FLOWERS AND TREES OF THE FOUR SEASONS A pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, gofun and gold leaf on paper _ Kyoto Kano (Kyō-Kano) School Attributed to Kano Sansetsu _ Signature: Sansetsu _ Seal: Jasokuken _ Each 170 by 375 cm
A gnarled cherry tree in full bloom and a snow-
be further enhanced with the presence of exotic
covered willow tree frame the composition of
or auspicious birds such as peacocks or cranes.
this pair of folding screens depicting flowers and
Our present pair notably features only flora
trees in the four seasons. Red and white azaleas
native to Japan, many of which were stock
and low-growing bamboo grass (kumazasa)
themes in Japanese waka poetry by the time
beneath the cherry tree complement the seasonal
they were painted in the 17 th century. A low
imagery of its pearly blossoms, while pink and
fence in the outer panels of both screens further
white sasanquas and some sprays of marlberry
domesticizes the work with its subtle suggestion
(yabukōji) add touches of color under the wintry
of unseen human presence, making it seem as if
willow. Hydrangeas and pinks (nadeshiko) herald
we are peering into a garden. These unassuming
the arrival of summer in the fifth and sixth
barriers also present features that underscore
panels of the right screen, and in the first three
the screens’ description of passing time: the
panels of the left screen chrysanthemums, blue
fence in the right screen is newly prepared from
bellflowers (kikyō), patrinia (ominaeshi), and
fresh green bamboo (whose color fades to golden
fragrant eupatorium (fujibakama) indicate the
brown over time) and rushes, while that in the left
advent of autumn. The trees of spring and winter
screen is made solely from bundles of rushes or
take the most prominent roles compositionally,
reeds. Gaps in the fence in the left screen show
but when viewed together the screens present
its wear and tear and add an element of rusticity.
an evenly paced passage through the four main
Both screens display the painter’s expert
divisions of the year.
4
command of his craft in constructing pictures. To
Flowers and Trees of the Four Seasons belongs to
begin with, the cherry blossoms were not simply
a major lineage of Japanese painting, descending
painted but built up with a white shell paste
from late medieval folding screens that often,
(gofun), which makes them emerge from the
but not always, included assortments of birds.
painting surface in low relief. The same technique
Painters of these antecedents characteristically
was used for the white chrysanthemum blossoms
deployed various birds and flowers, flowering
in the left screen. Sheathed in countless squares
trees and other plants at the moments of the
of gold leaf on every panel, the screens display
year when they are most beautiful to show
minimal pictorial depth, except where the shallow
seasonal progression in the unified visual field
bends in the two fences and gold clouds descend
of a pair of six-paneled screens. Simultaneous
over the tops of the cherry and willow trees.
combinations of blossoming cherry trees and
This abstracted treatment of pictorial space,
russet autumn maple leaves lend these works a
in which an even application of reflective gold
paradisiacal and otherworldly aura, which could
leaf dispenses with the need for it, is a feature
of screen paintings in early modern Japan that
interests—he drafted parts of the first history
would find its ultimate expression in the works of
of Japanese painting, which his son Einō would
Rimpa artists such as Tawaraya Sōtatsu (d. ca.
publish as Honchō gashi in the late 1600s—and his
1640) and Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716). The built-
idiosyncratic painting style, Sansetsu led an active
up forms of the petals, strong ink outlines, and
workshop that produced scrolls, folding screens,
descriptive texture strokes on the cherry tree, and
and sliding panel paintings for major temples
the serpentine form of the willow are technical and
and members of the court aristocracy. Because
stylistic features that show the present work to be
the cherry tree and willow lack the rounded
a product of the Kano school, probably one active
sculptural forms and display none of the insistent
in Kyoto around the middle of the 17 century.
