and of their individuality. This is how highly decorative tsuba came to be made, and the intricate patterns made from Mokume Gane came to be used.<\/p>\n<p>The very shape of tsuba depended on the taste of its owner. In olden times, people did not just pick a shape as a simple design, but rather were moved by the belief that certain shapes were auspicious for them. We will introduce here Mokume Gane tsuba and the meaning of their shapes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarugata\u201d round-shaped<br \/>\nThis is the shape that is most often used in tsuba. As the circular shape signifies \u201ccompletion\u201d or a \u201clack of angles,\u201d its positive meaning is liked by many.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sakuradayori.net\/cp-bin\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/pattern3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3794\"><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMokk\u00f4gata\u201d lobed (quince)-shaped<br \/>\nThe name comes from a resemblance with the cross-section of a quince. The appeal of the quince comes from it giving a great deal of fruit, and since it also resembles a bird\u2019s nest, it has long been appreciated for its connotations of a prosperous progeny. It comes in four, five and six segment variants.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sakuradayori.net\/cp-bin\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/pattern2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3795\"><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAorigata\u201d saddle-flap shaped<br \/>\nThe \u201caori\u201d were leather pieces that would hang down from a horse\u2019s saddle to offer protection from mud. This was a shape that was familiar to warriors and that is why it was used as a tsuba shape.  It is a solid shape, with the lower part being somewhat wider than the upper part.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sakuradayori.net\/cp-bin\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/aori.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3797\"><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGunbaigata\u201d Military fan-shaped<br \/>\nLong been believed to ward off demons and call down mysterious powers, the fan shape has also been used in Shinto rituals. In addition, it is said to be an auspicious shape that shows the right direction to move forward, just like brandishing the military fan led the way to victory.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sakuradayori.net\/cp-bin\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/pattern4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3798\"><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKikubanagata\u201d chrysanthemum flower-shaped<br \/>\nSince the Edo period, September 9th has been designated \u201cCh\u00f4y\u00f4 no Sekku\u201d or Chrysanthemum Festival, in which chrysanthemum sake is drunk while praying for long life. For the Japanese, the chrysanthemum is a very familiar flower with good connotations.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sakuradayori.net\/cp-bin\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/col_08_1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3799\"><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHakkaku\u201d octagonal-shaped<br \/>\nIn ancient Japan, 8 was considered a \u201csacred number\u201d that was very auspicious. It is also a stable and well-balanced shape that incorporates all 8 directions used in divination.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sakuradayori.net\/cp-bin\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/his-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"277\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3800\"><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are also various other shapes of tsuba, and all of them are said to be auspicious, and one can imagine how important it was for ancient people to wear them on their person.<\/p>\n<p>At Mokumeganeya, we consider ourselves the  heirs of those ancient people and their wishes and so produce \u201ctsuba jewelry\u201d using the popular \u201cYottsumokk\u00f4gata\u201d shape handed down from the Edo period.<\/p>\n<p><!--rink--><br \/>\n<a style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000EE\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/smp\/tsunagaru.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mokume Gane Wedding Rings: Reddot &amp; iF Design Award READ MORE &gt;&gt;<\/a><br \/>\n<a style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000EE\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/smp\/engage-list.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mokume Gane Engagement Rings READ MORE &gt;&gt;<\/a><br \/>\n<a style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000EE\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/smp\/marriage-list.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mokume Gane Wedding Bands READ MORE &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The technique of Mok&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-find-mokume-gane","end"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":355,"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261\/revisions\/355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mokumeganeya.com\/e\/mokumeganetour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}