Fuchi-kashira with rock and boar (iwa ni inoshishi zu) motif. Inlay of precious stones or colour glass. Shakudō, gold, gemstones. Technique: Sukibori zogan kiniroe.
Fuchi: 36 x 21 x 14 mm; Weight: 22 g; Kashira: 32 x 17 x 5 mm; Weight: 8 g; Material : Shakudō; Gold; Gemstones (Chalcedony and Rose Quartz). Possibly, Owari school.-
Signature: Unsigned -
Iron tsuba of oval form with design of iris and plank bridge (yatsubashi) in openwork (sukashi). Rounded cornered rim. Unsigned. Attributed to Jingo - 3rd generation Shimizu, 2nd generation Jingo (1691-1777) [M. Sesko, Genealogy..., p. 94]. Edo period: Late 18th century (Hohreki / Meiwa era). Height: 69.5 mm. Width: 65.2 mm. Rim thickness: 4.6 mm. Center thickness: 4.8 mm. Provenance: Sasano Masayuki Collection, № 251: "Shimizu. Third generation Jingo (died at 87 years of age in the sixth year of An-ei, 1777). The eight-section bridge with irises are arranged to create the design of 'yatsubashi'. The features are unique for the Shimizu school and show no influence of the Hirita, Nishigaki or Hayashi schools". The design visually resembles a butterfly. As described in Family Crests of Japan by Stone Bridge Press [Family Crests of Japan; Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley, CA, 2007], and also in Japanese Family Crests by Yuzuru Okada [Yuzuru Okada. Japanese Family Crests // Series: Tourist Library: 37. Board of tourist industry; Japanese Government Railways, - 1941], there is a special technique used in construction of family crests, called 'reshaping' by the former and 'reconstruction' by the latter: "reconstruction is realized when a motive has its general shape composed of the detail of entirely different motive as, for instance, the crest of a butterfly formed of pine-needles. [...] The fanciful and ingenious forms evolved in this way may be represented by the kasiwa-giri or 'oak-leaf-paulownia', the ogi-bisi or 'fan-lozenge', the matuba-zuru or 'pine-needle-crane', the omodaka-kotyo or 'water-plantain-butterfly', etc." In our case we can call the motif yatsubashi-chocho or 'Iris-and-Bridge—Butterfly'. -
Print by Katsukawa Shun'ei that presumably depicts a kabuki actor Ichikawa Monnosuke II. I was not able to find any reference of the image. Size: Hosoban. SOLD -
Iron tsuba of oval form with a shakudō fukurin and rough surface decorated by low relief carving and brass inlay with a centipede emerging from under the rock on both sides.
Edo period.Size: 78.9 x 73.6 x 3.8 mm
Unsigned. However, this tsuba may be (though with reservation) attributed to Misumi Kōji school. There is some information regarding this master(s) in Tsuba. An aesthetic study by Kazutaro Torigoye and Robert E. Haynes (from the Tsuba Geijutsu-kō of Kazataro Torigoye. Edited and published by Alan L. Harvie for the Nothern California Japanese Sword Club, 1994-1997) on pages 163-4, though I was not able to locate the tsuba in the original publication. Possibly, this fragment of the book was added by Robert Haynes. Markus Sesko speculates about Misumi in his The Japanese toso-kinko Schools.// Lulu Inc., 2012 on pages 374-5: "Misumi Kōjo Tsuba. Iron plate, elliptical shape, shakudō takabori suemon, yamagane fukurin. Centipede." But of course, visual similarity does not prove anything. I was not able to find any traces of signature or a triangle on the seppa-dai.
Misumi Kōji Tsuba on p. 163.
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Katsukawa Shunshō ( 勝川 春章; 1726 – 19 January 1793).Signed: Shunchô ga (春潮画); Censor's seal: kiwame (改印：極)
Publisher: Iwatoya Kisaburō (Eirindō); c. 1760s – 1832. Marks #173/p.169.
Reference: MFA ACCESSION NUMBER 11.21263. Not in Pins.
Act VII, Gion Ichiriki no ba ("The Ichiriki Teahouse at Gion") This act gives a taste of the bustling atmosphere of the Gion pleasure quarter in Kyoto. Yuranosuke is feigning a life of debauchery at the same teahouse to which Okaru has been indentured. Kudayū, the father of Sadakurō, arrives. He is now working for Moronō and his purpose is to discover whether Yuranosuke still plans revenge or not. He tests Yuranosuke's resolve by offering him food on the anniversary of their lord's death when he should be fasting. Yuranosuke is forced to accept. Yuranosuke's sword – the revered symbol of a samurai – is also found to be covered in rust. It would appear that Yuranosuke has no thoughts of revenge. But still unsure, Kudayū hides under the veranda. Now believing himself alone, Yuranosuke begins to read a secret letter scroll about preparations for the vendetta. On a higher balcony Okaru comes out to cool herself in the evening breeze and, noticing Yuranosuke close by, she also reads the letter reflected in her mirror. As Yuranosuke unrolls the scroll, Kudayū, too, examines the end which trails below the veranda. Suddenly, one of Okaru's hairpins drops to the floor and a shocked Yuranosuke quickly rolls up the scroll. Finding the end of the letter torn off, he realises that yet another person knows his secret and he must silence them both. Feigning merriment, he calls Okaru to come down and offers to buy out her contract. He goes off supposedly to fix the deal. Then Okaru's brother Heiemon enters and, hearing what has just happened, realises that Yuranosuke actually intends to keep her quiet by killing her. He persuades Okaru to let him kill her instead so as to save their honour and she agrees. Overhearing everything, Yuranosuke is now convinced of the pair's loyalty and stops them. He gives Okaru a sword and, guiding her hand, thrusts it through the floorboards to kill Kudayū. The main actor has to convey a wide variety of emotions between a fallen, drunkard rōnin and someone who in reality is quite different since he is only faking his weakness. This is called hara-gei or "belly acting", which means he has to perform from within to change characters. It is technically difficult to perform and takes a long time to learn, but once mastered the audience takes up on the actor's emotion. Emotions are also expressed through the colours of the costumes, a key element in kabuki. Gaudy and strong colours can convey foolish or joyful emotions, whereas severe or muted colours convey seriousness and focus. -
Artist: Horst Graebner positively attributes the drawing to Utagawa Kunisada II [歌川国貞] Japanese, 1823 – 1880) a.k.a. Toyokuni IV, though Israel Goldman attributes it to Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865) a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III. Title: Geisha with a watch / Preparatory drawing for a fan print. Media/Technique: Ink and colour on paper. Signed: Toyokuni hitsu [豊国筆]. -