angularity of Sansetsu’s trees, it is difficult to
th
The bundled rush fence, for example, is a
make a positive attribution of the present work to
motif that appears prominently in panel paintings
this artist. The “Sansetsu” signature and the seal,
that Kano Sansetsu (1590-1651), whose seals
read “Jasokuken,” appear in identical combination
and signatures appear on the lower outer corners
on surviving works by the artist, however, which
of our pair, produced for Tenkyūin, a subtemple
could lead us to conjecture that the screens were
of the monastery Myōshinji, in 1631. Sansetsu
painted by an assistant and were appended with
was the second-generation leader of the Kyoto-
the master painter’s name upon completion.
based Kano school, which remained in the old capital after his cousin Tan’yū (1602-1674)
Matthew McKelway
transferred the main Kano workshops to Edo, the
Professor of Japanese Art History, Columbia University
shogun’s capital. Known equally for his scholarly
6
7
KARAMONO A pair of two-panel folding screens; ink, color, gofun and gold leaf on paper _ Edo period, 18th century _ Each 170 by 165 cm
The term karamono is used to define ceramic,
was quite unusual. Some entertainment stalls
carved lacquerware, furniture, bronzes and other
kept parrots and other rare specimens in
decorative items imported from China. They
exquisite cages for their customers’ enjoyment.
became highly prized as imported curios, used
The composition of this pair of screens seems
in Japan as kazari - display items - and even the
inspired by the same amusement: kept on an
shĹ?gun would install karamono in his chamber
elaborate perch or in an elegant cage fitted with
(zashiki) and invite members of the court and
a scholar’s stone, these birds are intended to
clergy to view them. Often karamono have been
intrigue and fascinate the viewer. Also, natural
copied by Japanese craftsmen, so shapes from
history studies became fashionable in Japan
Chinese bronzes and porcelain have been used
during the 18 th century, due to the import of
in Japan for centuries.
European books and prints. These imported also
images inspired paintings of rare birds which,
imported from China. These karamono baskets
regardless of whether they had any significance
had formal, symmetrical structures with tightly
or
plaited weaves. Unlike those used during the tea
collectors.
Flower
baskets
for
ikebana
were
ceremony, that maintain a natural and austere wabi-sabi
construction,
karamono
bamboo
baskets, like those represented on this pair of screens, were modelled on Chinese bronzes and show classical forms. Chinese bronzes themselves, as seen here, would also be used to display flower compositions. Even exotic birds would serve as kazari. While bird-keeping was already popular since the early Edo period for the enjoyment of their songs, the habit of breeding birds for aesthetic purposes
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meaning,
were
highly
appreciated
by
10
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FLOWERS AND TREES OF THE FOUR SEASONS A pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color and gold flakes on paper _ Edo Rinpa School, 19th century _ Seals: Kihō (?) _ Each 138 by 304 cm
Vivid arrays of flowers and flowering trees
rise from an invisible ground plane, overlapping
arranged across pairs of folding screens can
and intertwining in plausible ways that bely the
be traced back to the 17 th century, roughly two
fact that they are all in bloom simultaneously,
centuries before the present screens, Flowers
as if seasonal time were collapsed into a single
of the Four Seasons, were created. Such works
unified space. A blossoming plum tree begins the
emerged from the even older theme of bird and
parade in the first panel of the right screen, with
flower painting, a subject that did not exist
a few clumps of milkvetch blooming underneath.
independently in Japanese painting prior to the
Other plants of late winter and early spring, such
importation of Chinese bird and flower pictures
as sasanqua, violets, cherry blossoms follow,
from the Song (960-1279) and Yuan dynasty
and give way in the center panels of the right
(1279-1368) during the Kamakura (1185-1336)
screen to such summer flowers as hydrangeas,
and Muromachi (1336-1573) periods. Around
poppies, irises, hollyhocks, lilies, and clematis
century painters in
vines. The left screen begins in late summer with
Kyoto using the round “Inen” seal associated
a large yellow sunflower around whose stem a
with Tawaraya Sōtatsu (act. ca. 1600-1640)
vine of morning glories is entwined. Bush clover,
started producing gilded screen paintings, on
patrinia, asters, and chrysanthemums blooming
which native Japanese flowers and grasses
beneath a great red maple tree bring us into fall,
were painted directly on the gold-leaf surface.
