MEITO Tsuba (MASTER PIECE Sword guards)

MASTERPIECE TSUBA by YURAKUSAI SEKIBUN

Mei : YURAKUSAI (Kao ) SEKIBUN
Height : 7.7cm
Width : 7.5cm
Rim Thickness : 5mm
Condition : Beautiful untouched Iron Patina with exceptional detail in 3D format Bear emerging from forest, the Bear’s eyes are Gold and two Teeth showing from mouth in fine detail. The balanced use of Gold (Kin ) and Silver (Gin ) set in Iron is wonderful

Certification : NBTHK Juyo Tosogu ( Important work ).
Note it is extremely hard for Tosogu to qualify and pass Juyo and only items of extreme excellence and high importance are successful.

History:

Era : Late Edo Period / Shonai Province modern day Yamagata Prefecture, Japan 庄内藩 Shōnai-han was a Feudal domain in Edo period Japan located in Dewa Province. It has been recorded that SEKIBUN moved to SHONAI in 1824 and worked for the SAKAI DAIMYO of the area. He was an extremely talented Artist and worked in both Iron and Soft Metals and was very versatile. His works are rare and are sought by collectors in Japan and also abroad.
SEKIBUN was born at Murakami in Echigo Province, he worked at Shonai Dewa Province. D: born 1790, died 1872.

This Tsuba is an extremely desirable Tsuba because of the unusual octagon shape and the rarity of the subject and is a Masterpiece by this Artist.

Price On Request (terms & conditions)

Jūyō-tōsōgu at the 46th jūyō shinsa held on October 5, 2000

kuma no zu tsuba (熊図鐔) - Tsuba with bear motif

mei: Yūrakusai + kaō - Sekibun (遊洛斎「花押」・赤文)

Chiba Prefecture, Taguma Seiji (田熊政治)

Measurements

Height 7.8 cm, width 7.4 cm, thickness at rim 0.5 cm

Description

Hinshitsu-keijō: octagonal shape, iron, tsuchime finish, sukidashi-takabori relief, zōgan, iroe, uchikaeshi-sukinokoshi-mimi, two hitsu-ana (both plugged with shakudō) Jidai: end of Edo period

Explanation

Katsurano Sekibun (桂野赤文) was born in Kansei two (寛政, 1790) in Murakami (村上) in Echigo province. Iit is said that he left his home town at a young ago to study with the Hamano School in Edo but his art name Yūrakusai rather suggests that he was trained in Kyōto (Note: raku is another term for Kyōto). In Bunsei seven (文政, 1824), he was hired by the Sakai (酒井) family who were the daimyō of the Shōnai fief (庄内藩) and from Kōka two (弘化, 1845) on, he permanently lived and worked in the Shōnai capital Tsuruoka (鶴岡) where he also died in Meiji eight (明治, 1875) at the age of 87. Sekibun mostly made tsuba and usually used iron or shakudō as raw material. He focused on a takanikubori ornamentation with iroe accents but also worked in katakiribori, shishiaibori, zōgan, and other techniques of metalwork. His signature is based on the calligraphic style of local Echigo-based calligrapher Kameda Bōsai (亀田鵬斎, 1752-1826). Sekibun particularly studied the works of master Tsuchiya Yasuchika (土屋安親) and his preferred motifs were animals and birds.

This iron tsuba has an octagonal shape in the style of Yasuchika. It is carved in sukidashi-takabori and colored with gold and silver zōgan and iroe applications. The omote side shows a bear in a forest and the ura side a waterfall, both sides interpreted in perspective and the posture of the bear hidden in the depth of far away mountains is highly skilfully executed. Both arrangement of the motif and carving techniques display a high degree of refinement and so we have here a work that truly reflects Sekibuns ability and art.

This tsuba shows a great number of densely arranged monkeys carved out in three-dimensional openwork (nikubori ji-sukashi), an interpretation which is referred to as "Thousand Monkeys" (senbiki-zaru). The motif of Thousand Monkeys was the hallmark of the Yagami School (矢上) which was based in Hizen province (present-day Nagasaki Prefecture). Representative master of the Yagami School was Mitsuhiro (光広) who was active in the second half of the 18th century. His name was then used on a hereditary basis until the end of the feudal era (1868)

The Yagami (矢上) school started in the 18th century with first-generation Mitsuhiro, who was succeeded under that name by his younger brother, and then the 1st generation's son made the 3rd generation. The two sons of the first generation took over under the names Seishirō and Hanjirō. They worked mostly in carving iron but sometimes other metals are seen.Located in a suburb of Nagasaki, their designs took inspiration from Chinese dragons and art motifs, designs that would later become known as Nanban, "Southern Barbarian". They also made designs with many monkeys, referred to by collectors as "1000 monkeys," and works with hares and shrimp are also known. MITSUHIRO SHOYOKEN D: Born1748, died August 4, 1823.

This Tsuba is quintessential work by Mitsuhiro and the Monkeys are executed all with different faces and angles with gold eyes in minute detail.

Senbiki Zaru Zu Sukashi Tsuba
Mei : Shoyoken Mitsuhiro
Height : 8.4 cm
Width : 8 cm
Rim Thickness (mimi ) 4 mm
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu ( Extraordinarily Worthy of Preservation )

Price On Request (terms & conditions)

( Note : From my experience there are sometimes similar Tsuba available depicting the Senbiki Saru design by other makers who have tried to copy, however they are nowhere as brilliant as the originator of this design Mitsuhiro's and fall short.)