Title: On the Banks of the Kamo River [加茂堤] (Kamo Tsutsumi), sometimes transcribed as Kamo Zutsumi. Series: A Parody of Sugawara [美立菅原] (Mitate Sugawara). The word mitate is usually written as 見立 but here it is 美立, like on another Kunisada's fan print A beauty reading a book on a balcony overlooking a bay: A Parody of Sugawara Stripes (see SVJP-0334.2021 in this collection). On the Banks of the Kamo River is a scene from the play Sugawara's Secrets of Calligraphy [菅原伝授手習鑑] (Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami); it was originally written for the puppet theatre (Bunraku) and staged for the first time in the 8th lunar month of 1746 in Ôsaka at the Takemotoza. It was adapted for Kabuki the following month and staged for the first time in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai, produced by Nakamura Kiyosaburô I. It was also performed for the first time in Edo, at the Ichimuraza, in the 3rd lunar month of 1747. The shape of the cartouche resembles an ox cart viewed from the back which alludes to the scene Fighting for the Carriage (Kuruma biki). Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni [豊国] in a red toshidama cartouche. The character ga [画] is missing (cut out). Publisher’s seal: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. 1815 – 1869). The date seal and censor seals were possibly trimmed out. According to [LIB-3008.2022] Andreas Marks (Tuttle, 2010; p. 267), the series was produced by Ibaya in 1851. Ref.: (1) Samuel L. Leiter. Historical dictionary of Japanese traditional theatre (Historical dictionaries of literature and the arts) / 2nd edition. – Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014©. (2) Andreas Marks. Japanese woodblock prints: Artists, publishers and masterworks, 1680 – 1900 / Foreword by Stephen Addiss. — Tuttle Publishing, 2010©. Acknowledgements: This masterpiece of ukiyo-e would not be properly described without input from Elena Varshavsky and Horst Graebner. -
Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞]; a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a yellow toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Unknown, seal [久] Kyū (Japanese, fl. c. 1851 – 1861); (Marks 07-023 | U176a, possibly Sagamia Kyūzō). Date seal and double nanushi censor seals: Fuku & Muramatsu, Kaei 6, 2nd month (2/1853). Inscription in a red cartouche: (Purple of Edo // Purple of the Bay Capital) [江都むらさき] (Edo Murasaki), alluding to Murasaki Shikibu [紫 式部] (Japanese, c. 973/8 – c. 1014/31), the author of Genji Monogatari [源氏物語] (The Tale of Genji), a Heian period novel which was the source of a parody Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji [偐紫田舎源氏] (Fake Murasaki’s Rustic Genji) by Ryutei Tanehiko [柳亭種彦] (Japanese, 1783 – 1842). According to Horst Graebner: The actor is Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII. Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII [市川団十郎] (Japanese, 1823 – 1854); other names: Ichikawa Ebizō VI, Ichikawa Shinnosuke II. One of the series of Kunisada’s fan prints in this collection: -
Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi [歌川 國芳] (Japanese, 1798 – 1861). Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. C. 1845 – 1847), seal: San [三] (Marks 11-001 | 127c). Carver: Matsushima Fusajirō [松嶋房次郎] (Japanese, fl. 1843 – 1850); seal [彫工房次郎] – Hori kō Fusajirō (Gordon Friese № 136) Signed: Chōōrō Kuniyoshi ga [朝櫻楼国芳画] in a red double gourd-shaped cartouche. Nanushi censor seal: Tanaka [田中]; V/1844 or II/1845. Media: Fan print (uchiwa-e, 団扇絵), 238 x 304 mm. Reference: Kuniyoshi Project. Series mentioned in Robert Schaap. Heroes and ghosts: Japanese prints by Kuniyoshi, 1797-1861.— Leiden: Hotei Publishing, 1998; p. 122 [LIB-1030.2016].
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UTAGAWA TOYOKUNI I (1769–1825) Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (Ebizo V) in a shibaraku costume bursting through a paper screen. Surimono. Colour woodblock print: shikishiban, 8⅛ x 7⅛ in. (20.7 x 18.2 cm) Signed: Toyokuni ga Poem signed: Sakuragawa Jihinari Provenance: Sidney C. Ward -
Shingen school (or style) tsuba of round form with iron core and web, covered with a thin brass plate decorated with star-shaped punch marks. The rim of tsuba is a brass nawame-fukurin. Between the central brass plate and the rim there is woven wire of brass and copper in a basketweave pattern. Both hitsu-ana have raised rim. Traces of oxidation. Unsigned. Edo period, 18th century. Size: Height: 88.4 mm, Width: 86.6 mm, Thickness at seppa-dai: 4.6 mm. Weight: 132.4 g. Robert E. Haynes in his "Study Collection of Japanese Sword Fittings. Nihon Art Publishers, 2010" on p. 117 says: "Brass outer plate of round shape. This tsuba has an iron core tsuba of spoke form as made by Saotome school, ca. 1500. There are brass plates on either side connected to the rim by woven brass and shakudō wire. The wire has been hand drawn, which is very difficult. The hitsuana are brass lined and the rim has a brass cover. This type of tsuba is referred to as a Shingen tsuba. This is a reference to Takeda Shingen Harunobu (1521-1573), the great and famous daimyō." For reference see the MFA collection. A look-a-like tsuba is illustrated in Compton Collection, vol. 2, p. 26-27, №52:More details and examples can be found at: http://varshavskycollection.com/shingen-tsuba/
Compton Collection, vol. 2, p. 26-27, №52.
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Evening Snow on Mount Hira (Hira no bosetsu), from the series Eight Views of Ōmi in Modern Guise (Ryaku Ōmi hakkei, (略近江八景). About 1773–75 (An'ei 2–4). Artist: Isoda Koryūsai (Japanese, 1735–1790) CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ: Hockley 2003, p. 202, #F-21-1 DIMENSIONS: Vertical chûban; 26 x 19.3 cm (10 1/4 x 7 5/8 in.)Signed: Koryû ga [湖竜画] -
Fuchi-kashira made of Shibuichi carved and inlaid with shakudō, gold, silver, and copper with the design of spider holding a fly on the fuchi, and other insects (ant-lion, wasp, and ant) on the kashira.
Fuchi: 35.1 mm. Kashira: 38.7 mm. Main material: Shibuichi. Other metals: shakudō, gold, silver, and copper. Decorative technique: iroe taka-zōgan. -
Utagawa Toyokuni I (歌川豐國); 1769 – 24 February 1825. Kabuki actor Onoe Matsusuke I (other stage names: Onoe Shôroku I and Onoe Tokuzô) lived from 1744 (born in Edo, present Tokyo) until the 16th day of the 10th lunar month of 1815 (died in Edo). Here he plays the honourable villain, the powerful minister of state Kudō Saemon Suketsune. Kabuki actor Bandô Hikosaburô III (other stage names: Ichimura Kichigorô I, other names: Hansôan Rakuzen, Bandô Shinsui III, and Rakuzenbô) lived from 1754 (born in Edo, present Tokyo) until 18th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1828. "1813 ~ 1828: Hikosaburô retires and takes the tonsure in a Temple located in Kurodani (Kyôto). He goes back to Edo and lives a hermit life in a small hut called Hansôan and located in Mukôjima." Here he plays Soga no Gorō Tokimune, the younger of two Soga brothers. It was an Edo period custom to produce every New Year's a play in which the Soga brothers figured. The Sogas were actual historical figures who, in 1193, avenged their father's murder by staging a daring night raid on their enemy during a grand hunt. The villain, a powerful minister of state named Kudō Saemon Suketsune, had orchestrated the murder of their father seventeen years earlier. The exact play, theater, and year featured on the print are not currently known. Publisher: AM-23-016 |391q: Nishimuraya Yohachi: Eiju han 1780s-1809 [AM: Andreas Marks. Publishers of Japanese woodblock prints: A compendium. Hotei Publishing, Leiden-Boston, 2011]. References:- Kabuki Plays on Stage: Brilliance and Bravado, 1697-1766 (Kabuki Plays on Stage, Volume 1). Brandon, James R., Leiter, Samuel L. University of Hawai'I Press, Honolulu, 2002.
- Kabuki Encyclopedia. An English-Langauge Adaptation of Kabuki Jiten. Samuel L. Leiter. Greenwood Press, 1979.