and are followed by hibiscus, roses, nandina,
Sōtatsu school “Inen”-sealed screen paintings
marlberry, narcissus, and camellia, which bloom
of flowers and grasses share in common vivid
beneath a citrus tree in the sixth panel. The
colors, dense assortments of blossoming plants
paired screens seem to say that no matter what
with little emphasis on any particular part of the
the time of year, something colorful is in bloom.
picture, and the use of tarashikomi (“dripping
The painter of Flowers of the Four Seasons
in”) a wet-on-wet technique in which color and
stamped three different seals, two each on the
ink are pooled on to the still wet surfaces of the
right and lower left edges of his work. So far
painting. The roots of Flowers of the Four Seasons
only one, the bag-shaped seal stamped on both
can thus be traced to the circle of Sōtatsu in
screens, has been deciphered and may be read
nearly every aspect, from subject matter, to
“Kihō.” Although the other two seals remain
composition and technique.
illegible, their combination of a circular form
the second half of the 17
12
th
The screens are a virtual catalogue of
with loosely written characters in cursive script
cultivars common in late Edo-period gardens,
and a round seal with characters in seal script
many of which also make appearances in
readily align them with the style of the screens,
single-sheet woodblock prints by the likes of
securely in the tradition of Rimpa painters who
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) and Katsushika
traced their origins back to Sōtatsu and Ogata
Hokusai (1760-1849). The plants and trees all
Kōrin (1658-1716). The character “Ki” of “Kihō”
is the same as that of Suzuki Kiitsu (1796-1858),
delicate veins in gold. The reddening maple
which might indicate a link to Kiitsu’s lineage,
leaves display the painter’s ability to convey
whose artists often used the character “Ki” in
intensifying hues, while the maple’s branches
deference to their founder.
show his command of line to express their
However the painter of these screens may
tense, springy forms. While a pair of screens
eventually be identified, he was an artist who
like Flowers of the Four Seasons may sometimes
commanded exacting and precise technique.
be called “decorative,” close looking will quickly
Taking the passage around the maple tree as an
show the high degree with which the painter
example, we can witness how skillfully he used
attended to the careful observation of natural
tarashikomi to describe the weathered state of
forms, and even of botanical study.
an old tree’s bark. Tarashikomi in the leaves of the chrysanthemums give them varied hues
Matthew McKelway
of green over which the painter has brushed
Professor of Japanese Art History, Columbia University
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15
HAWK Wood sculpture; the eye inlaid in blue glass _ Momoyama period, 16th-17th century _ Lenght: 41.5 cm
The high-relief sculpture shows a keen-eyed hawk peering down, with the left wing partially open. The finely modelled head is slightly turned to the left with a fierce expression, with the hooked beak open. The feathers are meticulously rendered with fine carving, while the back is left unrefined, as the model is intended to be seen from the front only, being probably an architectural element from a temple. On the back, a long inscription accompanied to a large seal is written in red lacquer, including the dating of the sculpture as of KeichĹ? era (1596-1615). The composition and execution suggests that the artist used a painting as a source for the iconography, probably a tethered hawk perched on stand. Images of fierce birds of prey were popular among members of the samurai class from the late Muromachi period (1336-1573) and were often commissioned to members of the KanĹ? school, the official painters to the reigning shogunate. The fearsome beauty and predatory features of these birds - sharp beaks, keen eyes, long curving talons - made them metaphors of martial training and the warrior spirit. Samurai found in the brave and daring nature of hawks a congenial expression of their ideals, and they became a preferred theme in painting. To collect and maintain fine hawks constituted a status-symbol of the warrior class. Tokugawa leyasu’s enthusiasm for hawking (takagari) is said to have been unequaled and nearly all the successive shoguns down through the Edo period shared his keen interest. In fact, while pursued as a recreational activity, hawking also bore the purpose of a small scale military exercise. Riding about the countryside hardened samurai warriors with physical training, while also permitting inspection of the territories by the landlords.