- https://www.kabuki21.com/
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Uncut fan print (uchiwa-e) with the design of kabuki actor Nakamura Utaemon IV who held the name of Nakamura Shikan II from the 11th lunar month of 1825 to the 12th lunar month of 1835, dressed in a checkered kimono, holding a pipe and surrounded by flying fireflies. Character: Nakamura Utaemon IV [中村歌右衛門] (Japanese, 1796 – 1852); other names: Nakamura Shikan II, Nakamura Tsurusuke I, Nakamura Tōtarō. Series title: Catching fireflies in the floating world [浮世蛍狩] (Ukiyo hotarugari). Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Toyokuni III (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Kōchōrō Kunisada ga [香蝶楼国貞画] in a red cartouche. Publisher: Ibaya Kyubei [伊場屋 久兵衛] (Japanese, fl. 1804 – 1851); seal: modified Marks 19-009 | 126d. Censor's seal: Kiwame Date seal: Tenpō 2 (1831). Ref: Kunisada.de, N58. A look-alike yearlier Kunisada's design can be found at kunisada.de, ref. # N120-Z0172-410:
Actor Onoe Baikō, artist Kunisada, publisher Ibaya Kyūbei, c. 1820.
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Title: Ninth lunar month [菊月] (Kikuzuki no zu); Series: Fashionable Twelve Months (Imayo juni-kagetsu). Another version of translation: Modern Beauties of Twelve Months. Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I [歌川豊国] (1769–1825). Pubisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, 1815 – 1869), seal: Dansendō [伊場仙]. Signed: Toyokuni ga and sealed with toshidama. Date-kiwame seal: Ushi (ox), Bunsei 5 (1822). Size: double-sheet uncut fan print ( aiban uchiwa-e), 219 x 295 mm.
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Series: Pictures Associated with the Iroha Syllabary [伊呂波画合]. Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi [歌川 國芳] (1798 – 1861). Signed: Ichiyûsai Kuniyoshi giga [一勇斎 國芳戯画] (Playfully drawn by Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi) in a red double-gourd cartouche with a kiri-mon seal beneath. Publisher: Iseya Ichiemon [伊勢屋市右衛門] (Japanese, fl. 1823 – c. 1864); seal [辻] (Marks 16-029 | 143a). Single nanushi censor seal: Mura [村] = Murata Sahei [村田佐右衛] (VI/1842 – V/1846). Media: Fan print (uchiwa-e, 団扇絵), 231 x 296 mm. Theme: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers [仮名手本忠臣蔵] (Kanadehon Chūshingura) – an 11-act puppet play composed in 1748, based on a historical event. "Most historians now agree that there were forty-seven rōnin of Ako who attacked and killed Kira Yoshinaka (吉良 義央, 1641 – 1703) in Edo in the twelfth month of 1702, twenty-two months after their lord Asano Naganori (浅野 長矩, 1667 – 1701) had been put to death for his own failed attempt on Kira’s life". [Henry D. SMITH II. The Trouble with Terasaka: The Forty-Seventh Rōnin and the Chūshingura Imagination / Japan Review, 2004, 16:3-65]. The reader shall remember that the fictional, romantic version of the Akō incident [赤穂事件] (Akō jiken) may not (and most probably does not) reflect the historical truth of events. Uncut fan print depicting a beautiful young woman covering another woman's mouth with a blue striped cloth, possibly an obi. The picture on the wall represents the scene from the final act of The Treasury of Loyal Retainers (Kanadehon Chūshingura, Act 11) when 47 loyal retainers (rōnin) of the late lord En'ya Hangan came to the house of Kō no Moronao in order to avenge their dead master. The leader of 47 rōnin, Ōboshi Yuranosuke, divided his accomplices into several groups which attacked the Moronao mansion from different directions. To coordinate the attack and keep communication among the groups, the rōnin were signing the first syllables of their names in the hiragana syllabary. There are two major types of the ordering of the hiragana syllabary, the Gojūon one and the Iroha order (pangram poem), the latter being used here. The number of avengers exactly matches the 47 letters of that syllabary. The group entering Moronao's house from the front gate was 'chi-ri-nu-ru-wo-wa-ka'. Yoshida Sadaemon Kanesada [葦田貞右衛門兼貞] (1675 – 1703) depicted on this fan print belongs to this group. The character on the lantern hanging from Yoshida's spear reads Chū [忠] – for Chūshingura. Alternating black and white triangles on the picture frame allude to the 'signature' 47 ronin's uniform. This motif is usually described as a zigzag pattern [雁木模様] (gangi moyō), a mountain-shaped pattern [山形模様] (yamagata moyō), or a mountain road [山道] (yamamichi). The rōnin were allegedly wearing this uniform in imitation of firefighters. The government allowed the firefighters alone to gather in large groups and carry equipment akin to that of the military. Such equipment was necessary for firemen to tear down the burning buildings to stop the flames. The design can be seen in Kunimaru's fan print [SVJP-0233.2018] in this collection.Fighting Moronao's guards, the 47 rōnin entered the mansion and searched for their enemy but in vain. Finally, Yazama Jujiro Motooki [矢間重次郎元興] found the villain in the charcoal chamber and called his friends. This is the exact moment we see in the picture on the wall: Yoshida entering the charcoal chamber with a spear in his hand amid falling baskets and charcoal. Kō no Moronao was brought to justice and beheaded; his head was offered before the memorial tablet of En'ya Hangan to appease his spirit. After that, Ōboshi Yuranosuke and his 46 friends committed seppuku. They were buried at Sengakuji (泉岳寺) – a small temple near Shinagawa in Edo (Tokyo).
Utagawa Kunimaru. Chūshingura, Act 11.
Another fan print from the same series can be found at Kuniyoshi Project:
The same subject is portrayed by Kuniyoshi in the series Mirror of the True Loyalty of the Faithful Retainers [誠忠義臣鏡] (Seichû gishin kagami), publisher: Kagiya Hanjirô, c. 1851 (Kuniyoshi Project) – Yoshida Sadaemon Kanesada (葦田貞右衛門兼貞) raising his sword amid falling baskets and charcoal:
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Utagawa Toyokuni I. Women Weaving and Boy Playing with Puppies. c. 1790's. Publisher Wakasaya Yoichi (Jakurindô). Vertical aiban; 32.2 x 21.5 cm (12 11/16 x 8 7/16 in.). MFA ACCESSION NUMBER 06.671. Signed Toyokuni ga 豊国画. Censor's seal: kiwame 改印：極 SOLD -
Mori Sosen (1747-1821). Seated Monkey. Hanging scroll painting. Ink and colour on silk. Signed: Sosen. Sealed: Sosen. 28.8 x 33.3 cm. -
Kozuka with seven insects (fly, grasshopper, bee, butterfly, dragonfly, firefly, and cricket) and grass with dewdrops motif. Shakudō, flush gold inlay (hira-zōgan). 95.2 (H) x 13.7 mm (W). Mid Edo period (Late 17th - early 18th century, Genroku era 1688-1703). Unsigned. Kaga school. A look-a-like kozuka (with five insects) is illustrated at Japanese Sword Fittings. A descriptive catalogue of the Collection of G.H. Naunton, Esq., completed and illustrated by Henri L. Joly, - 1912 on plate XXIX, №691 [LIB-1389 in this Collection] with the following description at page 54: "Shakudō, inlaid with butterfly, dragon-fly, grasshopper, locust and another insect, gold."