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NABESHIMA DISH Okawachi, Hizen Province 17th-18th century _ Dish with karatuuri (melon) design _ Porcelain decorated with cobalt blue underglaze and red fruits on glaze _ Diameter: 15.2 cm
Nabeshima ware was made at Okawachi
pure Japanese style and often resemble the
near Arita in KyĹŤshĹŤ under the authority
bold, sophisticated textile designs of the late
of the Nabeshima clan. The feudal lords
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In this
of
their
particular case the dish is decorated with multi-
technological skill, that throughout the Edo
colour vegetable marrows and a leaf design on
period (1615-1867) they gave porcelain as
the interior and blue designs on the exterior and
gifts to the lords of other provinces.
base. The underside of the rim is decorated with
Nabeshima
were
so
proud
of
Most of Nabeshima porcelain was made
3 small and 3 large jewels tied with ribbons.
between the Enpou era (1673-1681) and again
There is a high, slightly tapered foot with blade
around 1750. Tipically produced with four
pattern in underglaze blue.
colors, red, blue, green, yellow, the designs were adopted from plants or patterns on kimonos. The designs combine pattern and space in
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OZAKI KOKUSAI
(1834 - 1894)
A stag-antler sashi netsuke shaped as a nyoi sceptre Circa 1870 _ Length: 21.6 cm _ Signature: Takeda Minamoto nyūdō Kokusai zo (Made by shaven-headed Kokusai, Takeda clan, Minamoto lineage) 武田源入道谷造 _ Provenance: W. W. Winkworth, London and the Isle of Wight Mark T. Hindson, London Melvin and Betty Jahss, New York _ Literature: N. Davey, Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M.T.Hudson Collection, 1982, no. 524 P. Moss - M. Rutherson, More Things in Heaven and Earth, 2006, no. 72 P. Moss, Kokusai the Genius: And StagAntler Carving in Japan, Vol. 2, 2017, no. 317
The nyoi sceptre is carved as a reishi fungus on the stem, with a sub-tendril emerging near the head to form the cord hole. An inome (boar’s eye), the inverted heart-shaped symbol of courage, is pierced towards the base. The fungus head is designed to recall some motifs often used by Kokusai: it is in fact possible to see a water dragon wrapping itself around the cap and the whole design recalls of a mokugyo and of a humanoid caricature face at the same time. The auspicious reishi fungus is an auspicious symbol long life. Known in China as the “mushroom of immortality” for over 2,000 years, in ancient times reishi was believed to confer longevity and hence referred to as the “divine fungus”. A symbol of enlightenment and mastery, this polypore mushroom is also strikingly beautiful. Kokusai is considered a true genius of netsuke art but he was not only a netsukeshi, but also an actor, a comedian and an all-around entertainer. He lived and worked in Asakusa, an area of Tokyo, where he founded a carving school with a very distinctive style. The main feature of Kokusai and the Asakausa school is certainly the material used to produce netsuke, pipe cases and other items: stag antler. This material is extremely difficult to carve, as it is very hard and porous inside. It often reveals large dark areas that forces the artis to adapt his design. Kokusai and his pupils showed also a great originality of forms, coupled with a keen sense of humour. This netsuke is extremely interesting, as the inscription reveals that after retiring (nyūdō) from his career as an entertainer, Kokusai signed using his full name instead of the usual “Koku” seal, showing his aristocratic (Takeda Minamoto) descent.
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MOMONARI KABUTO A peach-shaped samurai helmet with “omodaka-no-ha” wakidate. _ Edo period, 17th-18th century
Momonari kabuto - literally “peach-shaped”
shape continued to be popular among samurai
helmets - were used in Japan since the
until the end of the Edo period and the Kuroda
Momoyama
clan, among others, adopted it for most of their
imported
period,
firearms
when and
the
large
Portuguese were
suits of armor, having them decorated with long
created. In this period armorers introduced
armies
horns on the sides. This shape was extremely
new shapes and techniques in order to protect
suitable for large lateral decorations and this
warriors against bullets. Also, the large demand
helmet is no exception. It is fitted with an original
required these new helmets to be of simple
pair of extraordinary wakidate, probably made in
construction. Momonari helmets, in fact, derive
whalebone: a long silver-lacquered Sagittaria
from the Spanish morion, a contemporary
water plantain (omodaka) leaf. This design may
model of helmet that was very popular all over
have been represented in the family crest of the
Europe and that was used by the Portuguese
original owner.
traders who arrived at Tanegashima in 1543. These kabuto were generally made in two or four large plates, mounted on a circular structure (koshimaki) and fitted a visor (mabisashi). The
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TOBIGUCHI-NARI KAWARI KABUTO An iron “spectacular helmet” _ Early Edo period (1615-1868), 17th Century
This rare samurai helmet is made of six russet iron plates joined with visible round rivets. Its unusual shape recalls a hooked
type, representing eight arrow-ends. Kawari kabuto,
literally
“spectacular”
or
tool used by firemen in ancient Japan called
“unusual” helmets, are kabuto whose design
tobiguchi, used to clear debris away from
is uncommon. Even if throughout the Edo
burning buildings. The iron tehen-no-kanamono
Period bizarre and extravagant kabuto were
on the beak covers completely the join of the
created, during the 16 th and 17 th century shapes
plates, so that the shape terminates with a
were rather simple, yet differing from the
sharp point. This design is related to the more
conventional ones.
common “peach-shaped” (momonari) kabuto, inspired by the European cabasset, that was very much in fashion during the Momoyama and early Edo period. The standing hooks (tsunomoto) on the front and back of the helmet hold two impressive decorations: a shikami, a raging demon often represented on samurai armor, and two large tongues of flame.
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The fukigaeshi are fitted with a kamon of yumiya
RESSEI SŌMEN A full-face russet iron samurai amour’s mask with fierce expression. _ Edo period, 19th century _ Signature: 嘉永七年甲寅五月吉日 - A lucky day of the fifth month of year Kaei 7, Kinoenotora (1854) 春田藤原信重 - Haruta Fujiwara Nobushige.
Armor for the face - mengu - developed towards the end of the Muromachi Period (13361573) with the double role of protection and a fastening point for the kabuto ropes through hooks or rings. However, masks that completely cover the face were not common, as they were not practical. Their use was restricted to highranking samurai who wore them for official occasions as an indication of their social status. For this reason original sōmen are very rare and almost invariably of excellent quality. A modular construction, generally in three parts as in this case, allowed the kabuto to fasten properly, adding the upper part only when necessary. Already
active
in
Nara
since
the
late
Muromachi period (1333-1573), the Haruta school is one of the oldest schools of armorers in Japan. Whilst signed helmets are quite common, masks made by Haruta smiths are extremely rare. This sōmen is signed and dated under the chin by Haruta Nobushige. He is recorded, in a document dated 1862, now preserved at Hiroshima University, as the maker of a kabuto signed “Hiroshima ju Haruta Fujiwara Nobushige”. The kabuto was sold by a trader named Takemotoya, who had among his clients the most important local families, such as Matsudaira, Abe and Asano, daimyō of Hiroshima.