See also tsuba TSU-0211 in this collection:
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This tsuba is a cut from a typical Bizen Shōami butterfly tsuba (see TSU-0100 in this collection), which normally would have had a circular rim around the butterfly. In this particular example of altered guard we have both eyes of the insect (inlaid in brass or copper) intact. The kebori carving is more pronounced than in TSU-0100 example. Copper sekigane. Unsigned. Attributed to Bizen Shōami school, early Edo period (17th century). Dimensions: 64.7 x 63.7 x 5.2 mm References: see TSU-0100. -
Iron tsuba of oval form decorated with design of jakago (bamboo lattice work) in openwork (sukashi). Copper sekigane.
Unsigned. Edo period.
Size: 73.7 x 70.3 x 5.6 mm.Note regarding design: though some might think that this piece belonged to a member of the lost tribe of Israel, it did not. Jakago baskets were made of bamboo, filled with rocks and used to catch crabs (besides other uses).
Jeanne Allen. Designer's Guide to Samurai Patterns. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1990; p.51, №57.
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Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese: 歌川 国貞; also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III (三代歌川豊国); 1786 – 12 January 1865).A young woman reading a book in the light of a lamp. Series: Arigataki miyo no kage-e (Shadow Pictures of an Auspicious Age). There are five known prints, half-length portraits of beauties, in this series, designed by Kunisada in ca. 1844. Another print from the series in this collection: SVJP-0306.2020: A young woman adjusting her hairpins in the light of a paper lantern.
Signed: Kōchōrō Toyokuni ga (香蝶楼豊国画).
Publisher: Maruya Kiyojiro.
Size: Vertical Ōban (37.5 x 25.4 cm). -
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863); seal: Hori Take [彫竹]. Publisher: Iseya Magobei [伊勢屋孫兵衛] (Japanese, fl. c. 1794 – 1868); seal: Hanmoto, Masu [板元, 益] (Marks 19-039 | 150d). Date-aratame seal: Ansei 2 (1855). Title: Time in Fukagawa, Iyo Province (Fukagawa Iyo setsu). Ref.: [LIB-3008.2022] Andreas Marks. Japanese woodblock prints: Artists, publishers and masterworks, 1680 – 1900. — Tuttle Publishing, 2010; p. 221. –> 1855 Kunisada. "Iyo Province-time at Fukagawa" (Fukagawa Iyo setsu). Fan print. Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, Matsumoto. -
Artist: Katsukawa Shunkō [勝川 春好] (Japanese, 1743 – 1812).Actor: Matsumoto Kōshirō IV [[松本幸四郎]; other names: Omegawa Kyōjūrō, Ichikawa Komazō II, Ichikawa Somegorô I, Ichikawa Takejūrō, Segawa Kinji, Segawa Kingo] (Japanese, 1737 – 1802).
Signed: Shunkō ga. Size: Hosoban; 14 x 33 cm. SOLD -
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). No publisher seal, no date or censor seal; probably a private printing. Signed: Kunisada ga [国貞画] in a red double gourd cartouche. Media: Untrimmed fan print (uchiwa-e), 231 x 294 mm, with the use of mica and black lacquer. -
Fuchi-kashira made of shakudō carved and inlaid with gold and red copper with the design of a bat and a fruit (persimmon?). Nanako surface.
Fuchi: 37 x 19 x 7 mm. Kashira: 34 x 16 x 5 mm. Main material: shakudō. Other metals: gold and copper. Surface treatment: nanako-ji. -
Iron tsuba with design of bamboo and sparrow (take-ni-suzume) in openwork (sukashi). Rounded rim. Copper sekigane. Akasaka school. Unsigned. Attributed to second generation Tadamasa Shōzaemon (died in in the fifth year of Enppo, 1677). Early Edo period: 17th century (Kan-ei / Kanbun era). Height: 79.0 mm. Width: 77.5 mm. Rim thickness: 5.5 mm. Center thickness: 6.6 mm. Provenance: Sasano Masayuki Collection, № 222: "It is believed that sparrows nest in a bamboo grove". According to Merrily Baird [Merrily Baird. Symbols of Japan. Thematic motifs in art and design. Rizzoli international publications, Inc., 2001], "a bamboo grove is said to be emblematic of security as the bamboo is resilient even in the face of high winds and heavy rains. [...] The association of the sparrow (suzume) with bamboo is an old one found in Japanese poetry, paining, and design. The bird is said to be obsessed with its honor, especially the repaying of debts". -
Similar image at MFA under title: Actors and Women in the Snow MFA ACCESSION NUMBER: 11.13568 Date: 1809 (Bunka 6), 12th month Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769–1825) Publisher Tsuruya Kinsuke (firm name Sôkakudô), № 554 in Marks's "Publishers". DIMENSIONS: Vertical ôban; 38.2 x 25.8 cm (15 1/16 x 10 3/16 in.) MEDIUM OR TECHNIQUE: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper. Signed: Toyokuni ga (豊国画) Censor's seals: kiwame (改印：極) MFA assumes that this may be "one sheet of incomplete triptych?" -
Suzuki Harunobu (鈴木 春信; c. 1725 – 15 July 1770).The Ide Jewel River, a Famous Place in Yamashiro Province (Ide no Tamagawa, Yamashiro no meisho), from the series The Six Jewel Rivers in Popular Customs (Fûzoku Mu Tamagawa).
Signed: Harunobu gaInscription - Poem: Koma tomete/ nao mizu kawan/ yamabuki no/ hana no tsuyu sou/ Ide no Tamagawa
References:MFA # 21.4540.
Waterhouse cat. #562; Pins, The Japanese Pillar Print (1982), #139; Ukiyo-e shûka 4 (1979), list #795.4, and supp. 2 (1982), pl. 565; Gentles, AIC cat. II (1965), p. 125, #201.
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Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Publisher: Matsumura Tatsuemon [松村辰右衛門] (Japanese, fl. c. 1793 – 1832). Year: c. 1820–22 (Bunsei era). Signed: 五渡亭国貞画 – Gototei Kunisada ga. Censor's seal: kiwame 改印：極
SVJP-0179-6.2014
The Hour of the Dragon, Fifth Hour of Day (Tatsu no koku, Hi no itsutsu toki), from the series Twelve Hours of a Modern Clock (Imayo tokei jūniji) 「今世時計十二時 辰ノ刻 日ノ五つ時」 MFA impression: 11.15315. 
SVJP-0179-1.2014
The Hour of the Rabbit, Sixth Hour of Day (U no koku, Ake muttsu toki), from the series Twelve Hours of a Modern Clock (Imayo tokei jūniji) 「今世時計十二時 卯ノ刻 明六つ時」. MFA impression: 11.15317 
SVJP-0179-2.2014
The Hour of the Monkey, Seventh Hour of Day (Saru no koku, Hi no nanatsu toki), from the series Twelve Hours of a Modern Clock (Imayo tokei jūniji) 「今様時計十二時 申ノ刻 日ノ七つ時」 MFA impression: 11.39692 
SVJP-0179-8.2014
The Hour of the Horse, Ninth Hour of Day (Uma no koku, Hi kokonotsu toki), from the series Twelve Hours of a Modern Clock (Imayo tokei jūniji) 「今世時計十二時 午ノ刻 日九つ時」. MFA impression: 11.15314 
SVJP-0179-4.2014
The Hour of the Boar, Fourth Hour of Night (I no koku, Yoru yottsu toki), from the series Twelve Hours of a Modern Clock (Imayo tokei jūniji) 「今世時計十二時 亥ノ刻 夜四つ時」. MFA impression: 11.15552 
SVJP-0179-3.2014
The Hour of the Tiger, Seventh Hour of Night (Tora no koku, Yoru nanatsu), from the series Twelve Hours of a Modern Clock (Imayo tokei jūniji) 「今世時計十二時 寅ノ刻 夜七つ」. MFA impression: 11.15313 Ref.: Izzard. Kunisada’s world [LIB-2970.2022]. 