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NUINOBE DŌ TOSEI GUSOKU Samurai armor bearing the kamon of the Andō family _ Edo period, 18th century _ Provenance: Kyoto, Arashiyama Bijutsukan Milano, Koelliker Collection
Literature: Kyoto Arashiyama Bijutsukan Zoihinshu, 1986, pag. 14 G.Piva, Samurai, 2009, cat. 13 _ Exhibition: Samurai, Milan, 2009 Samurai, Venice, 2010
This unique armor is fitted with a chōban
in gold on the front with the votive inscription
kamon (family crest) in a unique variation which
“Hachiman Dai Bosatsu” (“Great Bodhisattva
was reputed to be used by a branch of the Andō
Hachiman”), in honour of the god of war in the
clan. Andō Shigenobu (1558–1622) was close to
Shinto tradition, the kabuto is fitted with two
Tokugawa Ieyasu and in 1612 he became daimyō
exceptional harikake (lacquered papier-maché)
of the Takasaki domain in Kōzuke Province. Other
wakidate shaped as stag antlers. The unusual
members of the Andō clan were later transferred
fukigaeshi are decorated with armor scales and
to other domains, such as Matsuyama (Bitchū),
bear a shakudo kamon.
Kanō (Mino), Iwakidaira (Mutsu), Kakegawa (Tōtōmi) and Tanabe (Kii).
with hon-iyozane laced in multicolor silk. The
The armor, of tachi-dô style, is made entirely
whole cuirass is divided in five parts with an
in black and gold hon-kozane (individual scales)
exceptionally rare construction and is fitted with
of iron and leather; the interiors in gold lacquer,
a larger kusazuri plate on the left.
a luxury detail that only the owner would enjoy
The gyōyō (cord protections) and the shoulder
and hence an indication of a distinguished
straps are finished in shakudo engraved and
provenance. The lavishness of this suit of armor
applied with the clan’s kamon and floral decoration.
is revealed by the high level kanamono made in gilt
Two large round kohire are hinged on the
metal and shakudo, an alloy of gold and copper. The pale orange, white and green silk odoshi (lacing), tastefully combine with the alternating black and gold urushi lacquer. The helmet is a lacquered eboshi-nari kabuto, from the shape of a Chinese court cap. Decorated
28
The cuirass of nuinobe-dō type is constructed
sides, so the armor can be also worn without the larger gilt shoulder guards (sode). The rare hakama (trousers) type of haidate is made of individual gilt scales, wrapping round and tapering at the knee.
TSUTSUMI DŌ TOSEI GUSOKU Samurai armor bearing the kamon of the Mōri family _ Edo period, 17th-18th century
This unusual armor bears, in several places,
cuirass, the armourer would test his work for
the family crest of the Mōri clan, daimyō of
strength by shooting it with a matchlock rifle.
the
Tokugawa
The dō is completely covered (tsutsumi) in silk
shogunate. The Mōri family was founded at
brocade. The trim and mounts (kanamono) are
Chōshū
domain
under
the
century and became
made of shakudo, an expensive alloy of gold and
a powerful clan during the Sengoku period,
copper, fixed on a gilt brass plate. The details
when Mōri Motonari (1497-1571) conquered
of the armour, the kawari kabuto, the use of
ten provinces. His son Terumoto (1553-1625),
luxurious materials and the cuirass covered in
however, fought unsuccessfully against Ieyasu
brocade are all characteristics of the flamboyant
at the battle of Sekigahara and had his domain
style of the Mōri clan.
the beginning of 13
th
reduced to the two provinces of Nagato and
The large hiro sode (flared shoulder guards)
Suō. The construction and particular features
are made of seven lames of black lacquered
indicate a high-ranking member of this clan has
leather honkozane (real scales), mounted and
owned of this set.
trimmed with shakudo. The forearms of the
The helmet is a tōkanmuri kabuto, shaped as
tsutsu gote (tubular sleeves) are made of three
a lacquered ceremonial as worn in the court by
hinged plates of black lacquered steel with
shinto priests and high-ranking politicians. The
light embossing. The shin guards are made in
original leather ushirodate, representing the hat’s
a similar style. The elongated hand protection
cloth strips fixed on its back, are decorated with
(tekko) is another typical feature of the suits of
the typical open-work design. The five-lames
armor from the Mōri family.
shikoro (neck guard) is of hineno type, typical from the early Edo period. The black lacquered iron ressei menpō (mask with fierce expression) is fitted with a protector surrounding the entire neck (guruwa) made of six lames at the front and three hinged lames on each side. The cuirass (dō) is extremely heavy, made of two thick steel plates hinged on the left side. There are four bullet tests (tameshi uchi) on the breast plate, whereby before dressing the
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K ATA N A Unsigned, den Rai Kuninaga _ Late Kamakura / early Nanbokucho period, Circa 1332 _ NBTHK Juyō Tōken _ Nagasa [lenght]: 71.5 cm Motohaba: 2.7 cm Sakihaba: 1.9 cm Sori [curvature]: 2.3 cm Sugata [configuration]: shinogi-zukuri, koshi-zori, iori-mune, chu-kissaki (3,2 cm) Kitae [forging pattern]: bright itame mixed with mokume and nagare, plenty of jinie and chikei
Bōshi [point]: many hakikake forming kaen Nakago [tang]: o-suriage, kirijiri yasurime; three mekugi-ana Origami: the blade comes with a Juyō token (Important sword) certificate issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (Session nr. 59) Koshirae: The sword is accompanied by an antique koshirae with high level fittings. The two piece habaki, part of which is solid gold, features a version of the Aoi mon of the Tokugawa house used by the Moriyama Matsudaira daimyō branch.
Hamon [tempering pattern]: suguha mixed to ko-choji and ko-gunome; ashi, yō, hotsure, yubashiri, kinsuji and sunagashi
Rai Kunitoshi, one of the best Japanese
blades, but there are only few works remaining
sword makers of all time, had many fine
that Rai Kuninaga signed with his name and
students, but only three of them produced
there are probably more daimei for Rai Kunitoshi
swords that were later signed with his name,
than existing zaimei blades of his own.
accordingly to the daimei tradition: Kuninaga,
This sword is of great quality and is
Kunimitsu e Kunitsugu. Kuninaga is considered
considered a masterpiece of Rai Kuninaga, with
one of the great sword-smiths of the Rai school,
strong activities both in the hamon and in the
working between the late Kamakura period and
jihada. The shape is typical of the late Kamakura
into the Nanbokucho period. Working exclusively
period, so likely to be from when he moved to
for Kunitoshi, he was allowed to sign his blades
Nakajima. It has been used in battle and carries
with his master’s name, pointing to his important
a very nice kirikomi on the mune, a cut from
role in the school. Kuninaga moved to Nakajima
another sword that happened during an actual
around 1329 and founded the Nakajima-Rai
fight.
school. At this point he started signing his own
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The extensive inscription (sayagaki) written by Tanobe Michihiro sensei reads: Designated as jûyō-tōken in the course of the 43rd jûyō-tōken shinsa Jōshû Rai Kuninaga Ō-suriage mumei. This sword-smith was a student of Rai Kunitoshi, but as he moved later to Nakajima in Settsu province and produced swords there, he is usually referred to as Nakajima-Rai. This blade is a masterpiece whose jiba shows the characteristic features of the craftsman extremely well. Very rare, very precious. Blade length 2 shaku, 3 sun e 6 bu Written by Tanzan Hendō in October of the year of the snake of this era (2013)
TSUBA Iron sword guard in the shape of a dancing crane _ Attributed to Nishigaki Kanshiro (1613-1693), unsigned _ Edo period, 17th century _ 8.3 by 8 cm
Hakogaki by Satō Kanzan: 変わり丸方鉄地 影透 無銘勘四郎出来見事也 昭和辛亥 新 春 寒山 記 花押 - Superb roundish iron kagesukashi (tsuba). Unsigned Kanshiro work. Written by Kanzan in Kanoto-I (1971)
This tsuba features an elegant dancing crane
family, shows the latter kind of ironwork and in
with wings outspread. The ji-sukashi openwork is
fact Satō Kanzan attributed this work to Nishigaki
superb, with each feather depicted in fine lines,
Kanshiro. We can certainly designate this tsuba
well balanced in other areas by thick, stout lines.