SVJP-0179-5.2014
The Hour of the Ox, Eight Hour of Night (Ushi no koku, Yoru no yattsu toki), from the series Twelve Hours of a Modern Clock (Imayo tokei jūniji) 「今世時計十二時 丑ノ刻 夜ノ八つ時」. MFA impression: 11.26906 
SVJP-0179-7.2014
The Hour of the Rat, Ninth Hour of Night (Ne no koku, Yoru kokonotsu toki), from the series Twelve Hours of a Modern Clock (Imayo tokei jūniji) 「今世時計十二時 子ノ刻 夜九つ時」. MFA impression: 11.15312 -
Artist: Utagawa Yoshikazu [歌川芳員] (Japanese, fl. c. 1850 – 1870). Publisher: Wakasaya Yoichi [若狭屋与市] (Japanese, fl. 1794 – 1897). Combined date seal and kiwame censor seal: 1861 (Man'en 2 / Bunkyū 1, from 19/02). -
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, c. 1815 – 1869). Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863); seal Hori Take [彫竹]. Double nanushi censor seals: Mera & Murata (1847-50). Title: Cool Breeze on Tenpōzan Hill in Naniwa [浪花天保山の涼] (Naniwa Tenpōzan no ryō). An uncut fan print (uchiwa-e), depicting a gentleman (most probably kabuki actor Nakamura Utaemon IV) holding a pipe with the view of Tenpōzan Hill [天保山] in Naniwa (Osaka) in the background. A distinctive structure on the left is the Sumiyoshi Lantern [住吉高灯篭] (Sumiyoshi takadōrō), which was destroyed by a typhoon in 1950. The character 翫 – moteasobu – on the gentleman’s robe means "take pleasure, play an instrument". Nakamura Utaemon IV [中村歌右衛門] (Japanese, 1796 – 1852); other names: Nakamura Shikan II, Nakamura Tsurusuke I, Nakamura Tōtarō. The character is visually similar to a gentleman drinking tea on a veranda under the shining moon from the series ‘Moon, Sun, Stars’ [月日星] (Getsu hi hoshi), see SVJP-0211-1.2016: The Moon.
As noted by Horst Graebner, the gentleman also resembles the character on another Kunisada's actor print, published in 1852 (Waseda University Cultural Resources Database № 114-0232):
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Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞], a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代 歌川 豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1845 – 1863), seal: 彫竹 – hori Take. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. c. 1845 – 1847). Media: Untrimmed fan print (uchiwa-e), 238 x 304 mm. Title: Saiko (West River) [西江]; 西江 means the Xi River in China. Series: Chronicles of Elegant Women [風雅女史傳] (Fūga joshiden). Combined date seal and kiwame censor seal: Ansei 6 (1859). Other prints from the same series in this collection: SVJP-0216.2016 — Princess Sotoori:
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Utagawa Toyokuni (歌川豐國); 1769 – 24 February 1825. Actor Onoe Matsusuke II as Katsugiino (right), actor Sawamura Tanosuke II as Otsuyu (left) 尾上松助（二代目）in a role かつぎいの; 沢村田之助（二代目) in a role おつゆ. Play: "Yuki to Tsuki Hana no Kuronushi". Theater: Nakamura. Publisher: Mikawaua Seiemon (1805-1829) [Marks: 328]. Circa 1810. -
Iron tsuba of round form with design of slanting rays of light (shakoh) or clock gear (tokei) in openwork (sukashi). Commonly considered a Christian / Jesuit motif. Copper sekigane. According to seller, Owari School. Haynes writes that most tsuba of this design are Owari (Tsuba. Aesthetic Study). Unsigned. Edo period. According to F. Geyer, diamond-shaped vertical posts and long rays suggest that this tsuba was probably made between 1605 and 1630.Size: 76.9 x 76.0 x 5.4 mm
For information regarding shakoh tsuba see article 'Kirishitan Ikenie Tsuba by Fred Geyer at Kokusai Tosogu Kai; The 2nd International Convention & Exhibition, October 18-23, 2006, pp. 84-91. -
This print was sold to me with the following description: "Ikkansai EISHO (Fl. early 19th c.). A portrait of the wrestler Kuroyanagi Matsujiro, ring name Kumagatake Inosuke. Eisho was a pupil of Eishi. Published c. 1820s by Uoya Eikichi. Signed Shunsai Eisho ga." As a result of our joint effort with my beloved sister, we have so far found the following: The artis is mentioned in The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints, 2005, Vol 2; p. 438 under the name of Harukawa Eichō. From this source we learned that the artist was active from about 1818 till 1844, and was a print designer in Kyoto. He was a student first of Harukawa Goshichi and later studied in Edo (Tokyo) with Keisai Eisen, when he assumed the art name 'Eichō'. Other names: Shunsai. The Japanese web page dedicated to Harukawa Eichō provides more details: The artist lived from the 4th year of Tenmei ( 1784 ) to the first year of Kaei ( 1848 ). He was a student of Harukawa Goshichi, Kikukawa Eizan as well as of Keisai Eisen. His popular name was Kamenosuke. He was from Kyoto. He took "gagō" (artistic names) of Eishō when he was a student of Harukawa Goshichi; later, when he became a student of Kikukawa Eizan and Keisai Eisen he took the name of Kikukawa Eichō. The artist was mostly known for his bijinga (beautiful women) prints as well as kanazōshi illustrations. Nothing is said anywhere about his sumo prints, though the reference to another Kyushu sumo wrestler portrait has been found. The sumo wrestler Kuroyanagi Matsujiro is also a somewhat obscure figure: information about his life and career is quite inconsistent. It may so happened that two different persons were combined together. Wikipedia page about Aoi Aso Jinja, a Shinto shrine in Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto prefecture, tells us the following:This information has some inconsistencies already. If our hero was born in 1807 and promoted to ōzeki at the age of 32, it should have been the year 1839, not 1847. I found Kumagatake Isuke at "Sumo Reference" website:Kuroki Matsujiro (黒木松次郎) was born in the village of Itsuki in Kuma district, Kumamoto prefecture, island of Kyushu in Bunka era, 4th year (1807). Since from his childhood he was blessed by great physique and tough strength. He had affection for sumo. At the age of 18 he became a sumo student of Kumamoto Shimakawa Ikuhei and took the name of Toyama Hidekichi (遠山日出吉). At the age of 23 (1830), he entered sumo stables in Kyoto, mastered the art of taming of young horses, and his talents improved. At the age of 31 he went to Edo, and became a disciple of the ōzeki Oitekaze Kitaro of Hirado domain in Hizen province, also from Kyushu island. After that, he changed his name and became Kuroyanagi Matsujiro (黒柳松次郎 – as on the print). In 1847 (Bunka era, 4th year) he distinguished himself by advancing to the first grade, and at the age of 32 he was promoted to ozeki level, becoming sekitori. After changing his name to Kuma-ga-take Inosuke (熊ヶ嶽猪之介 / くまがたけいのすけ) he displayed further efforts, and became one of the strongmen that fermented sumo wrestling in Edo. In 1853 (Kaei era, 6th year) he retired and returned to his village, becoming an employee as a strongman of Sagara domain (相良藩), and worked hard as instructor of the sumo training hall to train successors until 1855 (Ansei era, 2nd year) when he passed away at the age of 48. Even today Kuma-ga-take's home exists in Itsukimura (his native village). Also, on those grounds a descendant of Kuma-ga-take runs minshuku (guest house) that bears the name of "The Kuroki Pension (lodging) ", and tourists come to visit from various parts of Japan. In 2015, tenth month, within the borders of Aoi Aso Shrine there was built a gravestone publicly honoring Kuma-ga-take Inosuke, sumo wrestler from Edo / of Edo period.
The real name is the same, the ring name Kuroyanagi Matsujiro is the same, however, the date of birth here is 1815. He fought from 1836 till 1853 - which is quite similar to "At the age of 31 he went to Edo, and became a disciple of the ōzeki Oitekaze Kitaro". Though, in 1836 he might be 29 years old. His bouts are listed from spring 1841 to spring 1848 under the name of Kuroyanagi and from winter 1848 till spring 1853 he listed under the name of Kumagatake Isuke [Inosuke].Highest Rank Maegashira 4 Real Name Kuroki Birth Date 1815 Shusshin Kumamoto-ken, Kuma-gun Death Date March 6, 1855 (40 years) Heya Oitekaze Shikona Kuroyanagi Matsujiro - Kumagatake Isuke Hatsu Dohyo 1836.02 (Sandanme) Intai 1853.02 On another important sumo history website, I found that Kuroyanagi first appeared at ring in the spring of 1823 (he might have been 16 years old then, which does not seem right). Then, in the winter tournament of 1848 Kuroyanagi took the name Kumagatake. At the spring tournament of 1853 Kumagatake (Kuroyanagi) retired. This is quite consistent so far.
Then, I found Oitekaze Kitaro, allegedly the teacher of Kuroyanagi.
Everything look good with an exception of ring names (shikona): Kuroyanagi Matsujiro (1823-1828) - Kuroyanagi Sumiemon (1829-30) - Oitekaze Kitaro (1831-1839). May it be that Sato Matsutaro fought under the name of Kuroyanagi Matsujiro until Kuroki Matsujiro took this name from his master? I don't have another explanation of the enigma. What we know is that we have a portrait of a sumo wrestler called Kuroyanagi Matsujiro from Kyushu, but we don't know whether this was the one from Kumamoto (Kumagatake Inosuke, 1807/1815-1855) or the other from Kanagawa (Oitekaze Kitaro, 1799-1865). Subsequently, we may declare that the artist is Shunsai Eishō, a.k.a.Harukawa Eichō from Eishi school (The Hotei Encyclodepdia, p. 524), we can date the print from 1818 to 1844, and only tell that the wrestler is Kuroyanagi Matsujiro from Kyushu (either Kumagatake Inosuke or Oitekaze Kitaro). The publisher of the print is Moriya Jihei (Marks №353, p. 243-5). That's it.Highest Rank Ozeki Real Name SATO Matsujiro (Matsutaro#) Birth Date 1799 Shusshin Kanagawa-ken, Tsukui-gun Death Date May 4, 1865 (66 years) Heya Oitekaze Shikona Kuroyanagi Matsujiro - Kuroyanagi Sumiemon - Oitekaze Kitaro Hatsu Dohyo 1817.10 (Jonokuchi) Intai 1839.03 -
Iron tsuba of elongated round form with brown (chocolate) patina. The surface is carved with file strokes (sujikai-yasurime) to imitate heavy rain. The design of a bird drinking water from a bucket hanging on a rope is carved in low relief (sukidashi-bori); the rope is inlaid in gold. The well structure on the reverse, carved in low relief. Nakago-ana is enlarged and plugged with copper sekigane. Unsigned.
Edo period.Size: Height: 75.1 mm; Width: 68.3 mm; Thickness: 4.6 mm; Weight: 134 g.
Unsigned.
SOLD -
Untrimmed fan print (uchiwa-e), 231 x 300 mm. Title: A geisha eating edamame aboard the boat of the Atari-ya teahouse. Series: Three summer women [九夏三婦久] (Kyūka sanfuku). Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Artist: Utagawa Kunihisa II [歌川国久] a.k.a. Katsuda Hisatarō, Ichiunsai, Ritchōrō, Toyonobu, Yōryūsai, Yōsai] (Japanese, 1832 – 1981). Block cutter: Yokokawa Horitake [横川彫武] a.k.a. Yokokawa Takejiro [横川竹二郎] (Japanese, fl. 1860s). Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, fl. C. 1845 – 1847) Combined date seal and kiwame censor seal: 1860 (Ansei 7 / Man'en 1 from 18/III). Signed: Toyokuni ga in toshidama cartouche, and Kunihisa ga. Provenance: The Collection of Paul F. Walter, Christie's, New York, 2017, lot 341; sol together with 5 other fan prints for $25,000. Before: Israel Goldman, Japanese Prints, Catalogue 9, 2003, no. 35. Ref: [LIB-1693.2018] The Collection of Paul Walter. — NY: Christie's, 2017, p. 363. Ref: Israel Goldman, Catalogue 2018, № 52: "Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) and Utagawa Kunihisa II (1832-1891) A Geisha Eating Edamame Aboard the Boat of the Atari-ya Teahouse. From the series Kyuka sanfuku (Three Summer Women). 1860. Fan print. 22.7 x 29.6 cm. Provenance: Israel Goldman, Japanese Prints, Catalogue 9, 2003, no. 35. The Collection of Paul F. Walter, Christies, New York, 201, lot 341. Fine impression, colour and condition. The title is a pun on “kyuka sanpuku” meaning the hottest point of the summer. The background view is by Kunisada’s pupil Kunihisa." -
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Ibaya Senzaburō [伊場屋仙三郎] (Japanese, c. 1815 – 1869). Double nanushi censor seals: Hama & Magome, Kaei 2-5 (1849 – 1852). An uncut fan print (uchiwa-e, 220 x 292 mm) depicts a beautiful woman sitting on a balcony overlooking a bay and reading a book. Above the book, there is an obi with a pattern of stripes or modified key fret motif, with lettering that reads: 菅原島 [Sugawara-jima] and 美立 [mitate]. The lettering and the blossoming plum branch next to the obi provide an allusion to Sugawara no Michizane [菅原 道真/菅原 道眞] (Japanese, 845 – 903) - a prominent scholar and poet of Heian period exiled from Kyoto to the island of Kyushu as a result of another courtier's slander. A legend says that his beloved plum tree was so fond of its master that it flew to Kyushu with Sugawara. The Davis Museum at Wellesley College describes the print as belonging to the series A Parody of Sugawara Stripe Patterns (Mitate Sugawara-jima). To make the fact of an allusion transparent, Kunisada had changed the usual way of writing "Sugawara stripes" from 菅原縞 to 菅原島 and "mitate" from 見立 to 美立. An unusual spelling was also used to provide additional information to the reader in other cultures. E.g. during the Prohibition Era, the West Coast United States speakeasy bars and bordellos misspelt the items on a menu ("scollops") or in a neon sign ("Martuni's") to tell: here we have more pleasures for you than you may have expected. After Tenpō reforms, the printing of bijin-ga (美人画, "picture of beautiful woman") images was restricted. Our print disguises a typical bijin-ga as an advertisement of an obi (帯, a kimono sash) fabric pattern. "The market of portraits was satisfied and the authorities fooled" [Rebecca Salter. Japanese popular prints. — Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2006]. -