as a masterpiece of the artist and an important
Although never signed, tsuba with this
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addition to the Higo catalogue.
motif have often been attributed to Hayashi
Hosokawa Sansai Tadaoki (1563-1645) was
Matashichi. However, Nishigaki Kanshiro and
an excellent military commander and a master
other Higo tsuba makers produced the same
of tea ceremony, who made a contribution to
model and distinguishing the authorship can
the development of Higo sword fittings through
be a difficult task. The main difference between
encouragement
the two makers is probably the iron treatment,
associated with some of the youngest smiths at
since Hayashi uses a flat and sharp finish while
that time, including Hirata Hikozo, Shimizu Jingo,
Nishigaki leaves a rough surface with a wabi-sabi
Nishigaki Kanshiro and Hayashi Matashichi.
feeling. This tsuba, which seems to be identical in
Under Tadaoki’s patronage, these artists could
shape to the most famous “dancing crane” tsuba
work with a complete freedom of expression,
by Hayashi Matashichi, preserved at the Eisei-
developing their skills to produce some of the
Bunko Museum in the collection of the Hosokawa
most interesting tsuba ever made.
and
guidance.
He
became
JIZAI OKIMONO A russet-iron articulated figure of a fresh-water prawn _ Edo Period (1615 - 1867), 18th-19th Century _ Lenght: 25 cm including antennae _ Signed: Myōchin Munenaga
The iron prawn is constructed of numerous hammered plates, jointed inside the body; the claws open, the body bends and the eyes, antennae, limbs and fins move. The details are finely carved. The earliest known jizai okimono is a dragon bearing the signature of Myōchin Muneaki and dated 1713. The Myōchin were armor makers who excelled in iron forging and hammer work. They are thought to have produced jizai okimono in the peaceful time of the mid-Edo period. In fact, as the demand for armour diminished markedly during the reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Myōchin artists turned to the production of other forged iron items such as tea ceremony kettles, boxes, sword guards and jizai okimono. Jizai okimono are realistically shaped figures of animals. Their bodies and limbs are articulated, and can be moved like real animals. Among these figures, we can find models of dragons, birds, fishes, snakes, lobsters, crabs and insects. Prawns by Munenaga are of the highest quality, as he specialised in producing this particular creature. The term “jizai okimono” seems to be quite modern: In the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition the craftsman Itao Shinjiro showed an articulated piece which was described as kusshin jizai tsubasa no okimono (an okimono with wings that move in and out freely) and the word jizai is seen again in this context on the storage box for an articulated dragon purchased by Tokyo National Museum in 1911. The only known Edo-period box inscription referring to one (a small dragon) calls it a bunchin (paperweight).
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T O M I Z O S A R ATA N I (1949 - )
Group of six turtles _ A stone and lacquer okimono decorated in hiramaki-e, raden, kirigane with gold and silver maki-e _ Lenght: 12 cm _ Exhibited: The superior technique of talents! From Meiji to contemporary art _ Mitsui Memorial Art Museum, 2017 Gifu Prefectural Contemporary Ceramic Art Museum, 2018 Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum, 2018 Toyama prefecture ink art museum, 2018 Abeno Harukas Art Museum, 2019
Tomizo Saratani was born in Kyoto and has
artist in London, Chicago and his hometown in
spent his life working on traditional Japanese
Hokkaido and in 2003 he decided to dedicate
lacquer (urushi). After his studies under various
himself solely to his original works.
teachers, in 1975 he moved to Vienna as an
The subjects Tomizo picks are very often
instructor and restorer for the MAK - the Austrian
animals, which he is able to render with
Museum of Applied Arts - where he supervised
impressive naturalism.
the
restorations
of
lacquered
furniture
in
Austrian public collections for eight years. He then worked as lacquer restorer and netsuke
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