Title: Gotenyama [御殿山] – one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing spots; it is a hill at Shinagawa [品川], the second station on the Tōkaidō road [東海道], located on the shores of Edo Bay [江戸湾]. Series: A Collection of Mountains [山つくし] (Yama tsukushi) Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 12 January 1865). Block carver: Yokokawa Takejirō, seal: [彫竹] – Hori Take. Publisher: Yama-Ta; seal: [板元, 太] – Hanmoto, Ta; Marks 19-044 | U421b: An unknown publisher in Edo, fl. c. 1815-61. Combined date seal and kiwame censor seal: Ansei 6 (1851). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a red toshidama cartouche. Size: Fan print (uchiwa-e) 227 x 287 mm. -
Artist: Tsukioka Tanka [旦霞] (Japanese, fl. c. 1830s – 1840s). Publisher: Enshūya Matabei [遠州屋又兵衛] (Japanese, fl. c. 1768 – 1881); seal: Enmata. Title: Picture of Fuji, Tsukuba and Sumida River [富士筑波隅田川の圖] (フジ ツクバ スミダガワ ノ ズ | Fuji Tsukuba Sumidagawa no zu). Date seal 巳 + kiwame: Tenpō 4 (1833). Media: Fan print (uchiwa-e, 団扇絵), 235 x 302 mm, aizuri-e. Only four prints are known from this artist, all fans: (1) National Diet Library 2542868:
(2) Ritsumeikan University mai30_07:
(3) RISD Museum 34.334:
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Attributed to Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese: 鈴木 春信; c. 1725 – 7 July 1770). Sunga. Woman dreaming of making love. British museum attributes to Ippitsusai Buncho (一筆斉文調). -
Late 19th-century (1850-1870) Japanese export fan. This fan has a double leaf painted with a different design on either side. Ivory encrusted with gemstones and other materials. Subject matter such as women wearing kimono is also more typical of export than domestic products (V&A). Autumn theme on the reverse. -
Kozuka made of pure copper with Daruma motif. The engraving technique is known as katakibori ("half-cut carving"). Signed on the back: Yasuchika. Size: 96.5 (H) x 14.5 mm (W). Edo period (Late 18th century). The technique of Katakiribori was developed by Yokoya school of artisans. Detailed account of Yasuchika family of kodōgo carvers is given at Japanese Sword Fittings from the Alexander G. Mosle Collection; Sebastian Izzard LLC, 2004 on page 64. The article ends with the following statement: "Given the popularity of his style and his many students, it is not surprising that a number of works bearing Yasuchika's signature are today disputed." S. Izzard attributes Yasuchika masters to Nara school. Yasuchika-signed kozuka in Important Japanese Swords and Sword Furniture and Works of Art [November 5, 1980, sales "Kotetsu". New York, Christie, Manson & Woods International Inc., 1980, pp.92-93, lot 172 and 173] are stylistically very different to our example. A shibuichi katakiribori kozuka, bearing the signature of Yashuchika, is illustrated at The Hartman Collection of Japanese Metalwork [sold at auction by Christie, Manson & Woods Ltd. June 30 and July 1, London, 1976] on page 82, lot 291. It depicts Daikoku and stylistically similar to ours. The description on page 83 says: "signed Yasuchika, and inscribed "drawn by Hanabusa Itcho" (Yasuchika IV, school of Iawamoto konkan, circa 1800)". A detailed account of Yasuchika signatures is presented at Masterpiece tsuba and kodogu from the Hans Conried and Alexander G. Mosle collections. Important woodblock prints by Utamaro, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Yoshida and other masters. San Francisco, September 1-25, 1983. Catalog #7. Robert E. Haynes, Ltd., pp. 141-174. The example that looks like ours is on page 146:
Though we have to admit that the example from Catalog #7 by Robert E. Haynes looks much stronger.
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Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese: 歌川 国貞; also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III (三代歌川豊国); 1786 – 12 January 1865).A young woman adjusting her hairpins in the light of a paper lantern. Series: Arigataki miyo no kage-e (Shadow Pictures of an Auspicious Age). There are five known prints, half-length portraits of beauties, in this series, designed by Kunisada in ca. 1844. Another print from the series in this collection: SVJP-0309.2020: A young woman reading a book in the light of a lamp.
Signed: Kōchōrō Toyokuni ga (香蝶楼豊国画). Publisher: Maruya Kiyojiro.
Size: Vertical Ōban (37.5 x 25.4 cm). Utagawa (歌川) SOLD -
Iron tsuba of round form decorated with a deer and maple leaves in positive silhouette openwork (ji-sukashi), with details finely carved in low relief (kebori). Nakagō-ana plugged with copper fittings (sekigane). Traces of lacquer on the surface.
NBTHK: Hozon, №424947.
Design: An autumnal tsuba with an allusion to Kasuga Shrine in Nara.
Attributed by NBTHK to Shoami. Age: Probably the Momoyama period (1574 – 1603) or early Edo period (1603 – 1650), but judging on the item's substantial size (diameter 86.6 mm) and considerable thinness (3.4 mm) may be attributed to earlier times (late Muromachi period, 1514 – 1573). -
Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞]; a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Signed: Toyokuni ga [豊国 画] in a yellow toshidama cartouche. Publisher: Unknown, seal [久] Kyū (Japanese, fl. c. 1851 – 1861); (Marks 07-023 | U176a, possibly Sagamia Kyūzō). Date seal and double nanushi censor seals: Fuku & Muramatsu, Kaei 6, 2nd month (2/1853). Inscription in a red cartouche: Purple of Edo // Purple of the Bay Capital [江都むらさき] (Edo Murasaki), alluding to Murasaki Shikibu [紫 式部] (Japanese, c. 973/8 – c. 1014/31), the author of Genji Monogatari [源氏物語] (The Tale of Genji), a Heian period novel which was the source of a parody Nise Murasaki Inaka Genji [偐紫田舎源氏] (Fake Murasaki’s Rustic Genji) by Ryutei Tanehiko [柳亭種彦] (Japanese, 1783 – 1842). According to Horst Graebner: The actor is most probably Iwai Kumesaburō III. Iwai Hanshirō VIII [岩井半四郎] (Japanese, 1829 – 1882); other names: Iwai Shijaku II, Iwai Kumesaburō III [岩井粂三郎], Iwai Hisajirō II. One of the series of Kunisada's fan prints in this collection: -
Artist: Utagawa Kunisada [歌川 国貞] a.k.a. Utagawa Toyokuni III [三代歌川豊国] (Japanese, 1786 – 1865). Artist signature: By the brush of the 79-year-old Toyokuni [七十九歳豊國画] (Nanajūkyū-sai Toyokuni ga). Publisher: Ebiya Rinnosuke [海老屋林之助] (Japanese, fl. c. 1832 – 1895); seal: ト/ 海老林 (to, Ebirin). Block carver: Matsushima Masakichi [松島政吉]; seal: carved by Masa [彫政] (Hori Masa). Combined date seal and kiwame censor seal: [子極] 1864 (Bunkyū 4/Genji 1). Media: Untrimmed fan print (uchiwa-e), 223 x 297 mm. Inscription in the cartouches: (R) Wakana-hime [若菜姫], Sawamura Tanosuke III [沢村田之助]; (L) Ashikaga Sanshichirō [足利三七郎], Sawamura Tosshō II [沢村訥升]. Play: Kinoene Soga Daikoku-bashira [甲子曽我大国柱], performed at the Morita theatre [森田座・守田座] (Morita-za) in 1864 (Bunkyū 4/Genji 1), 2nd month (see playbill at MFA-Boston Collection). Playwright: Muraoka Kōji II [村岡幸治]. Actors and Characters: Sawamura Tanosuke III [三代目沢村田之助] (Japanese, 1859 – 1878); other names: Shozan [曙山] (poetry name), Sawamura Yoshijirō I [初代沢村由次郎], here in the role of Princess Wakana [若菜姫] (Wakana-hime) (R). The story about Princess Wakana, Shiranui Monogatari, was written by Ryukatei Tanekazu [柳下亭種員] (Japanese, 1807 – 1858) and published as a 90-volume book of comics between 1849 and 1855. ...The tale revolves around the clash between the Kikuchi and Ōtomo clans. Princess Wakana’s father Ōtomo Sōrin [大友 宗麟] (1530 – 1587) was killed in a battle, and his spirit demanded revenge. To appease her late father's spirit, Princes Wakana acquired the power of the Earth Spider. She often appears in prints with a magic scroll, which helps her fight various enemies. Sawamura Tosshō II [二代目沢村訥升] (Japanese, 1854 – 1879); other names: Kōga [高賀] (poetry name), Sawamura Genpei II [二代目沢村源平], Sawamura Sōjūrō [澤村宗十郎], Suketakaya Takasuke IV [四代目助高屋高助], Sawamura Tosshi VI [六代目澤村訥子] (poetry name), here in the role of Ashikaga Sanshichirō [足利三七郎] (L) with a horse. According to Markus Sesko, the scene comes from the kabuki play Umakiri (馬斬り) by Tatsuoka Mansaku [辰岡万作] (17432 – 1809), which premiered in 1794. It was later assimilated into the Kabuki play Kozotte Mimasu Kuruwa no Datezome [襷廓三升伊達染], which was staged in the 1st lunar month of 1853 at the Nakamura-za. Umakiri is based on a Kyōgen play featured in Hideyoshi’s biography Taikōki [太閤記]. Its plot is that Ashikaga Sanchichirō Yoshitaka [足利三七郎義孝・義高], who is supposed to allude to Nobunaga’s son Oda Sanshichirō Nobutaka [織田三七郎信孝], attacks and kills a horse that is carrying 3,000 ryō (金三千両), money Mashiba Hisayoshi [真柴久吉] (an allusion to Hashiba Hideyoshi [羽柴秀吉]) had sent to be donated to a shrine on Mt. Kōya. The surrounding people try to catch him, but when they hear it is Yoshitaka who killed the horse, they fall to the ground and prostrate, and Yoshitaka leisurely leaves with the money. The plot is very simple, but Yoshitaka’s dashing appearance makes it very pleasing to watch. There are also prints that quote the main protagonist as Ashikaga Sanshichirō Harutaka [足利三七郎春高], and there is another title for the play, Sanzen-Ryō Kogane no Kurairi [三千両黄金蔵入] (Pocketing 3,000 ryō of gold). For reference, see also the BLOG. What these two characters are doing in one play remains a riddle. As Mr Graebner comments: "Most kabuki plays were only performed for one season (two months), and the books were lost. The playwrights have repeatedly used parts of plots from other plays, they have adopted characters, sometimes with the same or similar names. What can be found is the Kabuki Playbill (Tsuji banzuke) with cast and roles; the content is lost".Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Horst Graebner of the Kunisada Project and to Markus Sesko of The Metropolitan Museum, NY, for the analysis of the image and their invaluable contribution. For reference, see also:
MBA-Boston Accession number 11.28192
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Seiro ehon nenju gyoji 青楼絵本年中行事 (A Picture Book of Annual Events in Yoshiwara). Block cut by: Fuji Kazumune (藤一宗). Printed by: Jakushodo Toemon (霍松堂藤右衛門). Written by: Jippensha Ikku (十返舎一九) (text, kyoka 4 & 12). Published by: Kazusaya Chusuke (上総屋忠助). Print artist: Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿). Written by: Sandara Boshi (三陀羅法師) (kyoka 1). Workshop of: Yashiki no Katamaru (屋職堅丸). 1804 (spring); Edo. Reference: British Museum; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. -
Iron tsuba of round form with design of wheel (kuruma) in openwork (sukashi). Squared rim. Copper sekigane. Yagyu school. Signed of the face: Fukui Tsuguzaemon. Early Edo period: Late 17th century (Kanbun/Enppo era). Height: 76.7 mm. Width: 76.8 mm. Rim thickness: 5.2 mm. Center thickness: 5.6 mm. Provenance: Sasano Masayuki Collection, № 203: "This design of spoke wheel relates to the 'circular principle' found in the Yagyu philosophy. Although it is very faint, Fukui Tsuguzaemon's signature is visible. Without a signature and based on appearance alone, it would undoubtable attributed to a later period".Merrily Baird in her book "Symbols of Japan" [Merrily Baird. Symbols of Japan. Thematic motifs in art and design. Rizzoli international publications, Inc., 2001] provides the following explanation of the Wheel-of-the-Law symbol: "The Wheel-of-the-Law or Golden Wheel (rimbo, kinrin) has its origins in India, where it is known as chakra. [...] In Buddhist practice, it has been represented with eight spokes, reflecting the eight-fold path to overcoming worldly desire, and it signifies that all illusions will be crushed by the faith's enlightenment. [...] The Wheel-of-the-Law is an attribute of such deities as Senju Kannon, the Thousand-Armed Kannon, and Dainichi Nyorai, the all-illuminating solar figure who is the principal deity for Shingon Buddhism. From the Edo period on, the wheel also has been used in a secular manner", e.g. on family crests.
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Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769–1825) Title: Actors Bando Mitsugorō, Ichikawa Danjūrō, Onoe Kikugorō in play The Maiden at Dōjō Temple. Presumably Bunka 13 (1816) at Nakamura Theater in Edo. Publisher: Mikawaya Seiemon (c. 1805-1829); Marks' "Publishers" № 328, p. 235. Size: Vertical ôban MEDIUM OR TECHNIQUE: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper. Signed: Toyokuni ga Censor's seal: kiwame Detailed discussion on the topic can be seen at: The Maiden at Dōjō Temple -
Iron tsuba of mokko form with rough surface decorated in low relief carving (sukidashi-bori) and openwork (sukashi) with a flying bat, a crescent moon, and a cloud over the moon. Bat's eyes inlaid with gold. Crescent moon and cloud on the reverse. Copper sekigane. Kogai hitsu-ana plugged with shakudō.
Unsigned.
Edo period.Size: Height: 83.7 mm; Width: 80.3 mm; Thickness: 2.9 mm; Weight: 141 g.
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Katsukawa Shunshō ( 勝川 春章; 1726 – 19 January 1793).Signed: Katsukawa Shunshô ga (勝川春章画).
The size is somewhat larger than the standard pillar print (hashira-e): 16.3 x 67.7 cm.
No references found so far.
